Spanish Cookout at Caperberry

Last weekend, I attended the Spanish Cookout at Caperberry. I won't go in details here what we made (and ate) but you can read about it in on my other blog.

Instead I'll tell you about what Chef Abhijit Saha served us for lunch, after our cooking class, when we were already quite stuffed from eating all the tapas we just made.


Tapas that we had just learned how to cook. (L to R) Fried calamari, chicken al ajillo and minted lamb chops.


Mushroom Soup with almonds, quite the usual mushroom soup but nonetheless, very tasty.


Gazpacho. I actually liked this a lot and I usually don't like cold soups.


Pan-fried grouper with creamed spinach. The fillets were very moist and creamed spinach comparable to what you'd get in a restaurant in NYC.


Vegetarian entree option. I'm guessing grilled vegetables with creamed spinach.


Grilled chicken with tomato sauce. "A" liked it so much he finished the whole plate!


And for dessert, churroz with dark chocolate cream. Not quite like the ones served in a cafe in Madrid but so good by itself, it doesn't have to be compared. I loved the dark chocolate cream. If we had it our way, we would've poured the rest of the chocolate cream into my purse and taken it home.

More stories on the cooking class.

Raintree Cafe

One of the (many) reasons why I love Bangalore is for the obscure places you would never imagine exist but they do. Last weekend, "A" and I went to the National Gallery Of Modern Art, which itself was an amazing place to visit and we decided to drop by quaint Raintree Cafe for a cup of latte and an afternoon snack. Raintree is a fashion and craft boutique but they had allocated a tiny space for a cafe that seats no more than 10 people.


I'm unsure of the history behind this property but the vast garden with an old-world charming bungalow made us forget we were actually in the middle of bustling Bangalore city.


Some deserts and small eats (quiche and sandwiches) available here.


Chocolate tart - very moist and not too sweet.


And to finish up the afternoon, a nice cup of latte.

Overall Ratings:
Po's: 8.5/10

Would we return?
Yes and to the boutique as well!

Address:
4, Sankey Road,
High Grounds,
Bangalore

Nagarjuna

I think Andhra food is the comfort food of India. Very high in fat, carbohydrate and spice level but every mouthful tastes so good. I've been to Nagarjuna twice (first one was on Double Road) and I haven't been disappointed. This is one of those restaurants you'd want to bring your out-of-town (or country) friends for dinner.

My only advice: Do not eat here if you are about to run long distance the next morning like the Sunfeast 10K Run.


Freshly deep-fried papads to start.


Pepper chicken (and mutton).


They offer some dishes with interesting names like Chicken 65 or Chicken 88 but I can't remember what this one is called...


Spicy fried gobi (cauliflower). We only ordered this because Kubz (one of "A"'s good friends) decided we needed some vegetables in this meal.


Chicken biryani. Yes, I found a piece of hair in my biryani but that's not uncommon in a restaurant like this.


Served with a side of raita and gravy (again, I can't remember what it's called). Most meals are served on banana leaves and eaten with hands. So eco-friendly, I love it!


Buttermilk - tastes like savory yogurt and supposedly good for your stomach, especially after a spicy meal.


Inside the restaurant - wait staff standing by your tables just waiting to serve you.

Overall Ratings:
"A"'s: 7.5/10
Po's: 7.5/10

Would we return?
Yes and probably with some foreign friends.

Address
There is a few locations but the one we went to was in:
44/1 Residency Road,
Residency Road,
Bangalore

Website: http://www.nagarjunarestaurants.com/

La Fromagerie

Living in NYC for 9 years has totally spoilt me. You could get any ingredients you want from Chinese sun-dried oysters to Russian caviar in the streets of New York and the sky is the limit. That is of course, not the case in Bangalore. Every so often, I would stumble upon a random address and would be totally blown away by my findings.

Yesterday, "A" and I were looking for parmesan cheese (I was going to make pesto for dinner) and after doing some online searching, he found La Fromagerie, a cheese store that is right in our neighborhood!

The owner stores the imported French cheeses in a humungous refrigerator in his backyard.


La Fromagerie also offers delivery. Minimum Rs5000.

Would we return:
Hell yeah!

Address:
La Fromagerie Fresh Food Pvt. Ltd.
No. 88, 11th Cross, 1st Stage
Indiranagar, Bangalore 560 038

Phone: 080 2521 967

Website: http://www.cheeseexpress.co.in/

Fava

This would be my second visit to Fava. I remembered my first time being somewhat pleasant and the dish I ordered (seafood ravioli in saffron sauce) was delicious, even though the ravioli was a bit too soft and fell apart before I could put it into my mouth.


Fava has yet to get their liquor license, so here are two drinks that were made with wine. "A" had a pineapple sangria and I had a blue drink made with white wine, blue cacao, jasmine water and something else. Yummy cocktails!


Steamed fish wrapped in vine leaves. Gak! Too salty! Could have done with half the brine. Maybe give the leaves a quick rinse or omit the salt in the fish next time?


BLT (bacon, lettuce and tomato) - don't ask me why we ordered this in a Mediterranean restaurant but we did. Turned out just good, but I won't let "A" make the same mistake next time.


Chicken shawarma - I thought it tasted better the first time I was here.


Chocolate and vanilla ice cream?? It should have been baklavas! I know, by now you'd be wondering why would I bother reviewing this restaurant at all since we hardly had any Mediterranean food.


I love the high ceilings, it makes the whole place look so spacious. The decorations were minimalistic and tasteful. There was also an outdoor seating area, which I think would've been great for people watching. I would normally complain about the flies in the dining area but then I saw there was a dedicated fly/mosquito-swatter. At least they are trying.

Overall Ratings:
Po's: 7/10

Would we return?
Most likely.

Address
203, 2nd Floor,
The Collection UB City,
24, Vittal Mallya Road,
Bangalore