Some of you might be surprised to see the low rating from me for Olive Beach, a rare blemish on the very popular and revered Mediterranean restaurant on Wood Street. My rating however is based purely on my experience that evening which was rather unimpressive.Most foodies in Bangalore would have tried or at least heard of Olive beach, quite likely while recommending a romantic dinner to a friend. The decore of this decade old restaurant comprises of beautifully lime washed white walls in a dimly lit, quaint ambiance that feels like dining in Santorini, Greece.
They have a partly covered outdoor seating as well. There is no doubting the look and feel of the place, but we felt the seating was just not comfortable enough. Something that kept lingering in our minds, the longer we sat there.
The Mediterranean menu is large enough to have something for everyone to try.
We started with a guava based mocktail and an iced tea, both of which were just so-so. My wife had the tomato and fennel soup which was quite good and it had a nice texture and different taste to it. Not a bad option.
The starters were limited to harissa prawn and a veg platter. The prawns were average, cooked properly but not a memorable taste. The veg platter though was a big disappointment.
The dish consisted of a couple of small puff pastries, nice and flaky. A few pita breads, some roasted eggplant and some pieces of veg cutlet(call it whatever you want, but that's what it was). It was accompanied by some hummus and another sauce which all of us kept tasting, but couldn't figure out what it was. Nothing to talk about at all.
Our mains comprised of-
1. Corn and potato Galette on Vegetable Etoufee - essentially a shallow fried cutlet which was dry and floury, served with a little dry vegetable stew. Not enjoyable at all.
2. The veg version of Spaghetti with amatriciana sauce - a red sauce pasta with tomatoes, chillis and grilled pasta. Mildly spicy and rich texture. A decent dish.
3. Cajun rubbed chicken breast - it was just that! served with some mashed potatoes and a bbq sauce, the chicken could have been more tender and more flavoured. It was just ok.
4. Chermoula marinated sea bass - Undoubtedly the dish of the day. a juicy and soft fillet served atop a bed of beautifully flavoured rice and sauteed spinach. A saffron lemon sauce poured around the dish. Now, if only all the dishes had been as good, our dinner would be fabulous.
The desserts- tiramisu was very good, soft and nice cake and a rich coffee flavour in the gelato.The berry brest (i think thats what it was called) was presented brilliantly, but the taste was a sour disappointment unfortunately.
The service overall was also quite a let down, the waiters seemed disinterested and preoccupied. Our plates were not changed after we were done with the starters. No second helping of water throughout the meal until we had to ask for it at the very end. It was difficult in fact to catch hold of the service staff also.
The bill at the end came upto 7000 for a meal for 5 without any liquor and considering we had an average meal and ordinary service, it felt very bad dishing out so much money while there are far better options out there.
So it's definitely going to be very long before i come here again.
Rating - 3/5
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