Launching 'The FoodPorn Diaries'

After pondering over many moons, I've decided to separate my recipe and restaurant reviews.

Food for Swaps has always been about documenting the recipes that are dear to me and work in my kitchen. Or the ones that have failed miserably and I never want to try again. Photographing my escapades in the kitchen and sharing them with you, so that you can have tried and tested recipes to fall back on! And i'd like to keep it that way. Fair? ... I think so  :P

So I'm moving all my restaurant reviews to my other blog - 'The FoodPorn Diaries'. This will be an exclusive place to share my experiences of eating out - whether they be in Bangalore or outside. I'm on a quest for lust worthy food! 

And to give you a preview of what’s in store, here’s an excerpt from the latest entry:

Conversations over Coffee

When The Serai invited eight bloggers to celebrate Woman’s Day at their lovely resort in Chickmagalur I did a double take. Really? I was swamped with work that week. I quickly asked for the names of the rest of the bloggers. I didn’t know anybody. (My interest was fading). They wanted me to come and spend two days getting fawned over and pampered. (Interest awakened). Have a look at the website, they insisted. I peeked into it reluctantly. (Wow, Desire generated). They called me back. There was a spa treatment involved, Will I be able to make it? (Resolve weakened). I cancelled my meeting. I was going to the Serai!

We met at the Café Coffee Day Square on Lavelle road. (Serai and CCD are owned by the same parent company). After introducing ourselves and tucking into the breakfast at CCD, we got ourselves into a minivan and drove out of the city. It’s amazing how ten women who have never met before can talk till their jaws drop. No need for introductions, thank you very much!

If that peaked your interest and you want to read more…here's the link to the new blog. Bless it by visiting it! :)

http://thefoodporndiaries.blogspot.in/

You can also ‘Like’ the Facebook page to get regular updates on What's hot ... in the food world obviously!

http://www.facebook.com/#!/thefoodporndiaries

Thanks for stopping by … love as always ... FoodforSwaps J

Smoke House DELI in Bangalore! (Indiranagar, Bangalore)

I don’t want to be biased…no I really don’t. But I couldn’t help doing cartwheels when Smoke House Deli finally opened in Bangalore a week ago. I remember driving down 100ft road and doing a double take in Feb, when I saw the huge glass façade with the black and white writing that said ‘Smoke Hou’ (the rest of it was covered, but I knew in my heart, that it was Smoke House Deli). For all practical purposes we are going to refer to it as SHD in the rest of the post!.

“Smoke House Deli is an all-day café and delicatessen. This award winning brand serves everything from pancakes to noshes, pasta to burgers and dessert to cocktails.” - SHD

After wowing patrons in Mumbai and Delhi SHD decided to grace Bangalore!! I was invited for a Bloggers Table a day after it opened (yes, I have some perks) and boy was I raring to go, even though it was a Wednesday night. And what a night it turned out to be –chatting with the owners Riyaaz and Kiran, being lavished with an awesome menu from chef Glyston Gracios, gossiping with my fellow bloggers and downing cocktails like there was no tomorrow. (Unfortunatley there was a tomorrow… and a hangover crashed the party as well, but that’s a story unfit for a food blog!)

Signature Tasting Menu @ Peshawari Tandoor by Turquoise (Koramangala, Bangalore)

I have eaten at Turquoise and Peshawari Tandoor a couple of times and have always enjoyed their food. The restaurant plates their food beautifully and after seeing some pictures of the Sunday brunch captured by my fellow foodie Harsha (of the FB group Bakasura) I had to go and get click crazy! The reason I haven’t written about it for so long (almost a year!) has been two fold (a) My forgetfulness – which includes leaving the camera at home and (b) the low ‘mood’ lighting in their Indian restaurant. (It’s done up with multi-hued ceiling to floor chandeliers!). Mood lighting encourages romance but does NOT a good picture make!

So I happily trumped in on Sunday with my camera and my friend Shwe in tow – expecting to go photo crazy on their buffet table. Unfortunately, they informed me that the Sunday brunch has now been stopped L (Lesson learned for being a procrastinator!). Luckily they had a Signature Tasting Menu of all their best dishes and we were more than happy to sample the same. And the best part – they were going to serve each dish at the table, so I could relax and let the party come to me!

I made two small requests – firstly, can we be seated at their sunlight restaurant on the 2^nd floor? and secondly, I wanted a seat next to the large window. Since I mostly eat out at night, I was not going to pass up the opportunity of clicking pictures in daylight! Now that we got the basics of a good lunch in place (I’m a food blogger… what do you expect?), we settled down to be entertained.

Zomato Lunch with Rocky and Mayur (HOMP) @ Bak Bak Bar (Koramangala, Bangalore)

(Pic Courtesy: Ruth and Sudhakar Prabhu)

I was sick with fever last week…so sick that I couldn’t get out of bed. What bothered me more than being sick, was missing the Zomato Food Guide 2013 launch at the Sheraton! And to add to the misery, Zomato had a special treat lined up for food bloggers over the weekend – a lunch date with NDTV’s Highway on my Plate superstars – Rocky and Mayur!! Saturday morning came and my energy was still zero. I hate to go under medication for a regular fever, but this time I made an exception and popped some pills, tidied my act up and headed to Bak Bak Bar! Oh, come on…don’t roll your eyes…how many times do you get to meet Rocky and Mayur???

I had heard about Bak Bak Bar from a couple of foodie friends, but still hadn’t planned an outing. It’s the old Manchester United Bar – refurbished and redone in a new avatar. The co-resident will be mighty pleased, considering he is a Chelsea fan! The place is bang opposite the rear entrance of Forum Mall in Koramangala. Thank the Lord they have valet, because there is no way you can look for parking on that road. Although you might need to get the valet’s attention when you are 100ft away from the venue so that the people behind you in the road don’t clobber you for stopping! I thought the venue was perfect for this lunch. It’s got a comfortable, casual vibe about it and their name implores you to have conversations  or colloquially -  ‘Bak Bak’!

Entered the place and was pleasantly surprised to see familiar faces – Karthik (hugs for inviting me) and Pallavi of Zomato and my other food blogger friends – Monika, Ruth and Sudhakar. After explaining why I won’t be having a drink for about half hour – I succumbed and ordered a beer. A room temperature beer. According to ancient legend (ya right!) – a warm beer can help bring down the temperature when you have a fever. So if my comrades thought I was more boisterous than normal – I’m blaming it on the alcohol and meds!

Bloggers Table - Blue Terrain @ Novotel, ORR, Bangalore

My first Bloggers Table. Actually make that the ‘first ever’ edition of the Bangalore Bloggers Table! Was I excited? Yes!! The feisty group of women (we’re still looking for that elusive male to be a member of the group) had all been interacting on facebook for a month now, but chatting over a martini is always more fun! We were hosted by Novotel, Bangalore and were lucky to be invited to the opening of their new poolside bar and barbeque restaurant – Blue Terrain.

Poolside dining and barbeque seems like the perfect fit for us laid back Bangaloreans. Bangalore is one of the few cities that enjoys the luxury of being able to offer under the stars dining for its residents. The weather as we all know is brilliant. Natasha still warned us to carry something warm to wrap ourselves in, as it’s still ‘winter’ here. (Yes, I can see all the non-locals rolling their eyes, considering the temperature is a toasty 20 degrees!)

Asian Grill Festival @ Shiro (UB City, Bangalore)

UB City has become one of my favorite places to hang out. The open air cafés and restaurants, the dancing fountain, the easy relaxed pace in the evening under the stars – I always feel like I’m out of Bangalore. Sunday brunches at Shiro – the pan Asian restaurant, is an indulgence that I often dip into. The Zen like ambience with the giant statues and the serene Buddha never fail to get me into a happy and peaceful mood. So when Shiro invited me to their Asian Grill Festival, I was more than happy to pay them a visit. Bangalore winters have started, so we chose a table inside right next to the Buddha. I was feeling good already!

Souza Lobo (Calangute Beach, North Goa)

Like every self respecting yuppie Indian, who was exposed to the wonderland that is Goa at a young age, I come to consider it my second home. A Goan may frown upon this notion or ignore it altogether, but for me the feeling of belonging in Goa is so complete that, I in turn frown upon the ‘other’ tourists. So leaving this merry-go-around of who the state belongs to, let me get down to business to talk about one of my favorite places to eat while I’m there.

I generally avoid the Calangute side of the beach like the plague because it is so packed with tourists at any time of the year. Hordes and hordes of buses will dump their beach hungry populace there and to cater to their needs the area has become a densely populated commercial hub. But I must trudge my way through the fat man in a baniyan and the lady with the wailing kid and the beggars who plead with interesting British accents and the Romeo’s basking in their ditty underwear to reach the sand covered steps of solace that is Souza Lobo.

Souza Lobo has been around since 1932. (The restaurant, not the lady – bless her soul). By the number of locals as well as tourists who eat here, they seem to live up to their USP of ‘Traditional recipes live here’. They are open from 11am in the morning and continue dishing out succulent seafood and Goan delicacies till midnight. And if you intend to come during rush hour – be prepared to wait in their patio till your number is called out. No, Seriously. In the ten years that I have been coming here, I have spent considerable time and consumed innumerable drinks in the patio, waiting for my turn to eat. No Regrets! 

DELIZIOSO - Italian Food Festival @ Bene, Sheraton Bangalore

I was invited by the Sheraton for a preview of their Italian Food Festival – ‘Delizioso’ last Friday. Their signature Italian restaurant Bene, was playing host to celebrity Chef Enrico Fiorentini from 9^th -18^th Nov. (That’s the duration of the festival by the way!). Last year Bene did a Truffles festival, but this year because of the weather in Italy (No good rains), availability of good quality truffles was a dicey affair. Hence they decided to showcase ‘Lombardy’ cuisine. Now when we say Italian food, the two things that immediately spring to mind are Pasta and Pizza. But that’s not all Italian food, is about. (Same as Indian cuisine is not equal to Garlic Naan and Chicken Tikka Masala!).

Milan is the major city of the Lombard region and is bordered by Switzerland to the north. Lombardy cuisine primarily consists of hearty fare with rice being a foundation. (South Indians rejoice!). Apart from being famous for its fashion, gastronomically the region is associated with Risotto. Now does Risotto ‘Milan’ese, ring a bell?  Dairy products also rule the roost (close to Switzerland darlings) and you can find the best Gorgonzola cheese here as well.

I made a mental note to myself that the acid test of the festival would be whether Chef Enrico could turn out a perfect risotto. If the executive chef from the award winning Sheraton Milan can’t do it, then who could, right?

Mangrove - Restaurant.Cafe.Wine Tavern (Kalyan Nagar, Bangalore)

I live at a point where going to Indiranagar or Koramangala or MG Road is the same distance. I know, lucky me! With so many food options scattered at my doorstep, I hardly travel beyond these areas for a quick bite. But after a point it becomes same old same old and this weekend we decided to travel to the beyond. Ok, that’s Kalyan Nagar near H.R.B.R. layout for you. We took the Bypanahalli route because the GPS on the co-resident’s phone said it was the shortest and fastest route, but we din’t know it would lead us to a defunct railway crossing! After a few more adventures, we reached Mangrove. It’s a new American cuisine restaurant that’s opened its doors, to entice the sudden population burst towards Manyata Tech Park and ORR. There is a big sign painted on the entrance wall so that you don’t miss the restaurant on the quite road. J

We expected to find the restaurant under a Mango tree, but realized that the young couple who run the place came up with the name when they were scuba diving in the Andamas (which you know is also famous for its Mangroves). The lady also runs a bakery called Oven Treats and after being in the business for 8 years thought the time was right to step it up. The restaurant/café/wine tavern offers all day dining from 11am to 11pm, but you still have to wait for a while longer to have your meal with some wine. (The license is on its way). The space is split into two areas – the ground floor being more casual and café like, while the top floor acts as the more formal dining space. (The co-resident fell in love with the wooden chairs, but unfortunately it’s not something we can buy here. The restaurant had them tailormade and shipped from Pune L)

Chinese Food Festival at Feast, Sheraton Bangalore

Monday was an eventful day. I finally drove all the way to the other side of town to experience authentic Chinese delicacies. Now this would have never been done, if not for a blogger friend of mine who invited me to come along with him to Sheraton. He was invited as part of the Chef’s table and I was going to be his happy sidekick.

Feast, which is the all-day dining restaurant at the Sheraton Hotel, Bangalore was playing host to visiting Chinese Master Chef Thi Gang. Chef Thi Gang is from their award winning restaurant Li Bai at the Sheraton Saigon, Vietnam and was here to showcase the rich and diverse culinary heritage of China. Like India, China is vast country with unique regional cuisines and showcasing all of it can be a gargantuan task. So the Chef had handpicked some interesting dishes to help us savour a taste of China, if you will. The chef is a tiny man with a big smile and speaks very little English but his mastery was evident as we tasted the food. Anyway, we had Executive Chef Bela Rieck who was happy to indulge us with some fun conversation and cuisine facts. 

Veggie Chic Menu at Caperberry, Bangalore

I like my chicken and my bacon and my pork and mutton and prawns and …you get the drift. So when I excitedly signed up for the Veggie Chic menu created by Chef Abhijit Saha of Caperberry, many eyebrows were raised. Is she turning vegetarian? Is she just coming there to mock us with terms like Ghas Phoos? And finally has she not read the menu? My answer to all the dear veggies – I just thought the Veggie menu looked exciting and why should I pass up an opportunity to be entertained by a culinary genius just because the menu didn’t have anything that walks, swims or clucks! Now that we have resolved the mystery of my presence at the dinner, let’s move on to important bits – the restaurant and the food!

Caperberry means provocation of desire in Hebrew. It’s also really a berry as well – green and tart… but the earlier definition is more in tune with what the restaurant wants to achieve. Caperberry is located at the Tanishq building on Dickenson Road. You have to literally search for the name board before you enter, but a restaurant of such repute hardly needs to shout out from the mountain top! The restaurant is know as much for its food (molecular gastronomy), if not more so for its celebrity chef Abhijit. After this experience, I think he deserves the adulation!

SPIGA (St. Marks Road)

Spiga has always been one of my favorite restaurants in Bangalore. It was located in a quaint little house on Vittal Mallya road and has now shifted to the more spacious 4th floor of the Halycon Building on St. Marks Road. I must have visited Spiga a gazillion times and have not been disappointed by the food. The menu has been the same, with a few tweaks here and there and thank the lord for that. I went in the afternoon this time with a couple of friends from work. The place has a Mediterranean feel to it with the whole whitewashed effect – quite pleasant and serving as an excellent backdrop for the colorful food. I’ve seen it at night as well, fairy lights and pleasant alfresco dining add to a lovely view of the city lights. The only grouse I’ve always had is the music is too loud near the bar area. Comon guys … it’s a lounge NOT a discotheque. However a few tipples and all is forgotten and forgiven ;)

We ordered the Noodle Wrapped Prawns as a starter along with the Panzanella Salad for the vegetarian in the group. Both were excellent. The prawns nice and juicy were wrapped in flat noodles and deep fried. The panzanella salad was fresh and zingy with balsamic vinegar and the lovely feta cheese crumbled over it gave it the balance required. We would have loved to have a cool Kingfisher with our food but they don’t have it on the menu. They had a Foster’s promo running which dint cut it with us, so we settled for the Basil and Lemon Cooler. They do have a fully stocked bar which serves wines and cocktails but that story is for another day.

For Main course I had the Olive Fish - Sear fish in a white wine and green olive sauce served with spinach rice and hassleback potatoes. My friend had the Bacon wrapped fish. You would think the salt in both the bacon and the fish would be overwhelming but a hint of the sweet orange sauce makes it work. The vegetarian in the group opted for the Pasta Vegitali – nice zesty tomato cream sauce. He ordered something ‘light’ to save room for the dessert but it was quite a generous portion. My other foodie friend ordered Pasta with Bacon in a cream sauce – not quite your Carbonara… but similar and satisfying. Coming to dessert (yes, you dint think we would leave without dessert did you??). We asked the waiter to get us all the desserts on the menu (OK, there are only four.. he he). Unfortunately they dint have the Blueberry Cheesecake that day so we had to make do and share three by four. The Oreo Cheesecake is to die for, though everyone agreed that the surprise package was the Fig and Toffee Pie – simply divine. The Chocolate Mudcake (was it?) was good as well and would have been an excellent dessert if it did not stand out in poor comparison to its other siblings!

So on the whole a most pleasant and ‘full’filling experience.

P.S. The parking sucks but they have valet…

SPIGA
No. 9, Halcyon Complex, 4th Floor
St. Marks Road (Above Rangoli Sarees) Bangalore.
PH: 42110469, 42110470
Multi Cuisine. Open for lunch and dinner. Bar Attached. Accept Credit Card.
Price Point – Rs:1400/- for two (Starter, Main course, Dessert and non-alcoholic beverage)