Smoke House
Deli
Scores
better on looks than food
Look: Superior designing has gone
into Bangalore’s two Smoke House Delis, in Indiranagar and on Lavelle Road, making
them fetchingly good looking. An all-white look gives these restaurants a clean,
bright air and fills them with light. The Smoke House Delis are also known for
their signature style of paying tribute to their locales; quirky hand-drawn
illustrations cover walls, white bottles, old gramophones and most other
surfaces and become a talking point.
Food:
The ambience may have you expecting an equal edge
to the food. What Smoke House Deli does do though is a version of European or
Conti, as we used to know it, without too many surprises. It’s not technically
a deli either, though there is a small section retailing breakfast cereal,
pasta sauce and olive oil.
On our several visits we’ve found the food
to be a bit of a mixed bag. An Asparagus and Grape Salad with Smoked Fig which
we tasted at Indiranagar was a perfect balance of textures and flavours. But
the Oak Ash Chevre and California Orange Salad with Passionfruit Emulsion at
the Lavelle Road restaurant was all wilted greens and over-dressed. No hint of
oak ash either.
The Paprika Puffs are a well done appetizer
and moreish, for nibbling with your drinks. The Three Cheese and Jalapeno Toast
was a disappointment, for as it cooled the not-so-tasty cheese topping just
came away from the drying bread.
The Tomato Polenta, Grilled Vegetables and
Pesto Cream was also rather too creamy for our liking. We’d expected a mound of
caramelized veggies on the polenta, but these were minuscule bits mixed into
the sauce. The Peri Peri Rubbed Grilled Chicken with its brined chicken was
tender and packed with flavour. SDH hot
dogs and burgers are, apparently, a hot ticket but we can’t see the point of
eating what’s essentially grab-and-go food in a fancy restaurant. Then it would
have to be Kobe beef burger topped with truffle!
The dessert menu plays safe with Tiramisu,
Flourless Chocolate Cake and Philly Cheesecake – all creamy, sweet and
satisfying.
Drink: There are some well-made cocktails to be had here and healthy
drinks like mocktails of carrot, apple and celery. The tea and coffee choices
are exhaustive, too.
Occasion: Dates, family dinners, catch-up with friends – SDH is good for all
that. Don’t expect quiet and privacy,
though. For this is a closely packed restaurant, crowded most days with
Bangalore’s hip set which wants to be seen at the most happening spots.
Prices: A three-course meal will cost approximately Rs 1200, including
taxes but without drinks.
Review by Priya Bala
