Aaah! Now this is a place that actually serves authentic Punjabi fare here in Bangalore. Bobby Punjabi Dhaba is the place. I went there for lunch this afternoon with the family. As usual had to wait for around 20-25 mins to get a table. But the wait's worth it and to keep you occupied you can pick up a copy of the Mid-Day. Now before I go any further, let me tell you this is not a fancy place (no expensive chinaware, snooty waiters etc). Also not a place for people who carry their calorie calculators with them while eating out. This place is a no-nonsense eat-and-go kind of a place. Quite dark and dingy. Nestled near the Gurudwara near Ulsoor lake, this place is a few steps away from the entrance of the Gurudwara. No name board proclaiming it's existence either. Just a square hole in the wall. What you are greeted with at the entrance is a piece of paper and a pen to list down what you'd like to eat. Then hand this over to the guy who manages the place, a Punjabi who takes his business seriously and ends every sentence of his with a "maharaaj" (parantho ke saath dahi loge maharaaj?). I asked him how long would it take for us to taste the food and he thunders "aadha ghanta". Not to incur his wrath lest he chose not to let us savour the food there, we solemnly await to be called by his highness. One of the few places in Bangalore that can afford to lose out on impatient lunchers/diners. To choose from is an array of paranthas (plain, alu, paneer, methi etc) and subzis like the usual makhni/yellow daal, rajma masala, palak paneer, shahi paneer etc. What we settled down with was an assorted batch of paranthas....paneer, methi,onion,alu and plain. These are served piping hot with a generous dollops of butter. At last we heard what was music to our ears, a table was ready. As said earlier the food is served piping hot and finger-licking-good. Did I say that this is not a fancy place? It certainly isn't. You got to sit on these age old rickety wooden stools and eat off steel plates and spoons (no chinaware...oh I already said that). No complaints though, it actually adds to the whole experience. Also the must have here is the buttermilk or "mattha" as they call it here. It comes in huge steel glasses typical of a Punjabi dhaba. They do not have a lot of rice dishes on their menu, but the paranthas are to die for. Dessert here is Kheer (rice and sweetened milk). A fitting finale for a feast. The service is quick and efficient. The food...excellent. Warning...a lunch here, definitely calls for a snooze once you get back home. Tried watching "Life is Beautiful" after getting back home, couldn't keep my eyes open after a while. For foodies out there, Bobby's dhaba is a must visit. Hmmm....Life is indeed beautiful!

Let me start with The Barbeque Nation at Indiranagar. Now this is a place that is or should I put it rightly "was" truly amazing once upon a time. I have been here twice, the first time in Oct '07 and on May day this year. I had been raving about this place to my friends and finally on a very hot summer afternoon met up with three of my friends there for what I expected to be a wonderful lunch. It started off well...with the starters coming along as per the menu or that's what I thought, until I noticed that the chap there was serving me only two of the five veg starters. Guys, tell me how much can I stuff myself with paneer? Anyways I had to bring it to the notice of three different waiters that I would want to tickle my taste buds with something other than paneer. It was after waiting for some harrowing 15-20 mins that I was brought some other starter....something made out of potatoes and which I suspect was hastily put together. Sadly being the only vegetarian at the table had its cons. My friends on the other hand had no complaints. The non-veg fare was very good I must say from what I could make out from my friends. Finally we were done with our lunch and looked forward to the desserts sections that sadly had a few empty plates. When I brought it to the notice of the manager that they had run out of chocolate doughnuts, the next thing I see is that a plate of doughnuts that have been cut into half was plonked on the table. Smart indeed! That way they were able to feed a lot many sweet teeth! In a nutshell my second visit to this much talked about restaurant was quite disappointing to say the least. Paying Rs. 506 for such a lunch is sadly a complete waste of ones hard earned money. One thing to end this on a postive note would be that the people who are non-vegetarians should not have much to complain about except for the near empty desserts section. Wicked, ain't I?

Finally, I have decided that I would be writing about my all time favourite subject...FOOD! Actually about the restaurants I usually frequent. So there.....yours truly will make an humble attempt at letting people out there know what's good and what's not so good in some of the finest eat-outs in Namma Bengaluru. Cliched as it may sound....Bon Appétit!

New to the world of blogging....trying to figure my way around.