AMINITIRI BANGALORE

In this lockdown period I thought I might have to miss out on my monthly review of a food place. While I could not physically go out and eat someplace and review the service, ambience etc, AMINTIRI popped up in my feed and the pictures of the cakes were drool worthy. So I ordered a few online and I have to say they were worth writing about!

Looked them up and realized they are in multiple locations and decided to write my experience.

Out of the collection of choux pastry, celebration cakes and cake loaves, I decided to go for the cake loaves.

First order was the chocolate fudge cake – This decided my further orders. The easy process of choosing date and time and the prompt delivery clinched it. They delivered at the exact time mentioned. The cake comes in a beautiful box with a strong base to hold and cut it…very good packaging. Cake was.. oh so gooey and soft and melt in the mouth divine experience! I got to the website even before I could finish this one.

Second order was:

Cookie dough cake: This was different and reminds me of a sponge cake. Less impressive.

Hazelnut, dark chocolate and fig: This is really blissful! Looks great and tastes great – rectangle loaf topped with nuts and dark chocolate and so, so fresh! Must try.

Cakes are a tad expensive but worth it. I liked eating them. I liked how good they tasted. I liked how comforting it is. And I liked the normalcy of it all during these uncertain times.

I plan to order from their other collections and next in line is the lemon cake and black satin. Calorie rich but as they say,

LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO SAY NO TO CAKE!!

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

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: AMINTIRI – MULTIPLE LOCATIONS IN BANGALORE.
Website: www.amintiri.in.
In pics: Hazelnut, dark chocolate and fig. Cookie dough cake

UDUPI VAIBHAV INDIRANAGAR

I was thinking of going some place grand this month of March for writing a review, but then the first rumors of the lockdown for COVID had already begun – this was at a stage where every eatery was open and people were moving around before it got aggressive. I couldn’t sit down and eat there. It is not very spacious as is the case with most darshinis, but I ordered a takeaway of the south Indian tiffin combo and puris.

I have been partial to combos in any meal – where one gets to taste something of everything at a reasonable price. I think most places should introduce this concept! The South Indian combo has a mini masala dosa, idli, khara bhath, kesari bhath and a vada – pretty cool. I liked all the items in the menu. I had some immediately and some hours later and it was still as fresh. The chutney, the one thing I am very fussy about in restaurants was very, very tasty! My mother liked the puris. They do have quite an extensive menu when I glanced through it. Service is fast. Prices are reasonable. It is still relatively new and not even up on the food websites as yet though they seem to have a lot of outlets across Bangalore.

This is a short review as I dint want to go a month without writing one. Given how fresh and tasty all the items were, I plan to go there definitely when better days are here. Fingers crossed..and toes!!.

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: Indiranagar Opp Raghavendra swamy mutt. Bangalore.

MILKY WAY ICECREAMS AND FAST FOOD - INDIRANAGAR

Regardless of how busy I am, I make it a point to review at least one food place per month. After attempting to review two places in commercial street where I walked out even before I could sit down due to poor reception, I decided to review this newly opened place in Double road, Indiranagar- Milky Way Ice creams and Fast Food.

The place when I visited it was just 10 days old and renovation work was still going on, meaning stepping over wires that were around, and dealing with drilling and dust but it has a cheery feel to it. I specially loved the wall paper which says Best Day Ever. I could do with that in my room.

The place is small though that didn’t stop people from walking in. They have a pretty good menu to choose from - short eats to maggi and of course shakes and ice creams.

I started with the lemon pepper maggi – which I found a bit sour. Too much lemon I guess.

Followed by chilli garlic fries -fries were done well.

And the kit kat milk shake which was so cool and refreshing! I really loved this and would go back just to have it again.

Food is served in cardboard/ disposable plates and it was served to me on a rather wobbly table (this needs fixing).

Service, despite it all, was very warm and welcoming. Prices are reasonable. They have non vegetarian options too in sandwiches and maggi. Good place to grab a quick bite and when the sweet cravings hit.

This place needs to be spruced up and there is a lot of scope for improvement. Salt and pepper shakes at the tables, Sturdy tables, Clean up the front space (outdoor seating area) and so on…but it’s just been 10 days so I’ll wait and watch. I rarely review a place twice, but I plan to go back to try out their other ice creams and shakes and also to see how the place has improved. Looks like they may need to expand.

Overall rating: 3/5 – taking the mid path here because so far it’s neither too good or too bad. I still have to give it a fair try.

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: Indiranagar double road, below Annapoorani, Idiranagar, Bangalore .
Contact: 9880015540
Timings: 12 noon – 12 midnight

MAGNOLIA BAKERY - INDIRANAGAR

Starting this year’s review on a sweet note – Magnolia Bakery – Cake heaven in 12th Main, Indiranagar. I’m keeping this short and sweet.

What I Had:

(Some at the bakery and some as takeaway)
1. Lemon Bar - Good
2. Chocolate dipped strawberry cupcake - Good
3. White chocolate macadamia nuts cheese cake- Different and Delicious
4. Key lime Icebox bar – I liked this best
5. Eggless chocolate cake – Good.

THIS PLACE IS:

1. Well done with soft lights. Cakes on Display are a visual treat.
2. Clean
3. Best cake options to choose from a variety on display.
4. Delicious.
5. Friendly staff
6. Fast Billing
7. Serves coffee
8. On the pricey side. Great for those who have a sweet tooth.

WHAT THIS PLACE NEEDS TO DO:

1. HAS TO EXPAND AND GET A BIGGER PLACE!! It’s packed and so cramped. I can’t believe people stand in long queues for a cake!!
2. Go easy on the sugar.
3. Pack the cakes in the boxes better.
4. Add some savory snacks too and it’ll be an even bigger hit!

I had to binge on spicy masala puri to get over the sweet overdose.

Would I go back again? Yes, to taste their other varieties of cake though mostly takeaway for now.

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: 788, JK Plaza, 12th Main Road, Indiranagar, Bangalore .
Contact: 080 48667700
Timings: 12 to 11 pm

PURE AND SURE ORGANIC CAFE - INDIRANAGAR

Pure, Organic, Vegan, Jain, Gluten free…if these words appeal to you, then head to this café on 12th Main Indiranagar. At first, I thought it is an organic store but when I went inside, I got to know it is both a store and a café.

The Ambience here is very cozy…comfy chairs, soft lights like a lot of restaurants I’ve come across, but something about this place soothed my restless soul. They do have one in Jayanagar but here in Indiranagar, the place is just about a month old and not very big but comfortable. The menu is completely like what is mentioned in the first few words. There are quite a lot of items choose from.

I ordered:

Blitz Tender coconut – Skip unless you are willing to pay double the price for tender coconut water that you get on the roadside. I wanted this over any syrupy juices so I dint mind ordering it.

Pasta – You can create your own. In fact, they have a lot of create your own options for other items on the menu too. I ordered spaghetti for the base and lots of veggies tossed in olive oil – broccoli, zucchini, bell peppers, sun dried tomatoes with cheese and crushed peppers. The single garlic bread that came with it was fresh and tasty. I did ask for lettuce on it too – (yeah I know no one eats lettuce topped pastas) but I dint get that. Lots of seeds in it helped give it a nice crunch and you can choose too from a list of seeds. Because it was custom made and my own creation, I enjoyed it.

Date and chocolate pudding for dessert – gooey chocolate sauce with pieces of dates in it. It was delicious…you can never go wrong with chocolate anyways, but I longed for vanilla ice cream to go with it.

Prices are on the higher side. Not the kind of place I can hang around often. What I did like the best was that they made healthy food interesting – going by the menu.. from the drinks to starters to mains to desserts and a good variety of south Indian food like ragi dosas, upma to salads to sandwiches to burgers to pasta to desserts….they have them all. Waiting to try out some more items from the menu.

Service is prompt. I do wish they had spaced out the food though. It was all served with hardly a gap but I suppose that can be specified when placing the order. They need to get more appealing serving dishes. Check the chocolate pudding bowl and plate. It looks like it is stained with some spots, but it is actually the design haha!

They have their own store and the food served is made from the products from the store. I bought vegetable upma and bisibelebath packets to cook at home for laterz. I am definitely going back to this place.

All in all, I am glad to end this year’s review on a healthy note. Being here also made me realize how many eateries are there to explore in Indiranagar 12th Main and looking forward to do that in 2020!

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: Pure and Sure organic store and café, 12th Main, Indiranagar, Bangalore.
Timings: 10 am onwards.

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