Olive Beach

For my next visit for the Restaurant Week, I picked Olive Beach. Olive Beach is one of Bangalore's most loved restaurants, both by the locals and expat crowd. The lovely romantic ambience, (usually) friendly service and delicious food crown this restaurant as a top favourite amongst many food lovers in Bangalore.

I hadn't been to Olive Beach in a few years and I thought it was about time that I visited the place. Also, their menu looked attractive and had more of a variety in starters and main course relative to the other restaurant's menus I checked out. I wanted to try out everything on the menu, so I decided to go with a bunch of my friends, so that all of us got a chance to sample everything.

Olive Beach's decor is really something to talk about, especially at night time. Everything from the blue gate that leads you to the restaurant, to all of the scented candles placed meticulously around, the soft lighting and lovely green everywhere makes this rank very high as far as ambience is concerned. The entire ambience creates for such a warm welcome that you can't help but just be wowed by it.We went on a Friday evening at 8 pm, and the restaurant already seemed half-full. I walked in and was greeted warmly by the gentleman at the reception. Upon confirming that I had booked a table for the Restaurant Week, the server who was appointed to guide us to our table immediately flashed a frown that never left his face for the entire duration of our meal.

We ordered our starters first, and decided to take one of each, as that was what we had decided. Our server said that we had to order all the 3-courses upfront as it would take time (that didn't make sense to me, how does ala carte work here?). We ordered all the 3-courses like he asked us to, and he left grumpily. I found the server extremely rude in the manner he asked us to order upfront (we had no idea that that was the concept) and he seemed really impatient and irritated when we were discussing who would order which main course/dessert (there were many options and each one had their own preference). 

Once our order was placed, we were starving and wanted to munch on something. We waited for the bread basket for about 10 minutes, but it never came. I wasn't sure whether it was not included for the RWI meal or whether our server genuinely forgot/didn't bother serving us. I finally caught the attention of another server and asked him about the bread basket, upon which we received two plates of bread with olives and butter within 5 minutes. The bread was fresh and incredibly soft and we downed it in no time.

Soft, warm bread and olives.

Our starters soon arrived and we couldn't wait to dig in. I ordered the Potato and Cream Cheese Chowder with sauteed bacon, scallions, carrots and sweet corn (anything with bacon does me in very easily). When I first tried the soup, it didn't taste anything extraordinary, but after having more of it, the cheese and corn tasted lovely and the bacon was super yum. This was a decently sized portion, so fills you up quite quickly.

Potato and Cream Cheese Chowder

Our next starter was Tuna and Egg which was served with nicoise olives, baby potato chips and fresh arugula leaves drizzled with a 5-herbed vinaigrette. Despite the small size, the cut of the tuna was divine and went beautifully with the herbed arugula and the egg. We assumed that the egg was hard boiled by the way it looked, and when we poked it with our fork, that lovely yolk oozed out to coat the arugula as well, offering a party of flavours in our mouths with the tuna. The potato chips were a little too soft for my liking.

Tuna and Egg with arugula

The next starter was the Wild Green Filo Pie where the filling of spinach, mustard and radish leaves were sauteed with garlic, almonds and feta and baked in filo pastry sheets. This wasn't too memorable in terms of taste, as I was really hoping the punch of the mustard or the saltiness of the feta would hit me, but never did. The light filo pastry sheet and the almonds in the filling added nice texture to the pie.

Wild Green Filo Pie

Our next starter was the Baby Mushroom Tart Tatin, which was slow poached mushrooms  layered with a creamy, herbed goat cheese mixture and mushroom ragu in handrolled pastry. Mushrooms and goat cheese generally pair well and this tart didn't disappoint at all. The taste of the goat cheese was highly discernible and blended well with the mushroom ragu. The tart could have been crispier though.

Baby Mushroom Tart Tatin

Our final starter was the Smoked Chicken Salad in a hummus yoghurt dressing served with apple straws, pomegranate and walnuts. I have always been a fan of the chicken and apple combination, so I knew I'd like this salad; I just wasn't sure about the hummus dressing on it though (I never considered fruits dipped in hummus as an idea even). My doubts were put to rest when I tried this salad and fell in love with it instantly. The different combination of textures and flavours in this dish surprises you and you're bound to love it. The meatiness of the chicken, crunchiness of the walnuts, tartness of the apple, sourness of the hummus yoghurt dressing and bite of the pomegranate made this a highly memorable salad for all of us.

The super yummy Smoked Chicken Salad.

Our general reactions to the starters were mixed, but we liked most of them. We geared up for our mains and they soon began to arrive. Again, we took one of each, and I decided to go for a vegetarian option and the moment I spotted Gnocchi on the menu, I was sold and ordered it immediately. This turned out to be decision I regretted.

I had ordered the Gnocchi Alla Romana, the Roman style of gnocchi preparation which was a baked dish made of semolina, Parmesan and cornmeal. It tasted abysmal. There was no seasoning, no flavour to it and the dish tasted plain awful to me. I passed it on for the rest of my friends to try, and they concurred. The gnocchi was served with grilled asparagus and artichoke, but they offered little redemption. What I wanted was the traditional gnocchi stuffed with potato or any other vegetable, and I received something I didn't like. I decided to speak to the chef and he told me  that this was the Roman style and that this was the way they served it. He was highly courteous and offered to replace it with another dish, and I decided to go with the risotto, that was also on the menu.

Gnocchi Alla Romana

My bigger problem was with the fact that the gnocchi preparation/style wasn't mentioned clearly on the menu. Gnocchi Alla Romana wasn't clear to me that it would be anything but the stuffed gnocchi pasta. There should be no room for ambiguity in such a case, and I was mighty disappointed with what I received.

My (replaced) dish arrived, which was a Goat Cheese Risotto with wine soaked pearl onions, spinach and herbs. One look at the dish and I could tell that the rice wasn't cooked long enough. The biggest part of cooking risotto is the constant stirring of the Arborio rice and adding plenty of stock/water to cook it well leaving it just to the bite. This rice was nearly crunchy, not cooked well at all and the flavour of the goat cheese didn't seem to come through at all, making this just as bad as, if not worse than my gnocchi dish. I didn't bother complaining about the risotto as I'd already sent a dish back before and didn't want to make a scene. Overall, I was disappointed with my main course.

Goat Cheese Risotto

Our other main course was the Moroccan Chicken Stew, which was a stew of marinated braised chicken thigh with chickpeas, okra, pearl onions, and served with minted saffron rice pilaf. The stew was very ordinary and honestly, it didn't leave a lasting impression enough that I could write something here about it. I also found the chicken a little tough and the chickpeas hard, and not soft like I would have liked it to be.

Moroccan Chicken Stew

The other mains ordered included the Crusted Sea Bass, which was a parmesan crusted fish with mushroom duxelle and romesco and the Roasted Tenderloin with oxtail and mushroom ragu, pearl onions, green peas puree and fondant potato. The sea bass was lovely with that parmesan crust and the mushrooms went very well with the fish. The tenderloin received mixed reviews on the table and I felt that oxtail and mushroom ragu didn't complement the tenderloin well. I loved the peas puree and fondant potato though.

Crusted Sea Bass

Roasted Tenderloin

Unimpressed with our mains, we looked forward to our desserts with little or no anticipation; but we were pleasantly surprised when the desserts did come along, as they were nothing short of brilliant. First came the Warm Apple Tart with green apple jam, candied apples, cream cheese mousse and praline ice-cream. The apple and cream cheese mouse was a delightful combination and the praline ice-cream added the right amount of sweetness and a lovely crunch that went well with the tart.

Warm Apple Tart

Next came the Lemon Mousse served with a warm citrus cake with vanilla sauce and lemon sable. I LOVED the lemon mousse, and thought it had just the right amount of tang that made it perfect in every way. But trying to finish it single-handedly might be a challenge, as after a few bites, the collective sourness and tang of the citrus cake and lemon sable begin to take over, making it a little too tangy. The next dessert was the Brioche Almond Pudding with frangipane, blueberry compote and vanilla gelato. This dessert was nice, but not memorable. The frangipane had that lovely sweet nuttiness of the almonds that matched the sweet tang of the blueberry compote.

Lemon Mousse

Brioche Almond Pudding

The hero of the dessert round was eggless Chocolate Cake with chocolate cremeux, vanilla cream, cherry and berry sorbet. We simply expected this to be a regular chocolate cake but this cake wowed everyone's tastebuds in an instant. The chocolate cremeux provide for 3 flavours - a lovely sweetness, followed by a slight bitterness and elevated by a salted edge. A hint of chilli was probably the only thing missing. :)

The orgasmic creamy Chocolate Cake

Our 3-course meal finally came to an end and it had its fair share of ups and downs. For me, however, the service (particularly with our server) was very disappointing. He was rude and indifferent to us from the moment we got into the restaurant and was very indifferent throughout. I wouldn't dismiss it as him having a bad day, because he was very friendly with the group next to us, but apathetic only towards us. I gave my feedback in the form given, but I don't know what help that would be of.

My final rating:
Food - 6/10
Ambience - 10/10
Service - 2/10
Verdict - Save your appetite for the indulgent desserts, don't expect the best in food and service!

I've mostly only read glowing reviews of Olive Beach, but my experience wasn't as great as everyone hypes it up to be. The food was merely above average, and the restaurant bill would indeed dent your wallet. If you did try the RWI at Olive Beach, do leave a comment below. I'd love to know how your experience was! :)

Olive Beach is located at: 16, Wood Street, Ashok Nagar, Off Brigade Road, Bangalore
Ph: 080 41128400/+91 9945565483
Parking: Valet available

Caperberry

Caperberry is one of my favourite restaurants in Bangalore. The food has always been top notch, service has been personal, friendly and very attentive and the ambience speaks of sheer indulgence. I always try to stop by here once every 3 - 4 months for a nice meal, because dining here often could burn a serious hole in my pocket.

I had a good work week and felt like being indulgent and decided to go to Caperberry for a good meal. I've usually tried only their a la carte menu, and decided to try something different this time. I decided to go for the 7-course tasting menu that I had heard so much about, and being in a happy mood in general made me think that this was going to be worth it. They also had an option of a 9-course meal, which aside from everything in the 7-course meal, included a scallop dish and a crabmeat risotto, both of which neither my friend nor I were interested in.

Caperberry's interiors are very aesthetically done - the decor is very tasteful and the walls are beautifully done up; it exudes class by itself. The restaurant by itself is known for its brilliant dishes backed by innovation and plenty of taste, thanks to Chef Abhijit Saha. Caperberry was one of the first restaurants to introduce Bangalore to molecular gastronomy. While we were waiting for our meal, our server promptly brought us some Olive Bread and Bread Sticks accompanied with a Pesto and Mayo dip. The smell of bread wafted right out of the kitchen as it was freshly made. I tore the bread and it practically crumbled in hand and was downright delicious. I wiped the bread bowl clean and shamelessly went for seconds, a request our server obliged with no qualms (I'm usually met with scowling faces when I ask for 'extra' bread, crisps, stuff that is usually offered complimentary at restaurants).

Freshly baked bread

Our first course was a Tuna Tartare which had Kikkoman soy, gari, wrapped with nori, topped with passion fruit caviar and sprinkled with sesame seeds. This was served with a dollop of Wasabi sauce. The texture of the tuna was crumbly, but I really enjoyed the taste. It represented the typical Pan Asian flavour and the soy, gari and nori packed a punch. I personally wasn't a fan of the passion fruit caviar paired with the tuna, but I think you could get used to the taste. I would have liked more of Wasabi.

Tuna Tartare

Our next course was Chicken Spaghetti with fresh Bocconcini. Our server came to a table ready to pour the warm tomato basil consomme over the spaghetti. I didn't have much expectations from the dish, thinking it was a regular pasta dish, until I realized that the spaghetti was actually made out of chicken. The meat flavour really kicked in and the spaghetti was bloody delicious! My friend and I were blown away with the way the spaghetti tasted and the taste of the chicken stood out fantastically. The Bocconcini was nice and creamy and paired beautifully with the spaghetti. I was not a big fan of the consomme as it tasted like a watered down tomato juice to me. Spice lovers might not enjoy this dish too much, as it's a little bland, but bang on when it comes to flavours.

Chicken Spaghetti with Bocconcini

Our third course was Potato Scale John Dory served with orange segments, orange dill sauce and topped with a lemon foam. The potato tasted amazing. Imagine the taste of the best hash brown that you've ever had and multiply it by twenty. That's how good this was. The John Dory fish is something I usually enjoy, because of its butter-like consistency. This fish too melted right in my mouth and the orange segments and sauce gave this a nice, punchy taste. The lemon foam was a little too zesty, especially when there was already enough citrus in the dish.

Potato Scale John Dory

The fourth course was a drink - Virgin Cryo Margarita, served to cleanse the palate. The drink was refreshing and there was a nice, strong hit of lemon and ginger. Neither of us could finish the whole thing as we were already a little full, and we still had 3 more courses to go. Also, what fascinated me about this drink was that it was sizzling when it was brought to the table and our server asked us to wait a few minutes before we drank it. The chef had used liquid nitrogen in getting the desired effect. Liquid nitrogen is nitrogen which is held in a liquid state at a very low temperature. On immediate contact with food, liquid nitrogen boils and envelops food, rapidly evaporating the liquid nitrogen into plumes of nitrogen gas bubbles which crystalise and freeze.  As a result a kind of "steam" of nitrogen bubbles is formed which solidifies into micro-crystals to freeze food instantaneously. We then had to 'crack' the margarita open to drink it, which was a fun experience.

Virgin Cryo Margarita

Our fifth course, and the highlight of our meal was the Smoked Pork Belly which was served with a nice apple-onion relish, turnip puree, saute potato and flavoured with a red wine sauce. When they say smoked, they do really mean smoked, because the pork belly was served under a closh to retain all its smoke and flavour. Our server lifted the closh and the smoke hit me - delicious, sweet aroma of the pork belly being beautifully smoked. The pork was crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. It tasted out of this world and is probably the best pork dish I've had in Bangalore yet. The turnip puree and potato were great accompaniments to the pork.

Smoked Pork Belly

By now, we were pretty full, but saved some space, as there is always room for dessert! The first dessert was the Goat Cheese Timbale. The goat cheese was the base, topped with cut kiwi, candied orange peel, pistachio, demerara sugar and a Parmesan crackling. I loved the dessert, but I should warn you that it's an acquired taste. The nuttiness of the cheese, with the delicious kiwi and candied orange all merged beautifully for a very lovely dessert. I'm not sure if the Parmesan crackling went well with the dessert.

Goat Cheese Timbale 

The final course was Frozen Chocolate Ganache Powder which honestly looked something like a combination of Indian masalas over cocoa powder. The reason for the varied colours was the use of beetroot soil, mint soil and cinnamon powder over the ganache. This dish wins hands down when it comes to the varied textures. The chocolate powder is a little thick and sticks together and there is a burst of choco-shock flavour when you pop it in your mouth. The cinnamon and mint gave the chocolate flavour a nice lift and elevated it to the next level.

Frozen Chocolate Ganache Powder - a winner for producing amazing textures in your mouth!

We were really stuffed by the end of our meal, and I was pleasantly surprised as the menu was a tasting menu and the portions were quite small. Still, 7 courses do fill you up. I loved the distinct taste, flavour and texture of each dish that was served and savoured every morsel of what I ate.

I enjoyed my meal at Caperberry immensely, and the service was friendly and attentive as always. The staff always ensures that the customers are well taken care of. I ended up ordering a Mint Mojito while I was distracted on a call when I wanted a Watermelon Daiquiri. I was confused when the drink came, but later realized that I had indeed ordered the Mojito. The server didn't hesitate to offer me a Daiquiri instead and replaced the drink with no qualms.

I will definitely go back to Caperberry soon for an unforgettable meal. Also, Citibank's Restaurant Week has featured Caperberry as one of the restaurants that you could have a 3-course meal for just Rs.750 plus taxes. I have 4 restaurants that I'm already looking forward to try for the Restaurant Week. (this is not a promo, I just like to eat).

Food: 9/10

Service: 10/10
Ambience: 8/10

Verdict: A triple yes, whether it's the Special Menu or the Ala carte you're looking to try.

The 7-course Tasting Menu (non-vegetarian) is priced at Rs.2,000 plus taxes (per head). The 9-course meal (non-vegetarian) is priced at Rs.2,450 plus taxes.

Caperberry is located at 48/1 Ground Floor, The Estate Building, 121 Dickenson Road, MG Road.