Given my challenged digestive system, I avoid Indian food most of the time... except of course when I'm in India. On a recent work trip, 2 places are worthy of mention both for the unusualness of the cuisine (outside of India that is).
The first is Karavalli at the Taj Gateway Hotel, said to be one of the best, if not the best seafood restaurant in Bangalore, serving up varied seafood dishes from Southern Coastal India. Stepping into Karavalli is said to be like stepping back in time into a Mangalorian home. Antique furniture and decor only served to add to the suspense that this place likes to do things in the good old fashioned way especially when it comes to the cooking. The menu is extensive and has the most seafood dishes I have ever seen on an Indian menu. We had a sampling of tiger prawns and fish for appetisers, which were deliciously light. The main course was a thali - set meal with Indian breads, a variety of curries and sauces, served on a banana leaf platter. All of this washed down with a lime soda with sugar made for long afternoon of meetings back in the hot humid afternoon - NOT!
The second is Zaman at the Ista Hotel. Zaman, a fine dining Indian restaurant with a contemporary decor serving North Indian food. Not too stuffy given its glass showcase of mouth-watering kebabs! Great place to relax and have a great meal, minus the singer, who by my Indian colleagues' standards, was killing the poultry without the need for a knife. Our attempts to be polite failed and we finally insisted on moving to a quieter corner, when the captain told us that she has been paid to continue singing for the night. The restaurant was promoting Punjabi cuisine when we visited but still had its regular menu. We had 2 curries of chicken and lamb, which were both excellent, as well as a spinach puree with generous cubes of cottage cheese. The naans were soft and served straight from the tandoor, making for a satisfying way to fill ourselves for a great night's sleep back in our rooms, without needing to brave the Bangalore traffic once again.
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