ZAIKA, INDIRANAGAR- A REVIEW

BY PRIYA JAIN

Planning an evening on a Friday night is a literal nightmare, not only do you fight colleagues and others to ensure you get out of work, but even land up at a full restaurant and are forced to make an exit because it’s too full or too noisy!

This strange experience actually happened to me a week or two ago when I tried to plan a surprise for a friend of mine. We walked into the latest, crazily popular watering hole to find it too full and we walked out. Amazingly enough, my friend was quite a sport and agreed to find another place to wine and dine.

The very normal décor!

Considering we were in Indiranagar, it wasn’t too hard to find another place to eat. But that did not happen before we walked in and out of two other restaurants. One was closed for renovation and the other was, well, just closed!

We finally, grudgingly, trudged into ZAIKA. Considering I was red-faced from all the closed restaurants (and the plan going out of the window), I insisted we eat right there. I realized later and again much later that it was a pretty bad idea. The reasons will come one by one. 

The two of us were welcomed warmly and asked to choose a seat. Well, the whole restaurant from any angle looked the same to me; anyway we chose a seat right around the middle.

We were given rolled & roasted papads to nibble on as we decided our orders. While we chose our order, I noticed that the décor is fairly similar to most other restaurants. There was nothing very memorable about the restaurant or the décor.

Dal Dhaniya Shorba

We chose a soup to begin with. Dal Dhaniya Shorba priced at Rs 85 by two. The first taste of the soup which had dal and coriander tasted a lot like my mom’s homemade dal. It grew on us with a few more sips later. But not enough to try it ever again.

Karara Palak Patta Ka Chaat

The starters of choice were Karara Palak Patta ka chaat & Mil Jhol Subz kurkure. Karara Patta Palak Chaat priced at Rs 175 was a very refreshing starter, unlike any I have ever had before. The spinach leaves were fried to a crisp and topped with several vegetables along with a generous helping of curd and spices. Quite nice. A definite re-visit!

Mil Jhol Subz Kurkure

Mil Jhol Subz Kurkure priced at Rs 195 were just spring rolls with a different name! Really average and not really something that I will ever try again. I expected a tangy flavoring with a lot of vegetables and a sprinkling of condiments, but never mind that.

Description of Kehkashan

After the disastrous beginning, we cautiously ordered just one dish and two parathas for the main course. Kehkashaan was the subzi priced at 190 and Bharwan Amritsari Kulcha at Rs 50 and Lachcha Paratha at Rs 45 were our super cautious orders.

The parathas were perfect, but one was quite enough for each of us to feel overfull. Kehkashaan was very edible and we actually ate the leftovers without bread!

Drinks were cool!

Drinks of choice were Pineapple and cinnamon martini at Rs 295 and Tequila sunrise 275. Both were quite decent and not too many complaints there.

Now the thing is, we are good eaters. On a good day, we have easily polished off 3 starters and at least 3 main courses. And this was a good day. But the food gave us a bloaty feeling. Most people say, that happens thanks to the food additives like soda. Now I am not sure what they added in the food, but I have never had a harder walk down the stairs and then to the parking!!

Added to the absolute nightmare of the bloaty feeling was- the bill! The bill was, as it is nearly 1400. But the taxes were the real back breaker. An additional 300 bucks! I could have had at least 3(much nicer) meals at a local Darshini.

Incidentally, as I was writing this- I got a call from Zaika- asking if friends and I would like to come to the restaurant for a New Year buffet on 31^st. I decided then and there, a big no!

All in all, it is ok if the cost of the food is worth it. Here I found neither the worth nor the satisfaction of blowing up nearly 2000 rupees on a dinner that could have easily been 4 other meals.

SAMPOORNA RESTAURANT IN JP NAGAR- A REVIEW

BY PRIYA JAIN

I won’t waste time- mine or yours trying to describe the AWFUL experience. Brother’s birthday. Family dinner outing. We opted for a buffet. 275+ taxes per head.

BAD BAD IDEA

Starters: Gobi Manchurian and mushroom something. Served at the table. Cold. When we asked them to reheat, they replaced the gobi. When mushrooms were served cold and we objected, we were told ‘fresh ide madam!’ and it was not heated. Result: A platter of mushrooms wasted.

Minestrone and noodle Soup- Average

THE INSIDE VIEW. LOOKS GOOD, TASTES AWFUL
Image courtesy: tripadvisor.in

Main course- Paneer butter masala, some mix vegetable curry- all cold and almost over. Luckily some remnant taste, so was eaten.

Rotis and butter kulchas Served hot. THANK GOD

Rice- 5 varieties- Mostly cold and almost over.

Rasam Was decent

Gulab Jamun Was nice, Rasmalai- So so

HUGE BUILDING. HUGELY BAD FOOD
Image courtesy: in.openrice.com

Vanilla icecream Served at the end was the best thing on the buffet. I am willing to place my bet on the fact that it came out of a box. That was characteristically cold. Thank God for that!

Bottomline: Never go to a place based on the size of the building. And never opt for a buffet post 9 pm, everything you find will probably be leftovers. This is officially one of my top ten worst dining experiences ever, the saltiest soup I ever had notwithstanding. NEVER GOING THERE

AGAIN.  

My brother could have bought a new shirt or shoes or both. We could have had four McDonalds Happy meals and he would have been happy with just the toys. And no, he is not a kid. He just turned 30.

6-5=2: A REVIEW

BY SAMARTH MADHUSUDAN RAO

The day I came across the poster of the movie, it made me sit up and notice it. Horror is a genre that is totally neglected in Kannada Cinema (pardon me, for I shall not address Kannada Cinema as Sandalwood just for the sake of it. Why the hell would you want to ape all the other ‘wood’s?). The ones that are made, well, let’s admit that they are nothing but a sorry excuse to blend soft porn with what they term as a ‘Bhayanaka’ movie. The poster did seem to be different from the rest and gave me some hope.

The poster that dragged me to the theatre!

The trailer took my hope to another level. An exploding tiffin box, though not perfect technically is a simple yet effective scene to show as preview of the movie. It worked wonders for many who saw it online. But Kannada movies have this crazy habit of releasing good trailers and equally torturous movies. And one fine day, the movie with the least amount of publicity, made it to the screens. It pissed me off to the core. Why would you spend all your money and efforts to release your work without shouting out loud about it? The movie has no Sudeep or Darshan in it to pull the crowd in a jiffy. But no, the movie made it to the screens and by evening, the netizens (a very new breed of Kannadigas on Facebook) took to the movie page and bombarded it with some excellent reviews.

While I was sitting back in my office, I was like, Whaat theee f**k? And it was enough to push me to the theaters two days later. But a surprise awaited me. I walked into PVR in Koramangala for a 10:00 AM show as if I owned the theaters and boy, I was left scratching my head like an idiot. The LCD screen above the counters read, SOLD OUT!

A Kannada movie? On a Tuesday morning? SOLD OUT IN PVR? All the other movies, including Bullet Raja had very few takers and I was left aghast. Though deep inside I was happy with the unexpected development, I was pissed that I couldn’t make it. And the very night, I booked tickets along with my friend and made it to the cinema. The mood of the audience was very uplifting. Young, energetic crowd who otherwise will be seen acting all Angrezi amidst the Koramangala crowd with their pheku English, had turned up to watch. Two words. SOCIAL MEDIA!

And the movie finally started. I was expecting two things from the movie. Not-to-be-embarrassed with the vulgarity or to leave with ‘Ayyee-Nan-Maklu-Yettbittiddaare-Ivru’ dialogue, which I loathe to hear when I leave the hall during Kannada movies.

Anybody who has seen the trailer knows that it is a found footage movie or an inspiration from the famous, ‘Blair Witch Project’. I was only praying that they didn’t Google translate the script into Kannada, and hell they DID NOT! What I saw for the rest 120 odd minutes was a cleanly written, very well shot and a totally believable commercial horror.

The plot is simple. Six people go on a trek, only one returned. What happened to the other five is what the entire movie is about. Does the plot work? Hell Yeah! It is shot in the ***** forest (Watch the movie and your question of why the stars will be answered). The forest setting is so believable that, every leaf that crunches, every bird that hoots and every branch that shakes will make you pee in your pants(Depending on your tolerance level). When you find a forest that really looks beautiful and can be horrifying depending on your perspective, you need a good script and yes, the movie has it.

The narrative builds up with the introduction of all the kids and you know that the characters are one among you. The trek starts, everything is fine until you start noticing the eerie presence of someone. Horror movies have this tendency of scaring you in the beginning or in the middle and will leave you thirsty by the end. Or some keep everything for the climax and will leave you wondering as to when you will jump out of your seats. The writer (Yes, there is one and this is no found footage movie. All this is a publicity gimmick and surprisingly, it’s working brilliantly for them.) We don’t know who he or she is. Let’s wait for the success meet, shall we?

The writer keeps you interested with some surprisingly original and close to reality humour that will leave you giggling throughout the first half. As the characters move closer into the forest, things get a little serious and right before the interval; the Ghost makes its debut. A clichéd way to enter, but it did work for me. And the lights come on. You know that you are finally watching a good movie and something is in store for you.

Then comes the crucial part of the movie where all the jitters and squirms are stored for. Let me make it clear. This is no Exorcist or the first part of ‘Paranormal Activity’ that it will leave you with nightmares for days. But wait, it is not bad either. There is not a single moment where you will be bored or wondering as to why you decided to watch the movie. And that, mind you, is a big success for a filmmaker. Bravo!

The last forty minutes is where all the paranormal stuff breaks out in the forest. The ghost starts having its share of fun, scares the trekkers and finally does what it wants to do. Screw up their lives. All the scenes in the last forty minutes, inspired? Maybe. Entertaining? DEFINITELY!

6-5=2 is a movie that scared many people and had others laughing out loud after screaming like a girl. But it is not the scariest movie you have ever seen. What works for the movie, is the intentionally amateurish yet bang on camera work will keep you interested. And what I noticed today was that I don’t even remember the movie having background score. :/

The ambience noise and the changing of colour every time the ghost is near works pretty well. The actors all new and that works for the movie in a totally different way, making it an interesting experience. The writing is interesting, not lazy in anyplace and well planned till the last scene. The editing is nearly perfect. Jump cuts, flashes in many places to ensure that the scene doesn’t drag gives you this raw effect as if the video was really found and that they are showing only the spooky parts. Camera work-Very interesting and kudos to the person who handled it. Production-Nature did help them with a proper forest, fully grown, completely spooky.

Entertainment-Check, Spooky scenes-Double Check, Value for Money-A huge tick. I walked out of the movie with a huge smile. Because as a Kannadiga, my thirst for a good movie was long due since Lucia. 6-5=2 did it for me. A huge applause for the team for a clean, simple yet effective horror movie. I hate PVR though, for the fact that as soon as the movie got over, they started playing the jarring ‘Tamanche pe disco’ which took away the hangover.

6-5=2 works because it is honest and original in its intention. Go give it a try because the team deserves it and most importantly you deserve it because there hasn’t been a good Kannada horror in over two decades.

Here is a link to the trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2f9pEApwVUw 

ELEMENTS HERITAGE- A REVIEW

BY PRIYA JAIN

A happy Friday afternoon, a friend and I set off in the pursuit of great happiness. In simple words, we were two hungry souls looking for food that will please our tummies while not denting the wallet too deep.

Cosy seating in Elements Heritage with intricate detailing on cushions

Cruising around Frazer town, we stumbled across the Elements Heritage restaurant. Situated on Mosque Road, the restaurant actually looks like somebody’s house from the outside. After a double take, I did figure that it is indeed a restaurant.

The menu with the same embroidery
 as the cushions!

 Having parked, we walked in a bit uncertainly. The whole place was so empty, we were not even sure they were functional. A very sweet gentleman greeted us at the entrance and seated us in one of the dining rooms. 

One thing that really stood out is the fact that the place was extremely cool. And not an AC in sight! The house/ restaurant was built in such a way that it had plenty of air and light without resorting to artificial means. The interiors seem plastered with mud, reminding me of all the village homes I have lived in!

 While the person who attended to us was extremely warm and welcoming, he did not really give us a choice of different seating, even though the restaurant was absolutely empty. Only later did we discover a much prettier seating area outside in the restaurant!

 Coming to the food, Elements Heritage serves up a delightful mix of Awadhi, North Indian, Malabari & Peshawari cuisine. We moved a bit cautiously as we have had some bitter experiences in the past where the décor is so good, but the food is the exact opposite.

Dum Tarkari: Unlike any soup we have eaten!

 We started tentatively with a Dum Tarkari shorba priced at Rs 60. The shorba is served up in a small brass cup along with a piece of Naan (a type of bread) and a salad. The helping, though small is very rich and kind of filling. The thick soup has an ample collection of vegetables and is delicately flavored.

 Next we moved on to Paneer Misfira which was priced at Rs 160. Served up with fryums and two types of salad and chutney, this Paneer dish is as succulent and melt-in-the-mouth as it gets. Not only is the paneer marinated, the delicate flavoring of the herbs and the garnishing adds to the overall delight of the dish. The paneer is all at once tangy, spicy and soft. 8 huge chunks of Paneer are served in one dish and can be quite filling for two people.

Paneer Misfira: Has to be eaten to be believed!

 We chose vegetable stew and appams for the main course at Rs 200. The presentation was quite interesting with the stew being served in a long boat like dish along with a small helping of rice and salad along with fryums. The stew was delicious. There is something unmatched about eating vegetables along with the lovely flavoring of coconut. We were given 3 appams and split it between the two of us. Having eaten to the level of pleasantly full, we were quite pleased when we saw that the bill was still worth less than 700 rupees!

Appams and coconuttttty stew. Still drooling!

 Along the way, we had also ordered for two drinks to go with it. I opted for a regular sweet Lassi while my partner in crime opted for a Heritage special drink. The heritage special drink was quite yummy with a mix of three different fruity flavours.

Airy and Roomy without an AC!

Lassi and Heritage special drinks!

A special mention to the décor and the service: The menu and the tiny cushions in the seating area have the same embroidery as the logo of the hotel. I personally quite liked the touch showing the attention to detail. Also the service was prompt, but it was not too detailed on what to expect from the restaurant on request.

All in all, it was a totally worth it lunch for under a 700 rupees and must be tried if you are in Frazer Town and hungry!

CHAAYE STALL- A REVIEW

BY NOLAN PINTO

Just when you think that all the coffee shops are the same, a surprise awaits you. I am not the person to sit and waste time in coffee shops, they are too noisy and at times bloody irritating. So when a pal of ours suggested we check out Chaaye Stall, we were a bit apprehensive. It was like this, if it turned into a nightmare, we would surely kill him!

An instant mood setter, they have lanterns in tea pots!

We reached the place at around half past seven in the evening. There is ample space to park both cars and bikes. But be aware, even though the bike parking is hop step and jump away, you have to ride all around this huge building to get there.  This small joint is right near the gate and the moment you enter, you get this very cozy feeling. Dim lights but enough to not be shady at all like many places are these days. We decided to sit on floor one. The steps to head up are narrow and are spiral like those in old churches.

Once on the top, you are amazed at the seating. Nice floor cushioned seats and neatly spread apart. We decided to take a seat where we could have a view of the road. What struck us immediately were the drawings on the wall. The old Bangalore where one still had time to sip a cup of coffee or tea.

The queen of spices (white cup) the smell of the soil (mud pot)

Bread Pakoras, really wish there were more pieces!

We thought this place would be extremely costly, but one look at the menu and we were amazed. This got us in the mood to just keep on ordering. The waiter arrived within 10 minutes of us taking our seats and getting used to the place. 

We were famished and hence ordered loads to eat. So it was Hash Browns, cucumber sandwich, Golgappa Shooters, Bread Pakoda and then for tea, one 'smell of the soil' that is served in a Kulladh(mud pot) and 'queen of spices' a tea blended with Indian spices.

Golgappa Shooters! We couldn't resist eating two before we remembered we need pictures! 

I would certainly suggest the Golgappa shooters. Very elegantly served. The puris are placed on a long shot glass filled with the pani. The pani is served chilled and is just about the right amount of sweet and yum. 

A potato lovers delight! Yummylicious Hash Browns!

The Hash Browns were absolutely yummilicious. For the potato lover, it had the right amount of steam, oil as well as garnishing. We wiped the plate clean!

If you’re heading to this place all alone, then this dish will for sure fill your tummy. The cucumber sandwich is as normal as it gets but the bread pakoda (though with a filling) could have been better.

The teas are good. I for one enjoyed the queen of spices better than the smell of the soil which was pretty ordinary in taste. I know it’s supposed to give you the feeling of drinking tea in a mud pot but still the tea can be made a bit more interesting.

Greedy hands reach out for more Golgappas!

Cucumber sandwiches- ek dum ghar ka taste! 

The feel of the place is wonderful. They played old Jagjit Singh songs and not too loud and not too soft either, I would say just about there in the background so it won’t disturb you while you are speaking. My first time here and I was satisfied. More so since the entire bill came to less than Rs. 400 in spite of us ordering 4 dishes and 2 teas. Really cost effective for a place to just hang out and also to treat others toward the end of the month.