The Baap of all Biryanis

Shivaji military hotel

What to look out for –

The best biryani in town and other native non veg dishes.

Phone Numbers-

91 9845149217

Cost –

₹500 for two

Address

718, 1st C Main, 45th Cross, 8th Block, Jayanagar, Bangalore.

you are here

There are some places, so well-known and so much loved that if you have not been there, you feel a miserable nagging ache that almost makes your life incomplete. After hearing from everyone I meet, young boys to men as old as the city itself, about this place called the Shivaji military hotel, one fine day I decided to pay a visit. The place is located in Jayangar and very easy to find. While all my rendezvous with hotels begin from the door or the lift, this one began from the road. There is no parking near the hotel so we had to park our car one lane before the place. And I am not making this up, as soon as I got down from the vehicle, I could smell their biryani. The fragrance was so enticing, I knew then and there that something fabulous was in store for us.

Walking towards the old stone building, I realized that the place must have been renovated recently. There is not much to say about the ambience except that this is the cleanest military hotel that you can find. In ancient times, a military hotel served for the soldiers who would fight wars and come back craving something energetic as well as tasty. Thus, most of the military hotels, including Shivaji, serve non vegetarian food.

The seating area is on the first floor and I was a bit worried whether we would get a table or not. Surprisingly, the place was quite empty. I had always heard that the place is crowded and it is difficult to get in. but, there were only a couple of customers. May be, because it was only 12 in the noon and a Wednesday. We sat at a table and asked for the menu. The menu was just one sheet of paper mentioning all the items that they served.

Must try –

Chicken donne biryani

Mutton biryani

Chicken kalmi

Kheema

We ordered chicken donne biryani and kalmi. The first thing that the staff did as soon as we took our seats is place leaf plates in front of us. Water was filled into the glasses. Everyone working there had a head cap and plastic gloves. Have not seen such hygiene even in many fancy hotels. The plates were served with a cucumber salad and a cup of shorba. The shorba in itself was a treat. Spicy, masaledar and hot. Then came our biryani. As soon as I put a morsel of the biryani in to my mouth, I knew why this place is so famous. The biryani was just mind blowing. Every grain of rice had sucked in the flavours of the biryani. All the spices that were added to the rice were in the right proportions. No over doing, over cooking or over spicy. It was just like how you crave for. Simple, authentic and tasty. We could not help but order another plate. The kalmi was also spicy, juicy and had that pepper flavour in it.

No fancy cutlery, no soft sink-in leather sofas, no huge text book like menu cards, not even air condition and yet, this place has retained its fame and the pride of serving the best biryani in a city that has a gazillion number of restaurants. It is a 4.5 stars out of 5. I will be definitely going back to try every item on the menu.

Rooftop dinner in the summer

Once upon a rooftop

What to look out for –

Pizza, Chinese food and a relaxed night

Phone Numbers-

080 49653552

Cost –

₹1000 for two

Address

278/A, 9th Main Road, 4th Block, Jayanagar, Bangalore.

Alcohol is available

you are here

 

 

It was a weekday and we wanted to eat out. After having tried out literally every happening place in jayanagar, we opted for a new place (at least for us). We were skeptical as we booked our table on the phone. The place is not like any of those overhyped, much publicized eateries that you find in the locality. All we knew about the place was that it is a rooftop restaurant and that is pretty much what we wanted. The place is on the 3rd and the fourth floors of the building and we opted for the fourth floor naturally because it was rooftop. As soon as we entered, I’ll have to say that I was a bit disappointed. The place was simple and plain. There was nothing fabulous or attractive about the ambience. Just the tables and chairs placed in a particular pattern and nothing else.

But, we had come and it would be rude to go out, so we thought that we will give it a try. As we sat at the open section of the place, we were uncomfortable by all the smoking. So, we shifted to the semi-indoor kind of place that was much more cozy, well-furnished and comfortable. What the place doesn’t have in ambience, it makes up with the food. The menu is filled with crazy sort of names that are innuendo of what the food is going to be. Also they have a wide variety of food and drinks. The cuisine is Italian, Chinese and Thai.

minestrone rustica

We ordered minestrone rustica which is a soup made of tomatoes, garlic and some cut vegetables thrown in. the soup was quite good. My husband ordered a salad named Zidane made of lettuce, onions, tomatoes, cheese and olives. I just hated the salad. Then again, when are salads ever tasty? Then came the snow lion chicken. The chicken had a crispy coating that looked like a lion’s hair. This was the best thing that we ordered. The wild and wacky wings were basically chicken barbeques. The wings were loaded with flavours and spices.

snow lion chicken

zidane

Must try –

Oreo cheese cake

Shangai bowl

Pizza

Snow lion chicken

Chicken burger

wild and wacky wings

For main course, we ordered the Shanghai chicken bowl. That was a good one too. Cheesy and mild. We did not order dessert but, you do get stuff like nutella pizza, molten chocolate cake and coconut panna cotta.

shangai chicken bowl

If you are a lover of desi food and spicy stuff, then skip this place. But if you enjoy a quiet dinner with your loved ones and like to indulge in some comfort food like pizza, burgers or other Italian food, then you must give this place a try.

I’ll give this place a 3.5 out of 5 stars for the quality of food and its taste.

 

Dining High

High Ultra Lounge

What to look out for –

Great view, Chinese, Korean and Japanese cuisine.

Phone Numbers-

080 45674567

Cost –

₹2500 for two

Address

26/1, 31st Floor, World Trade Centre, Brigade Gateway Campus, Dr. Rajkumar Road, Malleshwaram, Bangalore.

Alcohol is available

you are here

If any day you feel like flying in the sky and touch the clouds, I know where you have to be. Well, you do not actually get to fly among the clouds, but you can have a closer look at them. High ultra-lounge is on the 31st floor of the tall World Trade Centre building. To be precise, it is 421ft above the ground level. This makes High the tallest dining space in the entire south India. Hmmm… that is very interesting.

 

the view

 

WTC

When a place boasts of so many things, I have to be there. So, we were there on a Saturday for a leisure lunch. Ho, the entry! It’s so dramatic. There is a special glass elevator (yup, the Willi Wonka types) that takes you 31 floors above Bangalore. That ladies and gentlemen, is a sight worth all the money you paid for your lunch. You swish up through an amazing view and most of the city is well below you, visible to the naked eye. Once you are up there, you are welcomed by the friendly staff who seat you in comfortable tables. the ambiance is bright, sunny, outdoorish and there is a lot of space to move around and make yourself comfortable anywhere you want.

 

The entire lounge is separated with various seating arrangements and themes. There is indoor, outdoor, bar and lounge kind of arrangements and you can pick where you like to sit. Sometimes, if the place is crowded, then you will be allotted a table by the staff which is not cool. Who would want to be seated inside a lame room when you can sit by the huge glass windows that have a magnificent view? Always opt for the outdoor tables when you dine here.

starters

The welcome drinks were basic and not much appealing. The cuisine is basically Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Thai. South Asian to be specific. so, everyone will not like High. We ordered chicken wonton soup which consisted of chicken, cabbage, mushrooms and carrots. It was a spicy, delicious hot soup. A good beginning, we all thought. Then came the starters. Sushi, prawn tempura, chicken satay, sweet corn with coriander butter, spicy cilantro chicken and others. The sushi was good. Sweet corn butter was yummy. The chicken was ordinary.

 

I’ll have to say that the main course was a big disappointment. Except for the Thai Green Vegetable Curry, nothing is worth remembering. Coming to my favourite part, the dessert – you must try their Banoffee pie. It is just mind-blowing. The other things like pastries and ice creams are good, but do not deserve any special mention.

desserts

All in all, this place is a must visit if you love heights and are looking for a romantic dinner with your spouse. The place is expensive, so save it for special occasions. I’ll give a 4 out of 5 for the ambiance, but a 3 for the food and service.

 

Family dinner at Deewar

Deewar

What to look out for –

cozy ambiance, delicious seafood and Mangalorean cuisine.

Phone Numbers-

080 23216659

Cost –

₹1000 for two

Address

1210/D, 1st Phase, 2nd Stage, Chandra Layout, Main Road, Bangalore.

Alcohol is available

you are here

It has been a while since I posted anything. This is because I had become a traveler and the epicure in me had taken a backseat for some time. Now, I am back in town and ready to dine out again.

Here is a special one. Not because it is any way unique or fancy, but because it is our official family restaurant. My mother in law loves the food here, so we keep going back every time the entire family decides to eat out. There are many reasons why we love Deewar. One, it is very near to our house. Two, they have a clean, hygienic and warm place. Three, they make the best seafood dishes, my husband and brother in law love seafood.

This place is nothing over the top or posh. It is a simple, classy restaurant that is family friendly. Simple and comfortable seating arrangement, three floors of seating and different themes on each floor. We love the rooftop, but they do not have an elevator which is a let-down. Light music plays in the background which is soothing.

king fish masala fry

chicken lollipop

Their starters are too good. Hara bhara kebab, chicken sholay kebab, chicken lollipop, lemon chicken, French chicken. We make it a point to try a new dish every time. Coming to the sea food, their prawns, fish and other stuff are very delicious. A special mention must be made of their crab ghee roast that we all just love. Silver fish fry, Anjal masala fry, prawn fry and other dishes are fresh, well cooked and tasty. Deewar also presents you with a large variety of mocktails and cocktails. Each one is good in its own way.

silver fish fry

Coming to the main course, again you will be given too many choices. But, don’t forget to try their regional special neer dosa. It is a mangalorean dosa that is thin as a paper. You will lose the count of how many dosas you ate when it is combined with their appetizing egg masala or fish curry. Then, biryani is also a nice thing to try here.

crab ghee roast

neer dose and egg masala

Desserts are the usual stuff. You can try hot chocolate fudge or caramel custard. If you are planning a quiet family dinner, this should be on top of your list. I give a 4 out of 5 stars because of sentimental reasons.