Around the world in two..well three plates!

I always thought Bangalore had great places to eat out..the opinion being partly created out of a short stint during my internship when I stayed in the city for two months. The night curfew thing is a tad (or more !) sad though and completely rules out any hopes of spending a good weekend with friends over a couple of drinks and good music. So when a friend from Mumbai was visiting over the weekend , I decided to explore eating out in Bangalore (selling the idea of night life in Bangalore to a Mumbaiite is a complete no no:)). Here are our three picks over the weekend:

Fiorano Ristorante, Koramangala:

This quaint Italian restaurant gives a very Mediterranean feel the moment you enter it with a chic yet soothing ambience. The black furniture contrasts stylishly with the whitewashed walls. The highlight of the restaurant is the complementary plate of bruschetta which you are supposed to put together on your own. If you do not know how ( like the two of us who kept giggling at the loaves and ended up eating all the tomatoes till the friendly chef offered to enlighten us) , just ask the waiters around , or better still , scroll down to read ' how to make your own bruschetta':). The starters are good , especially the minestrone soup. Try the Gnocchi Cream and Mushroom sinfully dipped in cheese for your main course if you prefer vegetarian. The non vegetarian is good too , but the vegetarian options on the menu are truly extensive.The mocktails are passable. Sadly enough, this otherwise authentic Italian restaurant does not serve wine ( I wonder what an Italian would say to that!). All in all – highly recommended for the food , ambience and the very friendly staff!

MTR, Lalbagh:

If you want some great south Indian food in Bangalore, head to the Mavalli Tiffin rooms in Lalbagh. Housed in a small building, MTR does not have the ambience of today's restaurants but the food more than speaks for itself. Our initial plan was for lunch , but we reached late only in time for the afternoon snacks. A marathon run of idli , dosas, upma and filter coffee later , we had turned into complete MTR loyalists. In case you want to get lunch here , you would need to register and wait for your turn. An absolute must go for anyone visiting Bangalore and totally worth the wait!!

The Zen, Leela Palace Kempinski:

The Zen is the pan Asian restaurant at the Leela serving a range of cuisines – Chinese, Korean , Japanese and Thai. Options are not too extensive , especially for the Korean. The Chinese here is your best bet. Food is reasonably good , but I am sure Bangalore has better options for Pan Asian food. The dessert was the high point of the evening. In case you are looking for South east asian cuisine, this would definitely not be the most preferred place.

*How to make your own bruschetta?

Here is what you need: Warm, fresh bread, roasted garlic pods, basil leaves,cherry tomatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Rub the garlic pods on the bread and spread evenly. Follow this up with rolled basil leaves and sprinkle some salt and pepper. Drizzle the olive oil and then rub the cherry tomatoes. Your fresh bruschetta is ready. Deliziosa!!