Bora Bora, Cairo

Bora Bora
Zamalek

Located on the Nile, it has a beautiful ambiance and is a wonderful place to relax in the evenings if you visit before 10-11pm, when the party people come in and take over. Until then it is a serene quiet place to unwind, while watching the Nile and the occasional fellucca glide by.

They do serve alcohol. A large Bacardi (60ml) is 65Le. Pint of Sakkara beer is 20.25Le. Their main course mainly comprise of pastas. We preferred to stick to the Egyptian mezze, forgoing the main course. Soft Drinks are 10Le/can.

The food was some of the best Egyptian food we have had in Cairo, second only to Abu El Sid. All the vegetarian dips - tahina, baba ghannoug and Labna are 10Le. The Labna was especially wonderful - a flavour of cream cheese and cheddar cheese, with the consistency of cheesespread.

The vine leaves - again some of the best I have eaten in a restaurant in Egypt were 20Le. They need to be eaten when fresh and hot, else the fat in the stuffing begins to weigh heavily on the palate.

The Alexandian Liver at 42Le, the Alexandrian Sausage at 28Le and the fried calamari at 49Le were excellent. The texture of calamari was just right as was the seasoning. One of the few times we did not even feel the need to squeeze lemon over the dish.

They do serve shisha for 7LE and charge another 4Le for the disposable pipe that they use. They offer lemon flavour which I have not yet encountered elsewhere and it was quite smooth.

Note : it is advisable to reserve a table as this is quite a popular hangout at nights.

Thai Chi, Dubai

Thai Chi
Pyramids
Wafi City
Dubai
+971 4 324 0000

Lovely decor and ambiance with the frontage of a Thai house sheltering the glass front of the kitchen. The head chef is the stern yet sweet looking matronly Thai lady who presents her dishes with a flourish across the counter at the glass kitchen.

A complementary dish of fried prawn crackers is served while you wait.

A bottle of water will set you back 18 dhs.
We ordered a sampler appetiser platter which came with 2 pieces each of fried shrimps, fish cakes, chicken in pandanus leaf, vegetable spring roll and chicken set in a mussel shell and deep fried. Quite tasty and served with a variety of different flavored sauces for 142 dhs. Everything was tasty. Nothing was over spiced or over flavored. The sauces were a mix of sweet, salty, spicy and crunchy. (as is normal when serving Thai cuisine)

We then had a phad thai chicken (54) which was served in an egg parcel and was excellent.
We weren't too hungry and couldn't eat too much. Will definitely return another day with a better appetite.

Most dishes are in the 50-60dhs range except for the exotic sea food.

The restaurant serves both Thai and Chinese cusine. You can choose between indoor and outdoor seating. The indoor seating has the air conditioning but the outdoor seating allows you to enjoy the (mostly) live music from the amphitheatre right beside it.

Prices are in the Mid Range for Dubai and there were plenty of groups and families enjoying an evening out at the place.

We were pleasantly surprised to receive a 20% discount as we paid with our HSBC cards. There is also a Wafi City Card which can give you similar discounts across the mall which can be purchased from the Service Counters.

Revolving Restaurant, Grand Hyatt, Cairo

Revolving Restaurant
Grand Hyatt, Cairo

The Revolving Restaurant is only open for dinner around 8pm. Prior Reservations are required (even if it is a couple of hours before) Jeans, shorts and open shoes for men are a non-no - as the hostess politely informed us over the phone. Jackets aren't required, but wouldn't be out of place either.

This is a lovely restaurant to take your date to with its awesome ambience, phenomenal food, panoramic view and attentive yet unobtrusive service. It is also a place I would recommend for formal business dinners or if you need to impress your (prospective) inlaws or anyone else for that matter.

The lighting is low and the ceiling is decorated with colored LED's forming asteroids, satellites and other heavenly objects :)


The restaurant is situated on the 41st floor. Access is through a private lift on the 40th floor (where you may be seated for awhile but can use that time to order a drink - Yes alcohol is now being served again at this restaurant) The restaurant completes an entire revolution every 75 minutes, situated as it is on the Nile, its an almost panoramic view of the entire city. To disguise its one blind spot, they have created a replica of an Ancient Egyptian temple on the outside.

The Restaurant has an open chef's kitchen. But there were no wafting odors to dull the experience.
Complimentary fresh baked bread was served along with pate and herbed butter. We were hungry and ordered 2 appetisers each. all of which were outstanding.

The Smoked salmon was served with pancakes, mashed potatoes and a salmon mousse.
The Salad St Jacques was pan fried scallops (slightly crisp on the outside, tender juicy & succulent on the inside), served on a crisp potato pancake with marinated red peppers and some greens. I would highly recommend this dish any day.
The Prawn Salad was a combination of king prawns and Scampi with a basil, lemon and avocado base.
The Carpaccio was other worldly. Some of the best that I have eaten. The green dressing and the cheese served with the carpaccio were an excellent combination with the meat.
For the main, I ordered Australian lamb chops which were done exactly the way I wanted. Not too tough, not too soft. The sauce (lamb jus) served with a white bean salad as a base was excellent.
My husband ordered more prawns . But given the superior quality of all the other dishes, he felt this was a bit lacking. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew something was missing. This is the only dish that needed something more. all the others were beautifully and perfectly balanced. Since I don't eat prawns unless I have cleaned them myself (long story about allergies) I couldn't check on what was missing. This was served with ratatouille which he quite enjoyed.
We ordered 2 sides of mushrooms and pureed potatoes (Fancy restaurants never say mashed potatoes they say pureed potatoes) The mushrooms were FANTABULOUS!. After all the tinned stuff most restaurants serve as mushrooms, this dish was outstanding. It was a mixture of 4-5 different fresh mushrooms and it had a wonderful woodsy yet fresh flavour. I would even eat this as my appetiser or my main course if I wasnt too hungry.
For dessert, he had the creme brulee which came in three flavours. Mango-jasmine and chocolate were familiar flavors, it was the strawberry-basil flavor that was an eye and taste bud opener.
The choclate fondant that I ordered was my other star of the evening. Crisp exterior, molten interior. Words can't desribe how amazing this desert was. The ice cream accompanying it, could have been a bit better, but the vanilla ice cream was a necessary touch to balance the chocolate. an absolute for anyone - chocoholic or otherwise!
My husband was initially apprehensive about eating French food. Although he had been forced to watch a lot of French cooking programs along with me, he had never encouraged me to try cooking any of these dishes as he felt they would be bland. Fortunatley eating at the Grand Hyatt's Revolving Restaurant has completley altered this perspective. French recipe books are next on the shopping list! (Like I need an excuse)

This was supposed to be a treat for me, so my husband did the ordering without letting me look at the menu. But knowing me for over 8 years and knowing what is good for him, he did let me make my own choices after describing each one to me. I'm not too sure of the rates, but what he said was that appetisers were in the 50LE+ range. Mains were between 80-150LE and side dishes were about 25LE.

Portions are a decent size. Slightly small by Egyptian standards. But it allows you to choose an appetiser, main and dessert for yourself.

Definitely a must visit.

Prithvi Theatre Cafe, Juhu, Mumbai

This Cafe was one of my favorites in Mumbai. Yes, you read it right, it "WAS". (check my previous review)

Close to my house, this was where me and my husband often sat discussing the play we were going to watch over a cup of coffee and light snacks like cheese balls or dissecting and analysing the play we had just watched over raan and Prithvi's famous irish coffee :)

I often visited the cafe when I was feeling low on inspiration and creativity and it was marvelous how just being there in that location with the presence of immensely talented individuals like Makarand Deshpande and Kay Kay (does he go as KK now?) among others could charge me up.

There were the occasional Ekta Kapur actresses who would show up for a play, but they were completely ignored by the serious acting crowd (theatre) and the people who went there to watch talented actors.

This adda was like a 2nd home to me in Mumbai. The husband and me averaged at least one play a week and sometimes more than that. I was at the cafe with him or on my own twice or even more in a week.

Service was sometimes slow, but you could see the waiters doing their best to manage it all and you didnt mind. What few people knew was that the cafe had a really awesome dinner menu and it was amazing to sit under those lights hanging from the trees and enjoy a meal.

Once we moved to Egypt we watched on the news that the cafe had introduced a new, more Mumbaiyya menu. On our trip to India in January we decided to go back to the cafe for old times sake and we were HORRIFIED!

There were a new bunch of waiters who did not even seem to know the menaing of the word "service" It took more than 20 minutes of sitting at a table (which we found ourselves after scrounging vacant chairs from nearby tables) before the waiter even acknowledged our presence. Another 20 minutes to get us a menu. The menu had thrice the number of items than before, but not even 10% of them were available. We found this out the painful way, by ordering some items and then being told none of them were available. This process repeated a couple of times, till we finally asked the waiter, "just tell us what IS available" He hardly mentioned 5 items.

Since we were a group and had already waited that long and gone through all the trouble of parking et al, we ordered one of each and told him to bring each item as it was ready in case some items took longer than others to prepare. 40 minutes after ordering, not a single item had reached our table. We asked the waiter about the status and he said "another 15 minutes" without even a trace of an apology in his voice.

So we told him to cancel the order and we walked out. He looked at us walk away with more relief than dismay on his face!

Doubt I will visit the cafe again, unless something changes drastically and they can match the standards of the previous avataar.

Please observe 2 minutes silence for the passing of a great cafe, that once was @ Prithvi!

The World's Best Hamburger Is in Egypt

The World's Best Hamburger Is in Egypt
Scott Macleod/Cairo

Having spent a lot of my journalistic life in Cairo, I'm fond of Egyptian food. The garlic-spiced mashed fava bean dish called ful medames, for instance, which we eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner. My teenage daughter repudiated McDonald's after seeing Supersize Me, so when she's out with her friends, they go to a local hangout known for its kushari, a spicy mix of macaroni, rice, chick peas and lentils........

For the rest of the article, click on this link The World's Best Hamburger Is in Egypt

Bua Khao Thai Restaurant

Bua Khao Thai Restaurant
12:00 to 23:00

No. 9, Road 151. Old Maadi
358 0126

Bua Khao is this really sweet Thai Restaurant way out in Maadi. But is worth a trip at least once a month for the authentic Thai flavours and their wonderful Thai iced coffee.

The entrance is covered by a Thai style roof and is a prelude of the tastes to come.

The staff recognises its regulars and lets them seat themselves. But if its someone new, they will courteously seat you at a table of your choice.

The restaurant has a very cosy feel about it. The staff is pleasant and service is good.

The food is excellent and thats why most visitors become regulars. The ingredients are flown in fresh from Thailand and are not the tinned and canned variety.

Start with the Thai Iced Coffee. The soups can suffice as a complete meal if you order the large size ones. Quantities are excellent and most dishes will comfortably feed two people. Its only the steamed rice that comes in individual portions. Spiciness is adjusted to taste. They make it low on chillies for my Western guest and put enough fire in there for my Indian palate when I request them to.

Definitely worth a visit, if you are looking for authentic Thai food in Cairo.

Individual dish reports follow:
Crispy Calamari had coconut flakes in it 21LE. Excellent
Dim Sum had chicken dumplings & Shrimp Sui Mai for 25LE. Really good.
Tom Yam Goong. We specifically requested the spiciest version as in authentic Thai style 18LE. Excellent.
Thai Chicken Chop Suey 30LE. Very different from what we expected. First of all it was not fried. It was made of glass noodles. Interesting.
Rice with Chicken & Cashewnut was on the bland side 35LE. Should have stuck with the Red Chicken curry (24LE - steamed rice additional 4LE) which I had last time & was excellent.
Pork with garlic & pepper 21LE was soft, succulent. Devoid of fat.
Bacardi was 20LE for a small.
Soft drink cans are 7.
Highly recommend the Thai Iced Coffee for 10LE.

Sales Tax & Service Charge are extras.


Added on 30 Mar 08:
The Chicken coconut soup is outstanding. If you ask for the spicy version, you will find authentic Thai Birds eye chillies in your soup. - 26LE
The Thai Omlette with Chicken was completely unlike the Fuyong that I was expecting and I found the filling a little too watery for my taste (28LE)
The Vegetables with Oyster Sauce (12LE) is out of this world. The veggies are very very lightly steamed and tossed in the sauce so they retain their crunchy texture and fresh flavours.
The Phad Thai noodles (30LE) had shrimp in them (so I couldn't taste it) but my brother was really happy with it. He sid the shrimps were much much much fresher than any of he other places he had tried in Cairo and comparable to the fish in Alexandria.
The fried Ice Cream (18Le) has a little too much batter for my taste - batter also reminiscent of the fried calamari batter- but my young siblings thoroughly approve of it. With higher praise for chocolate than Vanilla flavor.

Sues Kitchen, Bangalore

Wonderful review by Tanay Behera on desicritics

I don't normally link to others reviews, but I just had to link to this one since I echo most of what he has said.

........... The owner, Susan John called Sue is from the West Indies and her restaurant is a cozy nook that you must experience sometime. .....................

................. Though the buffet lunch was priced at a reasonable rate of Rs. 225 per head, we were treated to a delicious spread of about six to seven salads. To name a few there was egg mayonnaise mixed with capsicum, chicken salad, pan fried broccoli, beans and carrot, picnic potato salad, etc. There was soup, which was mouth watering, but I learned about it when I was halfway through the main course and felt kind of upset.

For the main course by means of curries, there was crab curry, mushroom and corn curry, delicious fish cutlets, roasted chicken, Trinidad chicken curry and a yummy vegetable baked dish, among other stuff.

Read his entire post here : http://desicritics.org/2007/03/19/113324.php

Johnny Carino's, Cairo

Johnny Carino's
Nile City Boat
Next to 6th of October Bridge
Zamalek
johnnycarinos@link.net

In the mood for Italian, we set out to Johnny Carino's which advertised home style Italian Food. The Zamalek branch is set on the Nile City boat so you can imagine the nip in the air on a January Night. The outdoor seating would be wonderful on a balmy Summer evening but we rushed to the comfort of 4 walls & a ceiling.

Nice & cosy with some lovely black & white & sepia toned framed photos on the wall it does start to impart the feel of a family owned restaurant rather than a chain. The service was alarmingly fast for Cairo standards, but it suited us just fine. Portions are huge & as usual 2 starters filled us up completely.

The chicken nachos had real jalapenos in them although the nachos seemed home made & the cheese was just right at 33LE. The hand breaded Fried Calamari was a little bland for our taste, but was perked up by the sauce (30LE). We wanted to try their home made Lasagna but we had reached too late & they only make a fixed amount of Lasagna each day. As the menu says "when its over, its over" so we ordered the chicken parmigiana which came with some complementary spagheti on the side (41LE) We were already stuffed with the starters & the complimentary freshly baked oregano bread with garlic dip (absolutley yummilicious) so we had to get the Parmigiana packed in a take away container. Reminder to self - Do not order 2nd course in Egypt until you have seen the first course.

We just finished up with a Cappucino & Latte for 11 LE each. They do have a wonderful variety of options on the menu. Worth a visit. It may seem on the pricier side, for a chain restaurant, but this is the range for decent Italian food in Cairo.

Britannia & Co, Bombay - Berry Pulao and Good Parsi Food

"Mildew-covered strange old buildings", are the words that come to mind each time I'm in Ballard Estate. The reason for today's visit - food, more specifically a type of food , even more specifically a restaurant and to be honest one particular dish - Berry Pulao . What am I talking about you say ? - good ole' Britannia of course. At the corner of this hugely commanding wonder of oxidation, the War Memorial and opposite New Customs House, where "new" is a tag the building has long grown out of is "Britannia & Co - ." A restaurant whose philosophy is "There is no love greater than the love of eating," puts everything into perspective for me, another self affirming moment in my short life.

Even though you count the Parsi joints in Bombay[well in India] on your fingers, Edward VIII, Ideal Corner, Jimmy Boy, Paradise, Piccolo just to name a few, but out of all these places Britannia & Co is pretty special. I'm not taking about their fabulous Dhansak which I would count as the best dhansak I've ever eaten after Dorabjee's Poona of course - it's their Berry Pulao. A dish that makes them unique. As BusyBee famously said, "If it's Berry Pulao, it must be Britannia."

Britannia and Company Restaurant,
Wakefield House,
11 Sprott Road,
16, Ballar Estate (Pier);
(91-22) 22615264.
Open for lunch, snacks and drinks
Monday through Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., but lunch only 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.
Closed Sunday.
No reservations or credit cards.

Read the Entire Photoblog here

Samovar, Mumbai

Samovar
Jehangir Art Gallery
Kala Ghoda
2284 8000, 2204 7276

A lot of people in Mumbai have huge nostalgic value attatched to Samovar. There's an entire wall with little notes scribbled on it begging the "Powers That Be" not to shut it down.

The ambience is really great. A narrow corridor (reminiscent of a train dining car) overlooking the sparse lawns of the art gallery nearby & the lusher lawns of the Prince of Wales Museum in the distance. Little four seater tables with a platform running across the wall that can also be used for a slightly cramped seating.

Service is efficient, polite and helpful. The waiters are mostly old-timers who could share a lot of interesting stories if given the time. Young Hussain, Sabavala, Shiva Naipaul, Amitabh Bacchan used to eat here or so claims the Times Food Guide, Mumbai.

Most items on the menu are below Rs 100/- Tea and coffee will not be served without eats between 1pm and 3pm because of the lunch rush. We didn't enjoy the food too much. But quite liked the ambience.

By the way, Samovar is closed on Sunday's.

Prithvi Cafe, Mumbai

Prithvi Cafe
Prithvi Theatre
Janki Kutir
Juhu Road
Mumbai
2617 4118, 2614 9546

One of the most relaxed, positive energy places to sit down and slowly sip a coffee or enjoy a meal with friends in Mumbai.

The cafe adjoins the theatre and hence a lot of theatre personalities are always hanging around the place. Makarand Deshpande is a regular as are Anurag Kashyap and the rest of his troupe. They are there almost daily. You also find a lot of TV celebs hanging around in the evening. Will someone be kind enough to tell them that they can't learn acting by hanging around a theatre cafe ?

Its open air (they need to take special permission for the tarp cover during the monsoons)Circular & rectangular tables. Seating is stone ledges attached to the walls or little stools with bamboo legs.

If you are there for a quick bit before a play, I would recommend the hot coffee (35), irish coffee(60), fresh lime soda (30) or cold coffee. The strong Irish Coffee is an open secret at Prithvi. If you have time for a quick bite and have a sweet tooth, the gajar halwa, caramel custard or chocolate brownie are definitely worth it. Something namkeen try the fish/prawn koliwada-150/- (could have been spicier) or cheese balls -45/-.

If you have time for dinner, sip on an Irish Coffee or Iced Tea (40) and enjoy the Dabbawala Ghosht, Raan (1 kg of meat so take some friends along), Chingri Malai Curry(160, Sizzlers, Pasta, parathas, Calcutta style rolls. Main courses typically work out to approximately 150 per person.

The cafe has 4 menus. One for beverages. One for light snacks. One for Indian food & one for continental. The service is friendly. They do take so time but thats part of the laid back experience, but don't try to order dinner if you have arrived half an hour before the show. Chances are you will either have to miss the show or request them to reheat it for you once the show is over.

The Rice Boat, Mumbai

The Rice Boat
Aram Nagar
2 JP Road
Versova
Andheri (W)
2633 6688, 2632 6688

Another restaurant from the RB chain & this one is fantastic.

Just walk into the restaurant & the quiet waterfalls on the walls immediately soothe your senses. The waiters are all dressed in Mallu Mundus & the chef is out there in the restaurant making piping hot appams in front of your eyes.

The food is divine. The fish & sea food is extremely fresh & cooked to exactly the right extent. The Kerala spices make ordinary food smell and taste wonderful. The Kanava Olarthiatu at Rs.95 was an excellent starter of squid done to perfection. Since we like spicy food, we had the Travancore Neimeen Curry (rs.140) and the Aleppy Konju curry (Rs.175). The great thing is you can choose your masala & decide what bit of sea food you want in it. The appams are 20 each unless you want them fancied up like egg appam or flower appam (rs.30) No the flower appam doesn't have any floral additions, its just shaped like a flower which is a pretty decent feat. The Malabaari biryani was so-so, felt almost like rice had been mixed with a thin mutton gravy. But the rest of the food was fabulous.

Total damages party of 3 was around 900/- which is very good VFM for the ambience and the food. They serve alcohol too. They have not yet started home delivery though.

Underdeck, Hyderabad

Under Deck

Taj Banjara

Rd No. 1

Banjara Hills

Hyderabad - 500 034

Ph : 040 5566 9999



The whole place is designed to give you a nautical feel. As you descend the stairs and even before you enter the pub, the flooring is covered with the same metal plates that the deck of a ship is. A few well placed lifebuoys and other props at the entrance just emphasise the name. The inside of the pub has a nice rich wooden panelling all over. This pub is a little on the smaller side but the décor is really cool if you are looking for a place with a difference. Although I can tell you that none of the ships that I have been on has interiors anything like this pub but then again, who cares ?



They have a live band playing there quite often. Music is normally good recognisable, lyrical music. Not the trance, house rubbish you get at the so called "hapenning" places. They have karaoke nites sometimes and the junta that comes up to sing is normally really good. Lots of firang and expat crowd here. Mostly the people put up @ the hotel. But the atmosphere is quite chilled and relaxed. Jeans and t-shirt is more than acceptable here as are sandals for the guys. So banish the thought of a stuffy 5 star pub.



Rates are ok. BOB is 100 to 160 depending on size and brand. Cocktails are classified into the 275 / 295 and 325 categories. Didn't try any, so wouldn't comment. Old Monk is 125 and Bacardi is 150. Prices go upto 2500 for a peg of blue label. Complementary popcorn and nuts are served in good quantities with the drinks. Their snacks are quite yummy too.



The staff dressed in white with sailor scarves is very polite and obliging altho its sometimes difficult to catch their eye once the crowd increases.



Decent place especially for winding down at the end of a weekend on Sunday nite, or even mid week relaxation.

Windsor Pub, Bangalore

7 Kodava Samaj Building,

1st Main, Vasanthnagar

Ph : 2258847





The seating and ambience is like Tom's but homelier. (Maybe because of the smaller area, but you kind of get the feeling of being in the drawing room of a house shared by a few bachelors). The cashier doubles as the CJ (Casette Jockey). Music is close to Pecos in taste and a 5 star restaurant in volume. Audible but not ear-threatening. Chairs are for sitting, tables are for resting your glasses, plates and bottles.



A whole lot of MIT (as in Manipal not Massachusettes) alumni haunt this place. Total relaxed mood prevails, no false facades, no minimalistic outfits except of course the bermudas sported by most of the clientele. 4 of us shared a pitcher + 2 mugs of beer (they do not offer any other alcohol... like pecos) + 4 steaks + 2 desserts + 2 xtra orders of garlic bread + an iced tea. The bill came up to about Rs.750/- They have some excellent kerala style sea food dishes and the steaks here are great. A relaxed evening would involve getting out of your business casuals and into your lounging clothes and hawai chappals. Get on your 2 wheeled thunder and rip across to Windsor Pub. Do not forget to leave your cell phone at home. Have 2 beers while the highlights of the days match plays on the TV screen so close as to let you feel i'ts is your own private TV. Finish with a steak of your choice and garlic bread. Mmmm.... Heaven on earth.





http://www.tulleeho.com/bc/bar.asp?ID=176&City=Bangalore

Black Cadillac, Bangalore

Cha Che Towers,

50 Residency Road.





Located in Cha Che Towers. Same place as the White Dwarf. Opposite Purple Haze & Zapp. How many more landmarks do you want ???? Having entered Bangalore lately, I haven't seen BC in its previous avataar, so someone else might like to elaborate on that. But they have supposedly gone in for a revamp (which was why it had been closed 4 eternity, or what felt like it). It is located in the basement of chache towers (now isn't there some legislation against that in Bangalore city????)



As you walk in, the blue lighting hits you and so does the smell of food. Have you entered a pub or a restaurant you think as it looks more like a garden restaurant than a snazzy pub. Then you go inside where you do get the pubby feel (if u get wot i mean) And then you also have the option of moving outside into the open air. aah heaven !!! not to be clogged down by cigarette smoke!!!. There are these broken up vintage cars postioned along the wall. But they don't distract you for too long from the eyesore of the peeling paint of the rest of the building in whose basement BC is located. Music is good. Mostly retro, but now, they do ease in to crowd demand once-in-a-way and play the noise that passes off as music these days.



BOB is between .7 for an ice beer and 1.1 for others. Rum is about 70 for old monk and 75 for bacardi. The kababs weren't too good so I wouldn't recommend snacking here. Instead of being tender and juicy, they seemed encrusted in something resembling chinese rather than indian cooking. The raja special wasn't good either. So don't eat @ this place. No complimentary snacks. Snacks range between 75 - 200.



This piece wouldn't be complete till I share the PJ's about their washrooms. The gents room says "Elton John" and the Ladies says "Olivia Newton John". Nice place to relax when you want to go to a hip joint where u don't have to feel ashamed of your age or figure because of the over-abundance of anorexic 15+s .



Published on www.tulleeho.com in 2001

http://www.tulleeho.com/bc/bar.asp?ID=172&City=Bangalore

Zapp, Bangalore

Below Purple Haze

Residency Road





Remember the discoesque thing that Purple Haze had opened on its first floor called Funky Town ??? Well its been given a makeover and is called "Zapp" in its new avataar. Going by the success of all the retro nites in this pub city, the owners decided that this pub would only play retro stuff. Music is ultra cool for all the yuppies who no longer can understand the stuff played in pubs on "regular" days. Total jiveable, danceable numbers. They do not yet have a video collection as good as Purple Haze itself, but u can c the beginnings of it. They play the videos of whatever song is playing. See the similarity with Purple Haze as opposed to Urban Edge where he plays anything and passes it off for music while "Tom & Jerry" cavort on the big screen.The DJ is accomodating with requests but not about playing after 11:00PM.



Seating is warm and cozy. As the volume isn't ear-drum blasting it is possible to carry on a conversation with some effort (that is if you aren't jiving away on the floor). They have these little cabins along the wall and tables down the center. The dance floor is 70's style with lights on the floor that throw their beams upwards. Food is decent : we had some chicken tikkas and some other stuff. MOB is Rs80/- BOB depends on the brand. Cocktails were 150 onwards. The coconut daiquiri was good, the pina colada a little too sweet but ok. This pub opened on the 27th of July and hasn't really promoted itself too well, so it is relatively undiscovered. Give it a couple of weeks and it will evolve into a hipper Catholic Club without the price discounts on alcohol.



http://www.tulleeho.com/bc/bar.asp?ID=177&City=Bangalore

Cosmo Village, Bangalore

Midway between Shoppers Stop and Brigade Road.





Nice quiet joint. In the early days (2-3 years back) they used to have these really comfy sofas where you could put your feet up (literally), sample some fusion cuisine and enjoy your drink. The low lit, no music blasting kind of place.



Although Cosmo has gone in for 3 new looks for its 3 floors, the music is still at a pleasant decibel level, the waiters still courteous. and the ambience is still something out of a 60's Hollywood flick. At least at the terrace level.



The terrace level is something like the 180 Proof garden in a way. With individual sofas and an eclectic yet comfy feel about it. Of the other 2 levels, one reminded me of the 180 ft restaurant in Indiranagar. The other was comfy sofas in an air conditioned room. The terrace level's my favourite because of the added open air advantage.



Drinks are about a 100 bucks a peg. CD's are 20-25 bucks extra. Snacks are in the 100-250 range. They serve good dinner too. So if you want to make a meal of Khau Sway or a similar single dish meal after you are done with the liquid refreshments, then this is a nice place to go to.



Ideal for a casual, open yet intimate kind of evening.



http://www.tulleeho.com/bc/bar.asp?ID=210&City=Bangalore

Pecos, Bangalore

Rest House Road.

Ph: 5586047

Timings:11:30 A.M to 11 P.M

Pitcher : ~ rs120/.



Editor's Note:"Upstairs to the loo, downstairs for cigarettes, no wonder our regulars are so fit". When a place spends money on Sista's to produce copy like this you can tell that they're doing well and that there's a method to their popularity. Peco's is the only place so far for which we have received 3 reviews from our readers. Given our paucity of Bangalore reviews, we were tempted to put all three up. On with the review:



Peco's is near Resthouse road, just off Brigade road. It's open from 11:00AM-2:30PM and 5:30PM-11:30PM.



Promotion posters from Pecos jolt you with their message. "Listen to the guys from whom Michael should Learn to Rock". Well the guy who had last occupied my flat had this poster up on his bedroom wall, and I of course couldn't wait to get to this place, having just arrived in the Pub city of Bangalore.



So we went. And I was entranced. For anyone who is a beer guzzler, Pecos is heaven. They only serve Kingfisher draught beer. So I can't give you a BOB. A Mug is rs22/- and a Pitcher is around 120/- and no there aren't any zeroes missing. I have found that this is the most reasonable pub to be drinking beer in in Bangalore. A free plate of snacks is served with each Pitcher. Food is decent. A plate of chicken is in the range of 50-55 bucks.



Music played is Woodstock time and type. Volume is just about right. Portraits of Woodstock musicians line the walls that aren't already covered by murals. Half the wall resembles red bricks which gives you a feel of being in a daru ka thekha. They have tables and bar stools. 2 floors plus a terrace. The downside of the terrace is that no amps have been fitted in there, but it feels good to be sitting in the open air. Pecos has a circular staircase and most evenings the pub is so full that you find junta sitting on these stairs. So ladies beware of wearing skirts if you intend to come in late or leave early.



It is shut, as most pubs in Bangalore are, between 2:30PM and 5:30PM.



Well after all this there has to be a downside, since nothing's perfect, right ?



Pecos serves only beer. No cocktails, no hard liquor, only beer.



So if your batch reunion includes a beer guzzling competition then Pecos is the place to meet at.



Published on www.tulleeho.com in 1999. Still on the site.

http://www.tulleeho.com/bc/bar.asp?ID=5&City=Bangalore