Hotel Review - Hotel Heritage Inn, Gulbarga

Heritage Inn is one of the most popular hotels in Gulbarga and the locals will confirm the same.

Located next to the Gulbarga fort, the location is not bang in the center of town, but easily accessible.

The hotel is basic in nature and they have a restaurant and bar inside, breakfast is included as part of your stay. Unfortunately I had to leave early and didn’t get to sample the food.

There is no lift to get to the rooms. The room itself is decent enough, they have a basic TV and an air conditioner. Beds are not very comfortable as the spring mattress being used is of slightly inferior quality. The room is not very large and same is the case with the bathroom.

The plus point being the rooms are neat and clean and bathrooms are well maintained. The decore is very simple, nothing to write about.

Service is good, staff will do their bit to make sure you have a pleasant stay within the limitation offered by the property.

Value for money is justifiable at about 1500 per night.

Considering the limited options in Gulbarga and the value for money factor I can say this was not bad at all.

Rating – 4/5 

Hotel Review - Kanthi Resorts, Bagalkot

Bagalkot is not a big tourist hub nor a significant business destination, so i was a bit wary about my stay here before booking. 

Kanthi resorts seemed like a good option while checking online and i decided to go ahead with the booking.

Bagalkot now has a navnagar area where they plan to relocate the town to keep it from submerging in the almatty dam, and this is where the resort is located. 

Infact it is slightly on the outskirts- on the Hubli highway and an unlit board guiding us into the property was difficult to find at night. 

The resort is still work in progress I’d say, looked unfinished. There is no greenery to speak of. It has a couple of blocks, one housing the rooms and the reception area and another for the restaurant.

The check in and check out was good and smooth, staff speaks good English. 

The entire property and rooms are extremely neat and clean which was a delight to see. 

The room itself was a pleasant surprise too.

It was a really large room with a big bed, couple of sofa seats and a table, a wall mounted flat screen tv with Tata Sky HD box. AC was powerful, lots of place to keep your luggage, a cupboard too.

Bathroom was huge and towels, bed linen etc were clean. 

And the sleep comfort was ultimate, it is hard to believe the fabulous fiber pillows and memory foam mattress which was used. I slept like a baby.

Service is good, though they don’t have telephone in the room strangely. Staff is helpful, and friendly. 

I ordered for some food and beer in the room. 

Yes, they have a bar too.

The chicken starter was not so good as the outer portion was overcooked and chicken was hard too. It had an interesting decoration though.

The chicken biryani served with raita was better in taste, but still not very happy with the quality of the chicken.

They have a swimming pool also which is accessible by guests. A waterpark is also part of the property and I’d recommend the hotel to upgrade themselves just a wee bit and market it well, and it is sure to do well.

The value for money proposition was phenomenal as a single room with the above mentioned facilities cost just 1600 for a night, wow!

Badami is quite nearby, so it is worth visiting for its history and archaeological significance.

Rating – A bit generous but 5/5

Restaurant Review - Arbor Brewing Company, Magrath Road

Drop in to Arbor to drink your ale,
The colour of the brew will tell the tale,
Black, copper, dark brown or pale,
No matter what you drink, a good time shall prevail.

An awesome place, truly!!
We dropped in on a friday night, to find the place jam packed, barring one table where we managed to squeeze in just in time.
They have large seating and very nicely done interiors. We played a bit of fusball, but mainly we were just sitting chatting away and having a good time while having some amazing beer.

"The beer"-
They do have a variety of brews here with distinct elements. We tried the bangalore bliss, german beer and belgien tripel. All had their own unique taste, unfortunately we didn't drink much as we all had to drive back.

"The food"-
Spectacular mostly. We had the nachos, which were ok. The chicken sandwich and chicken pizza were quite tasty and had good chunks of chicken. The lamb burger was a standout, such a soft juicy patty of lamb is rather rare in India. The veg sizzler mainly comprising of mushroom could have been a bit better.

"The service"-
Very nice, very friendly staff, and despite the rush really surprisingly quick and prompt service. You will feel right at home.

"The crowd"-
Ok fine, i'll admit it, we are not really spring chicken on the party circuit anymore, but we do go out a lot, and the crowds here is among the best i've seen.
A good mix of foreigners, localites and people from all parts of the country and all walks of life.
Stags, keep your libido under control.

"Value for money"- Slightly expensive but every bit worth the experience for all senses.

We are going to keep going here repeatedly for sure, a must try for party aficionados.
Diagonally opposite Garuda mall makes it a central location for people to congregate too.

Rating - 5/5

Restaurant Review - Yuatcha, 1 MG mall

After hearing a lot about the first Michelin star restaurant chain to enter Bangalore, Yuatcha had been on our wish list for a while now. We paid a visit for dinner one weeknight.

The ambiance of the restaurant is simple and elegant. Nothing too dazzling except the wonderful bar they have on one side which has a huge variety of liquor, a minimum of 80-100 brands i assume.





There were some high bar stools by the counter apart from the tables spread across the restaurant.

I don't think it would be fair to call it a chinese restaurant as you can't expect the usual stuff here. No manchurians, veg balls in hot garlic sauce etc.
Their speciality are the dimsums and we tried quite a few of them in combination with the sauces which were served to us on table.
3 veg ones - Truffle Edamame Dumpling, Veg Shanghai Dumpling and 3 style mushroom cheng fun.

 

Sliced Cuttlefish in spicy sauce

3 non veg ones - Crispy prawn cheng fun, sliced cuttlefish in spicy sauce and sticky rice with chicken and prawn in lotus leaf.

The standout ones were the cheung fun and the sticky rice which had great taste and were quite filling too.
Each one of them tasted different than the others and had distinct tastes, most very mellow.
We were also served 3 sauces on the table to go with the dimsums.
Presentation of the dishes is also really nice, and portions are not too large, generally 3 pieces per dish.

Hofan Noodles

To go with the dimsums we ordered for 2 pots of tea, the four seasons oolong and dragons well green tea.
The flavours in the tea were too mild to register on our taste buds, and we were unsatisfied.
I've had flavoured teas in china, singapore and ofcourse at Infinitea Bangalore, so i know how mild these floral teas are, but here it was a let down.

We ordered small portions of main course namely the humble jasmine rice, stir fry vegetables with lotus stem and hofan noodles. The noodles had a lot of fried tofu, onions etc and were uniquely flavourful. The stir fry veggies were completely dry but we enjoyed eating the fresh and crunchy lotus stem.

To conclude our dinner, we decided to satiate our sweet tooth and called for a jaffa cake and a tropical cake. The taste was alright, the pina colada sorbet in the dish was great and we ordered some ice creams again in the end.

 
Service was about average as the person serving us forgot to bring one dish and brought one extra which we didn't order. Naturally in a high end place like this you are expected to ask too many questions about what is being served as it is all alien to you. But the answers were not always convincing, so service can definitely improve.

The pricing is steep surely, and you can expect to pay about 1500-2000 per head for a proper meal.

Those not comfortable with this sort of cuisine will not enjoy paying these kind of prices, but foodies who are experimental with their eating should definitely try it for once.

Restaurant Review - Maharaja Bhog, Lavelle Road

Vegetarians of the city, rejoice!!
You have reason to cheer..
Get ready for a feast for the kings
Maharaja bhog is here..
(But they don't serve beer)

After that pathetic poetry, let me bring you the good news - Vegetarian families in Bangalore have a solid reason to feel happy
A fine dine restaurant serving authentic rajasthani, gujrati cuisine is now at Lavelle Road.

If you are going on a weekend, be patient, as they don't take reservations, so you might have to wait a bit before you get your table.
The decore is wonderfully done, and the interiors give a feeling of grandeur. Comfortable seating as well.

The service also is very prompt, and within moments of being seated, someone comes over to place the thali and to wash your hands. After that it is just a non stop food fest, with waiters coming to your table every minute with something different.

The thali comprises of 2-3 starters, 4-5 vegetables, dal, kadhi, papad, pickle, salad, choice of rotis, khichdi, pulao, 3 sweets, butter milk, saunf water...phew! i could go on about the variety.
The food is very tasty and service is superb.
Standout items for me included ragda pattice, buttermilk, halwa and pulao.
The menu changes, so you will not get similar items when you go.

It really is a feast for the taste buds, and you are likely to get done with your meal within half an hour of indulgence.

Do not look at this restaurant for a relaxed meal or a quiet outing, go for great veg food in a grand setting. The price tag justifies the quality too.

Rating - 4.5/5

Restaurant Review - Paratha Plaza, Sanjaynagar

This is one of the few eating places around sanjaynagar area, and they serve a plethora of parathas.

It used to be a small joint, but over time they have also grown and now operate out of a bigger place with fairly large seating.

They have a lot of variety of paratha’s which revolve around 7-8 different fillings but in many combinations.

The pricing is ok, on an average around 40-50 for a single paratha. 

Butter and curd is available at 5 bucks each.

The service was unsatisfactory for me as the service staff seemed to be lost and confused, running around everywhere. Even after asking for a glass twice, i couldn't get it.

The taste of the parathas was only mediocre at best.

If you must eat in this area then it can be considered because of the affordable prices, otherwise there is no attraction to return to this place, especially for a north indian used to eating good parathas.

Rating – 2.5/5

Restaurant Review - Green Theory, Bangalore

Had been hearing a lot about Green Theory mainly from my pure vegetarian friends and we gave it a try last night.

It is on convent road between residency and richmond road which can be a nightmare during day time, but was rather quiet at night.
We found parking on the road easily and walked into the neat setup.

They have seating outside as well as indoors, we sat outside as it seemed better. Indoors was uninspiring.
There will be a few mosquitoes outside at night, but they had lit up some coils, so it wasn't much of a bother.
They have low sofa seating or normal chair seating outside. Music was a bit louder than expected, but ok.

The cuisine is continental, and we ordered a mint lemonade and Mediterranean salad to start with.
The lemonade was all too lemony and the mint taste was very subdued. We had to add some sugar and water to make it drinkable.
The Mediterranean salad was cut veggies tossed in a bowl, but with excess vinegar, which over ruled the other tastes. The quantity of cheese was less and the salad was mediocre at best.

We went on to order the roast vegetable skewers which was interesting. The vegetables were coated in a nice batter and roasted, which gave a thick coating on the outside. It was cornflour mainly, but added a good twist of taste to the skewers.
The vegetables like brocolli, zucchini, onions etc were crunchy and the outer covering was nice, filling too. And it was 3 large skewers. This was the highlight of the meal we had.


The main course gives you a choice of pizzas, pasta, sandwich, burgers, sizzlers or other mains.
We ordered the cottage cheese and mushroom pepper curry with rice.
The moment i took my first bite, i was so disappointed. I felt cheated almost that i managed to pick the wrong dish out of the many options we discussed. The paneer was like thermocol, so chewy it was inedible. The curry had excessive pepper in it and felt like european thick rasam. The small bits of mushroom were not enough to salvage this dish. Rice was just there in the plate, not knowing what had to be done with it.
So we ended up eating just enough to not feel hungry and left the rest.

After the very average food we got, we didn't gather enough courage to order for desserts.

Surprisingly the service also was not upto the mark. Staff communication was a bit weak and the waiter would just stand at our table with plates in his hand, waiting for us to clear things and create space for him to keep everything in order, LOL...

The only saving grace was the bill of 800 which was not a rip off.
I'm very surprised that a lot of my revered fellow foodies have rated this place so highly, but then most of those reviews were more than 6 months ago.
A case of quality gone down maybe, or just a bad day?

I wont be coming here to cross check again though. People who only eat at veg restaurants can make do with this restaurant as they have the rare jain-continental combination too..

Rating - 3/5