Yana Sizzlers, Koramangala, Bangalore

As moronic as 'Vegetarian Sizzlers' sound, we vegetarian do not want to miss out on the sizzling, smoking, bubbling and scalding hot dishes of vegetable patties, sauteed veggies, boiled veggies and more veggies doused in spicy flavorful sauces! 

Yana sizzlers has become our favorite coz of the wide variety of vegetarian options in their menu. They make sizzlers just out of everything - Noodles, Fried Rice, Manchurians, Spaghetti, Macaroni et all. They have some fancy Italian, Desi and oriental variations.

They have a huge variety of vegetable, mushrooms, and paneer sizzlers and you can chose between the grilled, deep fried and patty versions. 

The best part is you can customize your sizzlers and they offer 7-8 different sauces. My personal favorites are the Peri Peri sauce and the Garlic Pepper sauce. 

Stuffed Mushroom Sizzler with Hot Garlic Sauce

The stuffed Mushroom Sizzler had 7-8 large pieces of mushroom stuffed with paneer and grilled. It is served with herbed rice, french fries, sauteed veggies and doused in hot garlic sauce.    

Coriander Exotic veggies Sizzler with mushroom sauce

The Coriander Exotic veggies sizzler has 2 vegetable patties doused in mushroom sauce, served with rice, mashed potatoes and lots of exotic vegetables. 

Paneer Satellite Sizzler with Garlic Pepper sauce

The paneer satellite sizzler is one of the best veg sizzlers I have had. It had exotic veggies, sauteed herbed mushrooms, cubes of flavorful paneer, rice and all the frills. The sizzler was topped with a very generous helping of grated cheese!!! It was DELICIOUS!!!

My friends have tried the non veg sizzlers and love it!

As for the service, they are very good. The servers patiently explain and customize your orders. It generally takes time to assemble a sizzler so a 15 - 20 min wait is decent enough. The staff is courteous. 

The ambiance is not so great. It has a Chinese eat out kind of feel and the tables are placed very close to each other. But i don't really mind the ambiance.

A sizzler can cost between Rs. 375 to Rs. 500 and a meal for 2 would cost around Rs.1200. (They have some very interesting mocktails worth trying out). The potion sizes are HUGE!!!

Oh BTW, did you know the name 'sizzler' originated from a popular fast-selling food chain in the United States named 'Sizzler' found in the year 1958. 

                             

Punjab Grill

The first and the second time i went to Punjab Grill... i was thrilled... totally loved the food, ambiance and the service. And hence the next three times i went there... my mission was to find faults... in the food, service and ambiance. Fortunately there was nothing i could point out.

Punjab Grill has a long and elaborate menu with a decent variety for vegetarians. They have some very good selections of starters and kebabs. Their Paneer is exceptionally soft and fresh and you will enjoy it no matter which preperation you choose. The Tandoori Aloo was also very ood. 

Punjab Grill serves very good Sarson Ka Saag accompanied with Makke Di Roti, Gur and White Butter...which makes a very heavy and hearty meal. I like all the paneer gravies i have tried out there and totally love their Paneer Lababdaar. 

I can go on and on about each dish i have tried... but in short... food at punjab grill has never disappointed... so try out for yourself. A word about the portion sizes... it is literally king size... Their generous portion size makes up for the extravagance in prices. The rotis are also quite large. 

The staff at punjab grill is always courteous and i have not yet had any mishap there. The staff is always helpful and on our first visit our steward stopped us from over ordering, informing us about the portion size. 
And i absolutely love the refreshing little compressed perfumed towels with which they welcome the guests. 

The ambiance of the restaurant is like any other fine dining place. simple furniture and nothing too overwhelming. They have outdoor seating which I prefer in fine weather. 

A review of Punjab Grill cannot be wound up without the mention of their Paan Shots. At the end of the meal they serve a concoction of paan leaves, milk and spices in shot glasses. Though there is always mixed responses about this, i personally love it!

A hearty meal for 2 would cost around Rs.1200 (without alcohol) but every Rupee well spent!

The Oriental Kitchen - Koramangala, Bangalore

I have tried Both - Buffet and Al a Carte at Oriental Kitchen and liked both. 

In the Buffet - Every Starter that was served to us arrived HOT at our table. The Dims Sums were ok and the crispy honeyed potatoes brilliant! The Chicken stole the show and I had a good overdose of it! Small chunks of soft juicy chicken in my favorite spicy sauce!
I had the butter noodles and vegetables in hot sauce which was good. Thai Red Curry served with steamed rice was Good, with the flavors balanced well. 

Al a Carte - I had killed most of my appetite with the complimentary and very delicious mushroom and onion salad they serve after seating the guests. Just when i was going to request another bowl of the salad, the Clay Pot Rice arrived and i forgot about the Salad. Clay Pot rice is simple fried rice flavored with Star Anise. As simple as it sounds - it has a very rich aroma and flavor and is added to my list of favorite dishes! The Stir Fried Veggies in Devil Sauce (Ordered on server's recommendation) perfectly complimented the rice. Our Waiter claimed it to be their spiciest sauce and it did not fall short of the claims! It was the best Chinese sauce i have had! 

The Staff there is brilliant, very friendly and accommodating. Special mention to that tall Oriental waiter who served us there. Arrived at the table to replenish out plates at the exact moments, was very polite and patiently explained every preparation i inquired about from the menu. 

The ambiance at Oriental Kitchen is well..very Oriental! But Buddha Statue and Chinese Fire Dragon. The place is decorated with Chinese Lantern kind of lights, but is soft and not too overwhelming. Somehow, its not too noisy and a little romantic.

The Meal for two would cost around 850 (Without Alcohol)
I would definitely recommend Oriental Kitchen!

Cream Center - Nungambakkam, Chennai

Cream center is one of the best options for an ALL VEG group. The menu consists of a mix of Tandoori, Chinese, Chaats, Mexican, Italian and Sizzlers. 

The Nachos with Cheese Sauce is sinful but delightful and you can spot it on almost every table in the restaurant! Their BIG NACHOS is especially famous where Nacho Chips are layered with Rajma Beans and vegetables and doused in Creamy Melted Cheese. The Paneer Tikka is extremely soft and mildly spiced. I also tried the Tandoori Mushrooms which were slightly smoky and very flavourful. I wouldn’t recommend the onion rings as they almost every time arrive dripping oil and soggy. The American Corn Cheese Balls are also good.

Moving to the Chaats, I liked the Tikki Channa, which was served with green and sweet chutney. The Chola Bhatura at Cream Center is out of the world… and the potion size of the Bhatura is HUGE! The Papri Chaat is passable. Cream Center offers a good range of Parathas which are served with Dal Makhni and other accompaniments. 

One of the BEST dish on the menu is their DUM BIRIYANI. No Descriptions… Just try it!!!

The Pizzas at Cream Center is very good. They are not too different from thin crust Italian Pizzas, but somehow different too. I especially like the Grilled and Herbed Vegetable Pizza. The pastas are also good and I am never disappointed with their tomato sauce preparations!

Cream center serves an interesting range of Sizzlers. I have tried the Italian ones which are very good and the Tandoori ones which I always love! I would especially recommend the Sizzling Paneer Sizzler and the Baked Italian Sizzler. 

There are some interesting drinks in the menu and I love their ice cream sodas. The Buttermilk is another of my favourite. It comes with loads of pudina and a jeera tadka.

Coming to the Price factor – A Hearty meal for 2 would cost Rs.1000 and I totally find it worthwhile. 

The Staff is friendly and I have never had a bad experience in that area also. 

Now coming to the ambience of the place, the well and smartly decorated place turns very noisy on weekends as it’s a favourite Veg Joint for families… Also, there is always a 10 mins waiting no matter what time you arrive there on weekends!

It is not the place to be if you are expecting Conversation along with food… but otherwise I would totally recommend this place.

Fusion 9, Nungambakkam,

Walk into F9, and you'll be greeted with a very cool, soothing and stylish ambiance. The place is very spacious and well decorated with very simple yet sophisticated furnishings.

The lounge area looks especially very comfortable.

The menu consists a melange of cuisines from all over the world. One can select from Tandoori, Italian, Mexican, Japanese, Swizz, Chinese, Arabic, Iranian, Thai and Indian Cuisine.

They have an interesting list of soups out of which I have tried the Almond soup which was passable and the Mushroom Cappuccino which was good.

The Tandoori Broccoli with cheese is one of its best dishes, and a must try even for the non-broccoli lovers. Broccoli Florets are Sprinkled with Tandoori Masala and grilled to perfection. But what makes it irresistible is the generous helping of cheese poured over the broccoli.

The Potato Skins are also baked to perfection, stuffed with salsa and topped with black olives.

The Iranian Joojeh Kebabs are succulent dumplings of chicken. They are equivalent of Malai Kebabs. They are creamy, mildly spiced melt in the mouth Chicken kebabs.

Moving to the Main Course, the Mushroom Ravioli was as good as pasta can get. Al dente ravioli ,with herbed mushrooms and a creamy cheese sauce... one could not ask for better combination.

The Potato Gnocchi was not as I expected. The Gnocchi was slightly hard and a raw taste and the pink sauce was too tangy for my taste.

The Triple Mushroom Risotto was just creamy enough with well cooked and flavorful mushrooms.

Their Thin Crust Pizzas are also a must try especially the 4 Cheese pizza.

F9 has options of North Indian Platters where you get a gravy of your choice, with a portion of Dal Makhani and Breads. The Paneer and Dal was good, but I would not order North Indian again unless I was there with my North Indian loving Father! Though I did enjoy the spicy Malabar Biriyani.

F9 has some very interesting Dessert choices and I tried the Cream Caramel Custard which was passable, German Chocolate which was very good, but the Tiramisu stole the show. I have had Tiramisu at quite a few Italian restaurants, but this was the best I have ever had. It is served in a martini glass, which bits of lady's fingers soaked in coffee... and a very very generous serving of fluffy, slightly sweetened and flavored Mascarpone cheese. It is truly a "Make me Happy" dessert!

The service at F9 is generally good and the staff very friendly and accommodating.

The bar is another plus, though you may occasionally have to put up with the noises from the bar.

A meal for 2 would cost between 1000 - 1200 (Without Alcohol) and is totally worth every penny.

It is ideal for both Lunch and Dinner.

It is totally on my 'Do Recommend' list!

Healthy Affair, IndiraNagar

Even remembering the experience at healthy Affair for this review gives a sour taste on my tongue.
There are just 2 waiters serving 8-9 tables and we had waited at least 5 minutes and yet no one came to us to show us to our table. We just decided to find one for ourselves.

The ambiance of the place could have been described warm and cozy but that would just be very ironic coz within 5 minutes we were sweating profusely coz of the heat.

Just as we got seated we were provided entertaining by a fellow diner... he was frustrated and shouting at the staff coz he had finished his meal and was waiting for the check since 30 mins!
The waiter did take our oder within 15 mins but we had to get up and pour water for ourselves from the service counter coz the waiter somehow seemed to forget about it in spite of frequent reminders.

I could go on ranting about the service... but lets get to the food. The Minestrone soup was passable but the pasta was a total disappointment. The tomato sauce was very indianized and the mushrooms in it were not cooked properly. 
At the adjacent table the waiter managed to mix up the order for fresh lime water sweet and sour...TWICE
The only consolation was that we dint have to pay a bomb for the meal.

A meal for 2 would 'ideally' cost around 500... though 'ideally' i wouldnt recommend anyone at all to try the place.

100 feet, Indiranagar

We went to 100 feet for dinner on a Sunday and had very low expectations about the service (have had some really bad experience on Sunday evenings in some places..), but the service was unbelievable. We were given a seat immediately and within minutes we had placed our order. 


The Ambiance of the place is very soothing and romantic overlooking the 100 Ft Road. Though the ground floor seating seamed a bit stuffy, the balcony on the first floor is very spacious and cool. And since i had visited in February... the weather was cool enough to do without the Air Conditioning. 


The Cream of Mushroom soup was out of the world. The moment I took the first sip i had wished i had ordered a whole portion instead of splitting it with my Husband.  We had some trouble placing the order for the main course coz the Veg options were limited. The pasta in tomato sauce was just passable, though the Steak was cooked to perfection, exactly as i had ordered. The potion sizes were good and it took some time to finish up the steak!
We rounded up the meal with a Tiramisu, which was very good.

We had informed the steward we need to catch a train and have to leave within an hour... and within 45 mins we were paying off the bill...(What more do i say about the service!!)

A meal for 2 would cost around 1200 (Without Alcohol), but that totally depends on your appetite too... Overall i would recommend this place for Italian lovers, and is a definite place to be for a quite romantic dinner!