Bengaluru welcomes Made In Punjab

After Farzi Cafe, Massive Restaurants bought Made in Punjab to Bengaluru, a smart-casual dining brand having a menu covering the rich agricultural regions surrounding the rivers Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej. I really enjoy relishing North Indian food once a while, may be because my roots are from north. I haven't had good North Indian food in Bangalore much apart from countable restaurants which serve them. After a grand launch of Made In Punjab, located at Level 2 of UB City, next to Farzi Cafe, I had to visit the place to try their menu.

I was very well aware that the full will be rich and filling so I made sure that full portions were not served and I get to taste as many dishes as possible. With some conversations poured in the mocktails and cocktails for the lunch. I tried Khatta Meetha which was little more meetha, may be because of my sweetness ;) and Minty Apple which is a refreshing mocktail and my friend enjoyed his cocktails, Cucumber based Vodka drink Cu Cu Fizz.

Then came the starters, Tokri Chaat was delectable with mini potato baskets with green peas, crispy colocassia and chutneys. Legacy Tandoori Champ was my favorite which had lamb ribs which were spice, meaty and juicy.

Next, Gabbar prawns was served where the prawns were marinated with chili yogurt and roasted in tandoor was lightly flavored. Dahee Pataka was spiced yogurt croquettes served with mint chutney which really stood out. And LOL Tikki was my most favorite, leg of lamb patty infused with bone marrow which is slow cooked for 6 hours served with mint and tomato chutney was delish, it was melt in the mouth dish.

Then came Karara Bhatti Paneer Tikka, soft paneer marinated with bhatti spice with roasted papad coating and it is tandoor roasted. I do not enjoy eating Broccoli much but Broccoli Badam which had broccoli marinated with chili garlic almond, tandoor roasted and fried broccoli becomes a very filling yet delicious dish.

Make sure you do not fill your stomach with starters else you will never enjoy their main course which shouldn't be missed otherwise. Luxury B.C. (I mean Butter Chicken) is a must try as they present to you their version of sinful butter chicken using the best goan cashews, firangi tomatoes, fresh white butter and Punjab dairy cream. The dish is coated with silver varq adding to the luxury of the dish.

Agar tussi veg ho then try the Lahsooni Palak Chenna which has shredded spinach, chenna along with onion tomato masala, another rich gravy from the lavish menu.

Don't miss Mummy da pyaar anymore as you relish Maa ki Daal which is a classic dal makhani, every morsel is worth it.

All these mains, you could enjoy with roti, naan's or paratha. I can't wait to head here again to try Nalli Hard kaur which is much appreciated by their other guest. Their menu has equal importance give to veg and non veg items so no one is going hungry from here :)

If you still have some space for dessert, which you should save some like I tried the Ras 'Dates' Malai which is a classic rasmalai with dates rabri. And next was Gaushalla Di Kulfi, condensed milk ice cream dipped in berry cream and khus falooda.

I wanted get a taste of their lassi so I requested for tasting portion only of their Kesar lassi. Only wish I had another stomach to relish more of their dishes but I guess I have to save some for my following visits.

The happiness on my face clearly tells the good meal I had with the staff being very courteous. I have visited MIP twice till now and my visit has given me a happy tummy and a tongue longing for more food :) As the pricing of the dishes is reasonable, do not wait for any occasion and head to this award winning restaurant soon.

Bangalore opens its door to Farzi Cafe

Farzi cafe is a popular eating joint in Delhi and Mumbai and recently Bangalore opened its arms for their new outlet.  Farzi Cafe, a place globally known for creating an illusion with its cuisine, is a part of Massive Restaurants Pvt Ltd which also houses two other multi award winning brands under them – Masala Library and Made in Punjab. It follows a concept of Modern Indian Bistro which means it amalgamates traditional global cuisines with Indian classics and adds drama in terms of contemporary presentations and culinary styles. A visit to this place is sure to leave you mesmerised as the cafe incorporates molecular gastronomy and various table theatrics to keep you entertained till the end. It is situated in the 2nd Level of UB City, a prior reservation is highly recommended.

I have visited the cafe a couple of times and below I'm listing down my 10 favorite dishes from my experience (Oh, I'm yet to explore their entire menu so below are my favorites from the dishes I have tried, you can share your favorites too for my next visit)

As I had cold I chose a Farzi OK mocktail which was warm while my friends enjoyed Bubbling LIIT and Kala Jamun. They have variety of cocktails which my friends usually enjoy on their visits.

Let me start with desserts as I have sweet tooth for it. They did not have Bailey's lollipop so I'm excluding it from my list.

Ras Malai Tres Leches - Rasmalai has always been my favorite and this rasmalai has carrot halwa filling which makes it a filling dessert.

Parle G Cheesecake - Cheesecake sanwiched between Parle G biscuit with some gems topping and dipped in rabdi, heavenly.

Elneer Payasam Popsicles - Heard of this before? You should just try it without thinking about it, a dessert turned into a popsicle.

In main course, there are various options but my 2 favorites are listed below.

Butter Chicken Bun - Delicious butter chicken sandwiched between bao or as I like it to be called, idli.

Mutton Kuzhambhu Madurai Podi Appam - Appam which is made with edible charcoal and a south indian mutton curry makes the best meal.

For starters, my favorites are listed below.

Dal Chawal Arancini - A twist to traditional food of dal chawal.

Tempura Fried Prawn - This will always be my favorite with the nimbu mirch air.

Braised Lamb Boti Tacos - Tender lamb pieces in a taco makes it a delectable and tummy filling combination.

Tandoori Dak Banglow Chicken - Tandoori chicken is loved by many and is also my favorite.

Vada Pav - This is a reversed vada pav with the pav in the vada.

I tried Mini Raj Kachori & Tandoori Wild Mushrooms, Truffle and Walnut Dust too but they do not make it to my favorite list.

Some cleansing pops to clear the taste.

And anyone for paan gujiya's to end the meal?

Hope you enjoy a farzi experience soon but don't forget to make a reservation.

Biryani and kebab Festival at Howard Johnson, Bangalore

Who doesn't love BIRYANI? Me, as I am very particular about the taste and do not like every biryani which is served. So I was very apprehensive to attend the sneak peak of the Biryani and Kebab festival at Howard Johnson, Bangalore. Firstly, Howard Johnson is located in Hebbal and is a business hotel. The festival starts from 12th August and ends on 23rd August 2015.

On a sunny Saturday, I made my way to the hotel to try the kebab's and Biryani's. I started with the veg kebab's. Subz Shikhampuri, assorted vegetable patties stuffed with hung curd and cheese which is grilled to perfection. Bahori Kebab, kebab made from spinach, yum pounded with aromatic Indian spices. Aloo Nazakat, potatoes stuffed with dry fruits, mashed potatoes and green peas cooked in tandoor. Paneer Gul Mohar Kebab, cottage cheese stuffed with Kohya, Dry fuits marinated in Indian spices and cooked in tandoor. I was impressed with the veg kebab's. They were cooked well and tasted very good. The veg kebab's are priced at Rs.275

Next were non veg kebab's. Starting with Galauti Kebab, kebabs from Awadhi kitchen made from fine mined lamb marinated and smoked with aromatic spices and grilled. This was perfect. Next was, Labe-e- Mahi Muskan, succulent pieces of fish marinated in curd and spices cooked in tandoor. By far, one of the most tastiest fish I have ever had. Murgh Gillafi seek, chicken sheekh kebab marinated with cheese, Cashewnut and coated with bell papers cooked in Tandoor was very tasty too. Maas Ke Shole, scrumptious pieces of baby lamb marinated with Indian herbs and spices, cooked to perfection. The non veg kebab's were a lot better, I am being biased as I enjoy non veg more ;) The non veg kebab's are priced between Rs.275-300 plus taxes. Apologies for not clicking pics for the kebab's as they were very tasty and I was busy relishing the taste.

I really enjoyed the kebab's a lot so my expectations from the biryani were much higher. 4 veg and 4 non veg biryani were served, out of the 5 biryani's each available for the festival. I only tried the non veg biryani as I am not fond of veg biryani at all. The non-veg biryani ranges from Rs.325-350 plus taxes.

Lamhen Biryani, delectable lamb dumplings and basmati rice combination cooked with aromatic Indian spices was served. Minced lamb was perfect for my taste.

Thallesary Fish Biryani, fresh water fish cooked on slow fire with basmati rice along with delicate spices. I did not like this biryani, may be served a little hot and with some salan, it should be better.

Awadhi Murgh Biryani, chicken biryani cooked on 'dum' with long grain basmati rice and hand picked spices. This was my favorite out of all the biryani's I had.

Kolkotta Biryani, perfect combination of juicy lamb, potato and rice with Bengali masala. This gave me a homely feel as I like potato in my biryani.

Andhra Murgh Biryani, a spicy biryani made with chicken and khada masala. This wasn't served during the sneak peak.


The veg biryani which are available for festival are Subz Noor Mahal Biryani, Ambur Biryani, Hydrabadi Subz Biryani, Dolma Biryani and Chaman Biryani. The veg biryani ranges from Rs.310-325 plus taxes. Each biryani would be served with soup, salad and dessert of the day.

A watermelon mocktail and Virgin Sangria was enjoyed during the meal. Virgin Sangria was a perfect blend of juices. One of the best places to enjoy this mocktail in Bangalore. And for dessert, I enjoyed every bite of Rasmalai as it is my favorite and was made very well.

The chef and the team were very open to suggestions and reviews for improvement so that they could make the food delectable when the festival starts. I am sure, the suggestions were taken and incorporated. Hope you enjoy the festival :)