Sunday, 6 August 2017

Teppan - Unusual & Different

Teppan was suggested by Rakshith, something we were both looking forward to and the evening turned out to be quite unusual. Visiting Japan is a dream, I can't wait to explore this fascinating place. After reading Tim Ferris's experience I'm intrigued even more. You can read it here

This has to be one of the most difficult reviews for me as I never really had an authentic Japanese cuisine before. I had nothing to compare it with other than my taste buds. So I'm going to write what I liked and how it made me feel since I'm not sure how an actual Japanese food tastes like. 

I saw the details on Zomato, and called to book a table since there's no option to book a table through the site.

I didn't know what Teppan meant so I googled it and Wikipedia came to the rescue. 
The word Teppan comes from Teppanyaki, a style of Japanese cuisine that uses an iron griddle to cook food. The word teppanyaki is derived from teppan (้‰„ๆฟ), which means iron plate, and yaki (็„ผใ), which means grilled, broiled, or pan-fried. In Japan, teppanyaki refers to dishes cooked using an iron plate, including steak, shrimp, okonomiyaki, yakisoba, and monjayaki. Read more on Wikipedia.


The interior is elegantly decorated and gives the place spacious look. The staff is courteous but little clueless. 






For me, it was more of a visual delight, you get Teppanyaki style allows you to watch as the chef prepares the food. If you choose to visit, make sure you ask for a table next to the grilling area. 

We chose to start with Karai maguro maki comes with Tuna mildly spiced and rolled with cucumber, sushi vinegared rice and nari. And Ebi Tempura and avocado maki, classic prawn tempura rolled avocado and teriyaki sauce. 


Tried it for the first time and understood what people mean when they say you need an acquired taste for certain food. It felt different, I couldn't place the taste or reach a conclusion. Still too blank, there's a hint of undercooked rawness with the softness of rice coupled with a sharp sauce. Rakshith found the flavours unique and interesting though. He said it reminded him of a sushi he had more than 15 years ago. 

Instead of ordering individual dishes we decided to get combos and it turned out to be a lot unless you have a very big appetite or a group of people with you, I would say avoid this and go for individual dishes. 


Made in China - that says something!
And this is how our chef greeted us!



And fire!
I ordered vegetable menu which looks like this. You get a salad, starter, soup, main course, rice and dessert. And Rakshith ordered Seafood menu - Prawns for starters, nicely cooked and flavoured, grilled grouper and basa fillets that just melted in the mouth, he looked very happy! Simply awesome he said. Nothing more fulfilling than watching your loved ones enjoy a hearty meal!



I found the soup a bit bland, it had tofu and fermented soya bean paste. Tickled my throat and I didn't appreciate the feeling so to speak. Not a fan. Rakshith liked it though, he found it mildly spiced and nice.  

Salad and starters were really good, loved it. The salad had this crispy and crunchy topping that tasted like cheesling shaving. 

Yasai Sarada salad

Maguro Sarada salad
Ebi Tempura prawns

Yasai tempura mariawase
The sight of seeing simple ingredients turning into a dish is fascinating! The grilled vegetables in the teriyaki sauce were amazing! Crunchy and spiced just right. We both loved it, reminded Rakshith of his school lunch. The "awwww" moment when you share childhood memories with bea.

Rakshith liked the prawn rice, it was nicely spiced and made with a spinning egg! For me, it was more fun to watch. 
Shrimp, Cattlefish and eeg fried rice

In my case, the fried rice had mixed vegetables and burnt garlic with a nutty flavour to it. Something was missing though, couldn't place my tongue on it. 
Burnt garlic and vegetable fried rice

We were too full and could barely finish the dessert, an assorted variety. Blueberry pastry, a fig sweet that tasted more like fig barfi but quite good. Best was the custard, very light, not too sweet, simply awesome for me! 

We were a little disappointed in the end. On Zomato, you see an offer of 15% cashback with the staff refused saying it is no longer valid despite the fact that on Zomato it says it is valid till Oct 2017. Not expected from a place that people rave about so much. 

It's an expensive place, dinner for two comes to nearly 3k, the portions are decent and filling. Best to reserve it for special days.
I would give this place a rating of 4 chillis๐ŸŒถ️.

Located at: 3rd Floor, 1/3, Ulsoor Road, Ulsoor, Bangalore
Call:+91 7846870710/+91 9343165906
Timings: 12 Noon to 3 PM, 7 PM to 11 PM
Alcohol:Yes
Parking:Yes
Disable friendly:No
Pets Allowed:No
Wifi:No
Ideal for: Couples, friends

Sunday, 30 July 2017

Chinita - Mexican Delight

Chinita means different things in different countries. Uban dictionary describes Chinita as an "Asian girl" or a very rare Asian girl who looks mixed of two or more races. In Spanish, it means a "ladybug".

In India, Chinita is a petite restaurant, tucked away on Double Road, Indiranagar, serving real Mexican food. If you are not looking for it, you might miss it but the place is always brimming with people. You'll find happy servers, welcoming you with a smile. Decorated with wooden furniture and plants, they are going with the minimalistic approach. You can feel the clean energy here. Warm golden light and traditional Mexican music that will make you want to dance. Your feet will start tapping to the beat in no time. 


Last week, when I was craving some juicy food, I suddenly remembered Chinita. When Rakshith tried it, he was transported to his happy place, and later blamed me for not taking him there sooner! That's when we thought of Masala Inking it with our friends over the weekend. 



Drums rolling, spotlight on and my booming voice introducing our guests on Masala Ink. 

Ladies and gentlemen! Pleeeeeeeeaaase welcome, our wonderful friends and super cool souls Kiran and Chirag to Masala Ink family! 

Kiran
Kiran is an entrepreneur and a kickass martial artist. He is a dictionary of cool things, every second spent with him a valuable lesson learned. 


Chirag
Chirag is a UI/UX Designer and also a martial artist. He is the sweetest gummy bear I could ask for!


Us!
And this is us! Rakshith, carrying a plethora of knowledge in finance and investment sphere. A martial artist, he is a world of all that is good and pure, Masala Inker, my partner in crime and the most amazing man I have ever met! Me, you know, crazy to the core, constantly learning, loves to feed and a Masala Inker with a twist.  

Good food calls for a great company, these guys are pros at intellectual conversation. I needed a pick-me-up after a tiring week, five minutes with them was enough to make me laugh with delight. 

As the conversation rolled on, we ordered some non-alcoholic drinks. Almond Horchata, a traditional Mexican almond and rice beverage, delicious and cooling. 

Virgin Margarita, lime and pineapple juice with a salt rim, if you like a tangy kick. 


Almond Horchata & Virgin Margarita
Mexican Spiced Hot Chocolate is to die for, every sip will fill you with that warm comfort that only the hug from your lover can give. The spice will stir something inside you and the hint of coconutty flavour adds a great aftertaste. I will judge you if you don't try this. 
Mexican Spiced Hot Chocolate
We picked veg Nachos and Tortilla chips with Salsa and guacamole on the side to begin with. And it got over in no time. 


Veg Nachos comes with homemade tortilla chips, topped with cheese, beans, salsa, sour cream and jalapenos. Tastes even better if you squeeze a bit of lemon on top. You'll feel the crispy chips cracking in your mouth, giving way to warm creamy sauce and cheese laced with sour, yum is the word.  
Tortilla chips come with roasted tomato salsa and pico de gallo salsa. Ask for guacamole on the side, makes a nice threesome! This is what I meant by juicy, fresh salsa and salty chips. It's mouth watering, I mean, just look at it! 
Tortilla chips


Salsas and guacamole
Our conversation turned towards martial arts philosophy as Kiran explained the concept of "being nothing". You need to let go of your ego, become a clean slate so to speak. When you are nothing, you can be anything and everything. 

With such deep dwellings, we needed more food for thought.

The main course came to our rescue! 

Mushroom grilled tacos have the right balance of crispiness, crunchy mushroom and melted cheese. Suggested by our server, a lucky find. 
Mushroom grilled tacos
Let's see what you are all about!

Yehi hai right choice baby, Aha!

Mogambo khush hua!
Spinach and Caramelised onion Burrito Bowl comes with cilantro rice, beans, cheese, salsa, sour cream and jalapenos. Order this if you very hungry, it is filling and tastes like a heaven of flavours. 

Spinach and Caramelised onion Burrito Bowl

Unwrapped

Mere paas Burrito hai, tumhare pass kya hai?

Nom nom nom

Hmmmm...

This is goooooood....
Soyrizo and potato Tostadas have two corn tortillas topped with minced soya, potato in roasted tomato salsa and sour cream. It's alright, if you like soya. Fish lovers should try the Pan-Seared fish, it comes with red cabbage, salsa and adobo mayo. You can thank me later!
Soyrizo and potato Tostadas

Hmmm, it's nice

The interesting thing about waiters and servers, we observed, is that if you are waiting for other people to join you, they somehow know who is your guest and will appear with them next to your table like genies. Like Kiran said, "they just know!"
Rakshith wanted to us to try Churros, it is eggless by the way and comes with chocolate dip. With the first bite, my eyes closed as the crispy pastry, sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon, melted in my mouth. I was floating with pleasure, it was love at first bite. 
Churros with Chocolate dip



Chocolate Chilli Cake got sidelines as a result. It couldn't match the foodgasmic effect of Churros! A bit like plum cake, I felt it could do better if they add chocolate icing, but then they serve it with ice cream, so that could be the missing agent since we ordered it without ice cream.

You cannot describe the feeling of being at Chinita, you have to experience it. I promise you that you will leave the place feeling happy and satiated. We got so lost in food that we forgot to click a group photo! 

Thank you, Kiran, Rakshith and Chirag, for a lovely Masala Ink evening! Seeing you guys enjoy food is such pleasure!

I would give this place a rating of ๐ŸŒถ️๐ŸŒถ️๐ŸŒถ️๐ŸŒถ️๐ŸŒถ️๐ŸŒถ️๐ŸŒถ️chillis.

Located at: 218, Near BDA Complex, Double Road, Indiranagar, Bangalore
Call: 080 45128735
Timings: 12:30 PM to 3:30 PM, 7:30 PM to 11 PM
Alchohol: No
Parking: Available
Disable friendly: No 
Pets Allowed: No
Wifi: No
Ideal for: Family, friends & couples.