What to do on a Dussehra weekend in Bangalore - 2

Anelaborate 4 course meal at Kolkata. To let the festivity sink in without screaming "Iliiiiiish" at the top of our voices. The place is festive through the year, that is what makes it more special during a festival. It is all about striking a balance.

What to do on a Dussehra weekend in Bangalore - 1

Now that I can steer clear of auto brawls, and R can't make parking excuses, we finally made it to a puja pandal this year (Indiranagar, 6th Main). After a decade!

The sights and sounds brought back some great memories when year after year, I used to try hard to get out of pandal hopping and eventually used to get dragged along anyway. The best thing about religion is all the festivity that comes with it. So once I got religion out of the way, what else would I do but eat? So I ate.

Rasgullas.

And laung latas.

Among other things at the mela. And what a mela it was!

Whether or not you have ever lived in Calcutta, or have spent all your Dussehra vacations there, if you miss the sights and sounds of those 10 days of festivity, pick up your ride. And go!

More on Dussehra later. I am on a festival high!

Liquid@Ista

Gloat alert - This was one of the featured reviews of the week on Burrp.com. Right here!

We had gone to Ista for my birthday dinner in January, and had taken a quick look at Liquid@Ista from outside and we had decided to go back there for a few drinks some time. But we never got around to doing it. We finally went to Liquid yesterday, and I have come back absolutely in love with the place. I am not sure about others, but I had a picture of the "perfect eat out" in my head, and every place that I have ever gone to, even the ones I have loved, hasn't been as good as that imaginary restaurant/ lounge I had in my head. Liquid is that. And more. No wonder this place recently won the Times City award for the best lounge bar in 2010. (Or was a nominee, I am not sure. I can't seem to find any link on the net that says anything about the award but they had a certificate proudly on display at the entrance at Liquid, but I never really read it completely. I thought I would on my way out, but I had had way too many Iced teas already, which brings me to another recommendation - (*sophitstication anti thesis alert*) I am NOT a cocktails person, I don't get why people would drink Mojitos when they can just have a rum and coke or even beer, it's cheaper too after all. But nothing beats Long Island Iced Tea. 'nuff said.

Coming back to Liquid, if you are planning a romantic evening out, planning to celebrate a birthday/ anniversary, or a girls' night out and want to talk nineteen to the dozen and it is one of those nights when drinking is more important than what you eat, look no further. Here's why-

Food - Probably the ONLY not so great thing about Liquid is that they don't serve main course. You will only get a small list of finger food in the name of food menu. That said, the menu is pretty good. Multi cuisine, to say the least. We ordered chicken 65, some French Fries, and Lalbagh Ka Paneer, and they were all brilliant. The pieces of chicken were so succulent and soft that at first we were first afraid they had confused our order with sea food (R being allergic to sea food and all). Lalbagh ka Paneer was equally good. The fries, not so much.

Drinks - Pretty much the regular cocktails and drinks - Long Island Iced Tea, Mojitos etc. There was Belgian beer too, which I think I will try the next time I am there. The wine menu was one of the most elaborate ones that I have ever seen.

Service - fairly quick.

Value for money - Now that's a tricky one. It really depends on your perspective. If you are going out strictly for food, Liquid may not be the best choice. But if you talk about a pleasant evening, a few drinks, great conversation, and the feel good factor, Liquid really and completely takes the cake.

Ambiance - I was saving the best for the last. Liquid is apparently Bangalore's first alfresco. First or not, it was the best that I have seen. Dim lights, extremely comfortable understated seating - both couches and cane chairs, pretty white curtains, glass roof in parts, and the magical Bangalore weather - it was the perfect setting for a romantic evening. Even the smoking area, which was in one of the corners, open on one side like a balcony, was exquisite. If only the view had a little more to offer than a huge tree and the Lido Mall. But who asked me to hang outside the glass wall for the view? If you don't do that, you see clouds, trees, and the late evening lights of Bangalore. The music at the restaurant consisted of an amateur band singing unplugged versions of classic and alternative rock. The band wasn't the best - the guitarist was inconsistent, the singing was far from brilliant. But it somehow added to the rawness of the alfresco evening. I am not trying to justify any weaknesses in Liquid, because for me, last night, it had none. The crowd too was unbelievably good - nothing outlandish in terms of sophistication or the lack of it. Imagine. A glass of long island iced tea, the company of your favourite people/ person in the world, and a chilly monsoon evening in Bangalore - it was all there. It was a beautiful night.

Liquid was a complete 5 on 5 for me, just make sure you go there with the kind of company you really, really enjoy and you don't feel the need to feed your face because of sheer boredom. What? It happens with me all the time! Yesterday was different :)

Lido@Ista

My husband, much as he would like to believe otherwise, is not a hardcore romantic. He's a realist. Completely! So I was rather surprised when I entered Lido@Ista for my birthday dinner last night, surprised because it was handpicked by him. And boy was it pretty (and romantic, much as I am embarrassed using this word - don't know why)!

Ambience is one of the most important things about Ista. The pool side, the palm trees, the jazz music, the greens all around, the dim lights, the flicker of candles (that we missed on our table because we sat right next to the pool and the candle just wouldn't stay!)... The works! The road from our house to Lido is a very crowded one. And it's funny how right in the middle of all the buzz of the town, right next to a cinema theatre, there it is - this peaceful, green, pretty, breezy little restaurant. I can just go on...

We stuck to non alcoholic drinks because of all the checking that happens at way too many places between Ista and where we live. I didn't mind though - the mocktails here were exquisite. Pretty and totally refreshing. The food wasn't anything to die for - prawns in 6 different dips was mediocre, the mutton starter was brilliant, and the main course just about met expectations. The menu didn't have too many options, but whatever they had was strictly decent. That said, the ambience makes up for anything that Ista may lack. Not exorbitant (also because we stayed off alcohol) if you go there to celebrate something. Otherwise, maybe. By my standards at least.
I also took a sneak peek into the bar at Ista and it looked quite exotic - open air and very inviting. I will have to plan to go there really soon.

Lido @ Ista is totally 4 on 5 for me. And the time I had there yesterday - priceless! :)