Bangalore restaurant reviews Second Helpings

Herbs and Spice - interesting the second time round too!!

Tuesday, July 21, 2009Me! In words

This was Bourbon Street's second show at Herbs and Spice and boy was it fun. Anoushka spent the whole time on stage. The other little kids were oblivious to the fact that her dad was on stage and could manage her. They were all wrestling with their parents to be able to get on too!!! This time round I wanted to try the tapas at Herbs and Spice. A lot has been written about how good they are here. I can't really say I have had tapas before and so I was majorly looking forward to this. For the uninitiated - tapas are a part of Spanish cuisine and form the appetiser. I was with Pavan and Preethika for this show.

I had a Kiwi Caipiroska (again a first). Caipiroskas' have a Brazilian origin and are vodka based drinks. They are also called Caiprivodka in Brazilian nightclubs. Anyways this drink came loaded with ice and kiwi. On first sip I didn't really get the taste except for say the ice. But gradually as you plough through the drink, you begin to feel the punch of the vodka and the tangy sweetness of the kiwi. Pavan went in for Chivas Regal and Preethika for Absolut.

Kiwi Caipiroska

For the tapas - we had the potato croquettes stuffed with olives and jalapenos. A repeat from the first time we came here. I reiterate that I wish the potato balls were more bite sized. Next came the beer battered calamari with roasted garlic aioli. Now honestly, I prefer my calamari rings to be crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. While the batter was flavourful and real crispy, the calamari was pretty non-existent. Also on the tapas list was the beer marinated chicken wings with salsa brava. Again, did not really get a beer tinge (maybe I am not supposed to). The chicken was nice and so was the salsa brava. But nothing that I would really remember.

Beer marinated chicken wings and salsa brava

Potato croquettes stuffed with olives and jalapenos


Beer battered calamari

We took ages to get through the tapas and while we were at it we decided to order a soup - Tuscan bread with tomato and basil. Now I must say here that the soup was of interesting texture. It was entirely tomato and basil base. Had a real nice tangy taste to it. And had a lot of bread crumbled into it, giving it that thick texture. This could be more of acquired taste since there are many out there who may think that they were served a pasta sauce. I quite liked it though.

Soup - Tuscan bread with tomato and basil

Main course time - Pavan went in for the Spaghetti with meatballs. The spaghetti was nice and again the meatballs were big and served at the side against the customary mixed with the sauce style. Preethika had the spaghetti with grilled veggies in a creamy sauce. Simply superb. She literally had to fend Pavan and me off her plate. I had the Risotto with pork sauage, chives and mascarpone. The sausage was one big one cut roughly and served on the side. The risotto used real arborio and the sauce was sinfully creamy. A nice and heavy dish.

Spaghetti with grilled veggies in a creamy sauce


Risotto with pork sausage, chives and mascarpone


Spaghetti with meatballs

And yet again we had no space for dessert. This place is actually famous for its desserts. Next time round I am ordering for nothing else. All of this with 2 rounds of Absolut, 4 rounds of Chivas with the accompaniments came to approximately Rs 2000. The staff could do with a little education on their menu and the presentation of food could be a wee bit better. The loos are clean. You will have to reserve a table in advance.

Address: 80ft road, Above Planet M, Indiranagar, Bangalore
Phone: 25290399
Cuisine: Continental
Cards Accepted: Yes
Parking: Security guards will help you

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