The Contemporary Tea House Affair – Yauatcha!

You know what I hate most about rumours? The fact that it spreads like a wild fire and it isn’t true most of the time. Although, once you hear a rumour you can’t help scrutinizing it.

One such rumour which was spread amongst the foodies in the city was about the newly launched restaurant in Bangalore, Yauatcha. The rumour was that it is a Michelin starred restaurant. The mention of it can get you all ears from foodies. After all it’s a highly prestigious award given to restaurants across the world.

Michelin guide is one of the oldest and most popular reference guide for eateries in the world and awards ‘Michelin stars’ to the finest restaurants.

Yauatcha is a Michelin starred restaurant, but in London. This star is not transferable; hence the establishments of this restaurant in India cannot be called a Michelin starred one. It is indeed really sad that there isn’t a single restaurant in the country which has had a privilege of being acknowledged as a Michelin starred restaurant.

Ambience

Yauatcha, as the management would describe it is a ‘contemporary dim sum tea house’. With minimalistic décor, the restaurant is apt for business dining. A spacious rectangular hall is what grabs your eye first and then it turns towards the yellow lighting falling over each table.

Elegance lies in simplicity; this perfectly describes the ambience of Yauatcha. The open bar leaves you dazzled and gives the décor of the restaurant the much required touch of classiness along with the yellow lights.

Grub

Going through 4 set of menus can be tiresome. Selecting the dish from the very limited Vegetarian menu is worse. Anyone could have easily mistaken Anmol and I to be mugging the menu up with the amount of time we were taking to decide on what to eat. Well, we really can’t be blamed. It was an extensive menu and I personally wanted to look into the variety they have to offer.

One simply does not dine at Yauatcha without having dimsums! This Chinese dish is a specialty her. They have an extensive list of dimsums which can make it really hard for one to decide as to which one to order! We settled for a vegetarian affair since Anmol is a pure vegetarian and nothing really appealed to me in the non-veg section as I could hardly find any fish items. Vegetable crystal dumpling is what we ordered. 

Vegetable Crystal Dumplings

Served in a basket, these steamed dim sums are in fact quite a delicacy! It had a glossy rubbery feel to it which doesn’t come out as appetizing at first but as you continue having it; gradually you begin to relish the taste.

I was craving for a steaming hot soup! Suffering from a terrible cold, I knew soup would give me some relief. The Sweet corn soup was like drinking dal. No kidding there. It even looks like dal. *Strike one* I hate it when people are stingy when it comes to food and Yauatcha was stingy with corn. *Strike two*

Two strikes for one dish, now that is bad!

Sweet Corn Soup, it seems!

The hot and sour soup had a very tangy taste to it which again didn’t really please our taste buds, but I can say with affirmation that it was better than drinking dal.

Hot and Sour Soup

The main course was inaugurated with Spicy vegetable fried rice and Szechwan vegetable tofu claypot. Now here comes the funny part. Throughout the meal Anmol kept saying how he is so confused about the food here. Added to that, table manners is highly essential in places like this one. One should know how to eat their food and this time I must confess even I was clueless on how I should go about my eating. What made this dining experience more startling is that we ate our main course in a cup. Yes, not a plate or a bowl but a cup!

We were eagerly waiting for the plates but then when we were served with rice and the curry in a cup, our eyes widened. Oh and we laughed, we laughed so hard in disbelief!

The rice which was supposed to be spicy wasn’t, and the curry excelled when it came to being spicy but it was nothing more than that.

Szechwan Vegetable Tofu Claypot

Spicy Vegetable Rice

Main course in a cup!

Even though I was having a bad cold I wanted to have ice-cream, just to cheer myself up from the disastrous main course and soup I just had. As a result I ordered for a Raspberry Delice.

This gorgeous dessert is the epitome of food porn. You just can’ take your eyes off it. A dessert like this can make it really difficult for one to cut their spoon across this raspberry flavoured rose. A dessert like this fascinates you with its beauty.

Food Porn, much?

The chocolate swirls on the ice-cream have Yauatcha written on it and tastes ‘oh so good’. The ice cream and the raspberry flavoured rose with chocolate at the bottom balance each other. The texture of the rose is what will excite you the most and the feel of it on your tongue is ought to take you to la la land. I don’t say this often but this Raspberry Delice forces me to say this – ‘Now that’s what I call a dessert’.

Service

The staff is warm and friendly, they take their time to explain the concept of Yauatcha and help one in going through the menu. This is something I really appreciate as it makes things a lot easier for the customer.

The experience at Yauatcha was average. There is nothing very alluring about this place, nothing striking as such, except for the Raspberry Delice of course, which was the only item worth its price.

The meal was an expensive one even though we didn’t have alcohol. I never hesitate in paying a bomb when it comes to food as long as it satisfies my appetite and keeps my tummy happy. Unfortunately Yauatcha failed to do so.

Quick Takes –

Rating – 2.5/5

Cost for two – 2500/- exclusive of alcohol and taxes. 

Why you should go here – For dim sums and Raspberry Delice. Also, if you are looking for a place for cooperate lunch, Yauatcha can be one of your options.

Location – 5^th Floor, 1 M.G Mall, Trinity circle, Bangalore

Landmark – Opposite the Park hotel.

Note - *This review is based purely on a vegetarian meal. The rating is only for the vegetarian dishes.*

Library Bar – Windmills Craftworks!

Bob was in love. There was only one thing running in his mind throughout the day, there was only one thing that he wanted from the past few months. Stalking the profile was something he did on regular basis and admiring the pictures was a daily routine. His wandering mind finally found something to hold onto and his heart was finally captivated by the unacquainted arena. Far out of his reach but not impossible, Bob just couldn’t find the right time for it.

He was in love with Windmills Craftworks.

The city of Bangalore is getting flocked with bars and pubs. Started off with pubs like Nasa, Styx, Pecos and Guzzlers and with that the city has gradually transformed itself into the Pub capital of India. From Arbor Brewing Company and Plan B to places which are revolutionizing the pub scene in Bangalore like Church street social, Windmills finds its place comfortably as a library bar in the overcrowded pub culture.

Ambience

As you step in, you know you are dinning at a place which is nothing less than a 5 star restaurant. Sophistication can be found in every nook and corner of this place which gets overwhelming. The tables are cushioned between the stage at one side and the brewery on the other which obviously conveys how spacious this restaurant is. Sticking true to its tag of being a library bar, the place is decorated with book shelves which houses books of multiple genres.

        The books, the stage and the cozy seat

There is something about this place that captivates your senses, that something is the classiness of a library bar. The alignment of tables and chairs is quite fascinating and the sofas are oh so comfortable. I say this because the kind of atmosphere Windmills offers, you are bound to not get off your seat. You know how there are times when you are seated so comfortably and you just don’t feel like getting up? That’s how exactly it is at Windmills.

There is outdoor seating too which offers quite a view, however I would recommend the indoor seating if you want to get the best of their ambience. Oh and not to forget the pleasure of sitting on a comfortable sofa! :D

Grub

American and North Indian, that’s what Windmills serves apart from the beer which they brew. They have a variety of cocktails which is mentioned in a very interesting manner in the menu. When such variety is offered, confusion on what to have is bound to happen. This variety does not stop at cocktails; there is variety when it comes to beer too. However it’s not the same with food.

The food menu which caters to veg is very limited. For the non – vegetarians it’s not a problem as there is a lot they can choose from, be it American or North Indian cuisine.

Now, here is the best part. What sets Windmills apart from other restaurants in town is how you order your food.  Ipad. Yes, you read that right. The glamour of this place seeps in as you browse through the menu on the Ipad and order your food. The waiter then receives a message and comes to your table to confirm your order. I spent 15 minutes just going through the menu because I was so fascinated by this. No kidding.

We settled for a business lunch, which offers soup, variety of starters, 1 main course and a variety of desserts.

Fancy much?

Having heard so much of the beer they brew, I just had to get my taste buds to try it. Not being a big fan of beer, it is really hard to please me and I must say Windmills managed to do so. Flavour not being very aggressive, the beer was wonderful!

Freshly Brewed Beer

Coming to the tomato soup, it was more like having the tomato curry. Thick and strongly flavoured, it’s opposite of how a tomato soup should be. In no time, the soup managed to change my facial expression from a happy to an annoyed one.

Tomato soup or should I say curry?

In the business lunch there was an assortment of starters. From salads to paneer to fish fry. My favourite out of the lot was the pasta salad. Slightly bland but it works out well unlike the other starters.

Assortment of starters

For the main course, we had to order it from the general menu, one each per head. We settled for fish and chips and a crispy vegetable cheese burger.

The classic English dish, fish and chips was massive. After stuffing myself with starters, specifically the pasta salad, I was quite worried on how I will finish this one. Fish and Chips surprised me. Surprised me by the quantity and quality! The quantity can suffice the appetite of two people! Also, they were very generous when it came to French fries. What I loved about this dish was how the fish was nicely fried. It had that crispy golden look to it and had a taste that could blow your mind.

The Classic Fish and Chips

The sandwich too blew our minds by its sheer size. Vegetables and cheese nicely tucked between two huge slices of bread. A look of it and Bob said – “Holy cow, I can’t finish this all by myself”, two seconds later he says – “But, I am a man, I can do this”.

Yes, he was high on food and no, he couldn’t finish the sandwich. :P 

But, yes when it came to the taste of it, I must say it was lovely. Slightly grilled and over dosed with cheese, it can get very messy to eat and in a place like Windmills, maintaining table manners is important which we failed to do so while munching on this sandwich.

Scrumptious plate of salad and sandwich

For the dessert, there were 5+ items. Unfortunately the main course was so heavy we couldn’t get ourselves to try all of it. Mango mousse and fresh fruits was what we settled for in the end.

It was the perfect way to end the meal. The mango mousse had a glossy texture and the taste which would take you to moon and back. (Figuratively of course :P )

Mango *yuumm* Mousse

Fruits to fill that tiny space left in the tummy

The affair at Windmills was a scrumptious one, no doubt but to be blatantly honest the quality of food could have been better or rather more consistent as the soup and starters were a disappointment but the main course and dessert were delightful.

Service

No complaints when it comes to service. The waiters were highly courteous, something which every customer looks forward for.

In all, Windmills as a library bar does a good job. A beautiful ambience accompanied by jazz music and the company of books and freshly brewed beer.

One of the cons of this place is its location. I stay in the opposite side of the city, literally and this is why I couldn’t visit Windmills earlier. Like me if you too stay far away from Windmills, be prepared for a painful travel. 

Do I recommend this place? Yes, one should experience Windmills at least once. I would say it’s worth the pain of travelling so far.

Quick Takes –

Rating – 3.5/5 (If there was consistency in food, I would have given a higher rating)

Cost for two – 2500/- for a two course meal (Starters and main course) + alcohol, exclusive of taxes. Yes, it’s an expensive place. To make it reasonable, you can settle more business lunch offer. That way you get to try out more things and it’s not too heavy on the wallet.

Why you should go here – Ambience, one of a kind library bar, jazz music, fish and chips, see live performances.

Address -  331, Road no 5B, near KTPO, Whitefield, Bangalore.

Landmark – Lane next to Larsen and Turbo company (L&T)