With Bangalore's IT boom, the number of professionals with disposable cash keeps rising exponentially -- leading in turn to an explosion of options on the dining scene. We've reviewed a combination of upmarket eateries with excellent and very atmospheric budget alternatives.
As in Tamil Nadu, you can get a good, clean, wholesome vegetarian tiffin ("light meal") all over Bangalore. Most famous of all is MTR (reviewed below); but equally good for its Tamil Iyengar food, especially the must-have puliyogere (a kind of tamarind rice), is Kadambam (112 C South Block, Manipal Centre, Dickenson Rd.; other branches as well). Gold-framed pictures of deities line the wall, the simple open kitchen is spotless, the food is cheap and delicious, and the filter coffee -- if, that is, you've developed a taste for sweetened South Indian filter coffee -- extraordinary. For authentic Karnataka cuisine, Halli Mane (no. 14, 3rd Cross Rd., off Sampige Rd., Malleswaram; tel. 080/2346-9797) is Bangalore's busiest restaurant, serving pure vegetarian, dirt-cheap thalis, or buffet meals (Rs 69/$1.70/85p). Its tiled roof, basic furnishings, and stainless-steel crockery evoke the ambience of a typical rural home; chat with the friendly manager, Mr. Baburao, who will assist you in selecting just the right dishes for your palate. For affordable, nonvegetarian coastal Karnataka cuisine, Unicorn (94/3 Infantry Rd.; tel. 080/2559-1670) is great. The menu changes every week, but expect fish, coconut milk, and lots of flavor. And if you aren't hopping across to Hyderabad, have a taste of excellent Andhra cuisine at Bheemas (No. 31 Asha Building, Church St.; tel. 080/2558-7389) -- be sure to order the chilly chicken, Andhra style. The most delicious ice creams and sundaes are available at Corner House (44/1 Residency Rd.; tel. 080/2521-6312), which, owing to its popularity, is arguably the narrowest space with the biggest vibe in Bangalore. The Death By Chocolate (Rs 90/$2.20/£1.10) is just that -- no trip to Bangalore is complete without at least one shot at surviving it.
In the big hotels, besides Karavalli, reviewed below, the following are worth a mention: For North and South Indian cuisine, Jamavar at Leela Palace Kempinski (tel. 080/2521-1234) is one of Bangalore's class acts, with arguably the best tandoor dishes in town. For specialty South Indian cuisine, there's no better place than Dakshin (tel. 080/2226-9898), the upmarket restaurant at the Hotel Windsor Sheraton, with a menu that represents the best of all four southern states. It's hard to know what to order from their extensive menu ($25-$50/£13-£25), so go with the maitre d's recommendation or get a thali (the seafood thali, Rs 1,000/$24/£12, is fab). If your system needs a break from spicy cuisine, i-t.ALIA (reviewed below) is Bangalore's most stylish Italian restaurant; it's situated in The Park.hotel.
If you want to get out of the hotel atmosphere, head for Sunny's (Embassy Diamante, Vittal Mallaya Rd.; tel. 080/2224-3642), which has a spacious outdoor and indoor seating area and lounge bar. The eclectic menu is a reflection of Bangalore's growing sophistication. Favorites here include baked brie with toasted almonds; stir-fried calamari with basil and garlic; angel-hair pasta with fresh chunky tomatoes and extra-virgin olive oil; and the flavorful, slightly spiced lamb lasagna, served piping hot. Even better is Shiok, which means "yummy" in Malay (Indiranagar; tel. 080/4116-1800; www.shiokfood.com), a fine-dining restaurant-cum-cocktail-lounge run by owner-chef Madhu Menon, who has traveled extensively in the Far East to study different styles of cooking. Thai, Malay, Indonesian, and Singaporean dishes are on offer, with -- apparently -- more than 60% of the ingredients flown in from overseas, making it rather pricey in terms of "food miles"; that said, lemon grass chili prawns (Rs 300/$7.30/£3.70), spiced fish grilled in banana leaves (Rs 210/$5.10/£2.60), and vegetables in chili, garlic, and basil (Rs 125/$3/£1.55) are all recommended. If you happen to visit on the weekend, be sure to try the Singapore black-pepper crab ($23/£12).
Part of a chain, Olive Beach (16 Wood St., Ashok Nagar; tel. 080/4112-8400) lives up to its high culinary style and pulls in the city's who's who, just as it does in Mumbai and Delhi. Try just about any of the exoticas on the menu but definitely end with the Affogato -- a combination of coffee bean and Kahlua ice cream with amaretti bitter almond cookies.
