Golkonda Chimney

My favourite Mughlai family a la carte restaurant located in Marathahalli a little distance from the old HAL Airport. It is a spectacular building designed and landscaped after careful consideration of structure and seating plan.

In order to reach the place I undertook one of Herculean tasks of travelling from Frazer Town for over 15 kilometres through the heavy and frustrating Bangalore Traffic. The food and ambience is completely worth the drive and efforts. The fantastic feast ensured that the ‘Fruit of my labour is sweet.’ 

There is no fixed timings. Food orders are taken throughout the day from 11 AM to 11 PM. It is better to book a table in advance especially on weekends due to heavy demand from a lot of people wanting to eat here. There is no valet parking but you can park your vehicle in the side lane or a small ground behind the hotel.

Golkonda Chimney really offers some brilliant speciality items that are unique in taste. Pricing is reasonable and satisfactory. Glancing through the vast menu itself excites the senses. It is a mammoth and difficult task to choose/ decide on a few tantalising dishes. I was craving for Chicken so ordered 4 splendid starters and 1 lovely gravy from the Poultry Section. The smell of spices wafting from the kitchen causes rumbling in the stomach and increases appetite. Service is quite good and pretty fast.

The exquisite tender, soft and delicate kebabs is a quintessential example of the mouth watering and flavoursome Indian Cuisine. The lemon chicken was exemplary and outstanding. Chimney Kebab was excellent and served on a steel charcoal grill which is remarkable. Tandoori chicken is amazing as well and has the traditional elements. I didn’t like the chicken boti kebab which was more like a spoiler. Chicken Tikka masala was delicious and creamy. Golkonda Special Handi curry is impressive. The Zabardast Chicken was not that nice as it was spoilt by the overpowering taste of garlic and capsicum. Chicken fried rice was incredible.   Ghee Rice is phenomenal. Mutton Biryani was okay but not great. Cheese and butter naans can be improved. A sumptuous and satisfactory meal overall.

As it is aptly said ‘one cannot think well, work well or sleep well if one has not dined well.’ A happy belly and a filled tummy sets things right, doesn’t it?

Lemon Chicken

Tandoori chicken

Chimney Kebab

Chicken Tikka Gravy

Mutton Biryani

Chicken Boti Kebab

Outdoor Seating

Chicken Fried Rice

1st Floor View

Corner House

A Legendary Signature Ice Cream Parlour that defines Bengaluru. A sanctified and mesmerising heaven for dessert lovers, Corner House makes any occasion special and cheerful. Branches are located in every nook and corner of the Garden City and have been spreading happiness for decades.

The phenomenal Death by chocolate has grown to become the staple traditional sweet for any celebration. Almond Fudge is extraordinary and brilliant. Trilogy is so tantalizing that it can give you cravings in the middle of the night. My favourite is the superb and splendid Creme de la Caramel made of 2 scoops of butterscotch ice cream topped with fresh cream, caramel sauce and roasted cashewnuts. Other amazing items in the menu are Impeached, Royal Butterscotch, Cashew Fudge and Lychee With Ice Cream.

It takes us to another peaceful and joyful world. If one has not been to Corner House he/ she is not a true Bangalorean. A visit to this place and all of us become little kids stuck in a mouth watering dilemma unable to decide on which flavour. The fantastic, fascinating and wonderful Sundaes brighten up a sad and gloomy day.

‘A picture is worth a thousand words’. Each photo tells a delicious tale on its own that words cannot describe. A complete pleasure and delight to indulge in.

Almond Fudge

Creme De La Caramel

Trilogy

Pista

Vanilla Choco Chip

Caramel Crunch

Death By Chocolate

Fascinating Flavours

Royal Butterscotch

 

 

Imperial

This famous restaurant of Namma Bengaluru has been fulfilling cravings for 3 generations now and is responsible for many paunches. One of the oldest hotels which I have visited many times with my grandparents when I was a child. Imperial has become a proud landmark in the city. This place can undoubtedly be crowned as the The King of Kebabs. It has numerous branches that cover  major commercial and residential areas. Ambience is simple and decent. Though the atmosphere is noisy and not very peaceful, you can’t complain much as there are air conditioners as well as comfortable sofas. It is always thronging with a large crowd as people prefer it over other sophisticated and posh places due to quality of food and value for money. It used to be very economical but has slightly raised its prices now. Especially on weekends the rush is maddening.  Parking causes a lot of trouble sometimes. The Management should look into the service aspect and make it much better and also presentation of dishes needs to be worked on.

Moving on to the food,  Chicken Kebab is absolutely brilliant and left me incredibly delighted. The Tandoori Chicken is something special and different which is impressive. Ghee Rice is fantastic. Chicken Tikka is the usual but nice since it has splendid and tender pieces. Brain Pepper Fry is superb. The Kadai Mutton Curry is delicious. Boneless Chilli Chicken has a wonderful taste and the flavour was bang on. Shawarma is amazing. Coin Paratha is phenomenal and I cherished it. Tea is awesome. However Teetar is not so great and was a disappointment. Fried rice is pretty bad. Gravies are NOT so exciting/ enjoyable.  One always leaves this place with a filled tummy, happy belly, calm mind and satisfied heart. 

Service-4/10;    Ambience-5/10;    Food-8/10;    Cleanliness-6/10;    Pricing-5/10 

Chicken Tikka

Tandoori Chicken

Teetar Fry

Shawarma

Brain Pepper

Coin Paratha

Kadai Mutton

Ghee Rice

Chicken kebab

Chilly Chicken

Agarwal Bhavan

Located in Coles Road opposite the petrol bunk, this restaurant is a stupendous place for snacks and sweets. I can very well say that Agarwal Bhavan is the best place for chaats in Frazer Town area. However the ambience is bad and service must improve a lot to provide a fine dining experience. They should also train the waiters to be much nicer to customers. Parking is another problem. There is no valet facility or parking area provided. 

The Sev Puri is outstanding. Samosas are awesome. The Baby Corn Manchurian is excellent.  Jalebi is a speciality here and is fabulous. It is hot, fresh, crispy, perfectly shaped and just melts in your mouth while imparting the sweetness to your taste buds. Though it is not a popular joint for meals, the shahi paneer gravy, parathas and naans are exceptionally good and quite tasty.  The Cheese Pav Bhaji is delicious with the right flavour and richness.

Noodles was poor and fried rice was substandard. Both these dishes failed to match my expectations. Gulab Jamun is terrible. Badam Milk is okay. You do get much better in many other places. If you are looking for something sugary to please yourself or something light to much between lunch and dinner or quick bites to momentarily pacify hunger then Agarwal Bhavan is a superb option.

Food- 6/10  Ambience-4/10  Service- 4/10  Cleanliness-5/10  Pricing-5/10

Jalebi

Samosa

Baby Corn Manchurian

Cheese Pav Bhaji

Sev Poori

Pani Poori

PS- I have received many suggestions to shorten my articles. Therefore I will be reducing the length of my restaurant review posts from now on and highlight only the important aspects. I request you to kindly continue to send me your feedback and positive criticism about this blog. My email id is mohamedowaisadam@yahoo.co.in