Cafe Leopold

Leopold Cafe has been on my places to visit list ever since I read "Shantaram". It has probably become more famous nowadays because of the Terrorist attack, but from the locals I found that it has always been a popular place. But, now tourists who don't like Cafes and Continental food visit the place too. Leopold Cafe is a restaurant cum bar located in Colaba market in the heart of the Posh South Mumbai. It is located behind Taj hotel and is an easy place to miss, unless you know where it is. The best way to locate it is to stop wherever you find a hungry looking crowd waiting on the footpath and look around you.

The Ground floor is almost too crowded to sit, but somehow the waiters manage to reach your table with the dishes and drinks you order. First Floor is probably a better place to sit (and a bit more expensive too). Though it is still crowded with you almost sitting on the

lap of someone on the next table (If they happen to be pretty young things you should probably tip the waiter well). The Cafe has a nice

Old Authentic ambience and when I was having my dinner nice Classic Rock and Oldies were being played in the background. The volume of the

Music is not as loud as of the New-age pubs and you can probably manage to have a chat while enjoying the food, drinks and music. The best thing about Leopold Cafe is that you would find people of all ages and races enjoying themselves, there was a group of fifty year olds guzzling

Beer on my right and a pretty young lady sipping cocktails on my left.

Now coming to the most important thing, the food and drinks. I found the cocktails to be well made and the Pasta perfectly cooked and seasoned. We had ordered one white sauce based pasta and one with Red wines sauce, the white sauce based pasta was really tasty. We had also ordered a Beef Steak, but I wouldn't recommend it.

The quantity of the dishes is adequate and the cocktails we had were also well mixed. I would highly recommend this place to anyone visiting Mumbai and love eating at the Old places which have managed to retain their character over the years.

Average Cost for a meal for two (with drinks) : Rs. 1000

Advance booking: Not entertained

Cafe Leopold

Colaba Causeway, Bhagat Singh Road

Next To Regal Cinema

Colaba, Mumbai

Barbeque Nation

Barbeque Nation is a restaurant that offers customer to make their own food on their personal grills which are there on every table. They have three branches in Bangalore: one in Indiranagar, one in 1st Block, Koramangala and the third one in J.P Nagar, Phase-III.

I really loved the concept of having a live grill on each table. While dining here one should only concentrate on the starters and the desserts. If you waste your valuable stomach space on the main course you would be missing out on the tasty starters that you could have grilled and eaten.

The place is a bit on the expensive side, but I personally feel it is worth the money as they serve varieties of starters and plenty of desserts.

The ambiance is pretty good if you sit on the first floor, but avoid the ground floor as it is stuffy and cramped. The first floor is a semi-covered place with long tables and is pretty spacious for you to enjoy your meal. Ensure that you go with a reservation, else you might have to return with an empty stomach.

Barbeque Nation keeps changing the rates for the buffet. But last time I went the rates for the buffets were Rs.350 and Rs550 depending on the number of starters.

Barbeque Nation:

Plot 4005, 100 Feet Road

HAL 2nd Stage

Indiranagar

Ph No: 080-60600000, 080-64506728

Chandni Chowk: The taste of Delhi

Chandni Chowk is a North-Indian restaurant in Koramangala 6th block having a very interesting decor and decent food. The floor of this place is made of loose stones and you are made to sit literally on stone blocks.

Chandni Chowk used to be a very good place to enjoy North Indian cuisines when I moved to Bangalore in mid 2007, though a it was a bit over-priced. Now, in 2009 it still serves decent North Indian food but it extremely over-priced and over-crowded. Chandni Chowk is one of the very few places in Bangalore which serves good tandoori chicken and yummy lassi (one of the very few things I miss of Delhi).

Think of visiting this place only if you are missing North Indian food and have made a reservation beforehand. You will find most of the gravy items to be the same, so just ensure you order "tandoori chicken" and have a glass of lassi after the meal.

A dinner for a couple at this place would cost you around Rs.650-700

Chandni Chowk:

28, 80 Feet Road

6th Block, Koramangala

Ph No: 080-41105454, 080-41105757

Aranya: Dining in a rooftop jungle

Aaranya is undoubtedly one of the very few good restaurants on the Outer Ring road of Bangalore. The seating on the rooftop is amazing, one can really enjoy the wonderful Bangalore breeze while enjoying a sumptuous dinner seated on big wooden tables and chairs.

After coming to Bangalore, I had been looking for a place to go out for birthday treats. According to me, a place to give treats should have the kind of food most people like and more importantly should be inexpensive. It took me almost a year to discover Aaranya. It serves decent North Indian food (punjabi food) at an affordable price and liquor at low prices.

It is hard to find a table at Aaranya on weekends and one should reserve a table before coming. This is a three storied restaurant and only the top floor (roof top) is worth coming to. The Ground floor is suffocating and first floor ordinary. There is enough dishes on the menu to satisfy both veggies and non-veggies. Just a word of caution though, do not order any exotic dish else you might be disappointed with what you end up consuming.Aaranya used to serve decent red wine at a moderate price, but have stopped serving wine now. But, they still serve quite a number of liquors to ensure that even alcoholics find enough reasons to visit the place. This place is worth visiting just for it's ambiance, also the food they serve may not be out of the world but is good enough for eating out with friends.

Cost for a meal for two: About Rs.400-500

Aaranya:

462, Teachers Colony

HSR Layout

Opp Fernhill Appartments

Ph No: 080-25634339, 080-41108334

Lazeez: All about Food !!!

Lazeez, is my first love in Bangalore and it is one of the primary reasons I shifted to Koramangala from Jayanagar. This restuarant serves great biriyani and deliciously hearty rolls. They have four branches in Bangalore: two in Koramangala, one on Commercial Street and one on Brigade Road.

I have been to three of the above four and all are shabby looking places, with uncomfortable seating and stuffy buildings.

The food here is cooked in the way rolls and biriyanis are made in Kolkata and people unused to that taste might find the food a bit different. It is very difficult for me to suggest what to order at Lazeez as I love almost all the dishes they serve. But, the mutton roll is the best of the lot, with the mutton biriyani a close second. The mutton rezala is also brilliantly done, and should be consumed with the oily paratha served here. But, ensure that you finish off the meal with the ever-popular phirni.

The service at Lazeez is not great and the hygiene questionable. But, if you are not fussy about decor, service or ambiance, and care only about the food you eat, then this place is a must visit.

Cost: Rs.150-200 for a couple

Lazeez

479, 1st Cross, KHB Colony

5th Block, Koramangala

(Near Jyothi Nivas College)

Contact: 080 41104271

Hotel Fanoos

Hotel Fanoos is a small, dingy little place in Johnson Market, Bangalore. It is located just opposite Fatima Bakery on Hosur Road.

During my two years in Bangalore, I found that most of the non-bangaloreans have just heard about the place but have never eaten there(which is a pity). This is one of the few places outside of Kolkata, where I found the street food to be worth living for. The place as I mentioned is a small, unimpressive and maybe even an unhygienic little place and one has to stand and eat. But for a food-lover that shouldn't be a problem as the food they offer makes up for all it's short-comings.

I have heard and read that Hotel Fanoos is famous for it's sheekh kabab rolls and the fact that it is open till the wee hours of the morning. But, I found that the boti kabab rolls are the best thing one can have here (maybe even in the whole of Bangalore) and also that you have to reach before 8:00 pm to enjoy the boti rolls (or they get finished). Also, for all of you haleem-lovers, Fanoos serves a killer haleem during Ramzan.

I should warn all the so called self-proclaimed food-lovers of Bangalore that one shouldn't go to this place if one believes that a place serving good food should be clean and shiny. The only thing one gets here is delicious food and for a food-lover that should be enough.

Hotel Fanoos:

Johnson Market, Richmond Town

Phone:

Why the hell do you need to call, just go and eat.

Timings:

All through the night

Cost:

1 Jumbo Roll: around Rs.50 (enough for one ravenous male homo sapiens)

Hyderabad House

The Hyderabad House is an old, shabby looking restuarant with blue limewashed walls and dirty restrooms on Richmond Road, near Lifestyle Mall. Though it's decor and ambiance are nothing impressive or even satisfactory, the briyani they serve here is awesome.

The Hyderabad House has many near namesake restuarants in Bangalore (most common being Hyderabadi Briyani House) which shouldn't be confused with this place and avoided at all costs.

The Hyderabad House has a simple menu with nothing much to offer other than the briyani or maybe the chicken 65 (of which I am not a big fan). I would suggest one orders the mutton briyani with double spice. The briyani comes with a spicy curry and a raita. The quantity is pretty satisfying and two plates would suffice for three hungry homo sapiens.

Vegeterains please avoid this place as it is highly unlikely that you would be able to full your stomach here, though I have been told that the veg briyani and bagara baigan is decent. But, I am pretty sure that those are not reasons enough to go to Hyderabad House.

The average cost for a meal for two (or three) would cost around Rs.250 here.

Hyderabad House:

Near Lifestyle

Richmond Road

Ph No: 080 22116786