3 days ago
New restaurants and menus in Bengaluru this August
Be it standalone bakers, legacy restaurants spreading their wings, or new restobars, Bengaluru's dining scene is one to watch out for. Starting this week, The Hindu launches a fortnightly series on the city's new outposts, menu launches, and more.
This weekend, as you savour Independence Day-themed brunches, here is a run down of what is new in the city:
NEW RESTAURANTS
Kokoro, Church Street
After the likes of Kuuraku and Shiro, the latest addition to the city's Japanese food scene is Kokoro. Helmed by Foodsta Kitchens, the parent company of Asian restaurant Nasi and Mee, Kokoro aims at spotlighting Japanese comfort food.
Chef Ujjain Singh and Chef Sadesh Babu, corporate chefs at Foodsta Kitchens have designed the menu that is big on ramen and comfort bowls. The 'Don Bowls' feature a vegetable rainbow don, chicken teriyaki don, salmon rainbow don, ebi tempura don, to name a few. If you visit them for the ramen, expect flavours such as a spicy miso vegetable ramen, Korean style tofu ramen, shoyu chicken ramen, among others.
Starters include the Japanese vegetable gyoza, dynamite broccoli, chicken karaage, and dynamite prawns. The significant sushi menu features vegetable California, avocado and cream cheese, and tempura asparagus for the vegetarians, and crispy chicken, grilled shrimp, and more for the non-vegetarians.
At One Shobha Mall, Church Street, Bengaluru. A meal for two costs approximately ₹650.
Hunaan @ Indira Nagar
After outposts at Bel Road and Koramangala, Chinese restaurant Hunaan has launched in Indiranagar with more than just food on their agenda. The new branch aims at changing the look of what you would imagine a legacy Chinese restaurant to be: dimly lit, with red lanterns, and the golden Chinese cat waving at you.
The 40-seater restaurant features a live cooking bar, and the dining section has pinewood and poplin fabric screens that are inspired by rice paper, and contrasted by mellow sheer blinds. Materials like grey limestone, dark wood, and pinewood rafters have been used to give the interiors a rustic feel.
And now the food. The upgraded menu features everything from healthy salads and soups to popular Korean dishes and traditional Chinese fare. Popular dishes include Hunan salad with creamy miso dressing, Asian cold silken tofu salad, crabmeat soup, dimsum platters, the Korean kimbap, etc. Small plates have Hunaaan baby potato, chilli pepper mushrooms, Hunaaan chicken lettuce wraps, prawn tempura, Singapore soft shell chilli crab, and more.
Pair the mains such as vegetable dumplings in hot garlic or Guangdong chicken, Tianjin lamb or General Tao's chicken with non-alcoholic beverages and you have yourself a great meal.
At 12th Cross Rd, HAL 2nd Stage, Defence Colony, Indira Nagar. A meal for two costs approximately ₹1800.
MENU LAUNCHES
Mediterranean menu @ Smoke House Deli
Just in time for the monsoon is Tales from the Mediterranean, a limited-edition menu by Smoke House Deli. Blending flavours of Middle Eastern and North African cooking, the menu features slow-cooked dishes from Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, and Egypt. Highlights include the slow-cooked lamb, harissa glazed cauliflower, falafel mahshi with tahina, grilled halloumi and fig skewers, to name a few.
Also part of the menu are chicken taouk with orange blossom-scented skewers, baharat spiced lamb kebab. The seafood section comprises levant spiced squid rings,or the salmon meshwi with Syrian aleppo pepper, layered with black garlic and tahina mayo.
Until August 15 at the Lavelle Road and Indiranagar branches.
POP-UPS
Flavours of Myanmar @ Conrad Bengaluru
Always wanted to visit Myanmar? Get a step closer to the country's culinary delights at this three-day feast. Curated by culinary platform Dean With Us and Chef Phyu-Cyn, popularly known as Chef Goo Goo, the menu comprises Phyu-Cyn's signature dish laphet gremolata (fermented Burmese tea leaves reimagined with cashew, ginger, and rice crackers), dawei mohinga (catfish broth with rice noodles and palm vinegar), Shan Village Tofu, golden heart cooler (sago pearls, pandan jelly, and coconut cream), among others.
A special tasting menu priced at ₹5,000 + tax will be available for dinner at Mikusu on August 22 and 23. On August 24, there is a Sunday brunch selection at Caraway Kitchen.
The Ramen Map @ Bento Bento
The Bengaluru weather calls for bowls of warm, umami ramen and Chef Anumitra Ghosh Dastidar has us covered. At her Asian restaurant Bento Bento, a two-day pop-up called The Ramen Map will celebrate 'Asia's most fiery, flavour-packed noodle traditions'.
The menu that draws from street-side stalls, bustling city markets, and family kitchens features a range of small plates alongside the bowl meals. Highlights include the Chongqing noodles with springy wheat noodles, scarlet chilli oil, and Sichuan peppercorns; mee goreng; Korean-style gochujang noodles; khao suey; Lanzhou beef noodles with chilli oil; and mazemen, a Japanese brothless ramen.
The small plates include prawn lettuce cups with nam prik, radish cake with spicy sauce, stir-fried tofu and beans in chilli o, and end the meals with a flan with orange blossom water.
On August 23 and 24 at Bento Bento, 197, Paramahansa Yogananda Road, Indira Nagar. The pop-up is open for lunch (11.30 am to 3.30 pm) and dinner (6.30 pm to 10.30 pm). To pre-book, call 91138 87578
Spanish feast @ Dali and Gala
Later this month, Dali and Gala, a bar known for its Salvador Dali-inspired art and small plates, will team up with Dina Weber of Mysore's Sapa Bakery for a dinner. Inspired by the 'art, eccentricity, and Catalan roots of Salvador Dalí', the menu will be crafted by Dina, known for her spin on traditional European cooking.
Each dish is a nod to Dalí's 'Spanish heritage, literary influences, and love for unexpected pairings'. Highlights include salade du dumas, a beetroot, celery and potato salad with anchovy aioli dressing and is a nod to The Count of Monte Cristo; pollo a la Catalan, a roasted chicken leg; mel i mato, whipped goat cheese with forest honey, walnuts, and hogaza bread; mandonguilles, meatballs slow-cooked in saffron tomato wine sauce; cherry panna cotta jelly; among others.
On August 20 at Dali and Gala, Museum Rd, Shanthala Nagar, Ashok Nagar. Two slots include 7 pm to 9.30 pm and 9.30 pm to 12 am. To reserve a spot, call 8884244988
