YOU

www.bangaloremirror.com/columns

BangaloreMirror

I FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 2014

19

Ol Blighty in the city

KAUSHIK J N

B
1 C J R 5

G
R 5 B K P 0 European Srikant Upadhyay Javed Yes Barring beer, a well-stocked bar, with some interesting house cocktails. A meal for two would cost around `1450 (Inclusive of taxes and service charge) a couple of cocktails, a non veg starter, a main course dish and a dessert. Valet No

Cuisine Owner(s) Chef Alcohol Wine list

Price range

Parking Wheelchair access Service

Manu Prasad bmfeedback@gmail.com

the while increasing in volume as well. So much for the sound, now lets talk about the bite.

From top: Boozy chilli wings, Penne Pomodoro, Stir fried chilli pork, Son in law eggs

ne would have to wonder at the intelligence in adding alcohol to a mythical creature with the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion, but hey, it does make for a fun, quirky name The Boozy Griffin, and it sits right below a joint named after a pirate ship! Welcome to Koramangala, where we have seen it all. Once inside, the plush black sofas, high bar stools, the relatively dim lighting, and the red telephone booth all manage to convey a British pub theme. The smoking section, with its faux fireplace and posters starring Charlie Chaplin, Mr Bean, Sienna Miller and so on, probably do this theme even more justice considering that the larger non-smoking section features First Blood and Scarface. The multiple TV screens are placed so that most tables get a clear view, but for some reason they were showing WWE for a while before remembering their British theme and switching to EPL. By the end of the night, there were shouting matches at practically every table, thanks to the really loud music, which had switched from classics earlier in the evening to current hits and remixes of old favourites, all

Appetisers: For a pub, the beer menu is

pretty disappointing with just about three options. They do try to make up with a cocktail selection and an otherwise exhaustive bar menu, though we found a couple of missing items there as well. The menu gets a neat British touch with an entire set of James Bond themed cocktails. I tried the From Russia with Love from this and though it was potent and delivered on the ingredients especially the vodka and the chilli it was loved about as much as Russia is these days! The mocktail we tried Pear Mojito was closer to being virgin than pear. The gin-based Foxtail, a light drink guaranteed to keep you at that level was the best we had. The other gin based cocktail Tom Collins also disappointed. It was the Caipiroska (four for the price of three) that saved the day. The interestingly named Son In law Eggs arrived first, and the Thai combination of fried boiled egg and tamarind soya sauce was just fantastic.

The Cottage Cheese & Tellicherry Pepper Fry was spicily awesome if youre fine with curry leaves. The Beer Batter Fried Calamari was a dip in the high standards thus far, an actual dip would have helped! The Chilli Beef Fry wasnt available, and that proved to be a blessing in disguise because its replacement sauted Stir Fried Chilli Pork in soy chilly sauce turned out to be one of the best dishes we had. There are burgers, a few steaks, some pasta and some old school pub grub to be had. Unfortunately none of the beef dishes were available. The Chicken Espetada in Peri Peri arrived first. Served with butter pilaf, and on skewers, with onions, this had superbly spicy and perfectly cooked chicken. But the Angel Hair pasta with its Walnut & Thyme infused cream sauce was the clear winner. A wonderfully nuanced, flavourful dish. The Crispy Chicken Butty (nothing posterior about it, as the coaster explains, its just lingo for a buttered sandwich) wasnt a bummer either, and the mildly spicy dish was well liked. The Deviled Kidneys on Toast (stir fried lamb kidneys) was not

Friendly, but occasionally tardy. Music Classic rock, pop Sound level Carry cotton Ambience The right place between relaxed and vibrant Hours 11 am -11 pm on Sunday-Thursday, 12 pm -1 am on Friday, Saturday Home delivery No Reservations Would be a very good idea

BM VERDICT

Entre:

bad, and is quite obviously for those who enjoy these body parts.

Afters:

There are only four options, and three were unavailable! Lets just say that the Sticky Toffee pudding is not worth saving stomach space for.

In all: With a well-crafted ambiance, (barring the sound assault) some interesting food, and reasonable pricing, The Boozy Griffin has a lot going for it to hold its own even in the competitive grub landscape of Koramangala. But on the flip side, the unavailability of a lot of menu items could make the griffin seem woozy.
Bangalore Mirror reviews anonymously and pays for meals

BM SAVEUR: THIRST QUENCHERS

Mythical in origin and curious in appearance, this tuber is tasteless on its own but with a lemon and masala, can quench your thirst
ou see them around the city. Sometimes in Gandhi Bazaar in front of the Bull Temple, sometimes in front of the Shiva Temple on Old Airport Road. And some people have spied them in Shivajinagar, on Infantry Road and elsewhere. These are the vendors of bhoochakra elusive, and yet all around the place. Bhoochakra, also called Kandamula, a Sanskrit term for tuber, is actually a woody shrub and the fleshy root is the edible portion. Since the vendors peddle their fares on handcarts, it is hard to see them in one place for long. Food blogger Ruth Dsouza first saw a vendor selling this tuber during the famous Kadalekai Parishe (groundnut fair) on Bull Temple Road. Rows of succulent pale white slices were stacked on a stump-like tuber that occupied a good

BANGALORESRESTAURANTS.COM

part of the narrow cart. The vendor smeared thin slices with lime, sugar, a bit of chilli powder and served them on small pieces of paper. Dsouza bought one slice and tasted it. It was like eating lime juice. The slice was juicy like a watermelon, and the lime garnishing turned every bite into a lemony drink. Eating a bhoochakra is a messy affair, she warns. By themselves, bhoochakras have no particular taste. Dsouza calls it tasteless with the texture of radish. It is completely bland, she says. The texture is likened to coconut husk by food expert and critic Suresh Hinduja. It is like that scaly part of tender coconut which gets stuck in between the teeth, he explains. It is a great thirst quencher, says Jacqueline Noronha, a college student who once ate it near her college. She has yet to find a

vendor again in the area. According to Hinduja, bhoochakra has plenty of myths attached to its name. They have to create a spin if they want to sell it at Rs 5 for a slice, he laughs. One legend, narrated by a bhoochakra vendor, is that Lord Rama and Sita survived on this during their exile into the forest. Another legend is that the shrub flowers once in 12 years. In parts of India, like Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, tribals eat bhoochakra for quenching their thirst and for medicinal purposes. They believe it is a good tonic for the body. So, the next time you pass a vendor selling these pale slices, give it a try. If myths and legends are to be believed, you will be eating fare that has been around since the Ramayana. Jayanthi Madhukar