Tibetan Kitchen

With this post, I'm officially expanding this blog to the rest of India :-)

I was in Ladakh last month and I can't begin to tell you how it has changed my life. It's gotta to be one of the most beautiful places on earth and as much as I want to keep the place (and food) to myself and hope it'll always stay remote from the rest of the world, it's unrealistic. It's changing as I'm blogging this post.

Ladakhi food is very, very similar to Tibetan food. It's cuisine is most of the time wholesome, simple and can be quite repetitive. Here's a restaurant that I found on the Lonely Planet. Tibetan Kitchen has a nice outdoor seating area. Overall food was yummy except the service is super slow. We waited thirty minutes for our momos.


Lamb momos - minced lamb in dumplings. Nicely seasoned and moist.


Chicken momos


Sha bakleh - bread stuffed with meat. Same filling used for the momos except these are baked and tastes a lot like meat pies.


Lamb chilly-fry. Stir-fry chicken or lamb with capsicum and onions and seasoned with a spicy soy-like sauce.


Ginger, lemon, honey drink. Served warm and is so good for the dry throat and sniffles. I think we had this at least twice a day.

There was a "steamboat" or "hotpot" that they served but you have to order it the morning of the day you are coming for dinner. It would've been perfect for the chilly Ladakhi nights.

Overall Ratings:
Po's: 7.5/10
"A": 8/10

Would we return?
Probably.

Address:
Hotel Tso-Kar
Fort Road

Medici

My friend, P had been raving about the food at Medici. I got so excited with the prospect of eating yummy food, I pretty much dragged half the yoga class with us to dinner last night. Can I just say I love eating with my fellow yogis. Our yoga guru requires us to be absolutely silent and focused in class, so you'd think everybody there are just a bunch of people who'd do nothing but breathe heavily and stretch. Boy, was I off.

The interior of Medici looked elegant, even though I was sure it was 50 Cent rapping at the background (a little out of place, fifty?). Perhaps it was to mask our loud racket (who knew yogis can be so hyper!), but we didn't hold back since there were only 2 other seated tables.

Here's what we ate:


Rocket salad with walnuts, olives and parmesan - fresh and tasty.


Calamari - pan fried with some fresh herbs and chili flakes. Wasn't what I had expected, but not bad. P didn't like it much and scrapped her portion onto my plate.


Can't be dining in an Italian restaurant without ordering pizza, right? I thought this wasn't the worst pizza I've had in town but my fellow yogis thought it wasn't good at all.

Mushroom Ditalini (or at least that's what I thought it was) - creamy, mild and needed some oomph. Nonetheless, the pasta was cooked al-dente, just the way I like it. This is the half-portion, hence the minuscule amount.

Pepper crusted salmon - the waiter asked how I wanted it cooked and I guess it was my fault to want it well done and as a result I thought the fish was a bit dry. To be fair, I think salmon is only delicious when it's raw or half-cooked but the waiter said the fillet was flown in from Vietnam and god knows how long it's been sitting in the freezer...


Scampi spaghetti - this is the only dish I think is worth a cheer. The pasta was cooked perfectly and the marinara with bits of olives were so flavorful. Not to mention, the prawns were nicely marinated and juicy. You can ask the waiter to make it spicier, if it suits your taste. RECOMMENDED!

Overall Ratings:
Po's: 7/10

Would we return?
Yes.

Address:
#1206, 2nd Floor,
Mannan Arcade,
100ft Road,
Indiranagar, Bangalore

i-t.ALIA at The Park Hotel

I love the Park Hotel. Its stylish decor is a good mix of modernism and Indian pop-art, if there's such a thing. The size of the hotel is perfect; small but not crowded and big but kinda cosy. It's also been close to heart because it's where "A" and I had our first date (although back then I thought we were just hanging out). I recall having a spicy vodka cocktail that came with a half-cut green chili. It was delicious - both the cocktail and the "hangout" session ;-)

There are a few restaurants in this hotel including i-t.ALIA, which apparently is the best Italian restaurant in India and has won a few awards. Here's what we had for lunch:


Freshly baked breads - still soft and warm. We asked the waiter if we could buy some breads but these delicious breads are only sold to restaurant guests. Bummer.


Prociutto pizza - Now why can't every pizza be made this way? Thin and crusty, slathered with yummy tomato sauce and topped with caramelized onions and slices of prociutto.


Seafood lasagna - the combination of mild tomato sauce and fresh prawns, scallops, pieces of fish and an occasional slice of red chili, makes this dish very appetizing. I'm not crazy about the melted cheese (ricotta, I think) on the top, but wait, didn't I read somewhere that you shouldn't put cheese on seafood? Nonetheless, I wolfed it down in minutes.

Overall Ratings:
"A"'s: 8.5/10
Po's: 8/10

Would we return?
For sure.

Address:
The Park Bangalore
14/7 Mahatma Gandhi Road,
Bangalore 560042, India

Phone: +91 (0)80 2559 4666