Sunny's : My Birthday meal

I turned  a year older  today and as customary as it is, I went out with my family for lunch to Sunny’s. Sunny’s is counted as one of the oldest restaurants in Bangalore. Last Year, I had been to  Sunny’s on 100 feet road Indiranagar. I had one of my most memorable meals there and promised myself that I would visit it second time around.

Sunny’s on Lavelle Road is posh, classy and extremely sophisticated. This doesn’t come as a surprise considering its location. The ambience is simple and clean. One has the option to dine outdoors, or inside the two floor interior. The first floor seemed to crowded and too noisy which we later realised was because some other folks like me, were celebrating their birthdays too! We found ourselves a table on the second floor instead, which apart from having tables had low, comfortable sofas and a bar. We started ordering within no time.

Starters: We ordered the Mozzarella Fritters and Salmon Maki.

 Both the starters simply blew my mind. The fritters had a crispy exterior and a chewy, bubble-gumy kind of interior. The mozzarella was fresh and melt-in-your mouth. The Salmon Maki will be remembered as the  first sushi-eating experience of my life. Four rolls of sushi were served. Interestingly, they are very filling and I had to forcefully wolf down the last one. The taste is more or less bland but then again, I have a queer liking for bland food.

Mozzarella Fritters

Salmon Maki

Main course: We ordered the Vegetarian Diane and Fettuccini with chicken breast.
The diane is loaded with fresh veggies and is slightly on the spicy side. If you are someone who keeps a regular tab on your weight, then then is THE dish for you. The fettucini was loaded with creamy sauce and chicken pieces. It turned out to be too heavy for my appetite and I with a very heavy heart I had to leave almost one-fourth of it unfinished.

Vegetarian Diane

Fettuccini with chicken breast

Desserts: Now this is my favourite part. The show stopper of the meal was Barbara’s Ganache Tart. God bless the chef or Barbara for coming with this sinful and unforgettable dessert. The ganache was rich in cream and dark chocolate. The base was just right. It was neither brittle enough to crumble under the pressure of the cream, nor was it too hard so as to not be able to cut through.

Barbara's Ganache tart

All in all, Sunny’s is definitely worth a visit, despite the steep pricing of the dishes. Our meal came up to 3K. I have a few suggestions though: it would be very helpful if a small description be given alongside each of the dishes in the menu and the waiters could definitely be more courteous and pleasant.

Indian Coffee House

It is not time that's passing my friend, its you and I..Anon.

                The passage of time is the most efficient barometer to measure how much a city has progressed. 

Time indeed changes a lot of things. Bangalore has come a long way in the past 23 years that I have resided here. It has got less greener, more crowded. Old restaurants have made way for new ones.  Yet, some like the India Coffee House have remained rock solid and stood the test of time. It belongs to those handful places that have undergone minimal changes ever since their establishment.

Veg Cutlet

                Indian Coffee House has a history of its own. Started by the Coffee Board in the early 1940’s, under the British rule, the then India Coffee House was soon forced to shut down due to policy changes. The workers however re-established it and re-christened it as Indian Coffee House(ICH). In Bangalore, ICH was earlier situated on MG Road and has now been moved to Church Street.

                

                The moment I stepped into ICH I was transported to the Gandhian era. Nothing, absolutely nothing about this place can be termed as modern. Paint was peeling off the walls, fans were spinning around sluggishly, the waiters wore turbans and the kitchen looked ancient enough to be placed in a museum. The menu is as basic as it can get. Dosas, cutlets, samosas, tea, coffee, sandwiches… We placed an order for the very famous ICH coffee, a plate of cutlet and another ICH trademark dish – scrambled eggs.

Scrambled egg

              The coffee was steaming hot and homely. The cutlet was crisp and surprisingly not too oily. The scrambled egg was cooked to perfection and melted in our mouths. All in all, the meal was perfect for a rainy Sunday afternoon.

                ICH is not about about fine dining and gourmet cuisine. It is about enjoying a meal in probably one of the oldest restaurants in Bangalore, in exactly the same way that it should be enjoyed- without any added frills of modernity. I strongly recommend this place.