One stop to explore whole South Indian cuisine: Simply South

Indian cuisine… Whenever someone arises a question about it, we generally answer there are just two kinds; One is North Indian and Another is South Indian. Just like we have many diversified languages, cultures and celebrations, we have many diversified cuisine in each state.

Simply South attempts to bring out those diversified cuisines of South India by combining top notch delicacies of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Kerala together.  It’s a brilliant concept introduced by the famous Chef Chalapathy Rao.

Location: It’s located in the New BEL Road right opposite to the Woodland’s showroom on the 3rd Floor above Xtreme Sports bar. Locating this restaurant is quite easy with the landmarks and you can also depend on the Google Maps.

AMBIANCE

Simple… Just like it’s name. The ambient lighting, rich cutleries  and raw textured furnitures are enough to give an elegant look to this simple ambience. Strategically placed frames of cultures, monuments, festival illustrations from all five southern states will definitely grab your attention. The whole ambience is peaceful and the light classical instrumental music in the background fills your soul before stomach. It’s an unique experience.

SERVICE

 

Since it is a new restaurant service feels bit clumsy and moderately slow. But every operation of stewards is closely  monitored by the management to provide flawless experience to the guests. I’m sure that you won’t notice any hinch in the service and you will surely be pleased by their genuine service. 

FOOD

They have divided their menu into 6 major parts each dedicated to cuisines of southern states. Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra, Telangana and Hyderabadi! Yes! Being one of the oldest cuisine, Hyderabadi has a special historical value and loved by all. So, the Hyderabadi cuisine has got it’s own exceptional place in the menu.

Though they serve core south indian dishes, the course of meal they follow is very close to North Indian kind. (Like; Soup & starters at first, main course followed by desserts) However, it’s a kind of different experience.

Tomato Saar: This was served as soup. Though they mentioned it’s origin as Karnataka, taste didn’t felt like Karnataka Tomato Saar. Because, in Karnataka sweetness will be equivalent to the sourness of this dish. Keeping it aside, the taste was just brilliant. The sour and spice combination was just awesome. I enjoyed every sip as it cleared my throat and provided a lovely start to our dining experience.

Mokka Jonna Garelu: It was corn based deep fried dish served as the starter along with soothing light spicy side dish. This is the first time I tasted a Telangana dish and it turned out to be great. It tasted lovely.

Gobi Kempu Bezule: Though its a Mangalorean dish, I tasted it before in Kerala. But here it tasted too good than ever. The crispiness was just perfect. 

Muvva Vankaya: When it arrived on our table I thought this is similar to Enegai Gojju which is the speciality of North Karnataka. But upon tasting it felt like it belongs to an entire new league. It was prepared with Andhra Style of cooking by well marinating the baby brinjal and adding the peanut powder for that ultimate twist. Being a non-brinjal lover I adored this dish.

Ulavacharu: This was an absolute treat to the tastebuds. A firm mix of sour and spicy taste just made my day. It became my primary choice to try other dishes with this combination. Extraordinary indeed!

Bendakaya Vepudu: It was neither crispy nor softy… Somewhere in the middle which I generally don’t like. But the taste of this was too good. It can become a nice combination to the Malabar Paratha but when you have other dishes like Ulavacharu this dish looks bit on downside.

Tomato Pappu: I’m introduced to Andhra’s Pappu in very recent years by my foodie friends. I have tasted different kinds of Pappu in different places at Bangalore. Compared to that all this place serves really good quality of Pappu. But the taste wise I felt it was too low on spiciness. However, it was nice to taste with Ragi Sangiti and Paratha. 

Ragi Sangiti: I was bit surprised when I saw Raagi Balls on mall table. Then it hit me, what else can be showcase the real south essence in the restaurant dedicated for southern cuisine.  It was perfect and served with warm ghee. 

Desserts: 

Wow! They have most amazing collection of desserts! No… Don’t expect ice cream, jello, cut fruits or cookies. You’ll get the true south Indian desserts which have been part of our tradition for many centuries. Like Gasagase Payasa, Godhi Haggi, Badam Halwa, Elaneer Payasam, Sheer Kurma, Kubani Ka Meetha. My personal favourites were Gasagase Payasa and Kubani Ka Meetha. I realized the real taste of Kubani Ka Meetha here and I highly recommend this.

EVERYTHING ELSE: 

The whole ambience feels pure. I must say hygiene at its best. They do offer valet parking and there is a decent parking space for two wheelers next to the restaurant. They do have live counters for Appam at the entrance. If you are impressed by their pickles and chutney powder you can buy them too. They change their menu every Ugadi which marks as the beginning of new year as per Hindu tradition and they do serve special thali and dishes during festivals which is an attractive factor of this restaurant.

FINAL VERDICT: This restaurant is a tribute to the south Indian culinary history. A perfect place to take your family and elders who still have a string attached to our rich tradition. I recommend this restaurant for a true south Indian experience.

BAKASURA RATING

4.5 / 5

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Event Organised by:

GALLERY

AMBIENCE

FOOD

A Boozing Heaven: The Boozy Griffin, Marathahalli

When someone is passionate about food, drinks, service & hospitality… And if they want to share the same passion with the society, a classic pub like “The Boozy Griffin” will be born. This place is as catchy as its name. Literally this place looks like a luxurious as well as a cosy nest. I’m glad that I was able to explore this place with my fellow foodie friends during 47th FBAB meetup.

Apart from Koramangala this is The Boozy Griffin’s second establishment located on the outer ring road near Adobe / JP Morgan, Marathahalli. Google maps can help you to reach there accurately and meanwhile Zomato helped me to land 1 KM away! :P

AMBIENCE

Is it classic? Upscale? Or Trendy! It's hard to describe in one word. At first glance it appears like a lively place but upon exploring it more you'll come to know how great the ambience is. Definitely management has put a lot of effort in crafting every corner of this property. May it be vintage looking furniture, wall decals, paintings or display properties, everything seems to be having a purpose. It has different styles and arrangements of seats which suits all kind of crowds, the lighting is just perfect as per the theme.

The smokers alley reminds me about the old town streets of London and why not, each and every property installed in this pub threads itself with London culture. Whether its London bridge in the backdrop of the bar or the lamp posts everything will surely makes you to feel like you have ran back in time to London. Bar is ideally in the middle of the pub, its quite large compared to contemporary pubs in Bengaluru and can serve a large number of stags. Meanwhile some parts of the pub feels cosy and warm creating a perfect space for romance and privacy. Totally, just ambience is enough to win your heart.

SERVICE

It feels like someone you know for a long time is serving you. Their crew provide such an experience to you. They have blended the technology and hospitality very well in here. A service calling device placed on your table provides you an extra level of comfort, ease and convenience to instruct your steward or to avoid unnecessary interventions. Stewards & managers are too friendly and always ready to serve you as per your requirement. Their smiling attitude will definitely pamper you a lot. Though we were a huge group of people, they managed to deliver every order precisely.

DRINKS

The Boozy Griffin is one among such rare pubs which gives equal priority to mocktails compared to cocktails, which makes us easy to include non-alcoholic friends in our parties. Believe me, each and every cocktails & mocktails we had that night was awesome. May it be the presentation, texture or the taste, it was really outstanding. They also have wide variety of beers and hope they serve beer from tap soon.

Some of the Mocktails we had are:

Bora Bora : First drink of the evening and it definitely impressed everyone. It was an elegant mixture of Passion Fruit syrup, pineapple and a pinch of lemon flavor.

English Chocolate: It was classic and stood out of the league. Its much recommended for chocolate lovers. Its the mixture of fresh cream, banana, chocolate and apple juice.

Die for you: This was my personal favorite. It was creamy and pinchy at the same time with the light sourness in the background. I just loved this drink and yes! I can die for this drink.

Key Lime Pie: Its more of a dessert than a mocktail. I just tasted it once, it had the traces of vanilla and cinnamon.






And now about  cocktails:

Cosmopolitan: A straightforward drink with no fancy flavors. It was vodka based along with the combination of cranberry and lime.

Griffin Dot Com: A special drink which is carries the brand name Griffini. It was presented on smoking base which added more temptation. This vodka based cocktail had a great combination of pineapple, cinnamon & lemon grass.

Boozy Foxtail: This was whisky based cocktail with a strong note of taste. It will definitely make an impression to the whisky lovers.

Rainbow Shooter

If you are in Griffini with a gang, then you must try this drink. As soon as this drink arrived on our table, we started to choose the colors of which we will have. A perfect chemistry must have been worked out in the bar to create this marvelous drink with different colors. It was really great!

Dr No: Brilliantly chosen name, this was the vodka based drink with green apple flavor in the background and with strong ginger aroma. I loved it.

FOOD

They have succeeded in creating a great menu which has covered almost all international cuisines. It is really happy to see that they have given equal priority to vegetarian food too. Each and every dishes will make you to crave more forgetting about your stomach’s limitation. Our dining experience included following menu:

Peshawari Tarkari: The first dish to arrive on our table and it tasted so delicious. Perfectly cooked vegetables were tossed with perfect blend of peshawari masala.

Veg Nachos: Nachos were perfect and the veg salsa supplied with it was great. Both tasted good.

MagicShrooms: This is USP of the boozy griffin. Though I won’t eat mushrooms generally, the presentation tempted me so much and the reactions of my fellow foodies made me to taste this dish. And I would have regretted a lot if I hadn’t tasted it. It was heavenly. I ordered one more plate of this.

Tex Mex Roll: This was another dish which I loved to the core. The fried roll of raw vegetable dipped in the cheese filled veg salad was really impressive. I really loved having it again and again.

Grilled Veg and Hummus Quesadilla: Though it looks very normal in presentation, with combining the right amount of salsa it becomes deliciously temptative dish. A brilliant work of chef.

Stuffed cheese Onion Rings: How can some one hate this dish. Everything about this dish was perfect. It was fried and stuffed accurately.

Beer Batters Cheese Ball: Another dish which crowd loved the most. Right from the presentation to taste, it was just great. I don’t know how many time we ordered this dish. It was an ultimate satisfying starter which I had in recent times.

Griffin Exotic Pizza: Ah! It was exotic in deed! Appeared like it has been baked in oven of heaven. And the toppings… they were too good. Especially caramelized onions, it tempts me even when I think about this pizza. I loved this pizza so much.




DESSERT: In my view, dessert is the last thing you remember after a great party in menu. So, its better to get it right as it puts a final impression. And yes! The Boozy Griffin has successfully imprinted its final impression with two great desserts;

Lava cake: It was good with the right texture, softness and sweetness. It was indeed a perfect way to end your dining experience.

Coffee Rum Cheese Cake: Personally I didn’t like this dessert as the base was too hard and due to uneven spread of sourness. The coffee flavour was very light.

EVERYTHING ELSE

They do have valet parking facility along with a decent space for two wheeler parking. They take hygiene factor way too seriously. Every corner of this pub was neat and tidy. I was able to get a glimpse of kitchen too and it was managed well and systematically.
The only flaw I observed was, as the music pumps up you will feel like dancing but there is no enough dancing space at all. Management has to take a serious note on this and should try to expand dance floor.


FINAL VERDICT: Whether its your first date night or a night with your buddy group. This place is just perfect for everything. Just forget the time boozing yourself at The Boozy Griffin.

BAKASURA RATING

4.5 / 5 

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Event Organised by:

GALLERY