Foodie Land Blog | Indian food and restaurant reviews

Tiki moments of truth with Three Dots and a Dash

Personalized experience is the order of the day for restaurants and pubs with growing set of millennials partying out to shove off the week’s stress. And it is surely going to disrupt the pub culture in India. Those who wish to reach out better to the target audience, take a leaf out of Three Dots and a Dash’s book. Think about it. There are just so many options providing happy hours, DJ nights and so on. You need to differentiate to stand out of the crowd. Saying it loud is easy, but hitting the right chord with the millennials requires a differentiated experience – probably the Hawaiian theme at Three Dots providing a tropically uplifting party ambience clearly makes a point.

The new outlet of J P Nagar at the heart of South Bangalore has lots of open space that gives every audience a sense of privacy. The interiors ensure a relatable Hawaiian party theme. The diverse group of patrons are all dressed in Hawaiian themed shirts and trousers. You may visit during off-hours if you wish. This is certainly not a place for a quick drink. One needs to enjoy the relaxed vibe, the amazing Tiki cocktails and delicious platters, the accompanying music and classy décor to soak up the Aloha spirit.

I started off with one from the chef-recommended Tiki cocktails – the Fog Cutter. A unique combination of three spirits, this one had a unique aroma and classy presentation in a fresh coconut with a sunflower on top with the fuming dry ice in its base. The taste was a bit on the tangy and mildly sweeter side with the orange and pineapple juices gelling nicely with the spirits and the flavor from the tender coconut.

Fog Cutter (on left) and Dead Reckoning – two classic Tiki cocktails that should be on your wishlist

The next on the menu was The Forbidden Island. The specialty of this masterpiece lies in the concoction of vodka and white rum, gin, brandy and the touch of Red Bull and apple juice. It’s quite neat to whack someone out if he/she is not familiar with strong cocktails. It came in the classic Forbidden Island Tiki mug – one you might have in your showroom for décor.

The Forbidden Island – a signature cocktail to get you in the groove

I also decided to try out some of their delicious dishes from a varied range of cuisines.

Beet Beet Zing Kebab - one for the veg tandoor lovers who wanna get out of mundane paneer tikkas

The first of so many was the chef’s special Beet Beet Zing Kebab. The dish is not at all spicy (base prepared with mashed beetroot) and complements the Tiki drinks nicely with its taste and aromatic spices. The Peanut Tikki is another veg delicacy that should find a place alongside Tiki cocktails.

If you are one of the “carne” cravers, here comes your wishlist. I tried (rather it brought out the glutton in me :-p) the Almond Yogurt Kebab (chicken) and it was really tender and one of the juiciest chunks of chicken I ever had. The secret marination certainly made its mark. It’s a dry tandoor starter with a savoury taste.

Almond Yogurt Kebab (Chicken) – a delicious chicken starter that will never disappoint your palettes

The chicken wrapped prawn was served hot from the station next. Rich taste and succulent prawns would help you relate to the classic bacon-wrapped prawns also available on the menu.

Chicken Wrapped Prawns – one for the seafood lovers

I jumped to the main course straight after and it was time for some pizza. Gone are the days of the likes of cheese bursts and thick crusts. The chef introduced himself proudly as the hot Cottage Cheese Tikka was laid down on the table. The palatable thin crust and the succulent toppings marinated with tikka sauce were incredibly coupled to prepare one of the best pizzas I ever had. This or any other option from the pizza chart is a must-try if you are fond of classic Italian pizzas.

Go Italian with the thin crust Cottage Cheese Tikka (veg)

Next up was Chicken noodles. I am not too fond of flat noodles, but the presentation and aroma was compelling. I tried it out and the taste was pretty good with the accompanying Hawaiian Pork Curry. You should definitely try out this spicy main course if you have a taste for spicy pork. The succulent combination of bone, fat and meat is so perfect (this is where I find many of the signature dishes from other restaurants average with disproportionate measures), that I could not resist gorging on it. The X-factor: a chance to have the chef customize the level of spice just to suit your taste buds perfectly.

Hawaiian Pork Curry - a chef's masterpiece

With all the spices nicely blended in, I had to cool everything off with the Tiki Tower – a cocktail prepared carefully with variants of rum and fresh melon by the expert patron. I was extremely happy with the waiting time at Three Dots and a Dash, which is generally high for a crowded Tiki bar as each and every cocktail requires care and curation time.

The Tiki Tower - something to cool you down after a mouthful of Hawaiian spices

To me each of the vast exotic tiki drinks has a personality of its own. From taste to presentation to affordability, I find each of them a must-have.

Time for desserts. The chef promised us a delectable experience with the Nutella Banana Empanadas with Ice Cream (with a toothsome cherry topping) and it surely lived up to its expectations. Afraid of too much sweets? This one’s perfectly suited for you. I also tried out Butter Raisin Cake, again a not-so-sweet delectable experience that would nicely sum up the 4-course meal on a cozy relaxed afternoon.

One for the dessert-lovers: Nutella Banana Empanadas with Ice Cream

I am sure Three Dots and a Dash had many more treasures hidden in their Hawaiian chest, but I had to calm my cravings as nearly 4 hours went by in this gastronomical exploration. This is a must-visit for all who crave for a tropical exploration to the beach-side with a Tiki cocktail in hand.

23:02
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The New Menu @ Salt - Indian Restaurant Bar & Grill | Bangalore

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Salmon Malai Tikka

Sometimes, we don’t wait & directly get what we want. When it comes to Indian Cuisine, we have a favourite which we have reviewed & also visited a couple of times on our own accord.

This favourite is none other than Salt-Indian Restaurant Bar & Grill, Bangalore & they’ve launched their new menu pretty recently.

We were invited for trying out these new menu items & as we had expected: we were not disappointed at all.

So, this time we bring to you the latest offerings from Salt! They have changed quite a few items on their menu but they have retained the ones which their patrons like the most.

Most of the items we were served were tasting portions so don’t think that’s the quantity they serve!

Kheema Pav

The New Menu @ Salt | Koramangala | Bangalore

Black Eyes Peas Soup

Since this is a post talking about the new menu in general, we’ll not discuss in details but just let you know which ones we recommend.

We tried assorted tasting portions including classic Kheema Pav, Tawa Mutton, Salmon Malai Tikka, Assorted kebab platter, main course & a selection of dessert.

The Tawa Mutton is a must try. It is served on a coin paratha & the mutton cooked with spices, tastes marvellous. Kheema Pav is the usual & nothing to stand out except for that the Pavs are soaked with butter.

We also tried a salad consisting of sweet potatoes & paneer. It was very well balanced & the combination rocked!

Along with the appetizers we had a couple of drinks. Since they were not serving alcohol at the time, we went with non-alcoholic beverages: Watermelon cooler & a plain Mojito. Both were very refreshing.

Starter platter @ The New Menu @ Salt | Koramangala | Bangalore

Assorted starters

Assorted Kebab platter @ The New Menu @ Salt | Koramangala | Bangalore

Kebabs

Coming to the grilled items: The Paneer Zaitooni Malai Tikka was fabulous. It melted in the mouth & the creamy, spicy stuffing was marvellous. The Yellow Chilli Jhinga Kebab was juicy & mildly spicy. The prawns used were fresh & sweet. The Kache Aam ka Chicken Tikka is a Chef favourite & deserves to be so. The kebabs taste amazingly juicy with a mild aroma of raw mango. A bit more could have made it better. Lastly, the Lamb Methi Kebab is different than the usual lamb preparations we all have. It had a slight bitter aftertaste of the Methi/Fenugreek, but retains all the flavours of the lamb. The meat is tender & juicy.

Coming to the main course:

We recommend: Railway Mutton Curry & the Awadhi Gosht Keema Pulao.

The mutton curry is all about a burst of flavour in each bite. The mutton will melt in your mouth & the gravy is semi-rich. This is not a spicy preparation & can be enjoyed with rice preps or the breads served such as Baked Olive Naan.

The pulao tastes exquisite! We literally had the pulao without mixing with anything else. It is so flavourful with abundance of minced meat that it is a meal by itself.

We tried the Amchuri Bhindi Masala which was pretty good as well.

Railway Mutton Curry

Awadhi Gosht Keema Pulao

Dessert Platter

Molten Chocolate Cake

Lastly, the dessert: the platter consists of Kesar Kulfi, Gajar Halwa Spring Rolls & Qubhani Ka Meetha.

We don’t like the last preparation so we won’t comment on it. The first 2 are to die for! The Kulfi has a proper creamy texture & perfect sweetness. The spring rolls are fully stuffed with Gajar Halwa & the richness in each bite speaks for itself.

If you visit, DO NOT forget to try the Elaneer Payasam from the old menu. That’s something which you won’t get anywhere!

That’s our POV of Salt’s new menu & apart from the good old items, we are sure these will impress as well.

We highly recommend a visit if you have a palate for fine Indian Cuisine.

We’ll be back soon with more grub!

Till then—be patient & bon apetit!

14:24
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The New Menu @ Paranda | Vivanta By Taj - Yeshwantpur | Bangalore

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Lagan Ki Chap

It is a known fact that not all good restaurants get recognition because of a variety of reasons.

We have been to a certain Indian restaurant before for a separate tasting and did not quite realize that they are one of the best in the city of Bangalore!

Yes! The quality of ingredients, the taste & the presentation together are just too good to be true.

The restaurant we are talking about is none other than Paranda, Vivanta by Taj – Yeshwantpur and the last time we’ve been there, it was for their Valentine’s Day special menu.

From the cut of the lamb chops to the exotic mushrooms from Kashmir – they sure know how to please a palate!

Exec Chef Agnimitra Sharma along with his team has introduced an elaborate new menu after 6 long years and that’s not all. This time they have emphasized on vegetarian preparations as their non-vegetarian preparations are already a class apart.

So, moving on to what we tried and indirectly torturing ourselves (It happens when you can’t eat the mind blowing food you are writing about!):

From the starters: We tried the mini veg and mini non veg kebab platters, Tandoori Guchhi and a Monster Lobster.

Palak Patta Chat

Karare Khumb

Non-veg kebab platter

Bhatti Da Lobster

The mini veg platter consists of Corn, Aloo, Paneer & Hara Bhara Kebab whereas the non-veg platter consists of a Chicken Zafrani Tikka , Lamb Chops, Lahsuni Prawns & Mutton Seekh Kebabs.

We were served a refreshing traditional Shikanjvi before the starters.

So, the scales are balanced this time! Both the platter contents are worth retrying. From the veg side: The Hare Pyaz ka Bharwan Paneer Tikka was heavenly. It was very large in size but equally cooked throughout and the taste: Try it to believe it! The Potato/Aloo was also a stuffed preparation but the amazing part was that the entire thing wouldn’t break apart if sliced! This had a tangy taste and the freshness of coriander added to the experience.

The other two were equally good. The corn preparation was crispy and had a good mouth feel. The outer covering had spinach in it and the taste was very well balanced. The Hara Bhara Kebab was a little too dry for our palate. Taste and presentation wise it was at par with the others.

For the non-veg platter: close your eyes and let it take you to paradise!

The Chicken kebab was a powerhouse of saffron and garlic and coupled with the tender meat it was mind blowing. The Lamb Chop was even better! The cut of the meat was super and it can always be had without using hands. The smokiness & the spicy touch made it more irresistible.

The Prawns were humungous in size and had the characteristic flavours. They were fresh & sweet but the bigger the prawns, the flesh tends to get slightly chewy. The Mutton Seekh was delightful. The minced meat & the spices were perfectly balanced and it was not dry at all.

Tandoori Guchhi @ The New Menu @ Paranda | Vivanta By Taj - Yeshwantpur | Bangalore

Makhmali Tandoori Guchhi

non veg kebab platter @ The New Menu @ Paranda | Vivanta By Taj - Yeshwantpur | Bangalore

non veg kebab platter part 2

veg kebab platter

The Tandoori Guchhi is a rare item and unbelievably tasty. This was char grilled and had a stuffing of malai. For those who are not aware: This variety of mushroom is on super high demand on a global level and is ultra-expensive! You pay the price and get ultimate satisfaction on your plate.

The Lobster was huge, fresh & sweet. The preparation was spicy and the meat was perfectly done.

These are the majority. We were also served a couple of Chaats: Palak Patta Chaat & Karare Khumb (mushrooms). Both were well balanced and appetizing.

These are the highlights. There were other preparations which were decent but did not make it to the above list.

From the mains, we won’t elaborate and simply mention the must tries:

Guchhi Pulao, Veg Biryani, Rogani Nalli, Khumb Kali Mirch Hara Pyaz & Paneer Launglatta

The rice in the pulao retained the flavours of the Guchhi and the rest you can imagine.

The lamb shanks were perfectly done. The consistency of the gravy was perfect and the preparation was not too spicy & mildly sweet. It tasted magnificent.

The Khumb or mushroom preparation was spicy & had a crunch to it thanks to the onions.

The Paneer preparation was very different. It was stuffed with spinach & cheese and it ensured delight in every bite. The gravy was lip smacking.

Rogan Nalli

Paneer Launglatta

The other accompaniments were Indian breads like Naan, Kulcha etc.

Lastly, the desserts:

Cham Cham, Rajbhog, Mango Kulfi & Jumbo Gulab Jamuns.

All of them contributed to the sweet ending to our excellent meal! The Cham Cham was soft & spongy with the right amount of sweetness. The Rajbhog had the same attributes apart from being in the sugar syrup.

The Gulab Jamuns had stuffed Pista in them and they were delectable. The Mango Kulfi gave us a brain freeze. It was creamy, had chunks of mango and was lip smacking.

If you love a sweet ending, try all 4 of them and you won’t regret it!

Gulab Jamun

Malai Cham Cham

That’s all from our side. Paranda changed their menu after many years and they did it with a bang.

Undoubtedly one of the best new menus we have experienced.

No time limits on this one and we highly recommend a visit. They have special veg & non veg set menus @1399 ++ & 1499++ respectively.

Do let us know about your experience if you visit.

We’ll be back with more soon!

Till then—keep reading our posts and bon apetit!

22:38
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The New Menu @ Kopper Kadai | Koramangala | Bangalore

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Taka Tak Paneer Tikka

So, before we begin we wish you a very Happy New Year and hope you have a rocking year ahead! (better late than never!)

The New Year brings about a lot of “new” things, be it resolutions, schedules etc. but it is normally not expected that with a new year a new menu comes into the picture.

One of Bangalore’s favourite north Indian (actually they serve North West Frontier Cuisine) Restaurants: Kopper Kadai launched its new menu this week and they start off 2017 with a new menu and resolve.

This was not our first visit and the last time as well, the food was exquisite. They have kept a fifth of the old menu and replaced the rest with new and innovative items to maintain their position as one of the best.

The best part was that we had a live interaction with celebrity Chef Akshay Nayyar who gave us a walkthrough of the new menu.

So, starting off the New Year with some spicy, rich and crafted food:

There were a large number of items served and we did not try all of them but we would definitely stress on the ones we recommend this time.

Limca Bhel

Kashmiri Kiss

Chiller Chai

Tandoori Broccoli preparation

Jwalamukhi

For starters we had the Ande Ka Funda, Nadru Ki Chaat, Pesto Soya Champey, Jwalamukhi, Taka Tak Paneer Tikka, Murgh Korma Kebab, Hariyali Machhi Tikka and a few more.

If you are an egg lover, do not forget to try the Ande ka Funda as it has a stuffing of spinach & cheese. You’ll not be disappointed for sure!

Anda Ka Funda

The Nadru ki Chaat was a crispy lotus steam preparation and was mildly sweet. Worth a try but won’t be any harm if you don’t.

The Pesto Soya Champey was excellent. The characteristic flavours went through and the rich and creamy feel was delightful. The best part was the consistency of the soya: smooth as silk!

The Jwalamukhi or Volcano was a spinach and cheese preparation and the heart of it was molten cheese. Taste wise not so special if you ignore the cheese.

The Taka Tak Paneer Tikka was spicy with a tangy after taste with huge chunks of Paneer. The paneer was well done and deserves a bite.

The Hariyali Machhi Tikka was standard. It will not disappoint you and at the same time, won’t excite you either. The fish was perfectly done, the flavours went through and the juiciness intact.

The Murgh Korma Kebab deserves the mouth-watering label. One can feel the richness in each bite. Cooked with loads of milk, it gives a mild sweet sensation along with the fusion of herbs and spices. Amazing!

The drinks we tried: Chiller Chai, Jugal Bandi and the Kashmiri Kiss.

The Chiller Chai was unique. There was a mixture of citrusy flavours and the good old notes of tea which ended up as a great appetizer.

The Kashmiri Kiss looked great but was dominated with the flavour of honey. Healthy no doubt, but definitely needs some tinkering. It is served with a burning piece of cinnamon which gives off an inviting aroma.

Now finally for the main course:

We heard that the Gobi Chicken was worth a try but since we didn’t we won’t comment further.

Hariyali Machhi Tikka

Pesto Soya Champey

Pashmeena Nalli Gosht

Murgh Korma Kebab

Chowdhary Chooza

Kopper Kadai Biriyani

The Chowdhary Chooza was a chicken preparation with yet again, great presentation. The gravy was semi thick and not worth wasting. The boneless chicken was accompanied with chicken keema in the gravy. It was spicy and lip smacking. Tasted excellent with the breads!

The Kopper Kadai Biriyani was a chicken meatball biriyani and the rice was aromatic, fine and delicious. The meatballs were perfectly done. After this we want to talk about two mutton preparations: The Pashmeena Nalli Gosht and the Laal Maas.

Both are a must try, depending on whether you like meat on or off the bone. The former had the all-powerful flavours of Garam Masala and it always comes through. Insanely tasty!

We expected the latter to be fiery and fierce but it was not quite so. It was balanced for normal human consumption and in fact was mildly sweet. This was not desirable but the meat was well done and preparation was spicy and magnificent.

For dessert, we recommend the Nutella Dodha Lava from the old menu. It is a milk based sweet with stuffed Nutella so don’t stop yourselves!

From the new menu, do try out the special Gajar Ka Halwa called Gajrela! We won’t talk about it as after trying you will ;).

That’s all from our side on the new menu @ Kopper Kadai.

It is one of our favourite restaurants, so instead of a biased opinion we would recommend you to try them out.

Do let us know in case you do.

We will be back soon.

Till then—keep rocking, stay tuned and bon apetit!

*We intentionally left out some items as we do not comment/write about items we don’t try!*

21:33
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FLB Bloggers Meet | Winter Hotties @ Au Bon Pain | Bangalore

au bon pain

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!

Bubble Teas@Winter Hotties @ Au Bon Pain | Bangalore

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 Flavour Burst Chicken Sandwich@Winter Hotties @ Au Bon Pain | Bangalore

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.