Fanoos, Hosur Road, Bangalore

Fanoos is primarily a takeaway joint serving different types of kebabs (charcoal grilled meat), katti rolls (pan fried bread stuffed with meat, rather the kebabs/ vegetable stuffing) and shawrma (shaved grilled meat and pickled vegetables stuffed in pita bread.) While the bread used for normal katti rolls is covered in egg batter, the ones served here are plain paratha based. Likewise the pita bread (pan fried flat bread made with fermented wheat and should be eaten fresh) the ones available here are the off the shelf - not the best of pita.

Food tastes good and is very reasonable. Food for two would cost around INR 120/- max. the specialty dish is the beef sheek kebab (kebab made with minced beef and flavoured primarily with green chili). One is not to expect cleanliness in this place. It is more like a street food stall and is quite popular since it is located adjacent to a couple of mosques at a busy intersection. The joint is quite packed in the evenings, especially on Fridays.

Reco - Worth a shot - beware of the stomach bug!

Mirch Restaurant, Whitefield, Bangalore

Located close to ITPL, it may be quite a popular joint - especially during lunch - as Whitefield is bereft of a choice of restaurants to go to. It is a typical lower end multi cuisine restaurant serving Chinese and North Indian cuisine.

It is primarily a garden restaurant that can seat around 100 pax in a covered section and another 100 odd pax in an open section. There is not much of a garden - just a drying up lawn and the seating is not on this either. The menus are food stained and the seating comprised primarily of plastic chairs around a 'quickly' assembled wooden table.

Service was not bad, but the waiters clothes too matched the menu in that they were pretty stained.

My companion did the mistake of requesting the waiter to make the mushroom pepper fry extra spicy - one could hardly taste the mushroom. It was pepper, more pepper and some chili. The hot and sour veg and chicken soups too were more 'hot' than sour and were not particularly flavourful.

The stuffed kulcha (milled wheat pan fried bread stuffed with vegetables - we had gobi kulcha or one stuffed with cauliflower) was dipping with oil that we had to dab some out using paper napkins. The mushroom masala was a green chili based mushroom semi gravy dish. We necessarily needed to down the food with sweetened fresh lime juice, lest we have burning back sides the next day. In fact one of my companions also needed to have a lassi (sweetened yogurt shake) in addition to the fresh lime.

The aforementioned dishes (3 portions of fresh lime and kulcha, 1 veg and 1 chicken soup)+ a dal (lentils) cost us INR 635/ -. Quite expensive for this place.

Reco - Avoidable

Go Thai, Great World City Mall, Singapore

This was part of a chain of restaurants in Singapore that serves Thai cuisine as the name suggests.

Located at the top floor of the mall, the place was quite popular, one of the reasons being it is placed very close to the entrance of the multiplex in the mall.

The riverfront area does not have any large shopping arcade or mall other than the GWCM. We had been to Go Thai for dinner, We had a noodle soup made of sliced beef and vegetables. This dish was quite nice. The beef was well cooked and thinly sliced and the portions were quite large. The tom yum noodle soup although tasty was certainly not authentic.

This place in the mall could accommodate around 40 pax. The service was great, food was good but not authentic Thai.

The aforementioned items alone cost SGD 21/-, probably a tad expensive.

There are a host of other specialty restaurants in the mall including Indonesian, Japanese, Chinese and Italian apart from the standard Singapore food - court.

Reco - Maybe worth a visit before or after the movie!

KuraNoNaka Japanese Restaurant, Clarke Quay, Singapore

After a busy day (shopping with women) Clarke Quay is a nice place to unwind in the evening. We sat in the outdoor section which could seat around 50+ pax and overlooking the quay.

A platter of mixed sashimi (raw meat - usually sea food served with wasabi and soya sauce) and mixed sushi (vinegar rice and raw meat and at times vegetables, sometimes wrapped in seaweed and served with wasabi and soya sauce) disappeared in no time along with the warm Sake'. Each of the platter had 2 pieces of tuna, eel, shrimp, salmon, and some extra salmon as they had ran out of yellow tail and some caviar. The sushi included a few pieces of vegetarian varieties too.

The evening was quite pleasant and the batter fried soft shelled crabs that followed disappeared too - only that it was a tad oily (maybe the yin and yang balanced was achieved due to the raw and fried food that we had).

3 pint equivalent of the sake' + the above dishes cost around SGD 105/-. A tad expensive, but worth it. The service was very good.

Reco - Good place for Japanese food!

TGIF, HAL Airport Road, Bangalore

Thank God it is any day before 8pm. Yes it is happy hours time till 8pm and you get one drink on the house for every one that you order. And this is the best time to visit the place.

Seating in the air-conditioned area can seat around 150 + pax and outside it can seat around 50 more. The interiors are in line with their decor anywhere else in the world. There are a few large plasma screens beaming either sports channels or MTV. The music is a bit loud and plays retro pop and rock. Since the music's loud, the people speak louder to be heard - all in all - a pretty noisy place.

The snacks are again from their international menu and are generally pretty rich and not for one who's watching the waist line. There are only a few vegetarian items on the menu. Portions are quite large but for the starters (again nothing to complain about). The pita bread we ordered came with a humus dip and a salsa dip - both went well with the bread. The mushroom pizza too was quite good - thin crust and had quite a bit of mushroom topping. I had to stick to a veg menu as my companion was a vegetarian.

These items + a couple of bottles of beer + 2 large RC whiskey + a couple of pints + 1 large Bacardi cost us around INR 2200/- - certainly worth it. The service is quite good - can say it's a bit better than HRC Bangalore.

Reco - Good place for a drink - whether it is Friday or not!

Arasappar, Nandanam, Mount Road, Chennai

This is a restaurant, which can seat around 75 pax is air-conditioned and serves Chettinad cuisine.

Chettinad cuisine is primarily non-vegetarian (although there are a number of vegetarian items that are normally do not find the menus of these Chettinad restaurants) and consists of spicy (green chili, red chili or peper based) food which could either be dry or a gravy.

A plate of Aapam (a pancake made with fermented rice flour and without oil), parotta (pan fried milled wheat bread), a paya (lamb shanks in a mildly spicy gravy) and chicken Chettinadu (an onion, tomato, garlic and red chili based gravy) cost around INR 300/-.

The food was excellent and the quantity was more than adequate, especially considering the price. The only problem with the place was the dim lighting which was way too dim.

Reco - do visit for good, value for money, Chettinad food

Adyar Ananda Bhavan, NH-7, Krishnagiri

This is a vegetarian restaurant attached to a BP petrol bunk. This part of the Chennai based chain that goes by the same name and serves South Indian veg tiffin items and meals (for lunch) apart from the sweets and savouries the group is famous for.

The service is quite poor and the place has both a self service area that seats around 50 pax and a area where you are served which is indoors and seats around the same number of pax. There is no air-conditioning. Ample parking is available.

The joint is quite popular as there is no other restaurant that belongs to a bigger chain or a 'popular' chain.

While the food is quite good, the place is infested with flies, which one has to put up with. Idly(steamed rice flour dumplings) and dosai (rice four batter pancake) are available through the day and for lunch one can buy some South Indian meals which is quite good.

The cost of a couple of plates of idly and masala dosai (dosai served with a potato and onion based filling) would cost around INR 150/-.

Reco - Not the best of restaurants, but probably one of the better ones on this highway.

Cafe Coffee Day, NH - 7, Krishnagiri

Wow, finally a cafe on this highway. For a person who drives often on this road, especially at nights, there was no cafe' wherein one could have some steaming espresso for that caffeine kick.

The outlet is part of a petrol bunk complex and has recently opened.

Apart from the usual stuff such as samosa, pastries, sandwiches and so on, one can also catch some idli (steamed rice dumplings) or dosai (rice flour pancakes) or some paratha (milled wheat pan fried bread - generally stuffed with some vegetable(s)).

The place is air conditioned and can seat around 60 pax. There are a few sofas to stretch yourself and although the place professes to be a 'self service' one, the bearers willingly serve you at your table.

An espresso, a hot chocolate and a plate of veg samosas (savory filled, covered in a layer of milled wheat flour (maida), shaped triangularly and fried) cost around INR 160/-.

Reco - A good pit stop on NH-7

Barista Cafe, Garuda Mall, Bangalore

Nothing different about this Barista from any of their other mid sized outlets. It can seat around 100 pax with a few couches and a lot more chairs placed around tables.

The air conditioning is not good - probably a problem with the mall.

The service is quite bad considering the place is bustling as it is one of the better places to catch a cuppa in that area. (Certainly better than what is available in Shoppers Stop, Lifestyle or Bangalore Central.)

They have some items for those who want to look after their waist - microwaved fries without oil - was not bad at all @ around INR 80/-.

A couple of coffees + a doughnut + the fries came to around INR 300/- , probably a tad expensive.

Reco - best coffee in that area, you have to put up with the Air conditioning and the poor service.

Chill, Radha Hometel, Whitefield

One of the few hotels in Whitefield wherein one can catch a drink after work. Being on a prime road (Opp SAP Labs) in Whitefield, it was expected to be one of the better ones, especially considering it is part of the Hometel group.

However, I was quite disappointed.

The music being played was some retro English songs - probably some CD bought off the rack. There were only 2 bearers for a place that seats close to 100 on a Friday evening. (This was probably because most of the other guests already knew how bad this place was.)

You have some potato wafers served at the table and that is about the only snacks they have (at least till 7pm when the kitchen opens). We left after our first drink.

With a bottle of Kingfisher beer costing INR 225/- and a large RC whiskey costing INR 400/-, I am sure the other hotels in the area would be a better bet for a drink or two.

Reco - Avoid

Samarkand, Infantry Road, Bangalore

For starters, this restaurant seems to be quite popular in that getting a seat on a Wednesday night was not as easy as I thought it would be.

The seating is quite bad - quite low and small - they have tried to create a 'Dhaba' style seating. I am taller than the Indian average @ 6ft, but it was inconvenient even for my companion who measures 5'4". The lighting too is quite dark and could have been a bit brighter.

The Kameeri ki roti is one made with marinated dough and was quite fluffy and different. The Lagan Ka Murgh was very good and so was the mutton biryani. The biryani was a bit low on salt but the flavours and the succulence of the meat was simply superb.

Service is good but could have been better considering there is a 10% service charge in the bill.

Liquor is pretty costly with a bottle of beer coming to around INR 200/- and a small of RC whiskey costing INR 175/-.

The total bill for the aforementioned food + 1 large whiskey + a bottle of water came to around INR 1450/-

Reco - mind the seating - but a must visit for the biryani.

Kefi, Taj Mount Road, Chennai

Taj Mount Road is the new hotel from the Taj group and is located on Club House Road, off Mount Road, opposite Spencer's super market.

Kefi serves Mediterranean cuisine and along with Cedars, is probably one of the two restaurants serving Mediterranean cuisine in Chennai.

It is located @ the terrace of the hotel. Few tables are located in air - conditioned comfort (considering Chennai is hot and humid, even @ night) and a few tables on the roof, overlooking the chaotic traffic on Mount Road. Both these areas appeal to the eye and to the senses.

You are served pita bread on the house and this is served with a creamy sauce. Of course, there is olive oil on the table which could be used to dip the bread in. And additional servings of this can also be requested for.

The Hummus Beiruti was tasty and went well with the warm pita. The turlu - a eggplant based preparation in olive oil and served on a bed or rice was tasty but the portions were not too appealing. The Lamb Barkook - lamb slow cooked in prune sauce was exquisite - simply the best mutton available in Chennai.

Liquor is available - but is extremely expensive, partly on account of higher taxes star hotels have to shell out. A pint of beer cost INR 350/- and a 30ml of cheap Indian rum cost INR 175/-. The food bill came to around INR 1600/- and this also included a Turkish coffee (strong and aromatic).

The service was good. Please note that the restaurant rules does not allow entry to children.

Reco - certainly a must visit for Mediterranean cuisine.

Fusion Express, The Mark Boulevard, Whitefield

Fusion Express is the restaurant in The Mark Boulevard, a business class hotel in Whitefield. For lunch there is a buffet spread.

The buffet spread consists of a nice salad bar with different vegetarian and non vegetarian salads, a chat counter where one can order for fresh chat of their choice (chat is North Indian cuisine which includes a number of snacks and fast foods wherein multiple Indian spices and sauces are mixed with processed Indian food to create a tasty concoction).

There is a pasta counter where one can choose the base sauce, the type of pasta and the veggies / meat that needs to go into it.

Of course, there is the usual biriyani, plain rice, gravies - both veg and non-veg, different types rotis (Indian breads), papads, fresh juices, curd rice and dessert. The dessert includes two Indian desserts, two choices of ice-cream, some baked items and fresh fruit salad.

The spread was sumptuous and although there is no dish that stands out, was quite tasty. The service too was quite good. The fresh juices were not good, though.

The restaurant is air conditioned and seats around 50 pax. There is a partition that leads to another seating area and can seat another 50 pax. Cost of the buffet @ INR 350 per plate may be a tad expensive.

Reco - In a place like Whitefield, where there are not too many restaurants to choose from, Fusion Express is certainly worth a visit.

Palomar Cafe, Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok

This is a small cafe' with the kitchen in the center and the service area placed all around the kitchen. Seats around 20 persons at a time. An ideal place for a quick bite - if your flight timings are such that you need to catch a bite @ the airport.

Serves various types of sandwiches and bakes, quick fix Thai food (red curries with select meat and served with rice), coffee and packaged drinks. The Thai red curry with rice was as good as I have had on the streets of Thailand. The Parma Ham Baguette was quite filling and the espresso was fresh and aromatic.

As is to be expected in a restaurant in an airport, the prices are on the higher side and the aforementioned items would cost around THB 700/-.

Reco - nice place for a quick bit @ Suvarnabhumi airport.

Empire Suites, Castle Street, Off Richmond Road, Bangalore

This is part of the Empire chain of hotels and restaurants that dot Bangalore. The cuisine is multi cuisine with a leaning towards Mopilla cuisine (cuisine of Muslims from Kerala). The service, despite only 4-5 of the 30 odd tables being occupied was very slow - but this is to be expected in any of the Empire restaurants.

The mutton in the Biriyani (an aromatic rice preparation made with a lot of spices and generally with mutton or chicken) was quite hard - as though it had not thawed enough and the biriyani itself was not too aromatic. The Wheat Porotta (a pan fried Indian bread, normally made with refined wheat flour) was good and this chain is one of the few places which serves them.

The butter chicken was chicken in a sweet and spicy thick red gravy. It was nothing special. However, the presentation was quite horrible. Whoever told the chef to grate cheese on top of the thick red gravy - if you are not strong, you might lose your appetite, just looking at it.

The restaurant was not air conditioned and none of the empire restaurants serve liquor.

A couple of parotas, the biriyani and the side dish (half plate, boneless) would cost around INR 250/- If you throw in a couple of lassi (sweetened yoghurt shake) it would cost around INR 330/-.

Reco - Not a place to plan a dinner. Not bad to dive in when on the move and have some time @ hand.

Toscano, UB City, Bangalore

Well, this Italian specialty restaurant has now started serving beer and wine, finally.

The Beef Carpaccio was a good starter - thin slices of beef in a bed of veggies with olive oil and vinegar. The Linguini carbonara was a generous portion and was good. The roasted Fillet Mignon was also a juicy chunk of beef and was made rare as requested. The espresso that was requested to wash the food down was also of good quality.

However, the service is quite poor. I had ordered a salmon starter that had to be served with some wafers (as per the description of the dish) - however it was not served so. Upon bringing it to the notice of the waiters, these wafers were brought in a separate plate. Food is not all about the eating - it is also in the presentation - especially in a premium restaurant. I was quite disappointed with this. This apart, the service is very very slow.

The place now attracts more crowd, now that they have started serving liquor.

These items with a couple of Belgian beers - Chimay Red - would cost around INR 2100/- including 10% service charges for the poor service.

Reco - Food's good. Service certainly needs to pick up. If you have a lot of time and patience, do pay a visit.

Food stalls @ Coral Island, Patayya, Thailand

There are a number of islands in the Patayya Bay.  These limestone islands are surrounded by corals and the main island among these is called Coral Island.

There are a number of adventure activities in and around this island.  These include para sailing, water scooters, banana boat rides, speed boat rides and under sea walk.

Undersea walk involves wearing a heavy glass helmet into which air is pumped and diving into the water.  The water does not seep in due to the air pressure.  You do not have any other gear.  I did this here after a gap of six years.  I did notice that the types of fishes that swam were far less than what I encountered during my first walk.  While the corals, the sea sponges and sea urchins were there, the clams were missing.  Only the empty shells were strategically placed for pleasant viewing.  I understand that the clams are considered a aphrodisiac.  Very sad - A result of man's greed and global warming.

In Coral Island, the largest of these group of islands, there are a number of food stalls selling mainly Thai food.  Guava or Raw mango with chilly and salt is available for a quick bite and to go with that chilled beer you can pick up from one of the many hawkers.  Tender coconut water and juices are available to quench the dry throat.  

Thai food is available aplenty.  I had a khao phad gai - Thai chicken fried rice topped with a sunny side up and a tom yum fish soup.  Tom yum soup is a spicy clear soup with a distinct lemon and lemongrass flavour.  The prawn variety is more popular and is one of my favourite soups.  The fish variant was just as tasty.   Food and drinks out here is quite expensive compared to the mainland.  A beer that costs THB 30 in the mainland costs between THB 50 - THB 60 here.  The food I had cost THB 150 - would have cost around THB 100 in the mainland.

Reco - No trip to Patayya is complete without a trip to Coral Island.

Siam Bay Shore, Patayya, Thailand

A four star resort and spa located at the best spot in Patayya.  The resort is located at the end of Walking street.  There is a private beach and a swimming pool and a restaurant adjoining the beach.  There is another fairly large pool in the resort which also has a slide for children and a jacuzzi to calm the muscles.

The rooms are scattered around landscaped gardens which have apart from the orchids and palm fronds, large tanks holding lots of colourful fishes.

The massage parlour which is part of the spa offers excellent Thai massage.  

The only meal I had here was the breakfast - which was a buffet.  A sumptuous spread with lots of bread, spreads, cheese and lots of cold cuts, sushi, a few varieties of cereals and muesli served along with dry fruits and marinated fruits, fresh native fruits and juices, some local varieties of noodles and rice and lots of sweet bakes to finish it off.  The restaurant has both airconditioned and open air seating and overlooks the road.

Full marks to the resort but there is a stream of backwaters that flows across the resort and this gives a foul smell when you walk across it.  A minor hindrance that can be tolerated.

Walking street - is the most happening place in Patayya.  As the name suggests, vehicles are prohibited from 6pm.  The place is abuzz with tourists and locals traders.  There are a number of restaurants and bars on this street and there is plenty of street food that is available here.  A couple of restaurants where you can have a sip of beer and watch Mauy Thai - kickboxing is also available.  Plenty of places where one can watch 'night' / 'live' shows line the street.  There are people hawking almost everything here, including themselves!!

Reco - if you go to Patayya - this is the place to stay.

Street Food @ Walking Steet, Patayya, Thailand

Anytime from when the sun is about to set till late into the night,  hawkers line Walking Street and the adjoining street that leads into the Patayya Bay selling a variety of things.

The sheer variety of food that is available is awesome.  You get Pizzas, Shawrma, kebabs and then a whole lot of native cuisine.  The native cuisine includes a whole lot of seafood including fish, prawns, shrimps, mussels and squids.  There is also pork and chicken cooked Thai style.  Meat is either served grilled or fried or cooked in a Thai gravy and served with rice or noodles.  I should not forget to mention that there is plenty of fresh juices, fruits and tender coconut water available to quench your thirst - which you will definitely have considering the tropical warm weather.

For around THB 100 - 150 you are more than full.  The only problem is that you are spoilt for choice and have not tasted it all.

There are also quite a few seafood restaurants wherein you can choose the live fish or lobster that you want cooked for you.  The street is lined with a number of bars and the street along the bay also has a McDonalds and a Pizza Hut - if you do not want to experiment.

Hat's off to Thai street food.

Aromas of China, Eva Mall, Bangalore

I was quite a fan of Aromas of China, a restaurant belonging to the BJN group.  I've liked the service, ambiance and the food in this outlet and the one in Richmond Circle.

I'd ordered a thick duck meat soup.  It was quite good and had a distinct flavour of green chillies.  The duck meat was hard but that is how duck meat is.  The chicken in sichuan sauce was also nice and spicy and went well with the bamboo fried rice ( veg fried rice served in a hollowed out bamboo stalk - meant to be cooked in it too, but I doubt it was considering that the bamboo was quite dry on the outside).  The items I ordered along with a starter or a dessert would be sufficient for two.

The bill for the aforementioned came to INR 830/- including service charges @ 10%.

And once I had paid the bill, a nice and big cockroach ran across the couch on which I was seated.  I had enjoyed the meal and did not want to take this up with the management.

I certainly will not visit this place in the near future.

Reco - at these rates, if you are keen on cleanliness, please avoid.

World Cuisine Network- La Vigna, Indiranagar, Bangalore

This was supposed to be a place that served various varieties of world cuisine in specialty restaurants under one roof.  I later discovered that it is part of a chain of restaurants based out of Dubai.

We went to the Italian Restaurant - La Vigna.  The place was extremely cold and nothing was being done to increase the temperature despite our requests.  Thankfully we managed to find ourselves a seat beside a pillar that shielded us from the air-conditioner's blast.

The restaurant was quite full as was expected on a Friday night.  We decided to go for a Pizza and since 'Diavola' seemed quite interesting decided to go for that.  Diavola was meant to be a spicy pizza with mozzarella, tomato sauce, beef salami and dried chilly.  It was quite large, if I am right, at least a 10 inch diameter one.  Although it was not the best pizza I have had, the taste was very strange.  It tasted of saffron.  There was a strong saffron flavour in the pizza which was quite unnerving.  I quite did not enjoy the pairing of saffron with tomato, chilly and beef salami.

The Tiramisu was superb.

Service was horrible.  You had to repeat your order to at least one other bearer other than the one who took your order before you are served.

The aforementioned dishes + 2 pints of beer and a large Smirnoff came to INR 1300/-

Reco - Probably can give it a shot to try some unimaginable (may not be tasty) culinary twists.  However, mind the service.

Cream Center - RA Puram, Chennai

This was another one of those places that had got rave reviews in the media. It is a branch of a Mumbai based outfit and dishes out vegetarian cuisine - North Indian and international.

I had a stuffed paratha of onion, mint and garlic - it was nothing but a roomali roti stuffed with onions and deep fried. It was not a paratha where the veggies that needed to be stuffed are stuffed into the dough. A big disappointment.

Veg pakoras were nothing but mixed vegetable bajji and instead of using the bajji chilly for one of the bajjis, they had used regular green chilly. The difference between a bajji and a pakora is while both use similar batter of gram flour and red chilly powder, in the case of a bajji the vegetable is dipped in a slightly light batter and fried in oil, while in the case of pakora, the vegetables / cashew is mixed in a slightly thicker batter and handfulls of the batter are then fried in oil.

The aloo paratha was quite good though. I understand the place specialises in Chole puri - I have not tried that out. Portions are not too big. The ambience and decor are great.  The place is air conditioned.

Although espresso and other coffees are on the menu, they are nothing but those from a Georgia vending machine. Disappointing, given that it is meant to be an upmarket eatery.

Meal for 2 would come to around INR 500.

reco - avoidable

Hotel Dravida, Veilankanni

This is a restaurant located on junction of the 'bus stand' road and the road leading to the main shrine / church.  

We'd been there for lunch.  You are served a number of combos of meals.  Plain vegetarian meals (not recommended as the sambar - a South Indian gravy made with pulses, vegetables, tamarind and a variety of spices - is quite insipid. ) The rasam - another typical South Indian gravy, more like a clear soup, literally means 'essence', made with a host of spices including coriander seeds and cumin seeds, with pulses and either tomato, tamarind or lime to give it the sour punch - is tasty with a garlic flavour.  There is a pulse dish mixed with vegetables (dal / kootu), papad / appalam (a crispy fried snack made with black lentils - urud dal) and a dry vegetarian preparation that are served as accompaniments.  There is also generous servings of very light butter milk (neer mor) but curds are served @ additional cost.

The other meals that are available are fish curry meals, mutton curry meals and chicken curry meals - the veg meals + a spicy gravy of the selected meat.  There are a number of typical non-vegetarian chettinad dishes that are available - such as fish fry (seer fish fry), brain masala (made with goat / cattle brain), mutton chukka ( a dry mutton preperation), sora puttu (a dry flaky dish made with sharks), nandu masala (a semi gravy crab dish) and the list goes on.  

We had ordered all three varieties of non-veg meals and I had a bit of all - the fish gravy meals was the best, although the other two were not bad either.  The fish fry was a bit too well done and a bit dry.  The sora puttu was good and so too was the mutton chukka.

The bill for 6 meals + 3 omelets + 1 mutton chukka + 1 sora puttu + 1 fish fry came to a bit less than INR 400/-.  The interiors are very basic.  The place is quite popular and at times one may have to wait to be seated.  There is no air - conditioning and a place that could comfortably seat around 40 pax seats around 60+pax.

Reco - Must try - especially for lunch- and don't miss the fish curry meals.

Xtreme Sports Bar, 100 Ft Rd, Indira Nagar, Bangalore

The bar is situated just off 12th Main on 100Ft.Road.  It is on the 4th Floor and the entrance is via the back of the building and one has to negotiate their way around the various crates of liquor that is stacked for the bar.  There are no sign boards directing you to this entrance and you will have to ask your way to the entrance.

The bar counter is in the center of the room.  There are a number of bean bags strewn around to make yourself comfortable.  It is air-conditioned and there are a couple of closed rooms wherein a group of 10-15 can have fun in private.  It is dimly lit and one may have a problem in verifying the bill.  There are a number of LCD TVs all around the place and a projector screen showing sports channels.

The acoustics suck.  Fridays are karaoke nights - a nice thing to have and there are a number of crooners who try and belt out love songs.  In the absence of the crooners, a DJ plays music (mostly retro pop and rock and some contemporary popular numbers) and unmindful of the smoking ban in restaurants and bars smokes continuously.  The management also turns a blind eye to this.

The snacks that go with the drinks cost between INR 130 and INR 250.  You can not get the usual 'masala peanuts' or chips.  We ordered what was supposed to be nachos (served with melted cheese and vegetables) - these certainly were not corn chips! & cost INR 200/-.  the menu also included biryanis (including a jack fruit biryani) a number of Indian and continental main courses and a number of kebabs - both veg and non veg.

We went for a 3.5 lit draught beer that comes in a dispenser - more because it was quite unique.  This 3.5 lit of draught costs INR 850/-.  1 litre of draught is available for INR 250/-.

It takes some time before you are able to catch the eye of the waiters who are busy chatting among themselves.  After multiple attempts we had to complain to the manager who then dispersed the waiters to all corners of the bar and the service improved since.

I'll go there again to taste the jack fruit biryani. 

Reco - there is nothing special about this place - you can probably go as a large group - watch IPL matches - guzzle on the 3.5lit draught beer for the experience - try to overlook the bad service and the smoking DJ.

Sangeetha, GandhiNagar, Adyar, Chennai

Staying in Kotturpuram, I have to go to Adyar, T Nagar or Mylapore to get to a decent restaurant with air-conditioning to have breakfast.  I decided to go to Sangeetha in Adyar the other day.  I have trashed a couple of other Sangeetha outlets in this blog and I knew I was taking a big risk.  This is a vegetarian restaurant.

There is a non air-conditioned section that can seat around 50 but ends up seating around 75.  There is also a self service section with around 6-8 tables where seating is not available.  The air-conditioned section seats around 75 pax - it was dimly lit but the interiors were typically gaudy, quite old with wet patches and peeling paint in some corners.

We ordered idly(steamed wet rice flour), pongal (a rice preparation), rava masala dosai (thin pancakes made with semolina batter and served with spicy mashed potato) and aapam (rice pancake made with fermented wet rice flour). 

All the dishes, save the aapam, were served with at least two different chutnies (sauces) and sambar (a typical South Indian preparation made with pulses and vegetables) and were tasty.  This is one of the few restaurants that serves hoppers (aapam) with sweetened coconut milk - an awesome combination.

The service was quite good and I was quite pleased that I found a Sangeetha that lived upto its reputation.  Only on receiving the bill did I realize that this outlet was a franchisee of Sangeetha - no wonder it was striving to maintain some standards.

This chain does not serve liquor and the bill came to INR 285/- (2 plates each of idly& pongal and 2 orange juices thrown in).

Reco - certainly not a bad choice for South Indian tiffin varieties.