A very short 'Food Trip'

Hear of an eatery named Food Trip and you think of a global menu, a vibrant décor and at least something that you've never seen or tasted before. So with moderate expectations of a ’cool’ new joint in Koramangala , the husband and I stepped into food trip (where the semi decent Leb Mex was previously located). I glanced at the interiors and kind of got what the owners were trying to do, giving out this cute global vibe and a clean minimalistic not kitschy way. The color scheme was white with red and yellow thrown in. The walls were plastered with icons of a Mexican hat, the Golden Gate bridge, leaning tower of Pisa, a kathakali dancer and so on.  

We took a look at the menu and I thought it was missing a few pages, but once I glanced carefully I realized that that was it. So the concept, if you would like to call it that, is you pick a main protein/carb from a ridiculously short menu of 6, 3 vegetarian and 3 non vegetarian and choose to have it served as a burgerwich  (apparently a square bun) or a roll or a rice bowl . They also had a selection of fries and some other deep fried starters. And if you thought you are short of filling your daily calorie intake with one meal, they had some shakes to make up for the deficit. 

So the 6 options that you could choose are pretty uninspired and randomly named – Netaji’s Tandoori Paneer, Bitter Sweet Bangkok Dreams, Ninja Fried Chicken and Empire State Spicy Chicken. This is 2014 and even the colonel has gone grilled and most options seem to be directed towards deriving value from the deep fryer investment. 

My husband is the most indecisive meal-chooser at a restaurant that I know, he mulls over the menu even at a Shiv Sagar and here he was mulling yet again, but for the opposite reason, there was nothing to choose from!

We finally chose, Punjabi Lion Tikka Rice Bowl and Empire State’s Spicy Chicken Roll with Exotic Carribean  Fries. 

We looked around the ambiance whilst waiting for our meal and realized that the management was fairly weak, for example there was an open half door that exposed the not so aesthetic kitchen, the music was super random hindi stuff from the 90s, the front desk was empty for half the time, the wait staff was courteous but not particularly well trained.

Finally, the food arrived, the rice bowl was ok, very desi flavors but nothing unexpected. The roll was again fine nothing to complain in terms of taste but nothing to go gaga over either. There were no special sauces no unexpected twist. The portion sizes were modest but for the cost they were justified. The best part of the meal was probably the fries, the flavor was just right.

The rice bowl

The roll

The fries

We were kind of hungry at the end of the meal but the menu just had nothing that we could order so we quickly left after paying the bill and walked towards the numerous smaller joint in the same row thinking, "we wanted to like you but ....."

Overall verdict: Only if you are really hungry, in the area or both

Food Trip

487, J.T Plaza, Jyothi Nivas College Road, Koramangala 5th Block, Opposite Krishna Temple, Koramangala,Bangalore

The 100 foot journey

Food movies, movies on food, eating, cooking have a magical capability of bringing out the warm fuzzy in us, couple it with a side of romance and you have a 100 odd minutes well spent. 

The 100 foot journey does precisely that, albeit, in a slightly clichéd way. So, we have the Mumbai based Kadam family - Mama, Juhi Chawla (in a sweet cameo), Papa, Om Puri, the 'star son' Hassan, Manish Dayal (dishy!), who is blessed with haath mein jadoo when it comes to cooking and another 2 sets of brothers and sisters who complete the family. Driven by communal riots, death of the mother, political asylum and a dislike for the UK, in that order, leads the family to wander across Europe, only to have a (expected) vehicle failure in a quaint French town of Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val. Since cooking is what they do best, the family decides to start inhabiting the town and open an Indian restaurant across the street, about 100 feet away, from an uber sophisticated Michelin star holding one run by the haughty Madam Mallory (Helen Mirren). They also meet the warm and affable Margarit who is a sous chef under Ms Mallory. 

The rest of the story follows a slightly predictable path, sprinkled with the right dose of humor and romance. Hassan’s culinary genius spanning Indian curries, classic French sauces, contemporary French as well as modern molecular gastronomy is the crux of the film. 

What was good?

Heartwarming story: The characters and situations are warm with a lining of humor. The romance between Papa and Madam Mallory was better conceived than the one between Hassan and Margarit, although the two made a great couple. The mother- son scenes were a little forced but, added to the story well.

Acting: The acting was pretty top notch by most of the cast, Manish Dayal is perfect as the innocent faced genius who has an unending passion for food. Om Puri and Hellen Mirren are fab. The rest of the cast excel in their limited roles.

Food, food, food: The love, passion, hard work that all the main characters have towards food, oozes out in multiple scenes. Hassan and Madam Mallory obviously are the top of the lot, with their passion to create magic and win the coveted Michelin stars. Margarit’s jealousy and the head chef’s defiance and for that matter Papa Kadam’s arrogance were all a result of their love for food.

Indian food is the best ‘not’: I liked the fact that at no point there was a dramatic declaration that only Indian food can solve all problems. The story showed the Indian restaurant coexisting with the French one and not a dramatic turn of events where the clientele upon one taste of a curry turn their backs on French food.. Hassan’s signature style was also shown to be one  blending contemporary French with a hint of Indian. 

What could be better.

The ‘clichéd-ness’: From the sea urchin seller prophesizing about Hassan, the spice box (which seem to be unlimited to have survived of years usage at a restaurant), to Madam Mallory’s turn of heart for Hassan, to the scene around  home cooked food in a swanky Parisian setting. But, if you could ignore these minor irritants and focus on the beauty passion and chemistry the movie really works.

The last 20 mins or so: Too slow, too much, too rushed, the last 20 mins or so could do with better screenplay and direction.

Overall, the 100 foot journey is a lovely, heart warming story that should be savored like a perfect omelet on a lazy morning.

Product review - Bliss gourmet bread

I love sandwiches and my husband even more. My lunchweek has atleast one sandwich day much to the surprise of some of my colleagues who think that sandwiches can only be snacks and not a meal. My ideal sandwich would be one with fresh veggies and cold cut meat on a hearty submarine bread with a hint of cheese
But finding a good sandwich bread/ submarine/ baguette in india is pretty hard so I resort to grilled sandwiches on whole wheat toast.

On a recent trip to the supermarket I saw these elaborately packed delicious looking breads neatly stacked calling out to be picked up. Conjuring up images of a delectable bruchetta for dinner or a hearty sandwich for lunch, I picked up the garlic bread which claimed to be hand made, organic and preservative free, hoping for atleast a half decent loaf.

Boy was I disappointed, I wish they had paid attention to the taste and texture as much as they did to the packaging. The bread was dense and heavy, with the garlic flavour just limited to the crust. I had it with soup and it was just about palatable. I made the mistake of making a sandwich out of the remaining bread only to repent later.

Bliss is a local foods brand which is known for it's chocolates and has forayed into gourmet breads and baked goodies. Most bangaloreans may have seen the bliss lounge in UB city. I personally do not find their chocolates to be anything extraordinary. Bliss seems like a confused brand that does not know where it stands as its product clearly lacks the the fine taste required to be a gourmet food, yet with it's stylish packaging it aims to be just that.

I'm definitely not picking up any of these anytime in the future. Till I find a better bread or learn to bake my own its the local 'daily bread' or 'modern bread' for me.

El Tablao - When spain said hello to Bangalore

At first there was a vinyl flyer announcing 'opening shortly - el tablao' and in a few months stood many more announcements of operation; I would glance at it everyday on my way to work conjuring up images of delectable spanish delicacies served my way. A few weeks later when husband and I found ourselves contemplating choices for a quiet sunday night dinner - el tablao it was.

As I entered the restaurant, I felt a sense of warmth that is characteristic of all things Spanish. The decor was eclectic with spanish themes spashed all over. The USP of the place was of course their Tapas. Tapas are small sized potions of appetizers and snacks that are essential to spanish cuisine. We ordered about 4 such potions veggie, seafood and chicken and we are not disappointed. The flavors were unique and the combination well chosen. My top picks from the menu were -Gambas al ajilo, which was shrimp in chilli garlic oil and Alitas de pollo, which was grilled chicken served with rice.

The experience was definitely different and the food was refreshingly unique with no major ugly surprises. It was such a pity that the place had few takers even on a weekend considering that Bangaloreans are first to lap up any new cuisine, maybe we like our food big !

Overall, please try out if you need a break from the usual cuisine offerings.

Restaurant review - Elements Eatery

Mosque road in Frazer town is a foodie's delight. If you are a serious non vegetarian this street will not disappoint you. Kabab places, biryani joints, a customary Empire restaurant, small chai and samosa shops, a great shawarma place (a separate post on that in the future) and some set ups serving authentic 'muslim dishes' such as paya and kheeme ki roti. In the midst of the busy road and the strong aroma of grilled meat stands Elements eatery. The word "eatery" almost trivializes the scale of things that take you by surprise as you enter the place. Designed as a middle eastern villa the restaurant is subtly opulent yet homelike warm. 

The concept is similar to open grill cooking seen in many other cuisines, the table is essentially a rectangle with the grill in the center and two chefs serving up a delectable fare. One such table can accommodate up to 15 people so this is ideal for a big group, else you can hope to make some friends over a shared eating space and sumptuous meats.
The beginning of the meal was with  a coconut lime juice that was excellent and so was the mutton soup. The kababs are beautifully flavored and made from all the meat types – mutton, chicken, fish and prawn. This is a true non-veg heaven but quite disappointing for the veggies.The salads and sides can also be given a miss.

The staff is courteous and the service great, I mean they are literally standing in front of you the whole time.

Highly recommended for a family dinner.

Costwoe

Me and my husband IJ did our groceries from costco this weekend. Our neighborhood grocery publix was proving to be a little expensive so like a samajhdaar housewife I suggested costco. I'd heard that they have bulk items at low prices so with the help of a well wishing friend who had the store membership we embarked upon a 30 minute drive followed by an hour long shopping round that resulted in us bringing home mattress sized kitchen towel pack, gallons of mouthwash and a bag of sugar that we could use beyond the rest of the year. Ok it wasn't all bad, after a point I did get used to the big sizes, but what I did not like was that the store was not convenient at all, I had to hunt around the whole expanse for a box of yoghurt which I did not find although I found the flavored yoghurt in some corner nowhere close to the milk. Also there was no concept of low fat or fat free and most of items I know which have a fat free version were displayed in their full fat glory. I've been living in the US for close to three years now the northwest earlier and now Miami. Back as a student my haunt for food was walmart or winco I never thought I'd say this but I miss the full grocery small town version of walmart. In a nut shell costco is great when you are a) doing supplies for household stuff like paper towels or laundry detergent b) you are a family of 4 or more heavy eaters c) or if you throw enough dinners and lunches to feed the whole town. The only thing I was really excited about getting home was Eckhart Tolle's A New earth at a bargain price!!

Unrelated but significant; my recipe got published on the JHIVA for ingredients event check it out here