Bangalore Restaurant Guide

Bangalore Restaurant Guide
Last updated 14/04/2011

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100ft. Boutique Bar Retaurant (Indiranagar) - Noisy but good mediterranean food in a casual outdoor setting on 100 ft. Road. Attached boutique has some interesting artwork, clothing, footware, knick knacks.

Au Bon Pain - Bagels! Order today, pick up tomorrow. Great little cafe chain with sandwiches, wraps, soups, desserts, coffee etc. Check online for locations.

BBQ Nation (Indiranagar) - Wonderful assortment of non-stop veg and non veg kabobs, served on a grill in the middle of your table. Once you are tired of that, there is a full buffet. Reservation recommended.

Bliss - the chocolate lounge in the Forum Value Mall at Whitefield. Fabulous chocolates, desserts, cakes, shakes and snacks.

Caperberry's - Mediterranean fare - fresh salads, breads, seafood, meat - Always good!

Chez Mariannick in Whitefield behind Sorbet, the Gourmet Store - Best kept secret. French woman who delivers fresh croissants, baguettes and a few other items to your door (Palm Meadows, Prestige Ozone).
Lunch and dinner (check hours): excellent variety of quiche, crepes, homemade pizza, fresh salad and breads. Wonderful creme brulee and strawberry tarts. Reservation recommended.

Costa Coffee - A real cappuccino and they have "to go" cups! The UK's answer to Starbucks - coffee, paninis, desserts etc. Indiranagar location is just off 100 Foot Rd., just around the corner from Sunny's. Other locations too.

Fava at UB City - Mediterranean food, same owners as Caperberry's. Good and fresh.

Graze at the Taj MG Road - top notch, nice atmosphere, 5-course tasting menu with wine is worth a try.

Hard Rock Cafe - Great nachos and margarita's! Burgers, grilled seafood...the works.

Herbs and Spices at Whitefield - nice location amongst the palm trees. Indian or western food.

Hotel Empire - Across from Russel Market - simple Indian restaurant, fabulous kabobs and ice cream. Dirt cheap.

Kabob Walah, across from Springfield Apartments/Total Mall on Sarajapur Rd. - excellent wraps, whole chickens etc. Everything is good and cheap.

Olive Beach - Good variety and nice outdoor seating.

Polo Club at the Oberoi - casual eating in beautiful garden setting. Burgers, fries, sandwhiches, cocktails.

Rim Nam at the Oberoi - wonderful Thai food and nice outdoor setting.

Sake at Zuri, Whitefield - Very hip, lounge style ambiance. Huge firey cauldrons light the room. Tastey and good variety of sushi, thai and chinese food.

Sunny's - Downtown and Indiranagar locations. Excellent variety of food items: pasta, seafood, soup, salad, beef, lamb, pizza and on and on. Indiranagar location is better - downtown staff never seem friendly.

Terracotta at Taj Whitefield - Very good Indian food.

Toscano's at Whitefield or UB City - can't go wrong with this Italian restaurant. Excellent variety of pasta, salads, pizza, steak, fish, desserts, mocktails. Buffet on special occassions is fabulous. Always fresh, always good. Deli Shop now open within the restaurant for fresh takeaway deli items such as:  marinated sundried tomatoes and artichokes, marinated olives, fresh pasta, breads, pizza crust, and more.

Woody's on Commercial St. - consistantly good Indian food and great masala chai. The South Indian Thali (mini meal) and dosa's are particularly good.

A Week with the T's (Part 3)

Just a quick note to say I probably won't have internet access for the next week or so. Have a look back at the archives. Happy Thanksgiving to all in Canada!

Back to Bangalore on the train. This time we arrived with only 15 min. to spare and it was on time. Sat in second class sleeper so had lots of room and the kids liked the bunks.

At home Lynn has taken to making fresh papaya/yogurt smoothies and I add a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds to make them look as spectacular as they taste. Taras is eating his way through town and is determined to be the only person to come to India and gain weight.

The auto rickshaws are a big hit, especially when all six of us try to cram in. Or when we decide to splurge and take two, we race each other down the street – the drivers think it’s pretty funny too.

Lynn and I had to get the top for our sarees and the petticoat made and we found a tailor in the Commercial area to make them – inexpensive.

Two restaurants we tried out on Commercial – Woody’s, where Taras felt he should order two meals: a dosa and the “mini meal,” which turned out to be huge. The food was excellent. Next we tried Shiv Sagar which has cool murals on the walls of camels and Indian people. The food wasn’t as good but it was ok.

Now Lynn and Taras are off to Darjeeling and to tour the north for a couple weeks. We are “back to normal” and catching up on life.

Just Another Week...(last week)

It's been a busy week of socializing, ticked some things off the to-do list and the usual mishaps.

First, our spare bedroom mattress arrived and it was even the right size! Our guests can rest easy and so can we - we won't have to share beds with them!

Last Thursday I went to a lunch organized by the OWC (Overseas Women's Club) at Khansama Restaurant in UB City Mall. We were greeted with the traditional bindi on the forehead, sandlewood paste rubbed on the hand and flowers. Ambiance was great with big copper plates and goblets, and large Indian paintings on the walls. We were able to taste an array of Indian food and came away stuffed. A mehndi artist came around and "painted" designs on our hands - it only took ten minutes each. A nice way to meet some people and sample some great food.

Friday was very busy. I dropped Michael off at work at 8:00am and an hour later was at a Charity function at the Windsor Hotel. Most of the 25 charities that the OWC helps fund were there and had set up information booths. It was an excellent way for me to talk to a lot of people from different charities and see what kind of work they do. They are all passionate and dedicated.

Right after that I had to go out to the school for the primary Parent/Teacher day. It was more of a "fun" day with games and booths set up. Craig and I did the 3-legged race and tug-of-war and then we were so hot and sweaty we decided to duck out early.

Saturday night Michael and I went to a Wine Dinner at Paul Hotel. It was a five course Kerala Indian style dinner paired with wines from Big Banyan Winery. We had no expectations as far as the wine went which was lucky because it wasn't very good. The food was good though, and again we were able to taste many different dishes.

Sat with an interesting couple from UK who have been here 4 1/2 yrs. They told lots of "India" stories. Told us about an ashram they went to - getting up at 5:00am everyday and mandatory laughing sessions for 1/2 hr. They were at the Maldives when the tsunami hit (spoiler- they lived).

Tuesday was Michael's birthday and unfortunately it didn't start off too well. I noticed a black mark on one of our pictures in the living room and when I went to wipe it off, realized that mold was growing on the inside of the glass. Don't worry, it gets worse. I took the picture off the wall, thinking I could clean it but the whole back of the picture and the wall had become one heck of a science experiment. It was alive and growing! The picture is gone, the mold is cleaned up but we're waiting to see if it's really gone before fixing the wall. The owners and the management company would have just painted over it if we had let them - uhg!

The day got better as I got to go to a cooking class at Caperberry Restaurant which was fun and got some good tips and recipes...and lunch. In the evening the kids and I took Michael out for dinner to Toscana's. This restaurant is in the Forum Value Mall and is within walking distance. It has excellent non-Indian food: thin crust pizza's just like Italy, excellent caesar salad, bruschetta, steak, grilled fish and more.

Another week of ups and downs...but mostly ups.

Sometimes Life's Rosy, Sometimes it's Not

Why do I feel like we are camping? The beds are comfy enough but a couple nights ago I was cooking with my headlamp on. Small fridge, no oven, no dishwasher, and often no electricity=no hot shower. All we need is a campfire...and marshmallows!



We are definitely looking forward to moving into the house next Wed. The apartment is nice and roomy but the kitchen is sparse and the electricity fails often. When the electricity goes out, the generator usually kicks in, but then you can't plug in any appliance too big - microwave, toaster, rice cooker - or all the electricity goes out.

We are all getting bored of Babu's breakfasts and have just been asking him to cut up some fruit and make toast. At least he does the dishes so that is helpful and he cleans the apartment everyday.

Craig seems to be doing ok. As long as he has his DS lite or a good book he's happy. Alanna is feeling a bit homesick, mostly due to boredom I think. She's read all the books that she brought and is missing her friends. Feeling cooped up in the apartment with not much to do. Hopefully next week once we get in the house and she has some of her own things that we sent over it will help. Plus the kids will have their bikes and scooters and they'll be able to go out and ride around the area.

The kids and I are still playing badminton for an hour a day. Craig loves to play hard, whereas Alanna spends much of the time doing ballet poses and doing leaps as she serves. We have fun...usually.

We've been driving all over the city looking for furniture and I feel like we've been in every home store in Bangalore: At Home, Home Stop, Home Town, Home Store, and more. When you have to buy so much and have a limited budget you have to compare prices and pick and choose what's important. We have ordered all the main items: beds, mattresses, couches, table and chairs, etc. and everything will start to get delivered next Tues. and Wed. Looking forward to that.

Last week Michael went to the airport to have our airshipment inspected at customs. It's a whopping 36% fee on any electronics and sporting goods. Luckily the company Michael works for pays for this (we think) although it was pretty minimal for us. We didn't bring much in the way of electronics as India uses a different voltage. Now that we are here we realize that we could have brought small appliances. Adapters are inexpensive and easy to find.

We visited the house last week and talked with Marko and his wife (from Finland). The house is two stories, 4 bdrm/4 bath and the backyard has lots of flowering shrubs and a banana tree! The appliances look good - dishwasher, washer and dryer - and the geysers (hot water tanks in each bathroom) are bigger than what we have in the apartment. Hopefully we can get a shower without the water turning cold. The oven is not what we are used too (that's an understatement). It is the size of a large microwave but apparently you can roast, bake etc. Won't be making 6 dozen cookies at a time I guess...or a turkey dinner.

Michael opened a bank account, finally. Someone from the bank came to his office and had him sign papers. Well, Michael's signature is more like a scrawl so the guy had him do it over and over, as no two signatures look alike. That night he got a text saying the bank rejected his signature - even though the guy saw him sign everything in person. Had to do it all over again a few days later and the account finally got opened (and money actually deposited!). However the bank card didn't work at the ATM when we tried it yesterday...

My birthday was great a couple weeks ago. Alanna and I went to Ahvataras, the spa, and had a manicure and pedicure. They said it would take 1 1/2 hrs. We enjoyed our pampering so much that I didn't check the time until we got home - 2 1/2 hrs later! The total bill for both of us? 1000Rp ($25). And because it was my birthday they gave me some beautiful flowers and a gift certificate for a free body massage - now that's great service!

We were so late from the spa that we were almost an hour late getting to Caperberry's for lunch. The staff was so welcoming, with big smiles and shaking our hands like we were family. Really nice lunch with a tapas buffet bar to start. A choice of a few items to choose from for the main meal and then a dessert buffet to finish it off. Highly recommeded and reasonable price. Must try for dinner sometime. Oh, almost forgot - because it was my birthday (Michael must have sent out a memo to everyone), they put on this loud Happy Birthday music and came over and gave me a birthday cake - big enough for the four of us. Could have done without the music, luckily the place had cleared out by that time.

So, we are missing a few things and getting used to others. But, I think that is normal in the beginning of such a big adventure. Going to Mysore last weekend was great and we are planning another five day trip in a few weeks, before the kids start school. But next week the big excitement will be moving into the house!