Raspberry Cheese Cake

Bangalore is the land of craft beers and one might end up spotting more microbreweries and pubs than grocery stores here(Just kidding, or are we?)

We have visited many such pubs and breweries and while some of them catch the eye and leave behind a long lasting image, the others are better off doing something else! This time we bring to you our experience of a relatively new pub & microbrewery called Biergarten in Whitefield, Bangalore.

This definitely falls into the first category as this is probably the only fully open air arrangement in Bangalore. From the outside it appeared more like a factory, but upon entry one can admire its true beauty. They have a lower and upper level, all open embracing nature with good music and a little bit of sweat to taste! The upper level has a lot of space and the seating is scattered to ensure privacy and a cool surrounding.

We had a near perfect experience if it was not for the afternoon heat for which they need to install a few more fans. They do have a lot of greenery around so we really admire and appreciate their vision.

Coming down to the food & beers:

We tried 4 variants of beer: Wheat beer and the 3 Lagers: Light Lager, Strong Lager & Dark Lager.

They had a decent head and body although the fizz ran out after a while. They were light and did not have a strong kick. The wheat beer was amazing and went well with their chicken wings preparation.

The 3 Lagers deserve praise too but the Dark Lager is a must try. Their beers tasted different to other beers we have tasted before.

Varieties of fresh brewed beer

For starters we tried The Biergarten Chicken Wings, Firecracker Prawns, Lemon Spiked Chicken Tikka, Spinach and Cheese Filo Parcel, Mushroom & Lamb Galouti and the Mushroom & Tofu Skewers. From Dim Sum: The Crystal Dumplings and the Pork Char Siu Bao.

We were thoroughly impressed with the suggestions of their staff who were very courteous and provided speedy service. Moreover, at their pricing their quality and quantity were quite astonishing! (In a positive way)

The meats in all the cases were tender, juicy and well-cooked. The flavours went in and the chef deserves a thumbs up for a job well done.

The Wings were spicy, crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The Prawns were covered with crispy ribbons but this actually tasted good as the ribbons had a tinge of mustard which gave it some flavour. Apart from this, the prawns were well done and of decent size. The presentation of the Lemon Spiked Chicken Tikka was lovely. One can taste the “Spike” with the first bite itself.

The Spinach and Cheese Filo Parcel was unique and tasted different. The raw flavours of spinach was subdued and the combination of spinach and cheese is tried and tested. However, a little bit more cheese would have done wonders.

Firecracker Prawns

Spinach & Cheese Filo Parcel

Pork Char Siu Bao

Lemon Spiked Chicken Tikka

Tofu & Mushroom Skewers

The Galouti Kebabs were excellent and served traditionally with the tawa paratha. The mincing was perfect and the flavours were mouth-watering. The Mushroom Galouti was a tad bit saltier than expected. The Mushroom & Tofu skewers are a must try if you love mushrooms. Soya sauce dominated the scene but the entire package was skewer licking good!

About the dim sums: The Crystal Dumplings can be missed but don’t miss out the Char Siu Bao. The formers covering was hard and that is not expected in dim sums. The Bao was a covered bao with a spicy pork filling which was delicious.

We were quite stuffed by this time and we did not try much from the main course. Meanwhile, we tried a mocktail called In the Summer Time which was very refreshing and acted as a palate cleanser. The flavours of Mango & Coconut with a creamy finish is something we can’t say no to ;)

Mushroom Galouti

Lamb Galouti

Pulled Pork Burger

Lastly, we tried their Pulled Pork Burger which was big, heavy and brilliantly done. Except for the cabbage and onions which were too long, the shredded pork tasted amazing with the cheddar.

We tried the Raspberry Cheese cake for dessert which had a twist. It was a normal cheese cake with Raspberry flavour but the bottom layer was made of coconut. We tried this combo for the first time and it certainly won’t be the last!

Now that’s our Biergarten experience for you.

Their brews are good but their starters are better! Do keep in mind that their quantity is a lot.

These guys are definitely worth visiting because of their unique concept and ultimately because of the quality food they serve.

Do let us know about your experience if you visit.

We’ll be back soon with something exciting ;)

Till then—stay tuned and bon apetit!

We have come across some serious restaurant nomenclatures in our span of food & travel blogging and this time we will talk about a restaurant whose name is an ingredient which is fundamental to all food items.

Before that, let’s talk about the serious nomenclatures: some are ‘serious’ly funny whereas some are ‘serious’ly impressive & or amazing, while some are quite common and now comes the most important category: are you ‘serious’ly kidding me? We did not mention any examples specifically not to insult/praise the choices of the people behind. Do think about the names you know of and ponder/laugh out loud!

Now, enough with the fun and continuing from where we left off in the beginning: so the fundamental element in food is salt and the restaurant we were recently invited to is none other than Salt-Indian Restaurant Bar & Grill.

For people residing in Bangalore, everyone knows Forum mall and this is located inside it on the second level and overlooks the busy roads. Although it is located in a mall, it is very spacious with comfortable seating arrangements and serves rich, flavourful and sensational Indian food.

We received a warm welcome from Chef Bala who runs the show at Salt and after running similar shows in Taj Coromandel before and many other establishments all over the globe he decided to start one of his own. So, Salt is his brainchild and he sure takes care of it!

We did not try a lot of items here as all the items were heavy, well presented and absolutely mouth-watering. It’s high time we proceed with the food:

For drinks we tried the Bellini and a Salt Signature Cocktail called the Dilkush. The Bellini was standard with a hint of strawberry syrup but the Dilkush was something special. It is a Kulfi based vodka drink with Baileys Irish Cream and vanilla ice cream and it was a sweet and strong symphony. The creaminess, the sweetness and the kick of the vodka were all in sync and beautifully balanced. The Kulfi was the captain of the cocktail.

For the food, we started off with an Amuse Bouche which paved the way for spicier preparations.

Letting the starters loose: The Paneer 3 ways, Saffron Chicken Tikka, Pardha Jhinga Kebab, Galouti Kebab and a special Punjabi Chicken Tangri Kebab.

To be honest, one needs to try them to experience what they offer as there were no negatives in these. The Paneer 3 ways consisted of huge chunks of paneer marinated and prepared in 3 different ways on a tandoor of course. The 3 variants were the BBQ paneer, cilantro paneer and the Figs Stuffed Paneer Tikka. They have different spice levels and the flavours complemented well. The BBQ paneer had a tangy & spicy combination whereas the cilantro was all green with the freshness of coriander and herbs. The Fig Stuffed preparation was slightly on the sweeter and it was a balanced extravaganza!

The Saffron Chicken Tikka was super rich with huge chunks of boneless chicken. The chicken was very soft and juicy with a rich yellow colour. This has a lot of calories as the chicken is marinated with loads of cheese, spices, herbs and saffron. The taste is unparalleled.

The Pardha Jhinga Kebab was all about big prawns wrapped around a roomali and roasted to perfection. The sweetness of the prawns complemented well with the mustard present along the lining of the roomali.

The Galouti Kebab was worth the wait: The smoky & minced cakes of lamb were just heavenly and were presented in the traditional way on a saffron tawa paratha. It is definitely one of the best Galouti Kebabs in town.

The special Chicken Tangri was a chef recommendation from their special weekend Punjabi menu and was very different. The chicken legs were grilled to perfection like it should be but that was not all: it was stuffed with a mixture of ginger, minced chicken and nuts which added to the experience.

Now that’s all from the starters which receive a big thumbs up from our side: outstanding stuff!

We were quite full after this so we did not try much of the main course, so the Saffron Nuttie Pulao along with the Alleppey Scallops and the Prawn Curry was all that we had.

The Pulao had good colour, with caramelized onions and roasted nuts which added a good crunch to it. The Alleppey Scallops and the Prawns had the same method of preparation.

The essence of raw mango and curry leaves were predominant in both and the scallops and prawns were well done. The characteristic flavours of the two brought in minor differences in the dish but both were homely, flavourful and delicious! We also tried a Grilled Pomfret preparation which was as per expectations.

Their dessert items are also unique and we tried a few fusion concepts. We tried the Salt special Rasmalai, Jamoon Tiramisu and Salt’s Éclair and Chefs special Elaneer Payasam.

The Rasmalai had an amazing presentation. A scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of a submerged layer of Rasmalai was certainly unexpected. The Rasmalai was soft, spongy and the entire combination was spot on.

The Jamun Tiramisu was a fusion from Salt and was better than most we have come across. The Jamuns were soft and the consistency of the Tiramisu was perfect. Normally Tiramisus give off a feeling that they have been refrigerated, but not this one.

The éclairs were also delightful. They were soft with creamy cashew praline and again with a very appetizing presentation. The Elaneer Payasam was the lightest & simplest of them all apart from being delightful. It was a little sweeter than what we like but little can be managed!

So that’s our experience of Salt: rich, flavourful and fulfilling.

At first the pricing might feel a little over the top but after experiencing the quantity and quality of the food, we can say it is worth it!

Do let us know about your experience in case you visit.

We’ll be back soon with another great place to eat.

Till then—stay tuned and bon apetit!

Chocolate Monkey Bread

We have visited tonnes of restaurants in the past couple of weeks and it was high time to take a break. Since we need to be surrounded by food at all times the only choices were gaming parlors and café/bakeries and we chose the latter!

This was officially the first time we organised a bloggers meet and it was a mixture of excitement and nervousness but thanks to everyone for joining in and bringing out the best in us! Since winter is actually here and Christmas is approaching it’s time to change focus from the restaurants to bakeries and Au Bon Pain has come up with a whole new range of items in its menu fitting the occasion.

The new range of items have been named as the “Winter Hotties” and if you have dual thoughts: good for you!

There are about 14 new additions to their regular menu which include bakery items, sandwiches, drinks and desserts and we’ll let you know which ones to try for sure and which ones you can do without.

It’s time to start off with our views on the Winter Hotties ;):

We started off with the Monkey Bread, Chocolate Monkey Bread and the Double Chocolate Croisbun.

The Monkey Bread was fun to look at because although it had a more or less constant shape, it had designs on top which were random. Taste wise, it was like a normal bread like the name suggests but it was a bit stiff, slightly chewy and dry. The Chocolate version of this tasted a lot better. First of all: 

Chocolate and then the stiffness and chewiness was not there so we would choose the chocolate over the non-chocolate Monkey Bread any time.

The Double Chocolate Croisbun also looked good. It looked like a muffin with 3 sectors topped off with chocolate cream. What more: there is a separate chocolate layer inside as well which can be experienced only if you have it. The fresh Croisbun was spongy and was complemented with the chocolate inside-out. If you try this out, do insist on a fresh piece as otherwise it loses its charm.

Double Chocolate Croisbun

Monkey Bread

Next up, the drinks and the “wiches”:

Their new menu consists of two varieties of Bubble Tea: Passion fruit and Strawberries, Mulled Wine and a Toffee Latte. Out of these 4, 2 exceeded expectations and the other 2 need improvement. The mulled wine is brilliant: it’s non-alcoholic but tastes similar to wine. It also has a tarty after taste like red wine, has a rich dark red colour and is a warm drink. It sure hit the spot and is definitely a must try!

The bubble tea concept is becoming quite familiar as most cafés and tea joints have this item. It is a pretty refreshing drink with fun bubbles which burst in the mouth and release the flavour of the drink. In this case, the passion fruit tea had the characteristic flavours and tasted great but the strawberry was not quite up to the mark. It did not taste like strawberries first, and second the flavour really doesn’t go well with these drinks. The Toffee Latte is a coffee based drink with caramel. The whipped cream and caramel had the good old taste but the drink itself was quite watery. Taste wise it is the way it should be and if they cut down on the water, this has potential!

Start-Wiches!

Strawberry and Passion fruit Bubble Tea

Mulled Wine

Toffee Latte

Now they have 2 types of sandwiches: Start-Wich and Flavour Burst sandwiches.

The Start-Wich has two variants: vegetarian and with egg. We tried the egg variant and it has a good mouth feel. It has roasted vegetables, eggs and mozzarella. The egg start-wich has poached eggs in it which complements well with the mozzarella. The usage of more cheese would have been it even better. The Flavour Burst sandwiches were brilliant. The Chicken and the Paneer both were extraordinary and lip smacking. Chicken and Paneer were in abundance and along with the beautifully caramelized and flavoured onions, this deserves nothing less than a thumbs up. The nomenclature is perfect as well because with each bite you get a burst of peri-peri.

The last two items were presented well but the taste told a different tale. The Harvest Chicken & Veg Salad was very well presented. It had a good crunch of almonds and pumpkin seeds along with fresh greens. The feta cheese added a bitter element and overall it was well balanced. The salad dressing however ruined the salad as it was too pungent and not suitable at all!

Peri Peri Flavor Burst Chicken Sandwich

Harvest Salad

Lastly, the Dark Lava Meltdown was the only dessert item in their new menu. It looked very appealing but had a similar problem like that of the Harvest Salad. The chocolate cake tasted good but there was no lava oozing out. The edges were a bit too hard and there was molten chocolate in the centre but no lava. Except for these, it did taste good but the whipped cream on top was tasteless and its texture did not go well with the main thing.

Dark Lava Meltdown

Positives and negatives aside, we did have a lot of fun. This was our first FLB meet and there are many more to come!

We hope we could help you out in what to try and what not to try from the new Winter Hotties collection.

Do try out the items we recommended and you won’t regret it. Let us know about your experience if you do!

We’ll be back soon with more news on grub.

Till then—stay tuned and bon apetit!