We were meeting an old Manipal classmate of mine and I was given the task of finding a place in between RT Nagar and Jayanagar to meet up. And so after a lot of scouring through my restaurant review collection, I settled on Cafe Potluck at the Taj Gateway. (Yes! I know this was a second visit in one week... but trust me there is one more entry a little later on the dinner buffet at Stir).

One of the reasons I chose this place was because a review said that it had a children's play area. Also Taj Gateway meant there would no problems getting parking and with reservations made in advance, there would be no waiting for a table. Plus the loos would undoubtedly be clean.

Anyways, once we got to Cafe Potluck, we realised that the place was in fact the pitstop of the hotel. Waiting for guest to arrive - go to Potluck, need a quick bite before a meeting - Potluck it is, whiling away time in a star hotel, best place to do it was Cafe Potluck. It became apparent to us in a few minutes that we were not going to have dinner there. It was just going to be starters and a drink.

Since my friend was running late we decided to start without her - Sudhakar went in for a beer and I decided to have alcohol for the first time after Anoushka. I went for a Kamikaze - this vodka based cocktail came spiked with a shot of tequila and chilled. Potent and yummy was my verdict. We also ordered a plate of bruschetta which came with an extra of everything - olive oil, cheese and chilli flakes. The bread was crispy and the toppings were nowhere close to being "extra". When my friend came in she decided to go in for a Mojito - which was chilled white rum with mint and lime. An absolutely refreshing drink.

The menu at Potluck is small, consisting largely of soups and salads, sandwiches and a couple of entrees. The place is ideal for a drink and a snack before an actual heavy meal. There is no play area for children and the only baby seat is shared between Stir and Cafe Potluck. Our bill for the drinks and the snack came to around Rs 800. Sandwiches are in the range of Rs 175 and the entrees are at a flat Rs 225. They also have a pretty decent dessert bar to choose from. Another aspect I liked was the fact that our drinks were brought/transferred to our table at Stir and so we could have a long leisurely time at sipping our drinks.