Vietnamese affair at Phobidden Fruit

Phobidden Fruit was on my wish list for quite some time for two reasons, one for its lovely green ambience and second for Vietnamese food. I’d heard so much about how delicious their food was and until quite sometimes back Phobidden fruit was one of those few places which offered authentic Vietnamese food.

In Vietnamese cuisine, fresh ingredients play a key role. Distinct flavours of this cuisine make it stand apart. Once you have tasted any Vietnamese dish, it is not easy to forget it’s flavour.

Herbs and aromatics are extensively used and oh how can I forget soy sauce which is one of the most common ingredients used amongst dishes offered in this cuisine.

Did the food at Phobidden Fruit delight me? Read on to know more.

Ambience:

It’s like a sea of green here. Simple yet elegant, calm and serene, what more can one ask for? Yellow dim lights at night adds to the charm making this restaurant a perfect spot for a date night!

The restaurant is spacious, tables arranged in an orderly manner and a lot of space to move around, even when this place gets crowded it doesn’t seem clumsy. If you ask me, I’d suggest you visit this place for dinner because the ambience is all the more appealing and beautiful.

Grub:

As mentioned earlier, the essence of herbs and soy sauce is dominant across most Vietnamese dishes. Hence, if you aren’t a big fan of soy sauce, Vietnamese cuisine as a whole might not appeal to you at all. But, if you don’t mind the sweet n sour taste of it then eventually you will start relishing the exotic flavours this cuisine has to offer.

The menu here is limited. You start browsing through the menu and within two minutes you are done. Limited offerings under each course are a disappointment indeed! Additionally, if you are a vegetarian your options get reduced all the more.

We took our time to order appetisers and main course. Yes, being vegetarians we didn’t have much of a choice but my brother and I took our time to go through the menu in detail and then place an order.

We started off with Potato Fritters and vegetarian Congee. When we were served with Potato Fritters, I couldn’t take my eyes off it. God, it looked delicious! But on the other hand, the oil hadn’t been soaked completely. The fritters were dripping of oil which in the beginning turned me off. Imagine all the excitement I had when I saw the potato fritters and the second my fork poked and picked up one of the fritters I could see oil dripping and all my excitement went away, just like that. However, on the bright side, the fritters weren’t that bad after all. Tangy & crispy would probably describe these fritters the best. But, stay away from this if you don’t like to savour the aroma and taste of soy. 

The soup was absolutely refreshing! With a pinch of pepper, the house special rice soup was the perfect start to my meal.

House special rice soup

Looks delicious, right?

For the main course, we opted for Viet red curry (vegetarian) & Saigon noodles. Viet red curry was an absolute stunner. A treat to the eyes and my taste buds, the red curry was cooked so well. The flavour of spices stood out and won my heart! This Vietnamese take on Thai red curry is a must have here.

On the other hand, Saigon noodles was lovely as well. A sharp taste of soy sauce, the noodles were dressed with cucumber, bean sprouts and cabbage bok choy. Again, pretty to look at, the noodles tantalises your taste buds and if you love herbs and soy sauce, you will enjoy savouring this dish.

Vietnamese take on Thai red curry

Noodles be so yummy

Service & Pricing:

Service is a no-nonsense one. Friendly faces and prompt service enables you to have a great dining experience and that’s exactly what all of us look out for, don’t we?

When it comes to pricing after having a sumptuous 3 or 4 course meal the bill will leave you wide-eyed. Not because the meal left a hole in your wallet but because how cheap this affair turned out to be. And when you experience such moments, the feeling of contentment heightens all the more.

A beautiful place which offers some flavoursome food at a reasonable price, we need more such restaurants in Bengaluru, don’t we? Thumbs up to this one! I am definitely going back to experience this delightful dining affair again.

Quick bites:

Rating – 4/5

Cost for two – 1200/- inclusive of taxes

Why you should go here – To enjoy Vietnamese cuisine at its best

Location - St. Marks Road, 15/16, Ground Floor, House of Lords

Landmark – Diagonally opposite to Mother Cluckers

The best of red velvet in Bengaluru!

Audrey Hepburn once said; “Let’s face it, a nice creamy chocolate cake does a lot for a lot of people, it does for me”. I couldn’t agree with her more!

Chocolate will always have a special place in my heart but after a long day at work (which I have been having a lot lately) if there’s something that brightens me up immediately is the flavour of red velvet in my mouth.

Traditionally, a red velvet cake is iced with French style butter. Variations of this cake can be made by trying out different frosting styles like cream cheese or butter cream, either ways, it’s yummy in the tummy.

I admit it; I am in love with this flavour, like head over heels in love with it. Love to an extent that it’s an obsession, hence every time I visit a restaurant and if I see red velvet being offered in the dessert section of the menu, I have to have it! Having tried out so many varieties of red velvet across restaurants/ cafes in Bengaluru, if I had to list out my top 5 these would be my pick:

5) Red Velvet Cake – Creame and Crust

Soft and spongy, the buttercream is absolutely delicious. Mouth-watering to looks at, one bite of this cake and you will experience a sugar rush like never before!

Want some?

4) Red velvet rose cake – Cupcake Noggins

This cake is absolutely divine! After staring at it for a good 30-45 minutes with a heavy heart, I finally decided to cut the cake and have a bite of it and oh it was heavenly! Sometimes you have those moments where you just can’t get over how good something tastes? I had one such moment after having a bite of this red velvet rose cake. 

Beautiful, isn't it?

3) Red velvet cake – Arbor Brewing Company

One of the most popular pubs in the city of Bengaluru which is known for the variety of beer served also serves one of the finest red velvet cake. Looks oh so pleasing to the eyes and when it comes to tastes it's top notch as the flavours burst in your mouth. 

That cream *slurrp*

2) Red velvet cake – Truffles: Ice N Spice

     Truffles, known for its burgers and pastas, this place also serves a variety of desserts and one of the must haves here is the red velvet cake. 

Makes me go nomnom

1) Red velvet cupcake – Glen’s Bakehouse

Glen’s serves the tastiest red velvet cupcake in town! So soft and moist, no one can just have a bite of it because; it leaves you craving for more. 

     

Yummy or what?

What are you waiting for? If you haven't tried these yet, you are missing out on something very delicious! Also, do let me know which place serves the best red velvet cake according to you in the comments section below. :)

Let’s do Mexican – Chinita Real Mexican Food

I have realised that good food is probably the solution to all life’s problems. Well, at least most of them. And for me, a plate of lip smacking nachos can do the trick.

I completely agree when one says, ‘life without Mexican food is like no life at all’. If you ask me, it’s difficult to find a cuisine which is as colourful as Mexican food. One look at any of the Mexican dishes and it evokes feelings of happiness because it is just so vibrant to look at, full of life.

Yes I know, I am going overboard here, but if you are someone who loves colours, you’d understand what exactly I am trying to say here.

Chinita is one restaurant I had heard raving reviews of since it started. Serving Mexican food, I was obviously very keen on trying this place out with a tad bit of nervousness. Nervousness because, it has so happened to me that every time I hear excellent reviews about anything, be it restaurant/movie/book, anything at all it has in fact disappointed me. My expectations get really high and when it does not match up to it, it is indeed very disappointing. Hence, I have always tried to not raise the bar high no matter how good people tell me something is. So, did Chinita live up to my expectation? Let’s find out.

Ambience

Chinita is a small place packed with wooden tables and chairs. A huge blackboard on one side of the wall and a few plants on the other side, and that’s it there is nothing more to the ambience. Was this disappointing? To an extent, yes! I expected the place to be more lively and appealing. Well, the place is lively with conversations but there is nothing really about the ambience which makes you go ‘Ah, this is nice’! This doesn’t imply that the ambience is bad in all, it’s decent but could have been better.

Food

No brownie points for guessing what I started my meal with, nachos of course. One look at the menu and the first thing I placed an order was for that.

Serving real Mexican food, being a vegetarian what I really liked about their menu is the fact that they have really tried to include 2-3 vegetarian dishes under each category. From enchiladas to burritos to tostadas, they have it all. Hence for someone who really wants to explore Mexican food, Chinita is could be a place to try out.

Virgin Margarita and Iced Café Con Leche graced the table first. Margarita was well, Margarita, the same old taste. Iced Café Con Leche, a fancy name for a simple cold coffee drink with ice cubes in it. Then came the nachos and oh the happiness on my face!

Virgin Margarita 

Iced Cafe Con Leche

The nachos looked so tempting. Beans, onions and cheese being the main toppings it looked absolutely mouth-watering. Did I like it? No, I loved it!

Yes, the beans were a little spicy but, the chips were nice and in all it left a lingering taste in my mouth, hence no complaints.

Nachos be like #nomnom

Next up was Tostadas, the Soyrizo and Potato one. We were served with two corn tortilla chips which were dressed with pico de gallo. Pico de gallo, also called as Salsa Fresca is a Mexican dish which is nothing but an uncooked salad. Chopped vegetable mixed together were the toppings of the tortilla chips along with sour cream, potato mix and tomato salsa.

The dish looked colourful and inviting but, one bite and it left me not wanting to have more. The chips were fine, so was the pico de gallo but what spoiled the broth was the potato mix. It had an ugly taste to it which forced me to remove all the potato on my tortilla chips and have it just with the Salsa Fresca.

Tostadas

This did ruin my mood a bit but I was hopeful that the chocolate chilli cake I had ordered for would do some magic! As delicious as it looks, the cake was just alright. It tasted like the usual chocolate cake and once you were done eating that piece of cake that’s when the taste of chilli peaks. So it tastes all sweet when you start eating the piece cake but gradually that sweet becomes spicy. Interesting change of flavours in the mouth but, the fact that it didn’t really excite me makes me say that the cake was just alright!

Chocolate chilli cake

Service and Pricing

The service was attentive and the waiters did take the initiative several times to check if we were enjoying our meal. This is something I really appreciate.

I am a little dicey about the pricing here. Seems reasonable at first look but then if you are looking at enjoying a full-fledged meal and just not a snack, then it could come turn out to be a little more than a reasonable affair.

Verdict

I have mixed feelings about this restaurant. I wasn’t quite happy with the ambience and the food was average. Service is probably the only thing I would give this place a thumbs up. However, having said that, I wouldn’t deny the fact that they are indeed serving some real Mexican food. For someone who enjoys Mexican food, you should give this place a try and for people who don’t I would suggest to give it a miss.

Quick Bites

Rating – 3.5/5

Cost for two – 1500/- inclusive of taxes

Why you should go here – To taste some authentic Mexican food

Location - 218, near BDA complex, double road, Indiranagar, Bangalore

                                                             

Green Theory: Veggie and Pet Friendly

Conversation between a vegetarian and a non-vegetarian:

Vegetarians  – Non- vegetarians are taking over us

Non-vegetarians – Well, like duh! What do you guys eat anyways? Grass?

Vegetarians  – Umm, no we eat a whole lot more things than just grass. -.-

Non-Vegetarians – Yeah well, that’s what you say. But, honestly, trust me you have no idea what you are missing out on

Vegetarians – Trust me, I don’t really want to know

This is generally a conversation which goes on between a vegetarian and a non-vegetarian. I have had this conversation several times with several people and it pretty much ends this way. :P Oh and no this doesn’t really mean that I am a vegetarian, it’s just that I can totally understand why vegetarians and non-vegetarians claim of eating/doing things that they do. :D

The number of restaurants in Bangalore serving only vegetarian food aren’t many and, in such cases when you come across a restaurant which amazes you with their striking green ambience and vegetarian continental food that can make a non-vegetarian also go gaga over it, you can’t help but revisit this place again. Yes, I am speaking of Green Theory.

Ambience

Green theory places itself comfortably on a rather quiet locality, convent road, which is off residency road. This restaurant is named so aptly. If the plants here are not enough to add onto the green-ness of this place, their sofas too are green, making it an overdose of this colour and this isn’t a bad thing at all. A quaint little pond, a fountain in the corner and, dim yellow lights in the evening makes it a romantic spot for the couples to enjoy a quite dinner.

With the option of indoor and outdoor seating, I would strongly recommend the outdoor one, especially during the evening. There is no better way to enjoy your meal than with the company of Mother Nature itself. Something in particular which I personally enjoy about their ambience is how relaxed I feel here. We’ve heard a lot about how nature can help one relax and de-stress. So if you are looking for a place to escape from all noise and pollution in the city, Green theory is your ‘go to’ place.

Grub

Doesn’t matter if you are a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian, either way you can prepare yourself to enjoy a feast here. That’s the quality of food I am speaking of.

Green Theory serves continental and Italian vegetarian food. Their menu also includes to Mexican and Lebanese dishes as well.

In my previous visits, I have had their pasta's and pizzas, which were quite a treat to my taste buds. However, if I had to choose between the two, I would go for the pizza. Nice and thin crusted, the pizzas here are more than just being delicious, which is if you prefer the thin crusted ones.

Among the appetisers, my favourite till date has been the baby corn cigars. Gets me drooling every time I think of it!

The watermelon smoothie and the kiwi fruit lemonade are quite a drink. If you require something to enliven you instantly, these are the drinks to go for.

First look at the Watermelon smoothie and it left me surprised. This is because of its presentation. Having the smoothie from the watermelon which was nicely shaped as a cup was definitely a first. Most of all, what is important is that the quantity could fill half your tummy up and you wouldn’t mind this because it tastes so good!

 Want some? 

The kiwi fruit lemonade is what I think all of us need on a hot summer day or on a day where we just want to sit back and unwind. Apart from its refreshing aroma, this drink gives you a kick to get you going for the day. I am not a big fan of kiwi fruit, but I am surely a big fan of the kiwi fruit lemonade now, thanks to Green Theory.

Apart from that, the Cucumber juice sprinkled with pepper was energising as well.

Fresh and Healthy

Herb soup in the menu sounded interesting. Clear soup with fresh herbs, pepper and vegetables this soup has that calming effect. Yes, this isn't everyone's cup of tea as it is slightly bland but soups like this one can definitely make one feel relaxed! Like an individual is advised to have chicken soup when they are sick, this herb soup can probably be a substitute for the same for vegetarians!

Herb soup for the soul

The Theory platter is something you could opt for if you can't make up your mind on which starter to order, so here you get to savour five of the starters listed on the menu! The only item which disappointed me on the platter was the nachos, the chips were disappointing.

Theory Platter

Pizza’s is something Green Theory can brag about. Thin crusted and crisp, no one can have just a bite of it and let it be. The Mexicorn pizza is not too rich in flavours but, the cheese is enough to make you want more.

Mexicorn pizza

Scrumptious meal, yeah?

After eating all this, you know you are gluttons if you order for another dish especially a sizzler. Sizzler is always very filling but, we were really keen on spending some more time at Green Theory hence decided to go for it. We went for the Mexican Theory Sizzler. Rice along with French fries, schezwan sauce and buttered vegetables was what we were served with. Was it tasty? Yes it was but, was it something different from what you would get at other places, no! Hence, if you ask me what to opt for between pizza, pasta and sizzler, go for the pizza!

#nomnomnom

Service and Pricing

They leave absolutely no room for complaints. A friendly face to cater to all your demands and a swift service, that’s all a customer asks for. I have been here several times and not once have I witnessed a bad service.

Pricing is very reasonable and this is one of the reasons why I visit here so often. Without a burning a hole in your wallet, you can enjoy a scrumptious meal and leave the place with a full tummy and a happy face.

Verdict

Green Theory is one restaurant which you will always come back to. Delicious food, beautiful green ambience, pet-friendly place and reasonable rates, all of this found under a single roof, a Bengalurean couldn’t have asked for more, of course unless you are a non-vegetarian. :D

Quick Bites

Rating – 4.5/5

Cost for two – 1200/- inclusive of taxes

Why you should go here – For their luscious green ambience and pizzas. Also, if you have a pet and looking to take them out for lunch/dinner, this is the place to go.

Location - 15, Convent Road, Off Residency Road, Bangalore 560025