Restaurant Review - Leaping Windows Cafe, Indiranagar

I had neither heard of this place before nor had any plans of going out for dinner on that particular evening. Suddenly a friend dropped by and coaxed us out for dinner on a Monday evening. He did a good job at drawing our attention to the place with his description of its comic book theme and a calm atmosphere. We got ready within minutes and headed to this restaurant.

Leaping Windows Cafe is situated in a posh residential area, on a by lane next to Indiranagar Club. Unlike most of the times when we expect too highly of a place and are disappointed when we reach there, we took a fancy of the place the moment we reached the exterior of the restaurant. On the ground floor we were welcomed by courteous staff and noticed a tastefully designed reading room with all its walls populated with comic books. You can sit here reading books and drift into the comic world at a price of Rs. 30 per hour or lower in case of a subscription. We chose to sit on the warmly-lit balcony on the floor above, its walls adorned by paintings of iconic comic characters.

The atmosphere is cozy-lazy and we were given the menu cards once our table was arranged. We were four friends and ordered a yummy French Fry with bacon for starter accompanied by a cappuccino, South Indian filter coffee, coffee frappe and rosemary lemonade. The rosemary lemonade had a distinct flavour and a refreshing taste. All the different varieties of coffee tasted great. For main course we ordered a Beef Steak, Tempura Fettuccini Prawn, two Chicken Roasts and one Chicken Escallop. All the dishes were delicious and filling. Tempura Fettuccini Prawn was a starter, as had been mentioned by the steward. The portion was small, consisting of six prawns, coated and golden fried. Chicken Escallop had a typical white sauce taste and the herbed rice blended perfectly. The Roast Chicken and Beef Steak were typical but tasty nonetheless.

We were completely full and did not opt for any desserts. Our total bill came to around Rs. 2250, which was a deal looking at the great ambiance, food quality and location.

Ambience - 8/10

Staff - 8/10

Food Quality - 8/10

VFM - 8/10

Overall - 8/10

P.S. - I would definitely thank my friend for introducing me to this nice new restaurant which serves as an eating joint as well as a library.

Restaurant Review - Bow Barracks, Indiranagar

Neatly tucked on 2nd Main in Indiranagar is this restaurant which derives its name from an Anglo-Indian locality of Kolkata. Needless to say, the cuisine on offer is Anglo-Indian and Park Street (the age old restaurant street of Kolkata)-style Continental. Anglo-Indian fare is all about fusion and with the interesting names, will appeal to the taste buds of the experimental and the fun-loving. The red brick building also does justice to the name since that is the typical kind of houses you find in Bow Barracks. The interiors are also done up with red brick and painted plates as wall hangings which give the place a warm and homely feel.

Once we entered, we were greeted warmly and given a table of our choice. There are different floors for smoking and non-smoking area, and we had chosen the former. For starters, we ordered Pork Lasooni Kebab and Fish Cutlet accompanied with three Gingerade and one Virgin Mojito. We did not have to wait too long before the food was served. Pork Lasooni Kebab tastes like heaven with the right taste and texture and Pudina Chutney to go with it. It is a must-have here and we order it everytime. Fish Cutlet had three crispy cutlets with a filling of fish and cut into halves, accompanied with a sweet chilly sauce. Both the drinks were good but I preferred Virgin Mojito because of its strong refreshing mint flavor.

  

For main course, we ordered a Rack of Lamb, Rib Eye Steak and two Fish with Peas Bon Femme. Rack of Lamb is a dish of tender lamb chops with the right amount of spiciness balanced out with mashed potato and boiled vegetables. However this might be a little inconvenient to have in public because of the large number and size of bones in it. Rib Eye Steak is made of beef meat taken from the rib, flavored with garlic and served with mashed potato and boiled vegetables. Fish with Peas Bon Femme is a grilled Bhekti dish spiced up with a lime and herb garlic butter sauce on top served with boiled green peas. All the dishes were finger-licking good and the quantity was perfect to leave just enough space in our tummies for some sweet endings. 

We ordered a Lime and Honey Pannacotta and a Captain Morgan's Rich Fruit Cake for desserts and the steward suggested a White Chocolate and Orange Creme Brulee, which was the day's specialty. All the dishes were beautifully served and delicious. The Pannacotta with a hint of lemon had a fresh taste and the fruit cake just blew us away! 

With the wholesome meal, our total bill came to around Rs. 3,700 (for four), after a 15% discount on Amex card. I have been to Bow Barracks several times and have always come out content and wanting to go back again. So to sum it up, this is a must visit place if you want to feel HAPPY after a good meal.

Ambience - 8/10

Staff - 9/10

Food Quality - 9/10

VFM - 7/10

Overall - 8.25/10

P.S. - Even though they have a bar, there is only wine on offer.

Restaurant Review - Cheers Coorg, 80 Feet Road, Indiranagar

I can go on speaking, oops writing, about this lazy Sunday afternoon, made lazier by our brunch (more lunch than breakfast) at Cheers Coorg. We were a group of six purely non-vegetarian starved folks and Coorgi cuisine seemed to be a good option. This place is a house turned into a restaurant on 80 Ft Road, Indiranagar and has a very warm and homely feel about it. A cozy ambiance is created by a lot of plants and pebbles on the outside and warm lighting and walls adorned by local pictures of various sizes inside. The eye-catching table mats are also to look out for which talks about Coorgi cuisine and culture.

Coming to the food, the hungry lot that we were, we dug into the menu card and ordered any and every starter that sounded interesting. And fortunately or unfortunately, it was difficult to stop! We ordered Kallu Pandi (Pandi means pork), Chilkana Pandi, Mutton Cutlets, Khaima Unde and Prawns Rave Fry.

Service was fast, staff was good and food was just out of the world! We were not able to decide whether to try out more dishes or to have a repeat of some that we already tried and again which ones to repeat. We were spoilt for choices! We particularly liked mutton cutlets, Khaima Unde and the pork belly dish. We ordered all the dishes multiple times except Prawns Rave Fry (it wasn't bad, but in comparison to the other tastier option, it did not stand a chance!). All the dishes were spicy to the right extent. Quantity might turn out to be a little less but there is a lot of meat in all of them.

We had decided to stick to starters only, but finally ordered just one main course, Pandi Curry with Akki Otti (rice bread). We had expected that the main course might not be as sumptuous as the starters but we were proved wrong. And again we could not stop ourselves at one helping! We were planning to make a sweet ending to our long lunch (we started before 2 p.m. and were done only by 4 p.m.!) with their dessert of the day, Caramel Custard, but it was already over by then.

The total bill came up to Rs. 8200 (out of which the food bill was around Rs. 5500) but we had ordered beer, whiskey and some cocktails as well. We also got a whooping 15% discount (on Citibank Credit Card) on the food bill. We left the place with a happy heart, a completely satisfied tummy and with the desire to be back soon.

Ambiance - 9/10

Service - 9/10

Food - 9/10

Overall rating - 9/10

Restaurant Review - News Cafe, 100 ft Road

Yesterday evening I was strolling on 100 Feet Road Indiranagar with my husband trying to find a good (and preferably new) place to satisfy our gastronomic cravings. We suddenly saw this place called News Cafe which we had come across several times before but had never thought of entering. On closer investigation we saw that it was a cocktail dining lounge and we decided to go for it.

News Cafe was on the third floor of a building next to Smoke House Deli. The lift door opened into an uber cool place and we were welcomed by a lady at the reception who took us to the table of our choice. There is an option for indoor seating, which is done up with cozy red leather couches and blue lights, as well as outdoor seating, with white cushioned cane sofas. Most of the tables in the open air part overlook 100 ft road below which gives a picture perfect view with all the lights at night.

The food menu was designed like a newspaper and the drinks menu had pictures of the different cocktails and drinks on each page. We started off with a stuffed mushroom starter and an Aam Pannatini, which was a raw mango flavoured Vodka-based cocktail. The Stuffed Mushroom was batter fried served with mayo sauce. 

For main course there were dishes from different parts of the world. We ordered a Chicken and Prawn Laksa and a Durban Bunny Chow. As informed by the steward earlier, the Chicken and Prawn Laksa was somewhat bland but had a slight pungent flavor. I liked it just because it was made of coconut milk. The dish had a lot of gravy in which the noodles, prawn and pieces of chicken seemed to be floating. The Durban Bunny Chow was presented in a very innovative manner with the breads forming four walls of a fort and the lamb curry imprisoned in it! But both the dishes tasted pretty average.

All the dishes were priced highly and our total bill came to Rs. 1700 for two without desserts and with just one cocktail! The quantity was not a lot and quality of food was quite average. The ambiance of this place is very classy but I think they should try to concentrate on improving the food taste and make it more value for money.

Ambience - 9/10

Staff - 8/10

Food quality - 6/10

VFM - 5/10

Overall - 7/10

Restaurant Review - The Ants Cafe & Store

I always prefer Sunday mornings when I can wake up a little earlier than usual and without a hangover and I especially enjoy them when we can go out for some nice breakfast! The day seems so much longer to pack in a few activities and still have time to chill and relax. Last Sunday was one such when I woke up early (10.30 a.m. is early by my standards :P), quickly researched for a good breakfast joint and left with my husband in 30 mins for Ants Cafe.

The place is a house turned into a cafe and store tucked in on 14th Main off Indiranagar 100 ft road. Our phone GPS unfailingly guided us to Ants Cafe & Store which is hidden amidst some houses and a lot of trees. We had to wait for some 20-25 mins and the restaurant manager did a good job in managing customers and allocating tables. It wasn't a big deal whiling away time in the store on the ground floor of the building selling North Eastern (especially Assamese) handicraft. There were a variety of items from clothes and jewelry to accessories and decorative items. I also bought a wallet for my mom (the idea given by another Zomato reviewer of this place :P) !

After 20-25 mins we were called upstairs to the cafe. We were really impressed by the setting which is quite spacious and breezy. We were given a table next to a big window which was soothing to the eyes with a lot of greenery outside. It is a perfect place to hang out with friends or to spend a long lazy afternoon all alone with just your favorite book for company!

We ordered an English breakfast (which comes with coffee/ tea), an Italian omelette and a Darjeeling tea.The staff was good and my request of not adding onion to the Italian omelette was taken care of. The steward also came back to check if we got everything that we ordered. The food was tasty and sinfully "cheesy". I would have preferred buttered toasts but with all the cheese that was being consumed, I didn't mind the toasts without butter. The bill came to a decent Rs. 600 (including tips) for two.

I would love to go back to this place again and again because of everything that's on offer - the ambience, the food and the store below!

P.S. - My husband commented that with the kind of atmosphere Ants Cafe had, it should not have a "No smoking" restriction!