burrp! Stats
- 32 Reviews
- 15 First to review
- Been to 35 Places
- Burrping since Aug 03, 2007
- Burrping fromBangalore
Personal Stuff
- Occupation
- Law Student
- Favourite Music
- Jazz, with *very* pedantic tastes in rock.
- Favourite Drinks
- Beer! Whisky comes a close second. I'm not really a cocktail buff, but I appreciate good mixes nonetheless!
- Favourite Foods
- I'm vegetarian to a fault. Hence the moniker! I couldn't possibly get through life without solid Punjabi, Italian, and Indian-Chinese food. I've recently fallen in love with Lebanese cuisine, and I'm also most impressed with the incredible gymnastics and balance of flavours in Gujarati food. And yes, I do believe that *any* cuisine can cater to vegetarian tastes. Cooking food without meat is treated as the highest culinary art form in Korea and Japan, and I don't see why this shouldn't be the case everywhere else as well. Just as one has to coax music out of an instrument, I believe that great food is a result of coaxing flavours out of difficult ingredients.
Reviews by goodiyerboy
Apr 12, 2008
40, Lodhi Estate, Delhi
Rated: Excellent
Niche of Niches
IIC's main bar is members-only, and considering the fact that membership hasn't been open for a few years now, consider yourself lucky if you're eligible! Just like the lounge and the dining hall, IIC's bar features the cream of New Delhi's intellectual, political, and diplomatic circles. Chances are you'll spot someone who featured on the day's front page. And given the small space, eavesdropping is always easy (and often great fun)! Being a member is the most significant price one pays here, and as is the case with the lounge and dining hall, prices are jaw-droppingly low, especially in consideration of the quality and quantity on offer. No fancy cocktails here though, just a solid selection of great spirits and mixers. Sit back in a beautiful plush chair, relax with a strong scotch, and wallow in the brainwaves in the midst of Joseph Allen Stein's beautiful urban oasis.
Apr 06, 2008
34 Rest House Road, Off Bridage Road, Bangalore
Rated: Good
The beer's a ripoff
I just read the review immediately below mine, and I must say I agree. The beer at Pecos is super-diluted. Now, it's cheap, but when I can get beer at the MRP in a 'wine shop', I don't think anything justifies this practice. There are no bottles or cans, everything comes from the tap, so the brewery (UB) can't exercise much quality control. So there's no point drinking here, though the food is pretty good. Pecos is a cultish place, and the service is very friendly. But definitely avoid the beer at all costs.
Apr 04, 2008
1862, Chandni Chowk, Delhi
Rated: Excellent
The Baap of Mithaiwallas!
Ghantewala was in business in Old Delhi when it was still a Mughal city. It's probably the only mithaiwalla to have survived the 1857 siege! :-) Great sweets, some would say the best in the city. Also, they've been using the same recipes since 1790. 'Nuff said!
Apr 04, 2008
The Park Hotel, 14/7 MG Road, Bangalore
Rated: Awful
Sucks!
This place competes with Sunny's for the dubious distinction of winning the Worst-Italian-Restaurant-in-Bangalore crown. Given the comfortable-looking seating and the minimalist decor, the food was a spectacular letdown. Firstly, it takes forever for your order to come to you. Secondly, the size of the servings is PITIABLE. I ordered a Gnocchi dish, and there were literally EIGHT pieces of Gnocchi on my plate. That's it. I still can't believe it, even though this visit was some time ago. Even if you were to order a second main course, you'd still be as empty as a fireworks factory on Diwali. My Gnocchi was very good, in all fairness, and my sister ordered a pasta in sage butter sauce, which tasted absolutely divine. But given the subatomic size of the quantities you're served, it's really not worth it.
A visit to i-t.Alia really reinforced my faith in independent restaurants. Go to Fiorano; it'd knock the pants off this place any day.
Apr 04, 2008
No. 47, Eureka Bldg, Opposite High Gates, Church Street, Bangalore
Rated: Good
Good hangout, abominable service
*This review is about the Church St. outlet*
Java City's outlet on Church St. is a study in contradictions. It's obviously a favourite haunt, given the huge crowds on weekends, but the service is simply the worst service in any kind of cafe/restaurant/pub/lounge in the whole city, possibly the whole country. Not to say that they're rude or anything; THE WAITERS SIMPLY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S GOING ON. You may think I'm exaggerating, but you have to see it to believe it. On a busy day (pretty much any day), you could walk in, sit down, hang around for a couple of hours, and leave without anyone so much as noticing. If you're lucky enough to order food, and luckier enough to have it delivered to you, you could probably walk out brazenly without paying, and it wouldn't make any difference. Settling the bill is a nightmare, especially when you have to wait for change. I really don't know what's going on here...this is the most inefficient service I've ever seen, anywhere. I just can't come up with enough negatives to describe it.
Still, it's a great place to hang out, which is why I've given it a good rating. There's a live band on weekends, and they bring the house down. They play a mix of classic rock and some jazz, and are very popular with the regulars. The (incredibly) unobtrusive service means you can enjoy the performance without being disturbed. It's absolutely packed, though, and you won't have enough room to move your elbows in. I think this gives the place character, though you might beg to differ!
I think the menu's irrelevant, as there's very little chance of anyone ever taking your order. If it's your lucky day, however, try the strangely-named 'European sodas' (pricey at Rs. 80 for a glass). You'll have to mix it yourself, because it looks like a work-in-progress when (IF, rather) it gets to your table. The food is forgettable, and the portions are microscopic. NOT WORTH IT, don't even think about ordering the food. The coffee is standard, though I've never tried the desserts.
In sum, this is a place I love to hate. Awful, awful, awful service, but that means you can sit undisturbed for very long periods of time. This is a nice place to duck into after, say, shopping for books at Blossoms, especially if you want to read. There's a fun XBox 360 lounge upstairs, albeit with staff that could give the Java City waiters a run for their money in terms of sheer spaced-outedness; I think it's sort of related to Java City, but it's all very vague. Pretty much everyone who comes to Java City is a regular; anyone else would find this place too strange to digest.
One good thing is that it's open really late, at least on weekends (till about 2 in the morning).