Eat Outs in Bangalore

Just a fortnight to go before I leave Bangalore, which has been my home for over past 3 years. Among a lot of other things, if there is something I'd surely miss about Bangalore, it's the restaurants and eat-outs here. So, I just decided to make an entry here for all the good eat-out places which I frequented while I was here. Hope some Bangaloreans might find it useful.

Samarkhand: It's one of my favorite places in Bangalore. For non vegetarians who enjoy Indian cuisine, it is simply sinful to leave Bangalore without tasting the delicious 'Nalli Ka Salan' at Samarkhand. Located in Gem Plaza on Infantry Road, this is one nice, quiet place. Prices are a bit on the higher side but then their portions are really big. The shorbas here are great too and so are the non vegetarian starters. I have never tried vegetarian but have heard that it's nice for veggies as well.

Caesars: Located on M.G. Road, this is again a nice quiet place. Food and ambience is good. Prices are a bit on the higher side.

Jalsa: Located on Outer Ring Road, a couple of km after the Marthalli bridge (if you are coming from Innovative multiplex), this place has great ambience reminiscing of the Mughal era. The food is average and overpriced. However, I'd still say it's worth a visit for all its grandeur.

La Casa: Located in Jayanagar 4th Block, this place has some really nice continental food. The sizzlers here are good. But nothing beats the Al Navarra pasta and the Mexican soup pot. The place is a bit noisy though and does not have a great ambience.

Tandoor: Again located on M.G. Road, this place has grand decor and good food. Prices are a bit high. But, this is again a nice place to spend an evening over good food & a couple of drinks.

Copper Chimney, Bangalore Central: Great ambience. Strategically located next to the Hint lounge, where you get to see the cool crowd of Bangalore. Food is average and overpriced for its quality. The outdoor seating arrangement is perfect for a romantic evening.

13th Floor: A lounge located in Barton Center on M.G. Road, it offers great view of the lit up Vidhoun Sabha. The outdoor seating arrangement is nice for pleasant Bangalore evenings. The place is a bit small though. However, a nice place to unwind with a couple of drinks and fine music.

Ebony: Again located on 13th floor of the Barton Center, this place also has a nice outdoor as well as indoor seating arrangement. The food is nice and so are the prices :). But, nevertheless, a nice place to spend a special romantic evening.

Umerkot: Located on Koramangla 80 ft. road, this is a retaurant located in Hotel Umerkot. It has some really nice cool drinks, especially the one with coconut base. The food and ambience also score high.

Chandni Chowk: When I first visited this place, it reminded me of the numerous mujras of the Hindi movies. The bead curtains and use of drapes and fabric: it takes a little while to get used to the ambience. The food is again overpriced for its quality. But, still, the place is worth a visit.

Sahib Singh Sultan: Located at Forum Mall in Koramangla, the decor of this place is like that of a luxury train. The food here is good and it's a nice place to spend an evening. Please make sure you make reservations before showing up as it is always full: be it weekdays or weekends. However, they do compromise on the quality of food when you come in a large group.

Dal Roti: Located on 80ft. road in Kormangla, this one is a very reasonable place with good food. The dal makhani and chicken tikka masala here is quite close to the authentic north Indian kitchen. They also serve phulkas here, though you might need to emphasize on 'fresh' phulkas.

Hyderabad House: Just opposite to Forum is this place Hyderabad House. The chicken biryani here is just amazing. However, refrain from ordering a large biryani. Go for two regular biryanis instead. I have always found the quality of chicken in large biryani to be horrible. Also, I really doubt whether they serve lamb in the mutton biryani. It just tastes too much like the counterpart of lamb: if you know what I mean.

Little Italy: Located on 100 ft. road, this is a nice place for Italian food lovers. The ambience is nice and quite contemporary.

100 ft Boutique Restaurant: Again a great place to relax and enjoy nice continental food. The pastas here are quite good. Ambience is nice.

The Village: Located on 100 ft road in Indiranagar near CMH crossing, this place has pretty average food. The prices are also reasonable. A decent place. No harm in visiting occassionally.

Aranya: A place with nice food, reasonable prices and good ambience is how I'd describe Aranya. Located on Outer Ring Road, it is a fine open air place which makes for a nice dining experience.

Three Quarter Chinese: Though it may not appear from its name, this place serves some really good north Indian food as well, which is referred to as the fourth quarter here. I also love the jal jeera served here. A nice place with ample seating place, you rarely need to make reservations. I also ran into cricket star Dhoni here once. They also have buffet on weekdays which is quite good and resonably priced.

Angeethi: Located on Museum Road, Angeethi is located in Museum Inn. This place has a nice buffet which is there on Saturdays as well. The food here is good. Only downside being, it is not A.C.

Banjara: Located in Jayanagar 4th Block Complex, this place serves good food. It 's a nice place though I don't really like the seating here. It's kind of noisy and overpriced for what it offers. They also serve buffet lunch which is quite O.K.

Tadka: Next to Banjara is this open air place called Tadka. I never liked the food here. They put in coconut in most of their dishes, plus, they have this really horific orchestra playing every evening. The cacophonic voice of the singer makes the experience miserable. I like the ambience and seating of the place though.

Sunny's: Located on Vittal Mallya Road this is again a nice place for continental food.

Mast Kalandar: Located in several places in Bangalore, it is a chain of restaurants which serve ready meals priced between 70-150. The food is decent here.

Mainland China: If you love authnetic chinese food, you must visit this place. You can get tofu (not the stinky one) and authentic chinese cuisine. The king prawns and the momos here are just amazing. They have buffet on weekdays which is quite reasonably priced, plus, it's a nice place to relax and spend time talking.

A taste of Rampur: Located above Hyderabad House in Koramangla is this place called 'A Taste of Rampur'. The food is pretty decent, so is the ambience as well as the prices.

Bayleaf: Located in Raheja Arcade in Koramangla, it is a decent place. The food is average and kind of overpriced for its quality. But sure the place is worth occasional visits.

Grameen: Located in Raheja Arcade again, Grameen is a small vegetarian place which is mostly full. The food is decent, decently priced and the ambience is nice too.

Tangerine: Located in Indirnagar, this place has some really nice sizzlers to offer. It's a small place with decent ambience.

Magnolia: A chinese, thai place in Koramangla 3rd block, it has got nice ambience and nice food which is quite decently priced.

Bobby Da Dhaba: Run by a sardar with a very authentic punjabi accent, this dark, smokey, crowded place attracts all the punjabis of Bangalore. I never understood why is it so overrated. I 'd strongly recommend not to try out any of the vegetables here and stick to conventional dal makhani and paranthas and lassi (called pattha here for some reason). Also, you have to reach rather very early or wait & wait & wait. I personally didn't find this place worth the wait.

This is surely not an exhaustive list. Maybe I'll add more to it as an when I recollect about more places. Plus, I'd sure miss the 'Strawberry with Cream and Ice-cream' and 'French Apple Cake with Ice-cream' served at Corner House. I am such a foodie :)