Red Fork shares space with an older eatery in the same premises, Daddy’s Deli, which serves Parsi food. There is indoor and outdoor seating, and the entire ambience is lazy, laid back and exactly the kind of place you want to land up at on a Sunday afternoon. As it was getting warm, we sat indoors. A quick glance around at the menu on the blackboards and I was instantly reminded of Terttulia in Pune – not just the blackboards and ambience but also the items on the menu.

We ordered a Spanish Omelette, Beer Batter Fish and Chips, Moroccan Mini Lamb Burgers, Corn & Zucchini Fritters, and some Chilli Scrambled Eggs. There was huge temptation to try the Pork Spare Ribs, Braised Pork Belly, Braised Lamb Shoulder or the Honey Braised Duck with Orange and Olives, but the slightly late breakfast we had meant we wouldn’t be able to do justice to all this.

For drinks, we went with Iced Tea and fresh lime soda, though they do have a choice of red, white and rose wines from Big Banyan, Sula and Nine Hills.

It did seem that our order took a while coming and that’s the only issue we had – maybe it was the Sunday rush or they were short-staffed. However, all sins were forgiven once the food was served

The spanish omelette was lovely, the lamb mini burgers juicy and mouth watering, the fish (thankfully pomfret, not basa which almost every place serves now) and chips were a delight with no dripping oil and the chilli scrambled eggs were as promised. The only letdown were probably the corn and zucchini fritters which somehow lacked flavour and were too mushy / pasty.

Red Fork and Daddy’s Deli are run by the same family, and our hostess Zarine was very attentive to our needs throughout the meal. We learned that her husband takes care of the back end operations like admin and accounts while her son Xerxes is the Chef behind Red Fork, churning out these culinary delights. Another tidbit – they own the Waikiki brand too – which took me down memory lane. When we lived in Bangalore in the ’80s, Waikiki to us meant ‘the burger place’

Even as we were finishing off our food, my 5yr old nephew had finished his and was getting bored and fidgety, when Zarine handed him some paper along with crayons. That kept him busy for a bit as he’s learning cursive writing, and then he scrawled his own ‘review’ of the food, and presented it to her just as we were leaving

Overall, we loved the food and ambience at Red Fork, and it definitely merits multiple visits. I’m already looking forward to my next Bangalore trip.

Red Fork
#594, 12th Main,
HAL 2nd Stage, Indiranagar,
Bangalore, India 560008
Tel: 9611688244

This post, Lunch at Red Fork, Bangalore, was originally published at Atul Karmarkar.Com

There was a special menu printed for this burger festival and it had several options available. We decided to go with the English Beef Burger and the American Chicken Patty (with Pork Bacon) Burger. There was also a burger platter available, with mini burgers from various nationalities, so we ordered that as well.

I was feeling quite “beerish”, so ordered an Asahi beer. The main burgers took their own sweet time coming, and when they finally did, they sure looked appetising.

Sadly, looks were the only positive feature here. Both the burgers were quite disappointing in terms of taste and flavour and it was tough to tell which was which. They were dry, the bun was crumbling and falling apart, the juiciness of the beef was non existent. It wasn’t prepared to specifications either. In the American burger, the pork bacon was replaced with limp chicken bacon. Apparently, the pork bit in the menu was a printing mistake, as we were informed.

Thankfully, the meal was salvaged by the mini non-veg burger platter which featured Lebanese, Mexican, Indian and Thai burgers.

In terms of portions, they were barely 2-3 bites worth, but were quite succulent, and much better than the main burgers. The Indian burger, with a chicken tikka inside, wasn’t really much of a burger anyway. The other three had an interesting mix of flavours native to their countries.  The dips were pretty interesting too. However, at Rs.850, the platter was quite overpriced.

All said and done, the burgers were average, and I’ve had better chicken burgers at Burger Barn, and beef burgers at Hard Rock Cafe and even Terttulia for that matter.

Manchester United Cafe Bar
West Block, Amanora Town Centre,
Near Magarpatta City, Hadapsar,
Pune

This post, Burger Fest at Manchester United Cafe Bar, Pune, was originally published at Atul Karmarkar.Com

In early January this year, I received a mail from Citibank that w.e.f 01-Mar-13, they were converting my Suvidha savings account to a ‘Citibanking’ account. This was supposed to be superior to the Suvidha account and would also entail keeping a minimum average monthly balance of Rs.2 lakhs. For longstanding customers like yours truly, the balance was to be maintained at Rs.1 lakh per month.

I’ve been banking with Citibank for almost a decade now and never had any problems or issues with them. Over the past few years, this account has moved from being a zero balance salary account to requiring Rs.5,000 p.m, then Rs.10,000 p.m and till now, Rs.25,000 p.m, which was on the higher side, but ok. However, my grouse is that the “benefits” of a Citibanking account as outlined by them just don’t justify keeping an average balance of Rs.1 lakh per month.

Similar facilities and benefits are provided by other banks for a minimum balance of Rs.5,000 to Rs.10,000 per month. Of course, as their mail says, this is a relationship value, not just the savings account amount, so even investments in MFs and stocks, insurance, home loans (all with Citibank) are covered in this.

While that makes it seem better, I personally don’t see the point in changing my investment holding patterns from elsewhere or opening FDs with Citibank (with lower interest than others) just to maintain this account. Citibank is also sending a message loud and clear that they want only account holders from the premium segment, which is fine.

Anyway, to each his / her own. I’ve enjoyed banking with Citibank, but as this kicks in from tomorrow, I’m closing my account.

This post, Minimum balance of one lakh per month to retain my Citibank account? No thanks!, was originally published at Atul Karmarkar.Com

It had begun to rain quite heavily by the time we got there. It was also the first time I was coming to Amanora and I have to say the way to the parking lot is quite confusing. Eventually, I just told the security guard I wanted to go to TJ’s and he directed me to the East ‘Blok’ parking. Located on the first floor, TJ’s seems well spaced out, has a pleasant ambience and a mix of indoor and outdoor seating in a relaxed and casual setting. The place was brimming with people and there was some loud retro music playing. A little ahead once you enter are the impressive looking shining steel vats.

I’m not much interested in cricket nowadays, but there was a T20 match going on, so thought what the heck, and plonked myself in a TV facing area as I waited for the friend to finish his phone call. The menu card was pretty dirty and sticky and tearing in some parts already. TJ’s seemed to have six beers in all – Premium, Zen Weiss, Devil’s Dark, Blonde, Mystery Brew and the Devil’s Dark BC (Belgian Chocolate). We called for the samplers and were presented with only four of them – apparently the ones on tap now.

These were the Mystery Brew, Zen Weiss, Premium and the Devil’s Dark BC. In terms of flavour and taste, they were all quite weak and tasted like a diluted soft drink, to put it mildly. We’d heard a lot of praise for the Devil’s Dark, and though the sampler didn’t really indicate anything as such, we decided to order it anyway.

Frankly, it was a bit of a let down and I’d say even Murphy’s Irish Stout (which I’m not a big fan of) is better. I’m not even comparing any of the beers here with those at Doolally, who have really spoiled us by giving us a taste of real beer.

For starters, we immediately chose the heavily recommended Korean Beef, and I have to say it is a fabulous dish. The beef was really tasty and just melted in the mouth, though I went overboard on the red chili and needed a few swigs of the beer to get the fire out of my ears It was demolished within no time and we had no hesitation in placing a repeat order for both this and the Devil’s Dark, as the other beers were really pathetic.

For the main course, we ordered a well done Beef Tenderloin Steak and a Rosemary Roast Chicken. It took a while coming, but thanks to the Korean Beef, we weren’t all that hungry either.

The beef was overcooked, tough and leathery, besides being “fried”. We called the captain and pointed this out to him, and he scurried away to look for the chef. Meanwhile, I’d been nibbling at the potato mash and veggies and when I ate a piece of the chicken, it was so salty I almost spat it out. To be sure, I had another bite and it was salty too. Uggghh! Asked the friend to try as well from another section, same reaction! Called the captain again, told him it was inedible, and asked him to take it back as well, along with the beef steak.

Finally after a longish wait, the chef came over personally to get feedback. By then, I was quite pissed off and although he first suggested replacing both dishes, then getting any other dish, then saying it would be at their cost, I was in no mood to oblige. The friend was contemplating Butter Chicken with paratha – after all, how many people can mess that up? However, seeing TJ’s track record for the day, he changed his mind and ordered just a sweet lime instead, which was served without sugar!

Rarely does a place get it so wrong on a single occasion, and while I’m willing to accept that everyone has a bad day as far as the food is concerned, having two dishes sent back is sheer carelessness. What’s worse is that their raison d’être – the beer – totally failed to make any impact at all. All said and done, I’ll make an exception only for the Korean Beef, which was truly excellent, and probably the only reason I’ll think of coming back here, if at all.

TJ’s Brew Works
Amanora Town Centre,
East Block, Level 2,
Magarpatta, Pune 411028
97301 95222 / 77093 77042

This post, TJ’s Brew Works Pune – a disappointing experience, was originally published at Atul Karmarkar.Com

I’d mentioned earlier that another visit to Incognito was called for, and so it was. We ordered Long Island Iced Tea for drinks and then for starters, began with the Bacon and Water Chestnut wraps. Gosh, they were a treat and that crispy bacon glazed with sweet chilli mayo was just melting in the mouth. This dish itself made the visit worth it.

We also ordered an Antipasti platter (veg), and were asked to choose three options – we went with Pickled Feta, Garlicky Roasted Eggplant and Marinated Mushrooms. Also got a basket of garlic croutes along with it.

This was a bit of a let down. The Feta was too salty and the Eggplant was limp and totally bland, with no hint of the ‘garlicky’ anywhere. The mushrooms were pretty good though.

For the mains, ordering the Filet Mignon (medium rare), was a no brainer. For variety, we decided to order other dishes among fish, pork or chicken, eventually settling on Chicken Cacciatore (grilled chicken with onions, tomatoes, mushrooms and red wine sauce, along with potatoes and veggies) and Schweine Braten (traditional German roast pork marinated in beer and caraway seeds, served with apple raisin jus).

The Filet Mignon was cooked to perfection and the meat was absolutely succulent and a joy to consume. Very few places get it so right, and this was bang-on. The Chicken Cacciatore was good too, however the pork in the Schweine Braten felt a bit tough and leathery at times. Maybe it was ‘old’ pork or was in the freezer too long.

Only two of us decided to have dessert, so we decided on Chocolate Crème Brulee (with Belgian chocolate, kahlua flavoured) and Apple Crumble with vanilla ice cream.

The presentation was once again lovely and both dishes came up to expectations. We’d been there almost 4-5 hours and were feeling like content fat cats by now. No surprises with the bill too, at ~3K for three of us, making it a Sunday well spent.

Incognito
F66, 1st Flr, Phoenix Marketcity,
Viman Nagar, Nagar Road
Pune-400050
020 3095 0592/3

This post, Return to Incognito, Pune, was originally published at Atul Karmarkar.Com

Ever since I moved to Bombay some months ago, I usually book the 6am or 6.15am Shivneri bus to return from Pune over a weekend, which gets me to Bandra by around 9.45am – 10.15am on Monday mornings.

To commute from home to the bus station, finding an auto so early is never easy and the distance is too less to warrant booking a radio cab service like Wings Radio Cabs - besides being pretty expensive too. Having come across a mailer for Autowale, I was quite enthusiastic about their 24hr service and decided to try it out this Monday.

Firstly, their number seems to be quite busy and it was quite a while before I got thru to a representative. After giving them all details pertaining to my booking request, I waited for the confirmation SMS to arrive. When it did, the first shocker I got was the text;

Dear Atul, Your pick-up request on 2012-09-17 at 5:45 has been registered with AUTOWALE. We will confirm your trip 1hr before pickup.

Confirm my trip one hour before pickup? I called their number again to know what exactly they meant and if they thought I was going to wait till early morning to know *if* someone was coming for the pick up, they were sadly mistaken.

The representative informed me that only the booking request had been accepted and they would speak with the driver before confirming the booking, not later than 10pm on Sunday night. I thought this was a crazy system, because they’d keep me hanging till 10pm, after which I’d then have to find some alternative transport.

The representative said he’d do his best to allocate an auto and driver much before then, and at around 6.40pm on Sunday, I got an SMS mentioning the name of the driver, his mobile number and the auto number. So far, so good.

Cut to 5.45am on Monday morning, and no auto. Called the driver, didn’t get any response. Called Autowale, got a message saying “all representatives were busy on other calls” – at 5.45 in the morning, which was ridiculous! Finally got thru on the third attempt, and the guy said they would check with the driver who “should be reaching any minute”.

Called the driver again, and after almost 8-10 rings, he finally answered. His response? He was feeling unwell hence didn’t come, and if it was urgent, it would take 10-15mins more. Urgent? WTF, did he think I called for an auto that early because I wanted to do a Pune-darshan?

Luckily, got another auto and was enroute when the Autowale guy called to say the driver “would be reporting shortly”. Gave him a piece of my mind and told him what the driver said, to which he responded that “action would be taken against the driver”. I just cut the call as I wasn’t in any mood to argue.

What I can’t understand is this;

a) If you’re offering 24hr services, what is the point of booking in advance if you still cannot provide a vehicle? This reminds me of a similar nasty experience I had in April with TABCab in Bombay where I booked a cab the previous night for the next morning, and they didn’t send a car because “no car was available in my area”. What is the difference in asking for a vehicle in an hour and making an advance booking if the end result is still going to be “No vehicle available”?

b) If your driver is unwell, doesn’t he have the sense to call the customer / his office and inform so that alternative arrangements can be made? Why wait till the customer has to call up?

This was a pretty bad first experience and I’m definitely not going to book Autowale again.

This post, Bad first experience with Autowale, Pune, was originally published at Atul Karmarkar.Com

Finally agreed on Incognito, a newly opened restaurant at Phoenix Marketcity Mall at Viman Nagar. We reached just after 12pm and were among the first customers of the day. Once seated, we had a look around. Even though it’s inside a mall, the place is kinda dark, but with a pleasant ambience. There was some nondescript music also playing then. The walls are filled with all kinds of stuff – from smart-ass posters to other paraphernelia and even a model ship.

The drinks menu had all “Awsome” items in it and we couldn’t help laughing at the way it was spelt. We decided to start with the Incognito Draught beer. There was a choice of 200ml and 400ml, and we chose the former. While I knew it wasn’t much, the slim, narrow glass in which it was served made it look like tonic water or some medicine.

The food menu is quite comprehensive and it is impossible to do justice to it in a single sitting. We started off with salads: non-veg for me, veg for her. I chose a Warm Cajun Chicken Salad and she a Gazpacho salad, both with garlic bread. I liked the presentation and it was quite good too. The idea was to start with this and then move on to the main course, but the salad itself was quite filling and we just didn’t seem to be able to eat anything more.

The compromise was a plate of Nachos with cheese. For drinks, we went with the “Awsome” cocktails, and ordered a Margarita for her and Long Island Iced Tea for me. While the LIT was good, the nachos were a complete let down, right from the presentation to the quantity and the taste. In comparison, the nachos at Cream Centre were in a class by themselves.

By now, the place had begun filling up and that brings me to one issue I have with the place – the tables are too close to each other, like this one – where I could have easily reached across to my left to the table beside us, not to mention conversation also being quite audible. The music was now mostly ’80s, but the acoustics seemed off and too much of a bass thump ruined the listening pleasure.

The plan was to head out to Koregaon Park for dessert, as she was keen to try out Red Velvet cupcakes. However, we decied to postpone that and order dessert here itself and I must say I’m glad we did. Another friend who had been here a day earlier, recommended the Chocolate Walnut Brownie and we both decided to try it out.

The presentation was gorgeous and it was fabulous to eat, besides being rich and heavy, not that we were bothered. It was clearly the highlight of the lunch and we finally “staggered” out of Incognito around 4.30pm, almost five hours since coming in. The overall cost for two came to just over Rs.2,000 which I’d say was well worth it, except for the nachos.

There are plenty of dishes here that seemed worth trying out and another visit is definitely called for

Incognito
F66, 1st Flr, Phoenix Marketcity,
Viman Nagar, Nagar Road
Pune-400050
020 3095 0592/3

This post, Lunch at Incognito, Pune, was originally published at Atul Karmarkar.Com

Located in the Link Square mall in Bandra(W), it took a bit to figure out the exact location once inside the mall. Apparently, there is no direct entry and a staircase only leads to the service section. Turned out there’s a lift that goes to the 3rd floor, where Global Fusion is.

At first it took me a couple of minutes to adjust to the lights and dark ambience, but even as we went around the place, the number of food counters was amazing. The place even has a pool inside!

Obviously, we decided to go for the Sunday Brunch at Rs.1,097 per head. There was a complimentary drink on offer – beer, white wine, red wine; we chose a white wine and two reds, self included.

The sheer quantity of food on offer was mind boggling (reminded me of Spice Kitchen, Pune), and we headed to the sushi counter. It was delectable, and so was the sashimi. I couldn’t get enough of the prawn tempura. The rice cakes were good too. Overall, we must have made at least three trips to top up our plates with chicken, crab, prawns and fish

They also have live counters, where sample dishes are kept and once you order, they are served at your table. We didn’t really avail this option as we were too hungry to wait

All this time, I’d been passing the dessert counter and when the time came to finally sample them, I realised I was so stuffed from eating the other food that I almost considered not having dessert. However I quickly banished that thought from my mind and had Baskin Robbins Honey Nut Crunch with Mississippi Mud along with the other brownies, mousse and cakes on offer.

Have to say that at Rs.1,097 this is a totally VFM brunch, and lunch on weekdays costs Rs.730.

A warning: Don’t have a heavy breakfast or else you won’t be able to really have paisa vasool food here

Global Fusion
3rd Flr, Link Square Mall,
Linking Road, Bandra (W),
Mumbai-400050
022 2646 9001

This post, Sunday Brunch at Global Fusion, Mumbai, was originally published at Atul Karmarkar.Com

Located at Metropole (near Inox), we arrived in time for lunch, by 1.30pm or so. It is quite spacious and even has space for a DJ console. Considering it was a weekend, the place seemed largely unoccupied, except for one large group (almost 20) of firang students. We settled down to have a look at the menu, and that was when the surprises began.

There was also no drinks menu, though we did see beer and other spirits on the shelves. Maybe they were still in the process of obtaining a licence? Either way, it was dumb not to have a drinks menu. We decided to start with beer, and were told there were just two types available – Kingfisher Regular pint and Kingfisher Ultra, that’s it. We chose Ultra.

Then came the food menu. There didn’t seem to be anything uniquely ‘Brazilian’ about it – not only the menu, but the place, decor or anything else (not that we expected Samba dancers just yet :p ). Mostly Italian, Continental in nature, the menu had a list of appetisers, salads, starters, main course and so on, and there was a printed sheet enclosed within – the brunch menu, with limited items. Priced at Rs.399 per head, we thought it seemed a good deal so chose that over the à la carte menu.

Just when we had decided on the starters, the steward came over and requested for the brunch menu sheet, saying he would bring it back in just five minutes. We asked if the restaurant had just ONE print out of the brunch menu, which left him feeling pretty sheepish, and us, flabbergasted.

After the sheet was brought back, we ordered a ‘Warm Chicken & Pomegranate Salad’ and ‘Tomato & Glass Noodle Seafood Salad’. Have to say in terms of taste and size of the serving, the former totally trumped the latter. Also, Basa seems to be the preferred choice of fish to serve at most places these days.

Another friend joined in and ordered the chicken soup, which we’d given a miss to, and seemed to like it.

We continued with beer rather than try out any of the other drinks on offer and ordered the main course. The items on that sheet were printed in such a random and haphazard manner that some of the items which looked interesting were actually pizzas! I kid you not – one example being ‘Grilled Chicken bits, with fresh cheese and Bell Peppers’. Once again, the steward informed us with an apologetic smile that the last four items in the main course were all pizzas.

We ordered ‘Nacho Encrusted Fish & Chips with Tropical Fruit Salsa’ and ‘Chicken Hunters Style in a special red wine and tomato sauce’. They goofed up with one of the orders and served the actual dish at no extra charge. The food was decent, though I found it all somewhat bland and certainly not a tickle for the tastebuds. Couldn’t get any hint of red wine in the chicken either.

For dessert, we chose Crème brûlée only to be told there was only one serving available, which seemed ridiculous! Once we were done with facepalming yet again, we ordered that single serving of Crème brûlée and chocolate ice cream.

The ice cream seemed to be Amul and tasted ok enough, but the Crème brûlée – oh boy, the caramel was so tough that even tapping the spoon hard didn’t have any effect on it and we actually asked the steward if there was a mini-hammer available!

By this time, our entire meal seemed to have become a nice comedy act and for the stewards, being sheepish and embarrassed seemed to be the order of the day and so it was this time too. We returned that serving and ordered another ice cream instead, bringing the meal to a close, and asked for the bill.

Mr.Murphy was waiting to strike again, and we were surprised to see the brunch per head being charged at Rs.449 instead of Rs.399. Not that 50 bucks is a big deal. When we quizzed the steward about it, he said that was the price for the non-veg brunch so we asked him why it wasn’t mentioned anywhere. Totally confused, he went off to consult a senior steward, who then spoke with the manager, who then called one of the chefs (you get the drift here, don’t you? ) and they all went into a huddle, before finally getting us the revised bill. Overall, we paid just over Rs.900 per head, which was ok considering the beer consumed.

Oh yes, a final moment of hilarity ensued in the loo where I saw this… Who in their right mind would ‘touch’?

(Btw, if you *must* write something in the loo, do it in style like at the Egg Factory in Bangalore.)

The meal and the overall experience was a disappointment though we may return once to sample the à la carte menu. There have been several food outlets mushrooming across Pune and people here are quite discerning too, so Flambos needs to get its act together if they want to survive beyond the next few months.

Flambos
G4, Metropole,
Near INOX, Bund Garden Rd
Pune-411001
+91 8390000660 / +91 9922429000

This post, Inflamed at Flambos, Pune, was originally published at Atul Karmarkar.Com

Situated where Zenzi used to be, the look and feel immediately reminded me of a cross between an HRC and a sports bar, with the pictures on the wall and Union Jack cushion covers. It is decently sized with well spaced out seating, so conversations can remain private. The interiors are pleasant and comfortable enough. The music playlist seemed random, with songs from all genres and ages playing. The volume was just right, except on a couple of occasions when it seemed louder than needed.

Given it’s name, I was quite surprised to see the lack of beer on tap, reminding me of Kiva Ivy in Pune. The beer menu had 6-7 of the usual beers served everywhere, which we began proceedings with. For starters, we ordered Onion Rings, Chicken Caesar Salad, Chicken Wings and Fish n Chips. Good stuff, though the fish was a tad disappointing. For mains, we ordered a Mushroom Risotto, Prawn Ravioli, Grilled Chicken and Grilled Tenderloin Steak in Red Wine Jus. Overall, the food was good, though personally I did feel the quantity of the portions was a bit less as compared to the price per dish, or maybe I was just too hungry.

The drinks of course flowed on merrily and after the beers and Jack Daniels, we tried out the cocktails on offer – Blueberry Cosmopolitan, Sour Apple Martini, and of course, two of my favourites, Long Island Iced Tea and Bloody Mary. Quite well made, though at Rs.450, the Long Island Iced Tea was even more expensive than the one at Touché in Bangalore.

We were feeling quite full and content, so nobody was really keen to have dessert, though mentally I was dreaming of the Tiramisu and Blueberry Cheesecake

All said and done, Lagerbay is a pretty good place and it makes sense to go there with more people around, so the per head cost remains reasonable. They also serve burgers, but only till 7pm, so must try those out the next time, which means I’m coming back!

* Not a single picture though – as we all attacked the food and drinks, there wasn’t really time to ‘set up’ the dishes for a pic.

Lagerbay
183, Waterfield Road (opp Subway),
Bandra(W),
Mumbai 411050
Tel: 022 67369900

This post, Dining at Lagerbay, Mumbai, was originally published at Atul Karmarkar.Com