Monday, May 25, 2009

More Than Paranthas

As the name suggests, you can expect a variety of Paranthas from this place. There are 50 odd types of Paranthas to choose from, and trust me, this can take a while.

I and my husband went there this Saturday for lunch. We were famished as somehow we could not grab any breakfast for some reason. This was good as we reached MTP with a huge appetite. The place was full and they needed reservations. We did not have one, so we waited for sometime and got a place.

We skipped the starters to save the appetite and jumped on to main course. This is what we ordered - Mutton Rogan Josh, Dal-E-MTP (Dal Makhani), Jodhpuri Garlic Parantha, Lachchha Parantha, Boondi Raita and Mutton Biryani. Phew!!

The Dal-E-MTP and Jodhpuri Garlic Parantha simply ROCK as a combination. Every bite I took, made me happier than I was. It was amazingly delicious. The mutton was very tender and cooked very nicely. They claim to get all their spices from Old Delhi and I am tempted to believe that. Finally the Mutton Biryani - It is a MUST HAVE! Do not skip this if you go to MTP.

The portions that they give are really big. Inspite of the huge appetite, we could not finish the food and had to get it packed. The service was good, the waiter serving us made good suggestions and we really enjoyed the food. The one thing that I did not like about the place was that the tables are too close to each other. We could hear the conversation from the next table as if we were a part of it. It was a bit annoying and if you are looking for spending sometime with your partner to talk about stuff, then this is not the place. (For the spice of it, two girls were sitting on the adjacent table and their father was lecturing them about their future for the whole time - Tough!). Also, the tables were not too comfortable - They had a bulky design with very less space to put your legs under them.

The bill came out to be Rs.1400 (Including a bottle of beer and a glass of Fresh Lime Soda)

Overall (out of 5), I would rate the place as follows -
Ambience - 1.5
Service - 4
Presentation - 3.5
Taste - 5
Drinks - 4

Value for money - 4

Parking Tip - Valet Parking

Location - Kormangala, 80Ft Road - More Than Parathas

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Magnolia Chinese & Thai

Magnolia is part-formal restaurant serving Chinese and Thai food.

The food is delicious. I have been there a couple of times . Last night, I went there with my husband and two close friends, who we just bumped into. We already had food prepared for dinner at home, but we chose to ditch that and go to Magnolia. The traffic was bad and it took a long time for us to reach there. It was worth the trouble though because they cooked a nice meal for us, which all of us enjoyed.

It is normal to expect empty restaurants on Wednesday evenings, but Magnolia was surprisingly busy. One thing that I really like about this place is it's fast service. The waiters keep watching the guests from a distance, in case someone needs something and are right there when you call for them.

For starters we had Drums of Heaven (a Chicken-Lolly Pop sort of a dish, fried with a layer of Besan (gram flour) on the top). This a dish which I would not recommend as it was very bland and weirdly soggy from inside. We also ordered for some Crisp Mushrooms which tasted amazing with their homemade Hot & Sweet sauce.

As we had Chinese food lovers and Thai food lovers sitting at the same table, we decided to go for both. For Chinese, we had Triple Schezuan Fried Rice and Veg Balls in Hot Garlic sauce. I must tell you that the combination rocks. The crispy noodles are an interesting complement to the Hot Garlic Sauce. The whole dish looks so RED (☺) that you just have to have it! For Thai, we had steamed rice and a Panang Curry. I am a person who adores mild dishes, and this is a one to certainly try! The Thai curry was perfectly made and smelt very nice.

One drawback is that the place serves only beer, and no other alcoholic drinks. You can say it is also good in a way that then you get to enjoy the food more.

The ambience is average. They have done up the place nicely, with dim lights, comfortable chairs and a nice glass waterfall in the background. But as the place is part open, they have to put standing fans and coolers on the floor, which add to the noise and don't look very neat.

The bill came out to be Rs.1280 for four people.

Out of 5, here are my ratings -
Ambience - 3
Service - 4
Presentation - 3.5
Taste - 4.5
Drinks - 3

Value for money - 4 .5

Parking Tip - You will generally find a place right in front of the building. A proper parking place is missing and sometimes, you need to drive a bit further down the street to find a place. It can be bad if it's raining. Always ask the guard who stands in front of the building to guide you.

Location - Magnolia Chinese & Thai

Monday, May 18, 2009

Chili's Grill & Bar

Chili's is a fun place. Texan Food, Elaborate Bar, Huge Portions, Colorful Surroundings.

I went there yesterday with my husband and two close friends. It was a Sunday evening, so to avoid the depression of thinking about THE Monday Morning, we ended up at Chili's, which has recently opened up on Airport Road, Bangalore. (Just to let you know, we went there on the opening day too).

They greeted us nicely at the door, though they really need to work on their accents. A simple 'Welcome to Chili's' takes a few seconds to register in your brain. 'Chili's' actually sounded like 'Silly's' to me (I am sure this was not intended). The smiles on their faces is a definite plus point though.

Next, they took us to our reserved seats. I would suggest that you do not go there without a reservation. We were there pretty early (around 6.30PM) and by 8 the place was really full. The bad part is due to the 'burger' image of the place, it is somehow turning into a kids place. Every table other than ours had one or more children sitting. Parents were clueless about the food but the kids were having a good time (Read making a lot of noise).

Chili's boasts of a good bar, but I must say that the rates are TOO HIGH. Paying Rs.700 for their signature Margarita did not appeal to us and we went for the regular Mai Tai, Long Island Iced Teas. The Mandarin Blush that we ordered was almost without alcohol but the bartender was kind enough to make it strong enough to suit our taste. (Again - Why were the kids there?)

Our Cheese nachos were really tasty, definitely very cheese, with one Jalapeno on the top - Yum Yum Yum!. The Guacamole, however, was a turn off. It was so bitter as if they had used stale avocados or something.

We then went for the burgers. I had a Jalapeno burger and let me tell you this - The burger was almost the same size as my face - It was huge!! My hubby had a Chicken Ranch Sandwich and he swears by it. The fries that came along with the burgers were also very fresh and crispy.

That was about the food - now the service - I think they try to overdo it. Two or three people try to take orders, a few more try to serve and even more try to know how the experience is. The noisy kids are enough and more disturbance is definitely not welcome. But I guess these are the initial days and everybody is pretty jumpy because of that.

The bill came out to be around Rs. 4200.

Well, out of 5 here's how I would rate it -
Ambience - 3.5
Service - 3
Presentation - 4
Taste - 5 (Oh yes!!)
Drinks - 3.5

Value for money - 4 (I take away .5 for the noise and .5 for the overactive waitresses)

Parking Tip - Valet Parking

Other Information -
Link to site - http://www.chilis.com/ - Too bad they have not updated India in their list of locations!!!
Location - Chili's Bangalore