Bombay Brasserie

Tuesday, January 31, 2017ruthdsouzap

Earlier in the month I wrote an article on the restaurant trends to look out for in 2017 for Huffpost. A common thread of thought that came out among all the food experts I interviewed was the return of Indian food and that too in style. So in keeping with that is the latest on 12th Main Indiranagar (I seriously want to know if there is a square foot left to spare on that road anymore!) Bombay Brasserie opened its Bangalore branch in a trademark bungalow reminiscent of the British Raj. We were invited to sample the fare and made it a girlfriends day out of it!

First up, the interiors in the signature colours of the brand blue and white, are perhaps one of the most beckoning features of this restaurant. Two semi-outdoor seating areas around the restaurant, with two massive floor spaces to accommodate a good number of tables. Despite the size and the number of tables, you won't be knocking elbows and listening to the gossip from the adjoining table.

We choose to sit outdoors and just couldn't get enough photos of the partially distressed wooden tables and the well designed landscaping all around the space.

A Look At the Decor at Bombay Brasserie - Wood and metal all the way, with a number of decorative corners for the selfie loving crowd to use as backgrounds.


You start with something that is different and at Bombay Brasserie you pick the Pauwa menu right of the table and make a choice. 180ml of desi inspired cocktail served up in a quarter bottle. Took me right back to my Old Monk days back in Manipal. Of course, bottles were not all that fancy back then. These drinks come to the table with a chakna of its own. My Janta Bar was a chaat masala whiskey coke chilli-spiked concoction, potent on the alcohol, balanced in flavoured which came with a mellow Bombay Chana Chivda, black chana tossed in salt. The Nagpuri Santra had the refreshing flavour of citrus that spiked with some vodka and a touch of basil. It made for an excellent afternoon drink. The Masala Seengdana or peanut masala that came with it was a spicy mix, tossed with onions, tomatoes and a touch of chillies to enhance the flavour of the drinks. I also had my eyes on the Jaipur Gulabo, a rose and vodka pauwa as well as the Pondy Rush, but then what will I have to look forward to next time, if I had ordered all at one go? I moved to a selection from their Desi Cocktails.

My next drink was the Memsaab's Pink Gin - Gin and Tonic with Angostura bitters. Again, a good choice for the afternoon and it made such a pretty picture. Since the friend was nursing the last remnants of a nasty cold, the bartender whipped her up a hot brandy drink which seemed lovely.


And once we were well settled with our drinks we began with the Chilli Cheese Kulcha. Mini versions of the kulcha stuffed quite generously with a chilli cheese mix. An interesting take on the Bombay Chilli Cheese toast, this one does not have the fire-alarms-clanging hit of green chilli but when you are looking for that hot, soft and gooey something to go with your drink, this one is a very good pick.

 Aam Papad Paneer came out next and here too an interesting twist to how we know this childhood delight. The Aam Papad part is an interesting dressing for cubed paneer and lotus stem both of which are tossed with sun dried mango and spices. So what it essentially does is give you sweet, sour, smooth, crunchy all in one go. Again a great dish to pair with most drinks, especially if you are looking for something on the milder, sweeter side of things.

The Marathi Jhinga Mirch was up next and this was a winner all the way. Juicy prawns (which spent just the right amount of time in the wok, tossed together with a Mirch ka thecha, coarsely ground peanuts, green chilies and coconut. This is texturally a great combination, with the juicy prawns blending very well with the crunch of the peanuts and the spice hit of the green chilli. The coconut shavings are what calm the palate, though the balance of heat is really nice. Another good one.


When I see Bhoot Jholokia, I order Bhoot Jholokia and so the Naga Ghost Pepper Wings just had to arrive. I personally did not have my tongue shrivelling up and dying from heat. In fact, the spicy levels were very moderate, enough for me to get through a significant number from the portion without reaching for my drink. Being the spice loving person, I will order this with my Janta Bar Pauwa and feel very happy in life.

And then came out a dish that looked as grand as its name - Old Delhi Murg Boti with Buttered Roomali Roti comes on a nice long platter with some pickled onions and greens. The chicken mince kebab has been treated really well and the chef certainly knows to balance spices and meat well enough for one not to overpower the other. Both the kebab and the naan are soft enough to tear away generous pieces with just the fingers of one hand. And what you should not miss is the amazing Walnut Raita that comes with it. There is one ingredient in it that gives off this fragrant flavourful hit and I can't seem to put my finger on it, despite almost single handedly polishing the raita. If you figure it out, can you let me know?

 If you would rather have meals paired and ready to choose then go in for something from the Paired curries section. By now, there was so much that we wanted to have off the menu, but our stomachs unfortunately have not mastered the art of expanding  to cooperate just yet. So we shared the Mario's Mango Prawn Curry and Coconut Rice - now here is nice, coconut heavy prawn curry served with coconut rice - my only grouse was with the rice which cooked in coconut milk making it dense and not really allowing it to absorb the gravy well. What may work instead is coconut rice that is tempered with coconut and the usual accompaniments to it or even a plain and simple boiled white rice would have done the job just fine. Anyways, feedback passed on and we moved on.

 Dessert time and since I am partial to kulfi we had the Amritsari Kulfa with a generous slice of Kulfi, with a Rose Falooda topping, all of which sits pretty in some Badami Phirni makes for a sinfully indulgent dessert. I mean, just look at the combination... if these don't work I am not sure what will.

Close on its heels came the Bombay Ice Cream Sandwich - A nice big slate slab dusted with icing sugar and playing home to Jim Jam, Parle G and Bourbon biscuits that sandwich ice cream in them. Some sprinkling of gems and colouful jujubes and we have Candy Land on a plate!

What instantly caught the eye of both the chai loving ladies seated at this table was the tea menu. A nice collection of teas to wrap up the meal. We ordered the Kadak Cutting Chai and Charminar Chai. Cute little drawers come with your chai and some biskoot as well. The Charminar chai was meant to by the Hyderabadi style lemon tea but did not really cut it for me. Would have appreciated a stronger hit of lemon and the slice that was sitting in it, turned it slightly bitter courtesy the rind. The Kadak Chai was a good brew to end the meal on.

We loved this meal and will definitely be back for more. The menu  has more than enough to offer vegetarians and meat lovers a few times over, without you ordering the same thing twice. The place is pretty and the food good... what's not to like. A meal for two is around Rs 2500. The restroom is clean.

Bombay Brasserie
Address: 2989/B, 12th Main Road, HAL 2nd Stage, Indiranagar
Phone: 080-41471004
Cuisine: Indian
Accepts Cards: Yes
Parking: Valet
You can find it here

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