Oh NO! Not another blog about restaurants.....

To start with you need to understand  few things:

I am not a foodie or gourmande or enjoy paying ridiculous amounts for a meal, just to say it cost blah blah blah rupees does not work for me.

I am not a connoisseur of fine wines, I just enjoy nice wine and I mean 'nice' not necessarily 'good', but 'nice' [a great english word that can cover anything, which basically is in line with my drinking habits], I drink anything, whether it's from France, Australia, India or even from my Aunty Lily's back garden! Why not?

I do enjoy eating out and  having a good time and that's down to a number of factors not just food, the ambience is very important and the service is equally important but seriously without having the right company with me, I might as well stay at home...... 

So pressing ahead let me talk about a few memorable meals in Bangalore and some not so memorable.....:

Citrus, Leela:

I lived at the Leela for 18 months, anyone that says they could not live in a Hotel for a long time has to believe me, you can! I had the most wonderful time there. Yes the food is '5 star' but of the hundreds of meals I ate there, which meal stands out? Well actually there are quite a few, but there's one that stands out the most........One day I was feeling completely worn out  and the continual feast waiting for me in the restaurant was not exciting me, its inevitable...so I wandered down to Citrus, looking I have to say, a bit miserable! There was a shout ...oops this was the Leela....an 'acknowledgment'  from the Library Bar, Ramalingham, probably the best...no, THE BEST bar man in Bangalore spotted me and came over to see if I was ok! After a quick chat I went to dinner, 'Usual table Mr Chris?' 'Yes but can I ask a favour? Would it be possible to just have someting really really simple? Say 'beans on toast?' A quizzical look but of course no issue, within a few minutes my dinner arrived, resplendant with a sprig of parsley...come on this is The Leela! Absolutley perfect!!!!! Then the next minute Ramalingham arrived with a glass of champagne: 'Our compliments Mr Chris!' . This is probably the best meal I have ever ate on my own and all down to Customer Service and fantastic empathy with the customer.  Hip hip hoorah for The Leela

Caperberry:

Caperberry, Caperberry, Caperberry, this has to be my most favourite restaurant anywhere in the World [ok allow me just one 'pompous ass' comment]. I wanted to give you an example of a memorable meal but with Caperberry I can't , its as simple as that! Not one, not one meal stands out and that's because I have never ever had a bad experience ....ok once when there a particularly bad band..... but going back to the topic:  the food is simply amazing, the service stunning and the ambience perfect. If  I was single and 'on the prowl' to excite, impress and overwhelm a young lady or for the matter even some old bird, or even some old bird and a young lady I  would bring them to Caperberry, like 'lambs to the slaughter'............ So for all you young dudes out there, hope you fnd my recommendation useful and for all you young ladies and you old birds...you have been warned!

Edo, ITC Gardenia:

'Chalk and Cheese', 'Eskimos and Bikinis', 'Camilla and the British Public', 'Japanese Cuisine and Vegetarianism' .....get the idea? Well this is not the case for Japanese cuisine and the veggie option at 'Edo'. I was more than a little apprehensive about going along with a group of friends but I can honestly say the culinary experience was 'out of this world!'....{I did tell you I am not a foodie, I am sure there are some wonderful culinary expressions I could use, but sorry my vocabulary is very limited so you are stuck with 'out of this world'.....}  Honestly, the food was very, very special  with many items on the menu I had never tasted before, absolutely exquisite and ranks, probably, in my top three food events of all time! That good eh!

Still with me? You must be a glutten for bad english......I know it should be capital 'E' ....just checking to see if you are paying attention.

Olive Beach:

Sunday Brunch is simply a 'must do'. Bangalore without a Sunday Brunch at Olive Beach is simply not Bangalore. A favourite haunt for many years, from the day it opened in fact OB epitomises the good life. Beautiful restaurant, beautiful food and beautiful people, except for a few 'old birds' who have not been invited to Caperberry. [Dont worry, I am not referring to you...... ] I always take my visiting friends and family  to OB for lunch, usually towards the end of the trip, otherwise they won`t want to go anywhere else! Seriously think about it. On one occasion I took my Aunt and Uncle, my Aunty loved the food, the decor and the music. My Uncle just could not believe how stunning Indain women are and now firmly backs me with my 80:20 thesis i.e. that 80% of Indian women are simply stunning.......oops how did we get off the subject? So there you have it Olive Beach, the 'Baker family' loves you.... and my wife 'your chessecake'! 

Poolside: Taj Vivanta  

Perhaps an odd one to throw in but I had a 'champagne breakfast' at this unpretentious Taj and I can say it was outstanding. Everything was perfect, the quality of the food on offer was unsurpassed and the service matched it. The breakfast went on and on and we ate and ate, the finer details made it very special, the grapefruit with ginger ....oops nearly slipped into 'foodie speak'.....a truly superb experience. They really should do it again and the concept simply fantastic...worth every rupee!  

Finally one to look out for, its not open to the public..thankfully:

There's a small place just a couple of tables throughout where the food is simply atrocious. I have been served purple lasagne where beetroot was added to make it more interesting! Family were served a turkey at Christmas without breasts, until they realised it had been placed upside down in the oven! Raspberry jam became sorbet becaue it would not set and diners are often invited to choose from take away menus...so wheres this place? You have probably guessed.....currently we live in Langford Town, but hve had several addresses, I think its some sort of a natural reflex, as soon as wifey discovers the kitchen we have to move...just in case she is expected to go in there!

So hopefully you have enjoyed my first blog about Bangalore, I'll be doing more if the response is good, if not as they say in 'Edo'....'sayanara'.....[bet I have spelt that wrong]. I will check the spelling for next time...