Peppa ZZing!

 WOW! I am visiting my blog after a 10-month long hiatus and this has rendered my writing skills a tad rusty, to say the least. After valiantly fighting a writer's block, I have decided to make my comeback with this review .

Peppa ZZing - this name might not really ring a bell with many Bangaloreans. But, it is probably one of Bangalore's best kept secrets and a burger heaven. I was referred to this place by a friend who lives in the neighborhood of this restaurant and I have been going there ever since.

From the first looks , Peppa ZZing looks like yet another run-of-the mill burger joint. What makes this place different , however is the fact that its burgers do not go overboard with any of the ingredients. More often that not, I end up ordering the chicken burger. The burger comes nestled in a jute basket with a generous portion of potato chips. The chicken patty is massive and spills over the edges of the bun. Now if this wasn't enough , you could try the monster burgers - they are sure to satiate the mammoth appetites.

I vaguely remember also ordering the potato wedges with barbecue sauce . It didn't quite make the cut for me. The sauce completely soaked up the wedges. To wash down all those burgers, make sure you do order the sweet/ salt soda - they always get this one right.

On the whole, Peppa ZZing is sure to add that extra zing to your taste buds! Do drop in when you are on or around Infantry road.

The Only Place!

Yes, it’s THE place, The Only Place. Few places remain etched in your memory and on your culinary palate the way The Only Place does. Personally, I have lost count of the number of times I have been here; I have spent many an afternoon and evening at this Goan-styled shack like place, always leaving it more than pleased and desperately wanting to go back again. I simply cannot stop raving about The Only Place.

Starters: So far I have sampled only the Onion Rings for starters. These perfectly circular, golden yellow rings, dripping in oil could be given a miss. I am sure there are other starters that are a whole lot better than these rings.

 Main Course: The Only Place is known primarily for its steaks and burgers. Most of the steaks are beef based while only a few are made from chicken. The Chicken Steak and The Chicken BBQ Steak are more than just brilliant. Both are juicy, perfectly cooked and succulent to the core. They are served with a glob of mashed potatoes and boiled veggies. The Chicken Tettrazini had penne pasta and chicken doused in rich, creamy white sauce. Most restaurants generally go overboard with the white sauce but The Only Place gets it right effortlessly. The Chicken Schnitzel had 4-6 pieces of tender chicken fried in oil. (Oil always makes me squirm!). This dish is served with ample amount of French Fries and can undoubtedly fill even the most monstrous of appetites. Lastly, the famous Chicken Lasagne can be found on almost every single table here. Apparently, it’s a must-have. The Lasagne is a delight to just look at; smooth, moist layers stacked neatly upon each other and that leave you begging for more!

BBQ Chicken Steak

Chicken Lasagna

Chicken Steak

Desserts: The Apple Pie here is famous across the length and breadth of the city. The crust is perfect: neither too firm not too crumbly- this Is the mark of a good pie and the fact that The Only Place gets it right all the time only proves the culinary prowess of the chef. The pie is served with either ice cream or cream. I prefer the cream on a hot, sultry afternoon in Bangalore. The Caramel Custard is just about okay.

Apple Pie

Caramel Custard

Overall, my dining experience at The Only Place has always been pleasant and fulfilling. The staff is courteous and quick. The prices are reasonable , great value for money.This place definitely deserves a 5/5.

Chili's : It's only for the pasta !

Having a mall right behind your where you live can be every distracting. It not only tempts me to check out almost all the eat outs there but also makes me pretty lazy -  why travel all the way to Church Street or Koramangala when I have some good restaurants a stone’s throw away?

This blog is about Chili’s – an American Tex-Mex restaurant in Orion mall. It belongs to an American chain of restaurants and thanks to a burgeoning global market, like many firang restaurants, Chili’s too has made its way to India. I have dined at Chili’s four times already and here’s a rundown of the dishes that I sampled there.

Chicken Salad

Bottomless Nachos-Unlimited refills!

My favorite - Alfredo Pasta with Cajun Chicken

Food: We ordered Chicken wings, Bottomless nachos and something-something chili. (I’m sorry I do not remember the name of the last one). The chicken wings are nothing to brag about. Eight pieces of chicken wings are served with some carrots and a mayo dip. For someone who has had the juiciest chicken wings at places such as Plan B and Toit, the chicken wings here at Chili’s are a major let down. The only saving grace of the Bottomless nachos is that you can order unlimited refills . Now, that definitely made us happy. The something – something chili had thick gravy like texture to it and left us totally unimpressed.  But something about Chili’s that made me go over the moon was their Alfredo Pasta in Cajun Chicken- it is the only pasta I have had till date that serves generous pieces of well cooked chicken. This pasta is the main reason I am drawn to Chili’s over and over again. The desserts make you leave the place happy and swell. The Brownie Sundae has a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream atop a warm and gooey brownie. The Caramel Dessert too leaves behind pleasant memories

Something-Something Chili

Chicken Wings

Drinks: This place has happy hours from 4PM TO 8PM, all seven days a week. From what I have heard, the drinks served during happy hour time are way too diluted and tasteless.

Service: In one word – Perfect. The waiters literally got down on their knees near the edge of the table to take down orders. Pretty down-to-earth I must say. The waiters and the hotel staff are courteous and pleasing.

Ambience: Chili’s offers both indoor and outdoor seating. Given how hot Bangalore’s summer can get, I suggest you choose the airy and relaxes outdoor seating.

Brownie Sundae

Caramel Dessert

Verdict: Given how crowded the adjacent food court can get, Chili’s may seem like a convenient option to dine at in the mall. However, the prices are too steep and the portion sizes are massive. It can definitely do with cutting down both the price and the size.

Diluted Mojito

Cafe Noir :So not impressed!

My rendezvous with the French culture began way back when I was in the second year of college, when, in order to beat holiday – boredom, I decided to enrol myself in French classes at Alliance Francaise de Bangalore. In the two months that I spent learning the language, I was also introduced to oh-so-romantic French culture and simple, yet filling French cuisine. The first time my taste buds got an inkling of the French food was when we celebrated the French Independence day at the venue. Baguettes and Crepes marked the culinary side of the celebration, and thus fuelled an interest in the French cuisine.

Cafe Noir first set foot in Bangalore sometime in the year 2011, in UB city. Since then, it has spread its wings and established two more cafes- one in Orion mall and the other in Phoenix mall. This blog post is written after I dined at both, the UB City and the Orion mall cafes. 

Veg. Lasagna

Crepes

Food: When it comes to food, the French believe that less is more The crepes with pear and vanilla were simply out of this world. They are served with a generous amount of maple syrup and give the balanced nutrition of fats, carbs and proteins. The taste of the egg white could get a little too heavy at times though. Cafe Noir is most famous for its sandwiches and baguettes. Those of you with strong jaws and teeth can opt for the baguettes because they are probably the hardest variety of bread you will ever find. I opted for the much softer veg sandwich. I was a tad disappointed. The veggies are fresh no doubt, but the dish as a whole lacks taste. The veg lasagne was exactly the size of my wallet - the smallest portion size of lasagne I have ever had. Nothing great about it either. The brownie shake (well that's the English name for it, I do not remember the exact French name) hardly had any brownies any it. I had to literally poke and prod the drink, hoping I would find some brownie pieces.

Brownie Shake : Where is the brownie?

Latte art!

Ambiance: Cafe Noir strongly resembles a street side Paris cafe. Whoever designed it has indeed done a great job. The place was especially nice during Christmas time with a huge, well decorated Christmas tree. The waiters are absent minded. Make sure you check your bill twice because chances are that you might be charged for something that you haven't ordered.

All decked up for Christmas !

Prices: The Cafe caters to only a niche section of the general public. The prices are high and how many us would be willing to shell out 500 bucks for a dish whose name you cannot even pronounce? I would give this place a 3/5. A good European restaurant can be chosen over Cafe Noir any day.

Zaffran : A family that eats together stays together

A family dinner is a rare occurrence in our household. Mom , Dad and I reach home in the evenings at different times, and our hunger clocks are so un synchronized  that we hardly get a chance to sit down for dinner at the same time. I took a weekday off sometime back and “Carpe Diem” ed the chance to take my family out for dinner to the newly opened Zaffran in Orion mall.

Among all the numerous cuisines that I have sampled, Indian cuisine is by far the most comforting. It is probably because there is an underlying reassurance in eating the food of your land, in your land. It makes you feel secure, and at home. 

Starters: owing to my long standing obsession with panner, I ordered the Pudina Paneer tikka : large, juicy cubes of panner with of course pudina. The mark of a perfectly cooked cube of paneer is when you try to cut it, you can do so in any shape you want without letting the paneer crumble apart. You must be able to see a cross section of the panner – intact and milky white. The Paneer Pudina Tikka surely passed this test. I also ordered the Murg Zaffrani Tikka : tender pieces if chicken marinated with cashew and saffron and cooked in a tandoor. The chicken was succulent , tender and absolutely delicious.

Murg Zaffrani Tikka

Pudina Paneer Tikka

Main course :. My eyes kept roving to all those dishes on the menu that had a “Zaffran” tag to it. We ordered the Zaffrani Taftan. One plate of the Kaftan serves three pieces of roti cooked in tamarind. These rotis are one of a kind and are a must have in Zaffran.  We paired up the taftans with Dum Sabz Handi Zaffrani . As the name suggests , the dish comprises different garden vegetables cooked in a  handi. The dish rich in malai and thick with gravy and the portion size can easily be a meal in itself.  Mom ordered the Chicken Pulao and the two of us devoured it within no time. Unlike a typical chicken pulao, this one had tiny pieces of chicken cuddled up in the midst of all that rice. I loved this unique style and restaurants that serve the overly pretentious chicken biriyani should take note of the simplicity of this dish.

Zaffrani Taftan

Dum Sabz Handi

Desserts: Now comes the show stopper of the meal – Zaffrani Signature Chenna Payesh : Oh my oh my ! The chenna payesh is a heavenly combo of marble- sized rossagullas ducked in  a pool of thick, creamy , mouth watering malai. What make it more interesting is that it is served in a cocktail glass. It would be criminal if you visited Zaffran and did not order this culinary masterpiece.

Chicken Pulao

Zaffrani Sigmature Chenna Payesh

Zaffran is slightly overpriced but completely worth every penny you shell out. I got a deja-vu feeling didnig at this place because it vaguely remned me of Samarkand. Now which was one better - Zaffran or Samarkand. I would say Samarkand ONLY because it liked its ambience better.

Pulimunchi : The coastal restaurant

Of all the cuisines I have sampled, traditional Indian coastal cuisine remained largely unexplored in my gastronomical diary. This realization sunk in one fine day and within no time I found myself heading to

 Pulimunchi – the coastal cuisine restaurant in Sadashivnagar.

Pulimunchi is not that well known a restaurant; its close proximity to where I live is the only reason I picked this place. The interiors of Pulimuchi are pretty basic, with wooden pillars being the only out-of-the box addition. What psyched me completely was the menu – it was mere printouts that looked like they had been taken in the 18 th century. The management definitely needs to look into this.Coming to the food:  Mom I ordered Kori Roti, Chicken sukka, bangada fish fry and Ada Pradhaman for dessert. Here’s a low down of each of these.

Kori roti : This dish blew my mind. I do not know whether it was because it was insanely delicious or because I was having it for the first time after having heard so much about it. Kori roti is as simple as rice paapad soaked in homely chicken curry. Every Mangalorean household boasts of this dish.

Kori Roti

Chicken Sukka

Chicken Sukka : I would say its 30 % chicken and 70 % coconut. It looked like the chicken pieces were playing hide and seek on my plate; they were too few in number and when I did find them, it seemed to me like the chicken was also overfed with coconuts.

Bangada fish fry : This was the dish that my Mom liked it. It’s a little spicy but then again, its meant to be that way.

Ada Pradhaman : This is a mallu dessert comprising rice chips, jaggery and of course coconut milk. I loved it and wished I could pack some home.

Bagngada Fry

Ada Pradhaman

Overall, my experience at Pulimuchi was very average. The next time I crave for some coastal food, I will definitely give this place a miss.

Plan B : Chaotic plan

What could be worse than having to go to work on a Saturday? It not only jeopardizes weekend plans but also forces one to make do with an almost non – existent, one – day weekend. However, I was determined to live it up last Saturday. That explains why I decided to travel close to 30 kms in the sweltering heat just to drop in at Plan B – a resto pub on Brigade road. Oh and yes, I also had to finally give into my friend Basu’s polite demands that we visit this place.

One look at the décor and you know that this place is meant to be a typical pub for youngsters: Blaring music, dim lights, a drunkard at almost every table and over enthusiastic waiters made me want to turn and head back home. But, I decided to stay and well, the experience was not all that disappointing.Plan B’s menu is interestingly designed in the form of a wide wooden board. Its filled with witty lines and some cheekily named dishes ( eg . “The real piggy chops”). What I particularly liked was the obituary section dedicated to dishes that are no longer served at this place.

Goan chicken sausage

Chicken wings in Honey n Chili sauce

Food: Unable to withstand the desperate pleas of a rumbling stomach, I hastily ordered the Goan chicken sausage. It was way too salty. The boys ordered Chicken Wings. The chicken wings at Plan B are served in a variety of sauces ranging from the ultra-spicy ABS sauce to the soothingly moderate BBQ sauce. One also has the option to choose from two portion sizes – half a dozen or one full dozen. We ordered two plates of chicken wings – one with the Honey and Chili sauce and with Asian kick sauce. The honey and chili sauce set my entire digestive system on fire. The chili definitely over powered the honey in this dish. Thankfully, the Asian kick sauce was moderately spiced and I absolutely loved it. It was succulent, crispy and delicious. However, what stole my heart were the nachos. Served with a generous amount of olives, onions and tomatoes the nachos are a must have. The Vegetarian Burger and the double-patty Chicken Burger were a hit among my friends, they devoured it within no time.

Drinks: Plan B serves only Kingfisher drought beer in three forms – pint, pitcher and a mini tank.  To me, it seemed like the beer is the main attraction of this place. The pitchers kept coming and the boys kept drinking like fishes.

Nachos

The bill came up to 3000 Rupees for four people, the beer accounting for more than half of it. According to me, the only saving grace of Plan B is its food. Overall, Plan B is a one-time-drop-in place for me. It is way too crowded, way too noisy and completely chaotic. 

Well designed menu