KEVENTERS

I haven’t really reviewed a place that sells only milkshakes yet. There wasn’t much to begin with and it’s usually part of an ice cream parlor where ice creams rule!. Then came Keventers. This review is for Keventers across the city. Usually if I come across their outlet, I stop by to take away at least one of the milkshakes.

They have quite a lot of options to choose from to begin with and unusual flavors like bubblegum shake. The chocoholic in you will love their chocolate milkshake options. So far, I’ve tried their kit kat, mocha mania and chocolate hazelnut flavors. And from their other flavors I have tried strawberry and this time around, I picked up custard apple (sitaphal).

Not a single complaint on any one of them so far…the milkshakes. They are cool, fresh, delicious, hygienic, and a bit pricey but worth an indulgence in once in a while and they come in neat glass bottles that you can use to store milk in;) I was quite surprised to see that they have introduced Sundaes as well and they look sooo sinful! Service is pleasant and fast…except in Garuda mall.. the cashier was on the phone all the time while attending to me and while he multitasked well and got my orders right, the warmth was missing in terms of customer service. I wish they had some seating arrangements. If you aren’t getting it parceled, you have to stand there and drink your shake and that can be a bit of an inconvenience.

Earlier, they used thick plastic straws and this time, when I picked up the custard apple, they’ve switched to paper straws which work equally well.

I can’t decide on which flavor I liked the best but I won’t rest till I try all their other flavors and the sundaes over time…gotta watch out for the calories piling up though with all the rich milk and sugar;)

Overall rating: 4/5

Ratings for reviews:

1 – No! No! No!
2- Just about average.
3 –Good. Can give it a try.
4- Great!!
5 – Yes! Yes! Yes! And I’ll tell all about it.

Details:
Address: Garuda Mall, Magrath Road, Food court.
Contact: 080 48524320
Timings: 10 am to midnight.

KARTIK'S MITHAI SHOPPE - INDIRANAGAR

This is one place where I can’t put a date as to when I visited it and tried out stuff. I’ve known this from their days at CMH road decades ago, where it was just a sweet shop, then introduced chaats and my gang of friends and I used to go and eat there so frequently. They kept shifting, CMH road, then closer to the BDA complex and back to CMH again, but mostly stayed in Indiranagar and very close to my house. I’m not much into sweets, but if I DO indulge, it’s usually at this place. Mostly Jamun and coconut burfi which are good.

The chaats are a different matter though. When they were in CMH road in the earliest days, there were times when my daily snack was at Kartik’s. They’ve seen me from when I was a kid. Papdi chaat and tikkis being my all favorite. However, as they shifted and hands changed so did the taste of the chaat. Off late, I’m not that keen on the gravy that goes into the chaat..too much masala and doesn’t have the fresh flavors or the unique taste of the gravy that normally goes into masala puri. It has definitely lost its original taste and I wish they’d do something to bring that back like how it was when I was a kid. There was a different person preparing chaat then. So now I eat chaat at Kartik’s only when I’m really hungry and no other option when I’m on that side.

However, now that the place is all spruced up and soft lights, (I like this look)they’ve taken to stocking other snacks. Hot spicy samosas have always been the best here…but I so love their mini burgers, puffs, pizzas and kachori’s which I regularly indulge in guilt free for it feels like it is made at home without the artificial flavors and portions are small too. I also buy their paneer on and off. Fresh n soft. Sometimes I declare some days as pani puri days and buy their puri’s in a packet and make it at home. Really worth it! Most of the time, I’ve had takeaways so can’t comment much about service. The owner is always courteous though and ensures I get what I want without issues. Overall, in Indiranagar, this is one of my most frequented go to place for snacks and long may it last!

Overall rating: 4/5

Ratings for reviews:

1 – No! No! No!
2- Just about average.
3 –Good. Can give it a try.
4- Great!!
5 – Yes! Yes! Yes! And I’ll tell all about it.

Details:
Address: 322, Shalini Complex, CMH Road, Indiranagar, Bangalore.
Contact: 080 41264166
Timings: 9am – 10pm

STREET STORYSS, INDIRANAGAR

What an experience!! And I don’t mean that in a complimentary way. I usually rate a place at the end of my review but I’ll start by saying I’m giving them 1 out of 5. You’ll see why shortly.

After the high ratings here on zomato, my bestie and I decided to lunch here. The place has a calm, cool feel. Comfy chairs. We reached just as it had opened so it wasn’t crowded at all. We were attended to immediately.

Started with the Mango and Papaya Salad and it had grated mango and papaya with peanuts that added a nice crunch to it. The sauce mixed in it was delicious
.
Next we had palak patta chaat. This came with an elaborate presentation of fried palak pakodas, pomegranate seeds, mashed and spiced potatoes, sauce and sev and curd. It looked great. The palak pakodas, however ,was not at all fresh. The mashed potatoes seemed like it was just taken out of the fridge. It was cold and hard to bite into. When pointed it out we were told it was fried that morning. We said it takes few minutes fry it fresh and serve for which we got the excuse that it may be too oily etc etc. No offer of replacement with fresh papdi. Nevertheless, we managed to finish it. In fact as we went along, a lot of food seemed like it was in storage for long, long while before serving us.

My friend wanted to go with Rajma Kichadi next which was piping hot with dollops of ghee. This was quite tasty. We were then thinking maybe we should be back just for this.

Ended the lunch with Frozen coffee malai for dessert. It was just a lot of coffee mousse. This was tasty too.

So why the 1 star rating? It is what happened AFTER we stepped out of the restaurant. Within minutes I had to rush home and throw up violently while my friend had the most god awful stomach upsets. Been three days as I’m writing this she still hasn’t recovered. Had we eaten anything anywhere else, had it been just one of us and not both, had it taken some time post lunch, I should have still looked at the alternate causes for food poisoning but nope..we literally had to rush to the loo in minutes of finishing lunch and all what we had eaten had to come out.

The reason I even gave 1 was because I got to actually talk to my friend and catch up without too much noise or disturbances.

Zero for food.

Would I go again? A big fat NO and I can say that in nine languages.

Overall Rating: 1/5

Ratings for reviews:

1 – No! No! No!
2- Just about average.
3 –Good. Can give it a try.
4- Great!!
5 – Yes! Yes! Yes! And I’ll tell all about it.
Details:
Address: Srinivasan Towers, ESI Hospital Road, Indiranagar, Bangalore
Contact: 080 49653364
Timings: 1 pm to 11 pm
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COPPER CHIMNEY INDIRANAGAR

My Bestie and I are starters and salad fans and she suggested Copper Chimney for lunch for our monthly meet up, because they have an exclusive salad and soup menu along with a regular buffet . Located in 12th Main Indiranagar, this is a neat, simple, no frills kind of place that serves mostly vegetarian and non vegetarian north Indian cuisine.

At first, we decided to go for their salad and soup only menu which is priced at 199/- which includes one soup and about six different kinds of salads. But then after looking at the buffet options, we opted for the main buffet.

Buffet menu included the six salads – all were good, mostly vegetarian with one non vegetarian salad thrown in.

Soup was tomato soup, vegetarian option and chicken soup for the non vegetarians. I dint want the tomato soup so they got me another, spicy broth that was really good. I forget the name.

Starters veg kebabs, paneer, chicken and mutton. Now, I dislike places that think vegetarian equals only paneer and said so. So they gave me tandoori aloo which was delish!

There’s a chaat counter that has only two items – papdi chaat and pani puri and both were awesome. I did crave for bhel puri though. We had two plates each of the pani puri.

The main buffet review here is only for the vegetarian items – Corn pulao, raitha, paneer curry (paneer again!), aloo gobhi curry and one other. We got hot, soft butter rotis and naan with almost homelike dal that I had with spiced onions and lemon slices and that finished us completely! Which is why we were too full to eat a lot from the other items like rice and curry but nevertheless tasted everything a little bit. Loved everything in this option.

By this time, I had stuffed myself with starters and chaat and rotis and dal so couldn’t eat much but wish I did. I just ate a spoonful or so of all the dishes and everything was very tasty, yes, even the paneer curry!:) My friend liked all the items on the non vegetarian section.

Desserts were a chocolate cake, raj bhog, kala jamoon, moong dal halwa and cut fruits with strawberry ice cream..the ice cream was the only item which wasn’t all that tasty.

The place gets filled up pretty soon so it is better to go a bit early for lunch (we were there by 12.30) or book in advance . They don’t have a huge list of items on their menu but what they had was fresh, flavorful and filling. I like menus like this.
What I liked most was the customizing the food – soup was changed to my liking, tandoori aloo was given instead of paneer… all with a smile– this is what service is all about. They were quick to replace plates and glasses.

A special shoutout to Sanjay who served us. Very pleasant, attentive, prompt and smiling. Much gratitude!

What I would have liked more – two more chaat items. Innovation with veggies other than paneer. Better ice cream.

Would I go again? Of course! I hope they keep up with the same standards. Would I tell others? Yes and also waiting to try their salad and soup menu.

Overall Rating: 4/5

Ratings for reviews:

1 – No! No! No!
2- Just about average.
3 –Good. Can give it a try.
4- Great!!
5 – Yes! Yes! Yes! And I’ll tell all about it.

Details:
Plot 607, 1st Floor, Trifecta Douillet, 12th Main Road, HAL II Stage, Indiranagar, Bangalore
Contact: 8657497390/08043757712
Timings: 12noon – 3:30pm, 7pm – 11pm

YAUATCHA - MG ROAD

I so agree with a Zomato Reviewer, Avanti Singh who rated this place 3.0. After all the rave reviews, my friend and I decided to have lunch here and boy! Did we regret it. The ambience is pleasant enough and the bar section looks like a drinker’s paradise. The tables, however, are far too close to each other though we were early and so were comfortable with our seating.
But..but..but.. the food!!! I am not sure if it’s a bad choice to have selected the set select menu instead of a la carte or if this kind of food is an acquired taste but nothing appealed to us and we aren’t too fussy when it comes to food. Ingredients were fresh. The select menu had soup (awful), Salad (awful), dimsums (veg okayish..non veg awful), main course of rice or noodles (awful), a stir fry (veg was good, non veg awful), dessert (mind blowing!) and drinks (awful)

Dimsums had very thick or slimy covering instead of the melt in the mouth ones that is usually served in the Chinese restaurants. Salad was too sweet. The juices orange and watermelon was thick and tasteless. In the main course, out of the two options of rice and noodles. we asked if we could have a bit of noodles and rice mixed even if it means a small portion but they wouldn’t oblige to customize it. I’m glad because I ordered the noodles and my friend ordered the rice and both were equally bad.

For a “high end” place, service is atrocious! Glasses were not refilled with water. Forks and spoons were not replaced. After each course served, for some reason they took away the salt and pepper shakers and we had to ask for it several times after trying long and hard to catch their attention and this happened every time we wanted something.

Desserts : Thank god for this! The chocolate pebble and red fruit fromage was heavenly and the only saving grace.

Prices are jaw dropping for the tasteless food and bad service. The only good thing at the end of it all was the chef who spoke to us to find out what happened and we gave him this entire feedback and he assured us of a better eating experience next time. Know what? There won’t be a next time. Hahaha!

Overall rating: 2/5 – only for the dessert.

Ratings for reviews:

1 – No! No! No!
2- Just about average.
3 –Good. Can give it a try.
4- Great!!
5 – Yes! Yes! Yes! And I’ll tell all about it.

Details:
Address: 1 Mg mall next to lido, MG road, Bangalore.
Contact: 9222222800
Time: 12 noon to 1 am.

VILLAGE - THE SOUL OF INDIA, MALLESHWARAM

I just want to say 2 out of 5 and leave it at that! This place is so disappointing that I don’t know where to start. How in the world are people giving this place a 4?? I’m seeing that some of the reviews enjoyed the kids and families entertainment facilities so I suppose that would explain the ratings. Located in Mantri Mall I decided to have lunch here, enticed by the items listed on a board outside the place.

Welcome drink – Buttermilk…the only good thing here. Concentrated orange juice..

They had a live chaat counter. I had dahi paapdi puri which was good. The bhel had some fried dal in it that made it stale and hard. Imagine having to bite into a bhel puri like you are eating some hard candy!

Starters – Dal vada, paneer pakoda, aloo chips and mini kachori – Good.

Buffet spread – this all veg buffet had on offer the usual fare..nothing that stood out..rice, dal, curries and of course one has to be paneer, papads, aloo curry, peas pulao, steamed rice, curd rice. They also had hakka noodles, pav bhaji and dosas, roti /naan/kulcha. So which would you choose as the best options? NONE! I found a lot of it stale and tasteless.

Dessert was Gulab Jamun and Rabdi – just one dessert. For the first time in my life, I left a Gulab Jamun halfway through. It was so hard you need a knife to slice through it.

Servi ce is meh!. Prices were okay. Ambience is really good, quirky with pics of yesteryear actresses, hindi numbers and all things you would find in a village. It’s the only appealing thing in this place.

What happens next is what needs to be noted. As soon as I finished eating and headed home, I was queasy and had to swallow several times from throwing up in the auto. Came home and threw up thrice. Worst case of food poisoning.

Would I go there again? Not even if I was paid in gold coins.

Overall rating: 2/5 – only for the buttermilk, starters and the dahi papdi chaat.

Ratings for reviews:

1 – No! No! No!
2- Just about average.
3 –Good. Can give it a try.
4- Great!!
5 – Yes! Yes! Yes! And I’ll tell all about it.

Details:
Address: Shop T-38/1, Mantri Square Mall, Malleshwaram, Bangalore
Contact: 9741223008
Timings: 12:30pm – 3:30pm, 7:30pm – 11pm

CANE-O-LA, JAYANAGAR

A visit to Jayanagar, for me, is incomplete without stopping by at Cane- O- La and drinking their oh so cool frothy Sugarcane Juice. I’ve never till date reviewed a juice outlet exclusively. A recent conversation with a friend about sugarcane juice triggered cravings for my most preferred drink (next to tender coconut water).

My first stop when I hit the area is to have sugarcane juice here and only then head elsewhere to shop etc. This is also the kind of drink I can have in any weather summer or winter.

As the name suggests, the place sells only sugarcane juice, freshly made in an open kitchen that all can view. They have the regular natural flavor alongside mint, salt and pepper, ginger, lemon and chat masala. This time around I had one with ginger and one with lemon and ended up skipping lunch!!!. This is one filling drink! I personally cannot handle more than one glass so I try out different flavors at different times.

The place is neat. There’s even a poster outlining the benefits of sugarcane juice. There is no seating. They have an option of disposable paper cups (charge Rs. 2 Extra for this) and also the option of adding ice cubes which is kept in an ice bucket. Prices are pocket friendly for a generous glass of sugarcane juice. Service is super fast!

I quite like places like these. Just one item on the menu to offer that is clean, pure, fresh and organic. Long may it last!! You will find that anytime you go there, there is no dearth of customers. People are always walking in and ordering the sugarcane juice. I do wish they had more outlets and more so in my area, Indiranagar. Cane- O-La has a fan for life!

Overall rating: 5/5

Ratings for reviews:

1 – No! No! No!
2- Just about average.
3 –Good. Can give it a try.
4- Great!!
5 – Yes! Yes! Yes! And I’ll tell all about it.

Details:
Address: 30th Cross, 11th Main, 4th Block, Jayanagar, Bangalore
Contact: 080 22977711
Timings: 9:30am – 10:30pm