In all the years that we have been here, we have never visited Olive Beach. We wanted to go there on an occasion, but every time ended up going somewhere else or doing something else. For mom's 60th birthday, we decided that there could be no better time than this to add this restaurant to our little kitty of experiences. And so we made our booking. The staff were kind enough to suggest that we sit indoors, since we were going with Anoushka and we were having one of those cold waves going on then.
The valet parking really helped considering the road it is placed on and we were seated close to the bar. Menus were brought on and that's when we realized that the lovely candle light setting on the table was just not going to be enough to read the menus. Dad and mom found it a bit tough with no other light options being around and left the ordering to us. Am prone to walking into walls in the day time, but managed to read the menu bringing it within burning distance of the flame.
Let me say at the outset that there was nothing to fault with any of the dishes we ordered. They were all superlative in presentation, taste and quantity. So when you read this review, consider it a given from now on that everything that came to the table was great. This is more of picto-review.
Bread platter
With the lighting really low, some of the pictures are not what I wanted them to be and do not do justice to how the dishes actually looked. While we were waiting for our drinks to come, some warm bread, herbed butter, olive and crackers were brought on a platter. Anoushka was pretty much done for the day and made her meal of a few of this and then promptly curled up and went to sleep. She always makes the smart choice of getting us seated at sofas!
Mint & Ginger and the Orange Julep mocktails
We were teetotalers for the evening and settled on a range of mocktails - a mint and ginger one, an orange julep and a kiwi flavored virgin mojito that you see below. All of these were well mixed and great on the taste factor, nothing over or under-done as mocktails can sometimes be.
Kiwi flavored Virgin Margherita
We went in for the non-vegetarian platter which from the description alone we felt was good enough for four adults. We were not wrong. The platter was loaded with seared fish cakes chicken filo boreks, lamb and bulgur dolmas, zahttar, labaneh roll, hummus, aioli and fattoush and pita bread. Having parents who lived close to two decades in the Gulf, this platter did bring back a lot of good memories for them. And I personally loved the dolmas here compared to the ones at Ranoosh.
Seared fish cakes chicken filo boreks, lamb and bulgur dolmas,
zahttar, labaneh roll, hummus, aioli and fattoush
zahttar, labaneh roll, hummus, aioli and fattoush
Another view of the platter
Mom prefers to go vegetarian most of the time and she decided on the vegetable tagine with rice. The dish was uncovered at the table and the aroma hits everyone around with a good smack. It's a good thing all our dishes came out at the same time or mom would not have had much of her dinner left. The rice was fluffy and well flavored. You might think looking at it that the dish would go dry mid-way, but it does not. The vegetables were slightly tangy and the crunch of the toasted almonds or melon seeds (not too sure) made every bite great.
Vegetable tagine with rice
Dad, pork lover that he is, went in for the Pork tenderloin Souvlaki. Easily good for two people with small appetites like my parents. I did manage to swipe a bit which he gave to me grudgingly. And that taste was enough to see why he was protecting his plate from the likes of Sudhakar and me.
Pork Tenderloin Souvlaki
Sudhakar had the pan-seared basa which was served on a bed of vegetables. It did feel like an entire fish placed on a plate in terms of quantity. Again, taste-wise nothing to fault from the presentation to the combination of veggies and the taste. A nice clean plate was the best compliment Sudhakar could give.
Pan seared basa with veggies
I never pass up a risotto and so far have loved it completely only at Bangalore Bistro (wonder if their new outlet on Cunningham road is open now?) and at Chianti recently. I went in for the bacon and cauliflower risotto, after all, bacon makes everything great. But this risotto was really that good. The taste was not monotonous, the texture was creamy, with every grain of rice being soft enough to feel good and firm enough for you not feel like you are eating porridge. I loved it.
Bacon and cauliflower risotto
By the time we reached this part of the meal, Anoushka got a little fidgety in her sleep and we were just too stuffed to do desserts (which I regretted half hour after reaching home). The service was great and well timed. Despite being a full house, our glasses were regularly filled, our food brought out in a short while and even our request to tone down the volume on the music (we were right below the speakers) attended to immediately. The loo is small walk from the main restaurant and spotless. This meal for the four and one asleep of us came to around Rs 4800 with all the taxes etc included. Well worth it on an occasion I must say.
Address: 16, Wood Street, Ashoknagar, Bangalore.
Phone: 41128400
Cuisine: Meditereanean
Wallet factor: Rs 3000 for two
Wallet factor: Rs 3000 for two
Parking: Valet
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