The Mask

Last week, a friend from Wooplr and I got together to check out this restaurant Mask, at the Aurick Boutique Hotel. Located at JP Nagar 6th Phase, the stretch is quite filled with a sizeable number of restaurants, and I must admit, this was only my second time venturing into the area. The last time I visited (which was 4 years back), it seemed quite dead, but is now blossoming with plenty of dining spots and coffee shops.

Notice how the wine glass craftily makes its way into the 'mask'.

The Aurick Boutique Hotel primarily has 3 places you could dine - 2 restaurants and one coffee shop that is open 24x7. The Maori restaurant focuses on Indo Pacific cuisine, while The Mask is a  resto bar serving continental fare. The view of the city from Mask is quite lovely, and it was a pity that I visited during lunch time. The view would be done more justice if I had probably stopped by for dinner instead.

I was definitely a big fan of the interiors.

Our server started us off with the mocktail of the day, which he claimed were Appletinis (though it had no alcohol), but was simply a weird apple milk shake (is that even a thing?). I then asked him for the cocktail menu, as I was looking forward to an icy drink on that particularly torrid afternoon, to which he simply shrugged and said there wasn't one. I could apparently order whatever I wanted, and he said he'd bring it. I ordered a Mojito, but received a pineapple-vodka drink with a splash of soda. He told me that's how they made a Mojito, I decided to stick to my bottled water.

As my drink disappointed me, I jumped on to the starters and ordered the Malaysian Style Prawn and on the chef's recommendation, we ordered the Swiss Meat Bowl. The prawn was described to be an Asian style of sweet and sour prawn dish, but we found it to be very Manchurian like, with bits of chillies, spring onions and capsicum thrown in. I thought it as a complete waste of good quality prawns. The meat bowl had 4 meat balls, that had minced chicken stuffed with mozzarella and then crumb fried. The chicken mince was a little too dry for my taste, and the cheese failed to make any impression whatsoever.

Malaysian Chilli Prawn - very reminiscent of the capsicum chilli-esque Manchurian dishes.

Swedish Meat Bowl with coleslaw

The chef also insisted that we try the new soup that wasn't yet featured on the menu, and we decided to go ahead with that. I got the Pumpkin and Cilantro Soup, neatly separated, and the flavour of the pumpkin really stood out wonderfully, which easily overshadowed that of the cilantro. My friend got the Onion and Cilantro Soup, which to me, wasn't the best combination. The onion soup also tasted more like a lighter version of a basic white sauce and didn't work with the cilantro for me.

Pumpkin and Coriander Soup - lovely combination of flavours.

Onion and Coriander Soup

Since we were exceptionally hungry, we also tried a salad each - I knew I was going to order the Caesar Salad simply because it was served with crispy bits of bacon (and is always a personal favourite). My friend picked a nice, light Greek Salad and decided to top it up with Prawns. I was in love with my Caesar Salad and the bacon bits added the perfect bite to the salad. The dressing, made in-house was fresh and delicious, and coated every bit of the Romaine lettuce. It was oddly topped with grated cheese and served on a bed of sliced tomatoes, that I didn't care for too much. My friend's Greek Salad was mighty disappointing though. We expected a light olive oil and vinegar dressing with herbs, but were instead met with a creamy mayo dressing for the Greek Salad that didn't have much Greek going for it. Lettuce coated in mayo, topped with prawns and a sprinkling of parsley and served on cucumber slices, instead of being tossed with the lettuce. This was their own version of the Greek Salad, I suppose. The only saving grace was the crumbled bits of Feta they served it with.

Caesar Salad with crispy bacon bits and topped with grated cheese

Greek Salad with Grilled Prawns in a thick, creamy dressing.

We finally proceeded to our mains where again, on the chef's recommendation, I ordered the Fish D Casa, which was a nice grilled fish served with creamy spinach sauce on a bed of spaghetti and a side of veggies. The fish was perfectly cooked and I loved the spinach sauce that topped it. The flavours really came together, and the veggies were seasoned with butter and herbs that gave it that extra kick. What also blew me away was the spaghetti, that was cooked perfectly al dente and was simply tossed with garlic, chilli and olive oil - the simple, but delicious flavours that always work. Every flavour on the plate worked to create a beautiful harmony of sorts.

My friend decided to order the Moroccan Lamb Chops, that was their specialty, and it was a Moroccan style juicy lamb served with cous cous & ratatouille. We were hoping for a juicy lamb chop, but the lamb was a tad overcooked and dry. The cous cous also got replaced with 'spicy flavoured rice' that seemed like a Pulav gone wrong. The sauce wasn't too bad, but had only one primary dimension of flavour and lacked a zing. I found it quite boring and monotonous and wished it had more depth. A nice salad/side of mash would have also worked with the lamb.

Moroccan Lamb Chops with flavoured rice

Pretty stuffed with our mains, my friend decided to order one portion of a dessert for the two of us. 3 out of the 5 menu items weren't available, and we settled for the Caramel Custard instead. It tasted pretty average, nothing extraordinary, and probably wasn't the best finish to our meal.

Service also failed to hit the mark, with the servers often confusing the drinks and the dishes up. While they were friendly and courteous, they simply weren't trained enough to completely understand the menu and the dishes. The restaurant is experimenting with its menu and desperately needs to up its food and service to really leave a mark and keep its customers returning. The view is definitely worthy of a visit, but the rest of the elements fail to keep it together.

Overall, my rating:
Food: 5.5/10
Service: 6/10
Ambience: 8/10
Verdict: They're trying out a new menu with some serious changed to be implemented, so maybe wait it out a month before trying it. The fish is definitely recommended.

The Mask is located at: Aurick Boutique Hotel, 598, 15th Cross, 35th Main, 6th Phase, JP Nagar, Bangalore
Phone: 080-49011000
Parking: Basement parking available

Launch of Moët Chandon Brut at Skyye

Last week, I was invited to the launch of Moet Hennessey - Chandon Brut at Skyye Bar, and having a crazy work week, I decided to drop by for a bubbly or two.

As I entered the bar, I was greeted by two gentlemen by the door who were pouring out glasses of chilled sparkling wine to the guests. I really liked this, as I've been to launches of beverages before where I've practically had to chase the bartender for getting a drink. 

Don't you just love being greeted with bottles of sparkling wine?

Skyye was at its beautiful best as always, and underwent a French makeover to suit the Chandon launch. The décor included elements of French whimsy, inspired by the idea of creating genuine connections. From custom created miniature topiaries to a giant screen depicting French windows opening out to floating parachutes, the ambience was a translation of the Chandon ethos.

The visuals were stunning! They brought a piece of France right to Bangalore!

Personally, I liked the wine. Light, heady and delivered a nice punch. I must admit, this was a first for me for a Moet sparkling wine, I've always been a red wine drinker and stick to my Merlots and Shiraz. The aroma was strong on notes of apples, pear and some citrus. I liked the texture and for me, there was a perfect balance of bittersweet (although some might think it's too sweet) flavours. The Chandon Brut was quite refreshing, and could be a possible favourite drink for me, particularly in the coming summer.

Some might ask, what's the difference between a sparkling wine and champagne? Aren't they both bubbly?
Well, yes they are. But to keep it simple, a sparkling wine can be called a champagne if and only if it comes from the region of Champagne in France. The French are pretty touchy about their wines and champagne, and sparkling wine produced anywhere else in the world doesn't earn itself the name of a champagne. Ergo, all champagnes are sparkling wines, all sparkling wines aren't champagne.

Fun fact: Sparkling wines like Champagne actually have the same health benefits as red wine, since bubbly is often made with both red and white grapes. In fact, Champagne was found to have as many of those beneficial polyphenols as a cup of hot chocolate. I found more reasons to drink a glass of this bubbly now. ;)

A bit about the history of Chandon: 
In the late 1950s, Moët & Chandon, the world’s leading Champagne House since 1743, began exploring the potential for producing world class sparkling wines outside of the Champagne region, under the ‘Chandon’ name. The first Chandon Estate was created in 1959 in Argentina.
Following in the pioneering steps of the founders and continuing its search for new winemaking territories, Moët Hennessy Estates & Wines determined that the Nashik region had the potential to produce world-class, premium quality sparkling wine. Chandon is the first offering from Moët Hennessy to be made in India. Combining the centuries-old sparkling wine-making practices of “methode traditionnelle” with the finest local grapes, Chandon will be available in two variants:  Chandon Brut and Chandon Brut Rosé.

While conversations flowed at the chic soirée as guests sipped their flutes of Chandon Brut, the appetizers did the rounds. With delicious bite sized portions that complemented the wine perfectly, I indulged myself quite extensively with the food. Here are a few pictures from the night:

Yes, that's wood, Parmesan crackling, red pepper and bread - all on one plate. Not only was this delicious, but scored very high on brownie points for presentation. :)

Cheesy Chicken Tarts that I loved. Perfectly sized so that you can wolf down a dozen of them.

Chicken and Mushroom Wontons topped with chilli paste and boy, were they delicious or what!

I LOVE oysters! And these were topped with Harissa paste and I added a squeeze of fresh lemon to create flavours that were beyond delicious. 

And we finally ended the night with an assorted cheese platter with nuts and blueberry preserve. I ensured that I guarded this long enough to get my hands on as much as cheese as I could.

All in all, it was a fun night with lots of conversations, refreshing wine and yummilicious food. Two thumbs up for the Chandon Brut, this will definitely make it into my collection for a ladies night in.

Pricing:
The Chandon Brut with its fruity flavour and taste is priced at Rs.1,200 and will be available in select stores in the city soon.

New Year's Eve at Portland Steakhouse

Happy New Year to all you wonderful people! Hope your year is full of good food and fun. :) (I know I'm a whole 10 days late, but there's no such thing as a late wish, is there?)

Every year on New Year's Eve, I decide to go to one of those parties where I end up paying a bomb and get nibbles of food to eat, if the hordes of people give us a chance. One party, they ran out of food. Another, there was a queue so long, that I don't remember whether I reached the end of the line or not. Once, there was almost a stampede at the food counters.

So this year, we decided to do food justice and indulge in a good dinner instead of those measly bites. Many restaurants were offering some great menus, but after researching, I decided to go with Portland Steakhouse. The restaurant is located centrally and I've never had a disappointing experience so far, so that helped finalize my decision. They offered a 4-course meal along with a glass of wine for Rs.1649/- inclusive of taxes, which sounded like a good deal to me.

We walked in early to have enough time to devour our meal through the night. The restaurant was partially full, and to our pleasant surprise, the staff members had lit a bonfire outside (it's like a verandah just away from the restaurant) and it seemed to generate a lovely warmth through the air.

For our first course, our options were spread across 3 soups and 2 salads. Not being in the mood for the tried and tested tomato soups and clear chicken soups, we decided to go for the salads instead. While my friend ordered the Caesar Salad with Prawns, I opted for the Watermelon, Feta and Cucumber Salad. The Caesar Salad was lovely, fresh Romaine lettuce leaves tossed with Caesar's dressing, croutons, prawns and Parmesan shavings. I would have liked a little more dressing, but my friend didn't seem to mind. My salad was fresh and bursting with flavours. The watermelon, feta and lettuce were coated beautifully with a strawberry vinaigrette dressing that I loved. The cucumbers were sliced lengthwise too thinly, and I didn't enjoy them too much. I would've liked more texture too - crunch of walnuts, perhaps.

Caesar's Salad with Prawns

Watermelon, Feta and Cucumber Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette Dressing

Our second course had a lot more options - a total of 10 to choose from, which made us argue a lot over what to order. We eliminated the vegetarian options instantly, and after more such eliminations, we finally agreed on the Pasilla Chilli Beef and Melba Toasts with Salmon. I was quite excited about the Pasilla Chilli Beef - I had the Pasilla Chilli Chicken Wings at a bar in New York, and it was one of the spiciest dishes I've ever tried. The beef here didn't disappoint either. It was quite spicy, and balanced well with the sweetness of the bell peppers. The Melba Toasts were our favourite though. Smoked Salmon over cream cheese with dill spread on toasts make for quite the delicious, light appetizer. Also, say goodbye to table manners when you wolf down this one.

Pasilla Chilli Beef

Smoked Salmon with cream cheese on Melba Toasts

The third course was what got excited us from the very beginning - again, there were a total of 10 dishes to choose from, and it seemed to be quite a meaty affair. They had the Rib Eye Steak and New York Strip in the mains, but since we'd already tried both the steaks here earlier, we decided to try something else. Our other options were Lobster (for which you had to pay Rs.250 extra), Christmas Day Chicken, Duck and Turkey.

My friend picked the Roast Turkey with Gravy with baked sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce, and I ordered the Crispy Duck with Chilli Plum sauce. I thought the turkey was a little dry and could have done with some gravy, and then we had someone from the management who offered to top the meat with more gravy (without us asking for it); so they definitely scored brownie points for service. My duck wasn't as crispy as I imagined it would be. I expected fried, crispy pieces of duck, but while the outer skin of the duck was a little crispy, it was doused with too much sauce, softening the skin and meat by the time I tried it. Yeah, one dish had no gravy, and one had too much. :) Other than that, I thought the sweet potato mash and cranberry sauce really stood out.

Crispy Duck with Chilli Plum Sauce

Roast Turkey with gravy, baked sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce

As you may have guessed, we were pretty stuffed by the end of our third course, yet there is always some space for dessert in my tummy. I ordered the New York Style Cheese Cake while my friend ordered Haroon's famous Apple Pie. The apple pie tasted yum and had a nice crunch to it. Though I think it lacked a little cinnamon and sprinkling of castor sugar to me. The cheese cake was beyond delicious, and had a consistency accompanied with that perfect tang to die for. Their apple pie is their signature dessert, but the cheese cake was the clear winner for us that night.

New York Style Cheesecake

Haroon's famous Apple Pie

We ate to our heart's and stomach's content, and couldn't have imagined a better meal for NYE. Maybe they should feature this menu more regularly, they might just have more takers.

Overall, my rating for this special dinner at Portland Steakhouse is:

Food - 7/10
Ambience - 8/10
Service - 10/10
Verdict - They treat meat with respect, and don't disappoint in desserts either. It would take a lot more to convince the vegetarians though.

Portland Steakhouse has a great menu and is easily my favourite place in the city for good steaks. They understand what "medium rare" actually means and the meat cuts (Rib eye, Chateaubriand, New York strip steak), delicious sides and a variety of sauces really makes them stand out from the rest of the steak joints. If you haven't visited this place yet, I suggest you do at the earliest. You won't be disappointed. :)

Starbucks in Bangalore

American global coffee company Starbucks just opened its very first store in Bangalore and everyone has been buzzing about it since! I was invited to the opening of the flagship store located in Koramangala on the 22nd and judging by the number of people who were haggling outside the store, I was a little hesitant before entering. One foot in and I was swarmed with 300 odd people squeezed in the coffee shop, glaring lights, camera flashes, and thankfully, that lovely aroma of roasted coffee beans wafting through the air.

Squiggling in, elbowing people and getting elbowed in return, I reached a space where I could finally breathe and was thankfully greeted by a lady serving us mini chocolate Frappucinos. Cream, chocolate and coffee: how can this possibly go wrong? One sip of the cold coffee and I got that lovely flavour of roasted coffee beans that delighted me. But by the end of the small glass of that coffee, I was feeling reasonably full.

The Starbucks Roast Spectrum

The lovely Deepika, from whom you can ask for two frappucinos trustingly.

When I spotted Arjun and Irum from Wooplr with coffee-bearing smiles.

Akhib is courteous enough to smile for the camera while I sneakily grab four delicious Lemon Bars.

I love people who can get my name right!
And, oh, this was a Pumpkin Spice Latte. Lovely.

Here's Nikitha, who got my name right. That is enough reason for me to llike her.

Avani Davda (L), CEO, Tata Starbucks Limited and John Culver (R), Group President, Starbucks Coffee APAC

Salmon & Cheese Croissant and Double Meat Sandwich loaded with lamb pieces and sausage,
generous amounts of cheese and a fried egg. *burrrrp*

Chicken with Roast Peppers on Ciabatta - ordinary in taste, and quite filling.

I *love* the interiors of this place.

The guys who ensured that my coffee and service was perfect.

What I Liked About Starbucks:
Extremely friendly service delivered with big smiles. The staff had huge smiles plastered across their faces and were very warm. Personalized cups with your names is a tradition followed in Starbucks stores around the world, and that definitely adds a nice touch.
Delicious coffees - out of the 3 coffees that I tried, the Salted Caramel Mocha stood out for me. The salty sweetness combined with that nutty flavour makes for one helluva coffee!
Ambience is warm, well set-up and walls are adorned with fun things to read.
Delectable desserts - the Blueberry Muffin is not to be missed!

Stabucks could work on: 
Sandwiches: Barring the Salmon and Cheese croissant (and whether or not that is a sandwich is debatable), I didn't find the sandwiches that great. They tasted ordinary and the quality could definitely improve.
Including lighter food items in the menu: Everything from the cream filled pies to even a Roast Chicken sandwich with peppers is mighty heavy. A sandwich and a coffee will easily fill you up, but leaves you feeling a little bloated. I'd like it if they start serving salads bowls here like the other Starbucks stores around the world do.
Pricing: The coffee and food prices ranged from Rs. 100 - 250 and are not exactly expensive, but not cheap either (no surprises there!). I think they could definitely improve the quality of the food and add more items to the menu for that price point.

Of course, this isn't a review, just a piece collecting my thoughts on the store opening.
While it was nice to see a packed house, I couldn't fathom why all the guests looked like they came straight out of a fashion show. Extremely well-dressed,  all made up, designer purses in hand and definitely adding to the glam quotient of Starbucks.. Oh, well, I think I answered my question right there. :)

Disclaimer: This isn't a paid review of Starbucks. The food and coffees offered were complimentary to all the guests who attended the opening of the store.

Starbucks in located in Koramangala, opposite Raheja Arcade. The opening of the store has been responsible for causing traffic in the area the past couple of days. If you want to enjoy your experience at the coffee shop, wait it out a week till the buzz dies down and sit down for a cuppa. :)

Cafe Noir

So I know this post is coming a whole month too late, but I genuinely forgot about blogging about this restaurant experience, and also had been held up recently with other things. For our  final pitstop the Restaurant Week India 2013, I picked Cafe Noir as the menu looked like something my family and I would enjoy.

We walked in on a Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. and the place was decently packed. Our server, flashing a beaming smile courteously showed us to our table where we had our menus individually rolled up and tied with ribbons like little scrolls. Wasting no time, we ordered our amuse bouches (pre-starters) immediately. With only two options - seafood and vegetarian, my entire family chose seafood, and I decided to try the vegetarian one instead.

All Around the Seafood was simply a shot glass of warm seafood soup, a deep fried prawn, a slice of bread and a clam shell dusted with basil powder. The soup was beyond revolting and the clam shell made no sense to me. The prawn was bland, but the only acceptable dish on the plate. I had no luck with All Around the Carrot either. A glass of horrid, watered down carrot juice passing off as soup, carrot sticks with aioli and warm carrot slices tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper. You can't go too wrong with this but it just tasted like plain ol' carrot (can't do much). My expectations should have been lower, it's just an amuse bouche, after all.

Amuse Bouche - All around the Seafood

Amuse Bouche - All around the Carrot

But thank God the worst was over, and our 'real' food could start doing the rounds. The menu had a good variety, and we decided to try one of everything. We began with Sea Scallop Declinaison, which had one pan seared scallop on mashed cauliflower and another with beetroot carpaccio. I loved the beetroot and scallop combo, which I never thought of as an ideal pair. The scallops were also perfectly cooked, leaving a good bite. The mashed cauliflower was definitely worth writing home about.

Sea Scallop Declinaison

Our next starter was the Goat Cheese Duo which had honey roasted goat cheese toast on a fig jam base topped with a beetroot stuffed with cream of goat cheese and nuts. For me, this was the best appetizer of the night. The creaminess of the goat cheese and sweetness of the fig jam worked magically. This, along with generous drizzles of balsamic vinegar and a delicious beetroot confit with creamy cheese offered for delightful tastes and textures.

Goat Cheese Duo

We followed this with another vegetarian starter, the Basil Crumb Fried Mozzarella Millefeuille, which was this wonderful fried mozzarella cheese layered with tomatoes and seasoned with a pesto and tomato coulis. If you like cheese, this is definitely something that you would enjoy. Everyone at my table loved this, but I felt that it could get a little 'too cheesy' after a few bites. The pesto and tomato coulis added nice dimensions of flavour, and I was totally taken to the Parmesan chips that accompanied this dish.

Basil Crumb Fried Mozzarella Millefeuille

Our final starter was Chicken Liver Pate with grenadine onions, figs and balsamic reduction. This was something that I picked solely for trying everything on the menu, as my family wasn't too keen on the liver. I thought the pate tasted alright, a bit too bland, but this is liver, so you can't expect anything different. However, when smeared on bread and topped with the onions and figs, this was quite a mouthful. The sweetness from the figs and acidity of the balsamic vinegar created for a healthy balance of flavours with the liver pate.

Chicken Liver Pate

Done with our starters, we proceeded to our mains. My parents don't eat beef, so I decided to order the Tournedos Rossigny for myself. This was a seared beef steak topped with foie gras (more liver pate), served with mushrooms, baby onions duchesse potato and a nice red wine sauce. The steak was done perfectly medium rare, was moist and had all its juices running out the moment I sliced through it with my knife (enormous portion though). The sauce went well with it, but what blew me over were the fabulous Duchesse Potatoes. While these were simply cubed and not in the shape of fancy ribbons and waves they usually are (often piped), they definitely left an impression. Duchess Potatoes are mashed potatoes with egg yolks and seasoning and then baked until golden brown. These were wonderful, really.

Tournedos Rossigny

A seafood lover, my Dad tried the Unilateral Cooked Seabass on a spice crust with eggplant marmalade, honey confit onion and drizzled with pepper sauce. He really enjoyed the fish, and particularly the spice crust. What I liked about this dish was also the generous amount of sauce used to coat it, so that it wasn't too dry and the lovely tang from the eggplant marmalade and honey confit onion.

Unilateral Cooked Seabass

My Mum decided to try the Chicken Leg Confit on a cromesquis with a rosemary sauce and Caramelized Breast with mashed sweet potato and tapenade. The cromesquis is a deep fried croquette with a liquid centre (usually, meat is used with the Cromesquis Foie Gras being quite popular lately), and here, we had the chicken leg in a cromesquis. While we didn't hit the perfect liquid centre with this, the fried croquette and the delicateness of the leg confit with rosemary sauce was quite yum. The caramelized breast was also tender and succulent, and the sweet potato mash was something I personally fell in love with.

Chicken: Leg Confit in a Cromesquis & Caramelized Breast

Quite full with our mains, we were given two options for our desserts - a strawberry based one and a chocolate one. The majority went with the chocolate one and ordered for the 3 Chocolate Ganache which had one layer of dark chocolate ganache, one layer of milk chocolate ganache and one layer of white chocolate ganache served with Noir's specialty chocolate sauce. Yes, that is too much chocolate and I couldn't get past the second bite for this dish. It didn't impress any of us too much.

Three Chocolate Ganache

The other dessert Beverly Hills was strawberry jelly with a salty caramel cream on an almond biscuit served with strawberry coulis. You can tell by the description about the varied tastes that played in our mouth that made this super yummy. The consistency of this dessert was stellar and I loved how it perfectly melted in my mouth, with the almond biscuit giving it a nice crunch. Two thumbs up!

Beverly Hills Dessert :)

And, that was the end of our fabulous meal at Cafe Noir during Restaurant Week India, and I'm glad that we picked this as our final pitstop. I also want to add here that the service was friendly and courteous and our server explained each and every dish to us quite politely and helped us order accordingly as well.

Food - 7/10
Ambience - 9/10
Service - 9/10
Verdict: Definitely go, they know how to create magic with meats.

Cafe Noir is located at:  2nd Floor, UB City, Vittal Mallya Road, Near Lavelle Road, Bangalore - 560001

Phone: 080 4098-2050
Parking: Parking space provided at UB City 

The Mirage

I like trying out new places to eat and I'm particularly interested in newly opened restaurants to check out how they fare in the first few months of the place being opened. So when a friend wanted to catch up over dinner, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to try out The Mirage.

The Mirage is a multicuisine restaurant in Koramangala serving Chinese, Italian, Mexican and American food. The main course menu tends to leans towards serving Pan Asian food largely though. We walked in on Saturday night at 9pm to find the entire restaurant completely empty. It was a little surprising but we wanted to focus on having a good conversation, so we didn't mind all that much.

We decided to order a couple of starters and ventured with the BLT Crostini and Thai Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce. I could add that communicating with the servers from time to time was a problem as they didn't quite understand when we asked them for recommendations and they were a little confused when we asked them to explain some of the dishes (this happens very often with new places).

Our BLT Crostini soon arrived, and I took one bite of it to reach bacon heaven. The bread was perfectly crunchy, topped with lettuce and tomatoes tossed in mayo and a slice of perfectly crispy bacon. This was such a genius creation that I kept wondering how I had missed serving this as an appetizer for when I have parties at home. The Chicken Satay was well cooked, and tasted good but it wasn't served with the authentic  Asian style Peanut Sauce. It tasted something like a curry paste, but we were too hungry, so we downed it immediately. The cabbage that accompanied it had this lovely sweet chilli vinaigrette dressing that went really well with the meat.

BLT Crostini

Chicken Satay

Their menus are broken down into separate pull out pages of different sections - Burgers, Pizzas, Appetizers, Mains, etc. This was honestly very frustrating as whenever we wanted to explore something else to order, we had to keep fishing out and hiding one menu page under the other. It looked like I was playing Solitaire with menu cards on my table.

The various menu pages

My friend and I being Asian food lovers that we are, ordered a Vietnamese Chilli Prawn with Sticky Rice and a Hong Kong Fried Rice with 5 Spices. The Chilli Prawn tasted good except that it didn't taste of 'chilli', but honey instead. The sauce was excessively sweet. But somehow it didn't taste all that bad to us and we polished it clean anyway. The sticky rice was perfect and had  that lovely balance of salt, sugar and vinegar (they take 20 minutes to make this).

Vietnamese Chilli Prawn with Sticky Rice

Hong Kong Style Fried Rice

My fried rice soon came, and I first noticed some meat pieces in it, and was puzzled (there was no meat alternative to this, it was supposed to be a veg fried rice). I had ordered a vegetarian fried rice and I pointed it out to the server who looked equally confused. He finally clarified with the chef, who apparently claimed to be confused. I could still deal with it, but this could have been a serious faux pas if a pure vegetarian were in my place.

The fried rice was nice and spicy and the accompanying gravy was sweet and sour and I loved all the flavours coming together. The fried rice was also loaded with assorted meats - prawns, crab stick, chicken and bacon, and that added wonderful dimensions of flavour to the fried rice. The quantity was quite large, and we ended up packing some of it to take home.

I'd also like to add that I had ordered 4 other items on the menu for my main course, but none seemed to be available. The Caesar Salad on their Facebook page looked divine, but I couldn't find any salad section on their menu. Upon asking the server, he told me that they did serve salads, but he'd have to check with the chef instead. He returned saying that there was an Asian Salad available. I promptly got excited and ordered it, only to be told five minutes later that it wasn't available. That really ticked me off.

I asked the servers for a feedback card, and they said that they didn't have any. And they said if I really wanted to write, I could write on their Specials Board instead. I figured that there really was no point talking to them and asked to speak to the manager/owner, who also, unsurprisingly, wasn't available.

Overall, while I liked the food, the service and the chaos that came with it didn't make me too happy. I think the management should really invest in training their staff about the menu and should try sticking around (especially on busy nights) for the first couple of months to take care of service and other issues.

Food - 9/10
Ambience - 8/10
Service - 6/10
Verdict - Visit for the food, but ensure you're fully aware of what you're ordering.

A meal for two along with a glass of wine came up to Rs.1400.

The Mirage is located at: 61, 4th Floor, 1st Main Road, Above Corner House, 7th Block, Koramangala, Bangalore
Ph: 080-65333533
Parking: No parking available, but you should be able to park in the many bylanes of Koramangala.