S.N. is one of those venerable establishments in J.P. Nagar 2^nd Phase that is more of an institution than an eatery. Granted, the tiny ‘standing-room’ only place is not much to talk about in terms of looks. However, the charming and never tiring owner keeps you in good cheer with his ceaseless banter and small talk.

Probably a millionaire many times over and the owner of the large building which houses S.N., Bhatt-re as we call him personally oversees operations in an efficient and error free manner.

The menu is limited which is probably the USP for the high quality and rapid turn-around. All you get here are Idly, Vada, Khaara Baath, Kesari Baath, Chow Chow Baath, Masala & Plain Dosa and of course Coffee and Tea.

The Masala dosa is exquisite to say the least. The crisp dosas and the potato sabji inside are a deadly combination. Khaara Baath is nothing but Upma (with vegetables) made from Semolina (Rava) and Kesari Baath is a sweet dish made from saffron, milk and sugar. Chow Chow Baath is a half and half of Kesari Baath and Khaara Baath.  Vada is served either separate from sambar or dunked in the sambar. Either way is wonderful depending on how you like it.

You basically can’t go wrong with anything you get here, whether it is for take-out or to stand around the few high metal platforms and eat right from the kitchen.

Whatever you do or don’t do here, definitely have the coffee. The filter coffee here is great and completes anything you eat there.

Generally mall food courts are pretty ordinary and most of the establishments are pedestrian to say the least. Bangalore Central Mall in J.P.Nagar has a kind of decent food court and Bangalore Bistro is one such place which serves Middle Eastern cuisine.

I tried the Shawarma there once and I found it quite to my liking. Not too oily or greasy, the chicken was done just right. They also have healthy Greek salads which are served fresh with feta cheese.

As luck would have it, they also do home delivery. Recently, I went all out and ordered in for the family. For appetizers the fried falafel and hummus were a great start. I liked the texture of the falafel and also the fact that it wasn’t soaked in grease. The hummus was also very good.

Kids being kids wanted Cheese Pizza and the thin crust pizza that came in wasn’t too bad either. They called it Arabic style pizza but I’m not sure what was so Arabic about it.

An order of grilled BBQ chicken (half) had 4 large pieces of chicken and the meat was tender and not too spicy and the little ones were able to handle it.

The falafel sandwich was also light and tasty and I stole a bite from the kids just to see what it was all about.

I’ve always been a big fan of the Arabic style biryani which they call Kapsa so I had to chance the Chicken Kapsa. To me, the Kapsa topped the list of things to eat at Bangalore Bistro. Made with regular rice, the spices and the dry mixed rice were really tasty. It did have a kick to it, especially the chicken but overall, I rate it high in terms of tastiness quotient.

The entire order came to about 600 bucks which is quite decent for the kind and quantity of food we got. Go try it!

Harima has been around for a while and the couple of times I was there before, wasn't too impressed. The fare was definitely authentic but the menu options were fairly limited.

The menu has been totally revamped and it is frankly quite a task to figure out what to order. A portion of the restaurant has been extended outdoors and it looks like they have Karaoke nights. There are now a variety of sushi, teriyaki, Nabe, sashimi and a plethora of appetizers. The food is definitely on the expensive side and very akin to a 5 star restaurant in terms of cost.

We ordered a butter garlic prawn dumplings to start off with along with sliced beef tongue that was marinated to perfection.  The dumplings were extremely soft and delicious and an able foil for the slightly tangy beef tongue.

Wanting to try something new, we decided on the Nabe which a Japanese hot pot type preparation. Served in a clay pot, Nabe comes in different varieties. The method of preparation is very similar irrespective of the type of Nabemono though they fall into two broad categories, one with a thick stock and one with a thin stock.

The Nabe we got was called Shabu Shabu which is essentially thinly sliced beef with vegetables in a hot water broth. First they bring a gas stove. A large pot is placed on the stove with hot water in it. Once the water starts boiling, different raw vegetables go into the water. There was spinach, mushrooms, green cabbage, carrots and tofu followed by the raw sliced beef.

A few minutes later, we were served the broth with the meat and vegetables and it went very well with sticky white rice.  Dipping sauces included a sesame dip and a ponzu (citrus based) sauce. All contributed to a an extremely healthy and tasty meal and we were quite stuffed at the end of it.

I definitely want to go back and try out more of the offerings at Harima as the authentic Japanese cuisine here is quite addictive and probably is the only non 5-star Japanese restaurant in Bangalore. A big thumbs up and if you’re near Residency Road, Harima is worth a visit!

I’m just going to summarize the eating in one article as I really didn’t get a chance for the deep culinary research I desired to do.

I had the Tom Yum seafood soup in a local eatery in Pattaya. As expected it was out of the world and the galangal and lemon grass came out extremely well in taste and flavour. The spiciness quotient was, as expected, very high as I had taken along a local person with me who made sure that there was no holding back on the spices. Apparently the combination with rice is the done thing so I carefully took in one spoonful of soup followed by a spoonful of rice as the routine. Lovely!

I experimented next on road-side pork balls which were grilled over an electric heater and dipped in various sauces and greens. Again, exemplary.

Next to our hotel was a Korean restaurant. I decided to chance it here alone and amidst much merriment from the women (the owners), I ordered a spicy beef soup wanting to try something different from the Bulgogi.

The soup arrived in a sizzling copper pot along with the usual accompaniments of greens and kimchi. I did burn my tongue as it was still simmering intensely at arrival. I ordered some steamed rice and surreptitiously threw the rice into the soup. The mixture was outstanding. The soup was more of a thick broth with cube like beef pieces along with onions, split peas, some unidentifiable greens and spicy as hell. It wasn’t as spicy as the Tom Yum soup though and despite a burnt tongue I cleaned up the concoction with some gusto. Being the only patron at that hour afforded me a lot of service overcoming the communication gap which didn’t seem to bother any of us.

To round off my oriental cuisine experience, I had the Cashew nut with Chicken at the Bangkok airport and loved the fact that it wasn’t made with any gravy and the cashews were fresh and crunchy. The chicken also was well done and after spicing it up a bit, I had a very filling dinner. They do have a good selection of dishes at the Oriental restaurants in the airport so do try them all if you’re there.

The main road where the new Bangalore Central Mall is in J P Nagar is suddenly a happening place. Lots of new establishments coming up and it’s tough to keep up.

One such eatery which seemed to pop up out of nowhere is Up South diagonally opposite the mall. What they’ve tried to do here is to create a MacDonald’s like environment with the ‘Darshini’ type of food. For those who aren’t aware of what Darshinis are – they’re just roadside self service joints serving wholesome South Indian vegetarian food. Okay, I’m not a big fan of vegetarian food but my cousin doesn’t eat anything else so I made a big sacrifice.

What they have in Up South is a variety of combos (like any fast food restaurant) at pretty reasonable rates (under 100 rupees). We tried the parotta and poori combo which comes with one layered parotta, one poori and an assortment of side dishes including coconut chutney, onion chutney, vegetable kurma and sambar. In addition, the combo also has a Medhu vada dipped in sambar and a dahi vada. While not outstanding, everything was moderately good and the clean and well lighted place is great if you’re in a hurry and don’t feel like standing at one of the Darshinis out in the open air.  The food is served pretty quickly and served hot. Quite a few combos are available with batooras, dosas, idlis, mixed rices etc. For drinks they have a choice of baadam milk, buttermilk or coffee. 

They also have home delivery and take-out J

It’s not often that a restaurant evokes this reaction within the first few minutes...’Oh my God!’ is what the first thought at Kungh was. Some education too as we learnt that that the name means ‘Saffron’ in Kashmiri. And, most importantly, we discovered a jewel for Kashmiri food in Bangalore!

Not wanting to waste time on frivolity, we dived right into the mutton and lamb offerings. The charming owner sold us on the deep fried lamb ribs called Tabaq Maaz. Succulent to say the least! The meat just fell off the bone and as my expert companion told me it’s quite a challenge to cook lamb just right but at Kungh’s they’re up to that challenge. Though deep fried, the meat was delicious and juicy and the flavours were amazing. Finger lickin’ good!!

With the appetizer stage completed, the Rista looked tempting. However, a predicament arose since the owner informed us that the Rogan Josh was their signature dish. He made it easier for us by allowing us to order half portions of each.

Rista a light mutton gravy dish with steamed balls of mutton made of finely minced meat. The balls almost had a sausage like feel to them. We had the Rista both with saffron rice as well as Naan and Tandoori Rotis and it’s hard to pick between the combinations. The amazing part was that the mutton could actually be tasted in the gravy. Fantastic preparation!

We expected the Rogan Josh to be the usual fare dished out at most places. However, the ever helpful proprietor was very clear that this was no staid tomato, onion and dollops of oil laden Rogan Josh thrust upon unsuspecting patron in North Indian restaurants.

He wasn’t wrong. I have never tasted such wonderful meat and gravy. My perception of Rogan Josh has changed forever. First of all the gravy was light and though similar in color to the Rista, the taste was wholly unique. No points for guessing how the mutton was. Yep, as tender and tasty as the Tabaq Maaz.  Again, with rice and Rotis, Rogan Josh left no doubt as to why it’s the signature dish.

The best thing about Kungh is that you do not feel bloated or queasy with all the rich food. Nothing is too spicy though the Rogan Josh does have a tang to it. The gravies are light and the portions are just right.

They do have a dessert menu as well as chicken and the obligatory vegetarian stuff but there’s no way we could be distracted.

I would give Kungh 5/5 for food and service which was fast and efficient. It is a small clean place and probably can seat about 20 people or so (I didn’t count). A wonderful experience overall and even if you’re far away from Castle Street, make it a point to go there. You will thank me, I guarantee it!!