A beau"Tea"ful Experience | Tea Trails Cafe | Koramangala | Bangalore

bangalore
Grilled Chicken Steak Platter

Here is a call to all the tea lovers out there! All of us love to drink tea. Initially we were not much into tea but gradually the aroma, health benefits and the rejuvenation hooked us onto it.

We have all indulged in and heard about the “drinking” part of tea, but we were amazed to discover that tea can also mixed in food items and it imparts a unique flavour. We have recently been to a place called The Tea Trails Cafe which opened in Koramangala 7th block, Bangalore and these guys have done their homework when it comes to tea. They offer unique and various blends of tea and that’s just half the show: They also pair it with food items which go well with that variety of tea and we experienced magic in our mouths for most of the combinations. Plus, their specialty is having tea as an ingredient in their food preparations. 

Their ambiance is classy, comfortable and modern. Apart from this, their presentation is also impressive. They serve their tea in special brewers which provides more surface area for brewing and they also provide a card along with the type of tea which contains detailed information about the temperature, time duration for brewing and also health benefits!




Now coming down to the varieties we tried and the food pairings:

Experience Authentic North Indian Cuisine @ Kopper Kadai | Koramangala | Bangalore

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Hathori Parchay
Mutton Hathori Parchay

North Indian Cuisine in general is very close to most non veg lovers because of the rich and spicy meat preparations. Nowadays, wherever we go we see north Indian restaurants and “food corners” but they rarely serve authentic North Indian food. Instead they serve a spicy adaptation which is also tasty and thus widely accepted. Authentic preparations are quite hard to find as most places proclaim that they provide it but they don’t!

We recently visited a restaurant in Koramangala, 5th block, Bangalore which opened a month back and they already got listed as the best restaurant in Bangalore on Zomato! Plus, in the recent World On A Plate event involving the judges of Master Chef Australia they won 3rd place in such a short span of time. The restaurant we are talking about is Kopper Kadai and the entire restaurant is based on the theme “copper”.

They have different types of seating arrangements with a “royal” ambiance! Their speciality is their food presentation which is by far the best and most unique we have seen. But that is not all: Their preparations are equally good. Apart from this, they provide swift service and also have courteous staff.


Number of ladles = number of spices used 


Menu Card


The utensils used are mostly made of copper and they don’t spare any cost to bring excellence at a customer’s table. Another fact before we move on to the food of course: If you do visit here do take a look at the chairs. They use chairs which can be quoted as ancient particularly because of the design and they are very comfortable.

For starters we tried many varieties of non veg kebabs and a couple of veg kebabs. Presentation wise and taste wise their preparations are simple outstanding. There is practically no point in giving an explanation as the best explanation from our side would be: go there and have it!

Their signature dish, the ganna chicken was amazing! From what appears to be chicken sheekhs on wooden sticks, it is actually a chicken sheekh but on a thin strip of sugarcane. Quantity is sufficient and the taste was simply mind blowing. The chicken was perfectly cooked, not oily at all, had an amazing aroma of the herbs and was smoky and spicy. We would like to call it excellent at our plate!

Next up: The Hathodi Parchey. This was a mutton preparation and was served on a hammer. The mutton was very soft and tender and had a faint flavour of mustard. This also had a smoky flavour to add to the delight.

The sarson ki champey preparation was of tandoori soya chops with mustard again. It was impressive how they recreated soya in such large chunks but the problem was that the preparation was slightly bitter. Moreover, the inside did not have much flavour so there is some room for improvement.

The Murgh Chapli preparation was remarkable. They look like cakes with minced chicken, vegetables and spices. They were so juicy that it will make any individual curious!

There was one veg starter, most probably the paneer tikka which was amazingly delicious and heavy. They looked like veg drumsticks because of the break stick tails. The stuffing was of spicy paneer bhurji and it tasted fantastic. From the outside, these drumsticks were covered with fried rice vermicelli (most probably).

Murgh Chapli
Murgh Chapli

Ganna Chicken
Ganna Chicken

Paneer Tikka
Paneer Tikka

Sarson ki champey
Sarson ki champey

Experience Authentic North Indian Cuisine @ Kopper Kadai | Koramangala | Bangalore
A Chicken Kebab preparation: smoked using burnt butter

There were a few more starters but these were the highlights!

Along with the starters we tried the Murgh Raab Shorba and a couple of mocktails. The Shorba was very aromatic, thick and tasty. It was quite appetizing to say the least.
Moreover, this is served separately: the bowls come with the contents and the liquid component is served in bottles which can be poured later.

Their mocktails are a must try as well. We tried the Kiwi Panna and the Masakali and both were refreshing and the masala used in them made them tasty.

Kiwi Panna
Front: Kiwi Panna, Back: Masakali

Murgh Raab Shorba
Murgh Raab Shorba


For the main course there were some equally amazing and delicious preparations:

The Warqi Dal was way beyond our wildest expectation. The simple preparations show the credibility of the chef and the dal was thick, creamy and lip smacking!

There was a mutton halim preparation which they called Mastawa and it was brilliant. It was a rich mixture of clarified butter, loads of mutton, caramelized onions and milk. It was very heavy and very delicious and aromatic.

The cooker Kukkad was a home style chicken preparation traditionally served in a pressure cooker. It was tasty, flavoursome and gives the impression of dining with family. There was only a small problem: the chicken was partially overcooked.

The Minari mutton biriyani was also impressive. The rice was fragrant with good quantity of mutton. It had a taste of garam masala and it was well balanced throughout.

Minari Mutton Biriyani
Minari Mutton Biriyani

Mastawa
Mastawa

Warqi Dal
Warqi Dal
The breads were the usual, at par.

Now after such a relishing experience we had to end it with something sweet ;)

We tried the fruit cream and the dodhalava. The fruit cream had an assortment of fresh fruits along with flavoured cream. Quite a sinful end to a meal! The dodhalava had liquid nutella inside and baked burfi outside. Both the desserts were good and gave the perfect ending to our hearty meal.

After trying these guys we can understand their quality and how much they deserve praise.

Fruit Cream
Fruit Cream

Nutella Dodhalava
Nutella Dodhalava

There is still room for improvement and if they keep performing the way they are, there is much more glory ahead!

Overall, it was honestly a remarkable experience not only because of the food and the presentation, but also because of the friendly atmosphere they create for their guests.

So, if you are in the mood for some Authentic North Indian food with simply awesome presentation, do try out these guys. [And do let us know how you felt ;)]

We will definitely revisit and post about it!

Till then—bon appétit!

Kopper Kadai Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

The Full American Experience @ Mr. Bojangles | Koramangala | Bangalore

american cuisine
Basked Alaska Dessert
Baked Alaska

It has been quite a while since we had visited a restaurant serving only American Cuisine. Normally, most of the pubs in Bangalore serve continental, Italian and American but only American? Now that’s quite rare right?

We recently had the privilege of visiting a restaurant which solely focuses on American Cuisine and their ambiance is pretty retro and impressive. The restaurant we are talking about is situated in Koramangala 5th block, near to JNC road and goes by the name Mr. Bojangles. The locality has more than 50 restaurants so automatically a lot of competition comes into the picture.

American cuisine, in general is a lot about fried food and juiciness. Mr. Bojangles has a catchy entrance with open air dining and a bright yellow sign board. The interiors have a lot of stickers dating back to the 1800’s and all about American culture—music, cars, food, beer etc.





Coming down to the food, we tried many items but since most of the items were fried they take a toll on your tummy!

The Seafood Mela @ Bonsouth | Koramangala | Bangalore

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Grilled prawns

 Some restaurants have people behind them who have a vision and this is what sets them apart from other establishments.

On the same page, the uniqueness of their vision and their willingness to adapt to the customer’s needs are also equally important. Our most recent visit was to a restaurant with a very unique vision and yes their flexibility is something they are known for!

Their specialty: Creating delicious marvels with a twist. The twist being that the food is adapted to south Indian cuisine and hence tinkered with a little. Some might get the wrong impression that they only focus on south Indian preparations, but that is not the case. They emphasize on serving a wide variety of preparations, both veg and non veg but in the south Indian way. The condiments they use, their preparation style, the way they marinate and finally the way they serve is what that differentiates these guys!

Their vision is to uphold the south Indian style of cooking and making it popular among people from other parts of the country.

Without further ado, let’s mention the name of the restaurant: Bon South! ;)

Quite a catchy name isn’t it? It is situated in Koramangala 5th block around the JNC road in Bangalore and it is quite a buzzing locality.

The restaurant has been carved out of an old bungalow and the decor is rustic and rather unique with a modern touch. They have both outdoor and indoor seating arrangements and their seating is quite comfortable. They also have an open kitchen in the middle where the chefs prepare the delicacies which we are about to mention.

Currently these guys are having a seafood festival which runs till the 22nd of this month.

Their seafood preparations are absolutely delightful in the sense that they are refreshingly different!

They have a wide variety of starters and main course and we tried to cover as much as possible!

It is quite rare that the veg starters outnumber the non veg ones, but in bonsouth that is the case so they are veggie friendly as well.

Coming down to the food:

Italian Brunch @ Via Milano | Koramangala | Bangalore

bangalore

It is quite rare that we come across an eatery which somehow seems to please us in a different way and we cannot stop thinking about it. Sometimes it is the ambiance, sometimes the courtesy of the staff, sometimes the food of course and sometimes we actually do not know but we are attracted!

This happens to every individual no matter how aware they are! We recently visited a restaurant specializing in Italian Cuisine and we were captivated with the entire setup.





The restaurant we are talking about is Via Milano, situated in Koramangala 1st block Bangalore and it is a very quaint joint with a sober and soothing ambiance. From the outside, one can feel the European design with outdoor seating arrangements. The interiors were also fascinating with wooden tables and chairs.






They serve an assortment of breads with garlic butter at the table along with three varieties of oils: olive oil, chili olive oil and the third we forgot :P

We tried out their brunch set menu and it was fabulous to be honest! It was a three course brunch with starters, main course and desserts. We also tried some other items apart from this brunch menu which we will be talking about as well.

For starters we were served chicken lollipops in barbeque sauce, chicken parmesan fingers and smoked chicken salad. The portions were decent and perfect for a delicate meal.

The lollipops had the typical hot and sweet flavour of barbeque sauce and were covered with herbs which gave it a distinct taste like we never had before! The chicken was perfectly cooked throughout and we honestly wanted to have more. The chicken parmesan fingers were unique. The fingers were crispy, had the aroma of cheese throughout and had parmesan cheese sprinkled all over. This one is also guaranteed to make you want more!

Lastly the smoked chicken salad was very well balanced. The chicken slices had a delicate smoky flavour along with red and green lettuce. The combination was slightly bitter and the cherry tomatoes provided a hint of sweetness which balanced the salad perfectly. This was a great palate cleanser too.

Moving on to the main course items:

There were 3 items: one grilled chicken, red snapper with parmesan and penne arrabiatta with chicken.

The pasta was delicious with a tangy flavour and had small chunks of chicken distributed. The snapper was well done and was very tasty. This is the first time we tasted snapper and we really liked it. The fillet was topped off with parmesan and herbs and it was superb!

Lastly the grilled chicken was wow! The chicken was cooked throughout and was slightly sweet. Some portions of the chicken had the skin on and after grilling it tasted fantastic. It was also light on the stomach at the same time indicating that it was a very simple yet marvelous preparation.

After this we were supposed to end our Italian brunch but we thought of gorging some more ;)

We tried the seafood risotto, grilled prawns wrapped with bacon and chicken pesto baked with mozzarella and crushed potatoes and asparagus.

The seafood risotto was the only disappointing dish. The Arborio rice was well made and tasted good but it could have been a bit better. It was slightly bland and the quantity of octopus and prawns could have been more.

The prawn preparation consisted of jumbo prawns including the head wrapped with strips of bacon. It tasted different when had together and tasty of course. The prawns were delicately grilled so that the juiciness was intact and the stir fried bacon went well with it.

The pesto chicken was unique and was lip smacking. There were two huge chunks of chicken, cooked with herbs and baked mozzarella on top. The chicken was so tasty that if we had more stomach space we would have made more! There was also a separate potato, asparagus and olive pie kind of thing served which had a very sharp taste and many might not like it. We felt the problem was with the strong flavour of olives which needed to be balanced better.

This brunch affair was definitely something! Only the sweet dishes left:

There were three desserts served: Mango panna-cotta, semi fredo and the chocolate lasagne.

The panna-cotta had an even consistency throughout and was topped off with mango jelly. It had the right amount of sweetness and was topped off with a mint leaf. The semi fredo was a sandwich shaped mixture of almonds, crème and butterscotch. It tasted heavenly and had an amazing smooth consistency along with the crunch of the butterscotch.



 The chocolate lasagne was a wonder! It had dark chocolate as its base, then white chocolate with crème, then milk chocolate with crème and topped off with chocolate sauce. The best thing about this dessert was the chocolate overload and its smooth texture: Great stuff!!

So, finally our lunch was complete. The desserts gave a perfect ending to a near perfect lunch.

Now time for the scores:
Food/Taste: - 4.5/5
Quantity: - 4/5
Ambiance: - 4.5/5
Service: - 3/5

We really liked this place and are thinking of making it our Italian destination.

So, if you are in the mood for some Italian food of great quality and a good price you can definitely give this place a shot!

Till next time—bon appétit!

  
Via Milano Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Punjabi By Nature | Blogger's Table | Event

bangalore
Punjabi By Nature | Blogger's Table | Event

It is always a pleasure when you are associated with food loving people. On top of that, if you are in a restaurant having an impressive ambiance the experience reaches a different level.

So, this scenario was replicated very recently in Punjabi by Nature, In Koramangala where there were around 2 dozen foodies who simply jumped with joy at the sight of food!


The food which they serve deserves praise and any non veg lover who loves North Indian cuisine should crash in and try them out.
Click on the title to keep reading .. 

Daawat-E-Pirates Review | Bangalore

bangalore
Daawat-E-Pirates Review | Bangalore

We had visited the famous pirate themed buffet joint “The Black Pearl” in the past and it is an experience we still cherish. Quite recently we found our way to another pirate themed restaurant just one floor below the Black Pearl. The only different between the two is that the one we are reviewing this time is a North Indian fine dining restaurant.

By this time it is quite clear that the restaurant under discussion is none other than”Daawat-e-pirates”.



Daawat-E-Pirates Review | Bangalore

It is also a pirate themed restaurant like the Black Pearl but there is one observation we made. The two restaurants are based on the structure of a wooden ship, where the Black Pearl is the deck side, facing the sky and the open ocean (imaginatively) and Dawaat e pirates is the one beneath, so without masts and sails.

Daawat-E-Pirates Review | Bangalore


This place has an interesting cave type seating arrangement called the Pirate’s cave (of course) which is very dimly lit and it is guaranteed to make your dining experience a romantic one (or a bromantic one ;) ). They also have a bar and a lobby area which is decorated with pirate figures and skulls and the chairs have decorated whale bones and what not.


Now, we move on from the decor to the food of course. We had the mutton and the seafood meals which had a variety of sub options.

A complementary appetizer

First we were served a tandoori chicken salad and a prawn salad. Both of them were very appetizing and tasty. The salad was full of onions, capsicum and smoked prawns/tandoori chicken. The veggies were not raw but cooked, and that too in a gravy which was quite delicious by itself. It somehow tasted similar to the filling in kati rolls.

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