Fireflies, Lavelle Road

Fireflies is a Seafood & Grill and Lounge Bar located o the posh Lavelle Road in Central Bangalore. It is a rooftop lounge overlooking UB City. As the name suggested, Fireflies serves mainly Seafood and wood oven pizza. It also boasts of a large list of wines and cocktails.

The main attraction of the place (at least for me) is the wood oven and of course the pizzas which are cooked in it. Another plus is the ambiance of the place, Fireflies is a rooftop lounge and is lit by small twinkling lights which reminds one of fireflies, also the grandeur of UB city as a backdrop provides the perfect setting for a romantic evening.

I went down to Fireflies on a Saturday evening along with my sister and a friend. After soaking in the atmosphere, we decided to order some cocktails and ice-tea (I was driving). While we were waiting, we also ordered some butter garlic prawn and pork ribs. The pork ribs were cooked perfectly, but the garlic butter prawns tasted bland and rubbery. Another disappointing factor was the quantity, which could in no way justify the cost. The cocktails were decent, but not great.

We had decided beforehand that we would order a pizza, and after a lot of thinking and brainstorming we decided to try the barbecued chicken pizza. The pizza is enough for 2-3 people if you are having starters and drinks along with the main course. We found the pizza to be perfectly cooked and delicious, it crispy without being tough and soft without being soggy. The wood fire oven brings a distinct smokey flavour to the pizza which an ordinary oven can't bring.

I would highly recommend this place for the pizza it serves and the ambiance. But according to me the starters are not up to the mark for a place like this. I wouldn't comment on the cocktails and wines as I didn't have them.

Fireflies is expensive if you want to enjoy a full three course meal and a dinner for two would cost about Rs.1500 (with drinks). But, if you want to enjoy the pizza it serves it is actually quite affordable with the pizzas being priced around Rs.400 and one pizza is enough for a couple.

Fireflies:
4/1, Lavelle Junction, Walton Road
Phone: 41140303

El Tablao - A treat with Tapas

El Tablao is a Spanish restaurant in Koramangala. It has a wonderful rustic decor with a glass wall overlooking the busy Koramangala 80 feet road and is lit entirely with candles. El Tablao  serves a huge variety of Tapas and wines.
Tapas are a wide variety of appetizers, or snacks, in Spanish cuisine. They may be cold or warm. At El Tablao one can enjoy these Spanish delicacies with Sangria. Sangria is basically a wine punch with fruits and brandy.
After watching Zindagi na Milegi Doobara, one of friends suddenly had an urge to visit Spain. Since visiting Spain wasn't quite on the cards, we decided to try out Spanish cuisine instead. So, on a lovely Saturday night while it was raining cats and dogs, my friend, my Sis and yours truly decided to indulge in Spanish food. We googled and found a place called El Tablao. The place seemed to have decent reviews so we decided to give it a try.
As soon as we entered the place, we were awestruck by the ambiance. once we got over the decor, we ordered about four Tapas and two Sangria's (I couldn't drink as I was driving). The Chorizos were wonderfully done and it's spiciness complimented the sweetness of Sangria perfectly. We also ordered one prawn Tapas and two chicken Tapas, which were also quite good. I found the combination of Tapas and Sangria so enticing that I couldn't resist having some Sangria (though I had to drive). For the main course, we had a Fajita, which all of us shared. The Fajita with it's wonderfully made dips and breads were the best that I have ever had.
El Tablao is a wonderful restuarant for a nice quiet evening with friends or a romantic date. One should ensure that they have plenty of time in hand to fully soak up the ambiance of the place and the taste of the Tapas and Sangria. For a dinner outing, I would suggest you reach at about 7:30pm. Reserving a table is not compulsory as unfortunately this place didn't seem to be that popular with Bangloreans. 
This place is decently priced for the kind of food it serves with a meal for two costing about Rs1000.


El Tablao:
612/1, 80 Feet Road
4th Block, Koramangala 
(Near Sony World Signal)
Phone: 41410124, 9902336811

A Korean BBQ at Soo Ra Sang

Soo Ra Sang is a Korean restaurant located on the terrace of a four-storied building on Wind Tunnel Road. The name Soo Ra Sang literally means "from the King's dining table" and the food does make you feel like a king.
Though this place is just about 250 meters from my flat, it still took me almost an year to try out this place. But, after eleven months of procrastination, finally one rainy evening three of my friends mine and me decided to try out the some Korean Barbecue.
As soon as we entered the restaurant we were amazed by the ambiance, the place is on the terrace of a four-storied building and it overlooks the Old Airport Runway. The seating arrangement consists of short folding tables called "sang". The barbecue was cooked fresh at our tables with thin slices of marinated meat. Also, the food is served with a very wide variety of dishes (banchan) which includes an authentic kimchi (which is very unlike what you get at most of the Chinese places).
We had ordered four different dishes (unfortunately I don't remember the names of the dishes), the one I loved the most consisted of a bowl of rice with veggies, meat and a pouched egg on top. All these ingredients are mashed at your table with a spicy paste and is, like all the other dishes, served steaming hot.
The dinner is served with Okusu cha, which is a traditional Korean tea made with roasted corn is boiled water, which goes very well with the Korean dishes. And the dinner ends with Sujeonggwa, which is a traditional fruit punch made with Cinnamon in cold water.
Soo Ra Sang is a wonderful place for a quiet, long dinner where you can chat with friends along with delicious food. This place is certainly on the expensive side with a meal for two costing about Rs1200.

Warning: Ensure that you get a window-side table at this place even if you have to wait a while. Also, the BBQs are served only if you order more than two dishes, so ensure that if you go to this place, you are in a group of four+ members. 

Soo Ra Sang:
35, RK Arcade
Wind Tunnel Road, Murugeshpalaya
080-41303435

Miller's 46 - A cowboy's dream

Miller's 46 is a Steak house with a Wild-west decor, the waiters are in Cowboy gear and the portions are big enough for a real cowboy. Miller's 46 is probably the best Steak house in Bangalore and it is located on Miller's road (obviously) near Sigma Mall on Cunningham road.
I had heard a lot about the place, but had not been to the place since I have always been a die-hard fan of Jukebox. But, after four long years of wolfing steaks at Jukebox I decided to give Miller's 46 a chance. And I wasn't disappointed. We ordered a plate of spicy chicken wings, which turned out to be the best I ever had. And then we followed it up with a T-bone steak. The Steaks are brilliant and the quantity is enough to last me for two meals (and that is quite something). Ensure that you order a beer or a Dr.Peppers along with your steak as you need something to wash down the huge portions of meat which you would end up consuming at the Miller's 46.
To sum up I found that Miller's 46 is certainly the best Steak house of Bangalore and the quantity of food would leave you feeling more than satisfied. Ensure that you reach the place with an empty stomach otherwise you might end up wasting a lot of food. Miller's 46 is moderately priced for the kind and quantity of food it offers and a meal for two for cost you about Rs800.


Miller's 46:
46, Miller's Road, Vasanth Nagar, Bangalore
080-41148022, 08041131746

The Phobidden Fruit of Vietnam

Phobidden Fruit is a nice, warm and cozy little place which serves Vietnamese food. The restaurant is right across Rahul Dravid's house in HAL 2nd Stage, Indiranagar. It has a nice soothing atmosphere with it's cozy decor and nice soft oldies playing in the background.

I had never had the pleasure of relishing Vietnamese food and since I had read about this place on the net (and wasn't in the mood to cook on a Saturday night), I decided to explore.

I reached the place around 8:30PM with an empty stomach and a curious tongue, and started with Banh Cuon. Banh Cuon is a crepe like roll made from a thin sheet of rice flour and mixed with chicken and mushroom, and I loved it. For the main course, we ordered Crab Green Pepper and Pho. The Crab was delicious and the gravy brilliant. The Pho is a Vietnamese noodle-soup served with chicken or beef. The soup is made of noodles made of rice and was served with basil, sprouts, onion, chilli, lime and a couple of sauces. This is the most popular dish of Phobidden Fruit and it lives up to the expectations. One bowl of this noodle-soup is more than enough for even a hungry man like me.

My first tryst with Vietnamese food was a delightful experience and though the dinner filled up my stomach, it left my heart craving for more.
Phobidden Fruit is a bit heavy on the pocket and dinner for two would cost around Rs.1000.

Phobidden Fruit:

965, 12th Main, HAL 2nd Stage, Indiranagar, Bangalore

Phone: 41255175

Nagarjuna

I wanted to write about Nagarjuna for a long time, but I never believed that I could do justice to the restaurant with my blog (and still don't). However, I couldn't have a blog about restaurants in Bangalore and not have Nagarjuna in it.

There are three Nagarjunas in Bangalore and I love all of them. But, if you have to visit any one of them I would suggest the CMH road one as it is neither too crowded like the Residency Road one or completely deserted like the Jayanagar one.

These restaurants are not famous for their ambiance or their fancy food, but are famous for their meals. At Nagarjuna, I always order a veg meal and a chicken starter to go with it. When you decide you are going to visit Nagarjuna ensure that you miss the previous meal as you have to stuff yourself to enjoy Nagarjuna. You would always start the meal with ghee soaked rice and dal powder. This dal powder with papad and the coconut based chutney they serve makes me return to Nagarjuna time and again. The vegetable curries which are served along with the Meal are also good, but the dal with spinach is the best dal that money can buy. They also serve sambhar, rasam and kadi with the meal, but I never had enough room in my stomach to savour those. One should always end the meal with curd as you need something to soothe your stomach after the spicy food.

Nagarjuna is easy on the pocket too where a veg thali costs about Rs.90 and the chicken starter which is enough for two, costs about Rs.150. So a meal for two would cost you about Rs 350 and trust me it is worth every rupee.

Contact:

Nagarjuna

195, Double Road, 2nd Stage

CMH Road, Indiranagar, Bangalore

Phone: 42800900, 42800901, 42800902, 42800903

Spiga - Romance with Food

Spiga serves European and Mexican cuisine and is located on St.Marks road. It is a classy roof-top restaurant, which makes you feel like you are in Greece. This is a perfect place to take your girlfriend (or boyfriend) out for a romantic dinner. Unfortunately I have never been to Spiga's for dinner, but have heard that the light up the entire place with candles.

Now coming to the important part - the Food. I have been there twice and have found that one should try the sea food there and steer clear of the Indianised dishes. One of the starters worth mentioning is the spicy hummus starter. Amongst the choice of main course dishes, I would recommend the Fish in Lemon butter sauce. The portions are pretty big and it requires a good appetite to finish off a main course on your own.

Spiga is a bit expensive for the food it serves and a meal for two without drinks would make you poorer by around Rs1000. But, if you are going out for a romantic dinner and want good food along with it, Spiga is one of the best places to go.

Spiga

9, Halycon, 4th Floor

St.Marks Road
Bengaluru

Phone: 080 42110469