Bow Barracks opened its doors with the promise of authentic Anglo-Indian food. While I cannot claim to know what authentic Anglo-Indian food is, I can vouch for really loving the offerings here. The beef jalfrezie was an absolute killer and that too with the tamarind water that takes you all the way back to high school, where we used to pass around the lone tamarind screwing up our faces with each bite. Everything else we had during our visit here was absolutely spot on in taste.


We belong to the coast and we love our fish. And so Ocea was a great discovery, with a really vast menu when it comes to bounties from the sea and the manner in which it is prepared. Also what worked really well for us is that the pricing is not something that will have you play the miser for the rest of the month. We have been there quite a few times and particularly like the squid, anjal and the fish based meals that are served here. Sit in the AC section and you can give yourself quite a treat any time of the week.


Bringing blackboard menus to the scene in style has been Red Fork. Its one of those places that has a limited set of offerings with each dish begging you to try it out. Thankfully we visited with a sizable number at the table and were able to have a good number of the dishes between us. What stood out for me was the Garlic Prawn Fettucine and I could have that over and over again and then some more. The ambiance is cozy and Zarine ensures that service is very personal while Xerxes will have you savouring each morsel in front of you.


Republic of Noodles is not a review I have done yet, simply because the photos I took that day were pretty bad. But this is one of those places that really touched a chord. The service is what took the cake, with it being prompt and very child-friendly... I mean how many places actually have the chef send out word with their staff that they are ready to whip up anything that will suit the little one at the table. We had a lot that day with grilled beef tenderloin standing out as well as the wasabi and tamarind ice-creams.



We stepped into Teppan after a lot of should-we-should-we-not. And I am glad we did. The service during both our visits was friendly and the staff actually took the trouble to keep the children at every table entertained. Besides all the acrobatics that takes place at the Teppanyaki table, the staff have several tricks up their sleeves to keep children entertained. For parents like us who can truly appreciate having a peaceful meal out, this can be a huge blessing. The food at Teppan too has been quite nice at both our visits and while Edo cannot be a monthly indulgence for us, Teppan certainly can fill the void on occasion.


While these were some of the best experiences we have had at restaurants this year, there are a few other experiences that deserve a mention. With the help of chefs at ITC Gardenia's West View, I was able to create an exclusive 3 course dinner menu paired with international wines for Sudhakar's surprise birthday celebrations this year. To say it was a brilliant experience would truly be an understatement.

Street food at its best was at our annual Iftaar raid and this year was bigger and better with us visiting Tilaknagar and Mosque Road. The sheer number of delicacies can leave your full to the seams and we were well armed this year to get through many of them on offer. Hopefully this year we will hit other specials like the Durga Puja stalls, the avarekai and the kadelekai festivals and also the Ganesh Chaturthi specials.

And of course the absolute highlight was to be invited to a sit down dinner by Michelin Star Chef Baptiste Fournier.

These are some of the food experiences of 2012 that I am so glad to have been able to chronicle on Bangalore's Restaurants. Here's to another year filled with all things yum in the tum.