10 Bangalore pubs that have the best grub

10 Bangalore pubs that have the best grub

You head to these places for the drinks, of course. But you need food to fuel the drinking, right? Here are Bangalore’s watering holes that also get their food right most of the time.

Church Street Social

This buzzing downtown space was designed primarily as a hangout, but has surprisingly good food too. The menu is peppered with exciting options – from street food classics to mix-and-match dishes.

Our picks: Mutton Baida Roti,  Vada Pao Bao, Sriraja Chilli Beef and the heart-stopping Elvis Presley French Toast.

Monkey Bar

When the supremely talented Chef Manu Chandra has anything to do with the menu, you can bet it’ll be excellent. Monkey Bar’s food is inspired from everywhere and has quirky twists that give it that extra zing.

Our picks: Polish-style Pirogie, Sorpotel Jam Pot, Tiger Beef, the Mobar Burger.

Watsons

Thanks to its affordable drinks, Watsons is packed to the edges most days. Its hearty food is another draw and the Indian dishes offer welcome respite from French fries and pizza.

Our picks: Mogo, which is crisp slivers of tapioca, Mutton Pepper Fry, Podimas of boiled eggs.

Roadhouse

Roadhouse is a fairly well-kept secret, frequented by regulars who love the happy hours and the retro music. The menu is an eclectic mix of good stuff as well.

Our picks: Malabar Beef Fry, Roast Pork Chilli Cilantro, Pizza Giardino.

13th Floor

The view is just one of the big attractions at 13th Floor which has shown no signs of losing its buzz over the years.  The food is utterly satisfying, too.

Our picks: Thai Crispy Vegetables, Gunpowder Eggs, Manian’s Pepper Mutton.

B Flat

Known for its off-beat music gigs, B Flat is one of the older night spots in Indiranagar. The menu is an interesting mix of Chinese and Indian fare. What you must really make a meal out of here is the Bengali selection.

Our picks: Baigun Posto, Malai Chingri.

 The Lost Caravan

This fairly recent arrival on Church Street is all about a noisy vibe and retro tunes. The food is familiar pub grub, but will keep you happy and full after a long night of drinking.

Our picks: Open Mini Burgers, Chicken Varthiyathu

Toit

Bangalore’s happening brewpub is a great place for pitchers of beer, conversation and music. The food gives you another reason to hit the place.

Our picks: Pizza Margherita, Sindhi Pakoda, Baked Nachos.

 Biere Club

Right now, you should be heading to the Biere Club to sample its seasonal mango beer. What’s more, they have plenty of good food to go with it.

Our picks: Bacon-wrapped Sausages, Crisp Calamari.

Windsor Pub

Windsor Pub in Vasanthnagar is one of Bangalore’s older watering holes. It’s neither stylish nor trendy, but regulars swear by the food.

Our picks:  Crab Meat Balls, Kane Fry.

Cocktail Trends in India

Move over mojito & LIT, the scorched & the torched are here!

Say bye-bye to the mojito and the super-strong L.I.T. Here’s what the edgiest bars are going to be shaking, stirring, muddling and pouring in the months to come.

Wine cocktails

The wine spritzer is back. But this time around, it isn’t just a splash of soda in a glass of the house white. Bartenders are using the best bottles from their cellars and spritzing them with flavoured carbonated drinks, often making them in-house. Imagine peach-flavoured soda and Pinot Grigio on a warm afternoon.

Quick infusions

Infused vodkas were a hot trend some seasons ago and meant dropping chillies, vanilla beans or cinnamon sticks into a bottle of vodka and waiting for weeks for the alcohol to pick up the flavours. Now, with molecular cooking techniques moving to the bar as well, it’s possible to infuse, say, a shot of bourbon with your favourite dark chocolate under a pressure in a nitrous oxide charger. Yes, it’s pretty scientific and the results are quick and amazing. Rosemary infused rum, bacon infused beer… the possibilities are endless.

Smoked cocktails

Food trends usually spill over to the bar. So, it’s not surprising that mixologists are trying their hand at smoking, a technique which top chefs are employing to create extra flavour dimensions. Top-of-the-drawer drinks like single malts are flamed, the smoke trapped in a glass and the drink is served, infused with smokiness and releasing all its aromatics. It works on the same principle as warming your cognac, say bartenders.

Torched and scorched drinks

Fire and smoke are certainly hot in the hip bars this season. Mixologists are also torching and scorching ingredients to give their cocktails a twist. Orange segments brushed with maple syrup are being flamed, muddled and topped with the best vodka for a drink that packs a punch. It’s certainly a long way from the twist of burnt orange peel plopped into a Cosmopolitan.

Flavoured ices

How often have you sat and watched in dismay as the melting ice in your mojito slowly diluted your drink and took all the fun away? The best bartenders have found a way around that: use ice that’s packed with flavour. Frozen mounds of fresh juice are being added to alcohol for the ultimate tall drink.

Super fresh juices

Canned juice and cocktail syrups have been passé for a while now. Fresh, it’s got to be. But squeezed and stored won’t do either. The best cocktail bars will be squeezing that lemon, pureeing that strawberry while you watch and stir or shake it into your cocktail.

Bitter drinks

Bitters are the bold new bar staple and go beyond the dash of Angostura in a G&T. Flavoured bitters, such as orange, lemon and Aztec chocolate are making their way into cool cocktails and exotic herbal concoctions from South America are enjoying a surge in popularity. Keeping with the bitter is better trend, the Negroni is chic again as well.

Lower alcohol drinks

Bars are only too happy with the demand for lighter drinks, for it means people will drink more cocktails on an evening. It also makes it necessary for them to create drinks with the right balance and full flavour as customers want more than just a huge alcohol hit.

Post by Priya Bala

Food delivery services for everyone – from gourmets to dieters and night owls

Food delivery services for everyone – from gourmets to dieters and night owls

Just like homemade: Bite Club

If the thought of cooking dinner depresses you and ordering pizza makes you feel worse, Bite Club may deliver the knockout meal you are looking for. An online platform that connects customers who want fresh, affordable, home-cooked meals with passionate home cooks who can provide that, this delivery service based in Gurgaon has daily changing menus with a veg and non-veg option for each meal. Menus are prepared by various cooks who have expertise in a particular cuisine. It could be Goan Prawn Curry and Rice one day and Tomato Soup and Four-Cheese Pasta the next. Booking is via the Bite Club app and the website. The founders say their mission is simple: to make it ridiculously easy to put a high quality wholesome meal on the table.

Meals at midnight: Fly By Knight

This Mumbai express night delivery service operates from 9 pm to 5 am and promises to cater to everything from red-eye flights, to late night meetings, last-minute house parties and midnight sugar cravings. Omelette-pav, burgers, noodles and pizza are on the menu. They’ll also deliver late night muffins and chocolates and even condoms, just in case.

Other night food delivery services include The Booty Call in Delhi (https://www.facebook.com/thebootycalldelhi), Nite Out in Bangalore (http://www.niteout.co.in/) and Batman Delivers (http://batmandelivers.com/) in Gurgaon

Culinary classics: Chandni Chowk Food

Chandni Chowk Food is an enterprise that feeds your nostalgia for particular foods. Set up with the aim of eventually making regional speciality foods available across the country, the service has been launched from Delhi’s famed culinary quarters and deals in sweets, namkeen, snacks, papads and biscuits. So, if you have the urge to indulge in Kanwarji’s Kesar Pak or Bhikharam’s Kala Lachcha you can order online and have it delivered to you – whether you are in Mysore or Mumbai.

All you have to do is cook: Cookfresh

Feel like tossing up a Greek salad at home, but wondering where to shop for Feta cheese? Or, fancy a bowl of Pho for dinner, but not sure of which recipe will work? Enter Cookfresh, catering to most parts of Delhi and Gurgaon. On the website, you’ll find 30-plus recipes for dishes that cover the gamut from Vegetable Tofu Stiry Fry to Blueberry Muffins. Order online and a basket of ingredients along with a recipe card will be delivered to you.

Eat for health: Itiffin

If you are beginning to have serious guilt about the coffee and cigarette breakfast, the burger for lunch and late-night biryani, itiffin may be your answer. This Bangalore-based tiffin service focuses entirely on healthy, balanced meals with options for diabetic meals, heart-healthy meals and calorie-defined meals. You subscribe on a monthly basis and have your healthy meal delivered to your office or home. Nutritious school lunch boxes are also available from itiffin.

Get fresh: Green Tokri

An off-shoot of the Green Tokri farm on the outskirts of Pune, this service delivers fresh salad greens, herbs and dressings once a week in and around the city. Subscribers to the service receive a weekly email listing the ingredients on offer and can order online. Supplies include greens such as a variety of lettuce, snowpeas, avocado, strawberries, basil pesto, jams and more.

Crafted by artisans: Foodtribe

Foodtribe is a Bangalore-based online store for products from independent food artisans. Stocks include breakfast foods, chocolates, bread, cookies, cakes, pickles and chutneys, spreads, dips and masala powders. So, if you want a jar of lemon curd, some vegan pumpkin spiced muffins or some pesto rolls, Foodtribe will deliver. The curators assure that all products are homemade and free of harmful additives. They also put together binge boxes and hampers on request.

Take home chef: Tushky.com

Here’s an idea for throwing a no-sweat party. Tuskhy.com is a Mumbai service that lets you take home a chef who will cook Indian, Thai, Chinese, Italian or Mexican for your party. A minimum of 10 diners are required and prices depend on the cuisine, the number of courses and any special requests. The kitchen team will even clean up after the party.

Moving spirits: Barmobile

If you haven’t a clue how to shake up a cosmopolitan or stir a martini, here’s help at hand. Call Barmobile, the mobile bar service in Mumbai and you’ll have a state-of-the-art mobile station come home to you. Professional mixologists will set it up in minutes and you can have your own personal bar whether it’s on your lawn, terrace or living room.