YOU

www.bangaloremirror.com/columns

BangaloreMirror

I FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013

19

No illusions, just good food

Great dessert and pork make The Mirage a good addition to the citys culinary map. If only theyd go easy on the potato

Manu Prasad bmfeedback@gmail.com

came upon The Mirage quite by chance on the web, and for a few moments, when I was hunting for its precise location in Koramangala, I wondered about the name of the restaurant and whether it was literally that. Situated on the fourth floor of a building, its pretty easy to miss unless youre specifically looking for it. The place is relatively unknown because its been less than a month since it opened, and they havent done much in terms of publicity. That probably explains why we were the only group there. Thankfully, the clich of the service staff attacking as a swarm did not happen. In fact they actually seemed a little intimidated, especially when we ordered wine they had difficulty finding it, and seemed confused on how to serve it! But once the initial fear of strangers passed, they turned out to be quite helpful and attentive. The dcor is functional, aiming towards lounge and theres lots of greenery in the form of lighting, graphics and cushion covers. Marilyn Monroe seems to be quite an influence, appearing in various avatars, the most interesting of which is her quote I dont want to make money. I just want to be wonderful.

options available, we began with a Sesame Potato Bites in Chili Sauce. On hindsight, we neednt have ordered this since everything else came with potatoes anyway! There was something funny about the oil in this dish, and it wasnt the kind that would make you look forward to the rest of the meal. The Fried Calamari served with Garlic Aioli and chips was up next. The squid was well cooked, the dip complemented it well and if you can ignore the general greasiness, its not a bad dish. The Highnoons Special Fried Chicken was the last to arrive, and was served with the mandatory chips and a Mayo-Tard sauce. The chicken itself was decent, except for a couple of undercooked bits, but the sauce, which was already a cause of much mirth thanks to our juvenile vowel movement jokes, actually had a funny taste, most likely thanks to a mustard overdose.

table without them accompanying it in some form! But the pork dish actually turned out to be the first of the fantastic dishes a superb mix of spice, tang and splendidly cooked meat. To even out things a bit, we then tried the Veg Dumplings in Hot & Sour Gravy which was served with Butter Rice. This was not in the league of the earlier dish, but the hot and sour flavours were complemented well by the mildly-flavoured rice. The Cajun Spiced Grilled Fish with Dill Butter Sauce was up next. The fish was cooked well enough, but it was probably our least favourite, mostly thanks to a strange pungency. The Chicken Roulade turned out to be the dish of the day, with an awesome spinach filling, a mildly spicy herb sauce and butter rice to complete the package. From the half a dozen pizza options, we chose the Pepperoni & Bacon. They werent stingy with the meat and the caramelised shallots added a nice touch to the thin crust pizza.

just the right texture and consistency neither too dry nor moist and had some wonderful dark chocolate! Good chocolate dishes are always a tough act to follow, and the fact that the baked cheesecake almost beat it is testament to its quality. I wondered whether we should have started with dessert!

In all: The Mirage actually lives up to its

name in the sense that the restaurants appearance doesnt do full justice to the quality of some of the dishes. Considering the Koramangala location, it manages to deliver value for money as well. A little more attention to the overall packaging and it could be wonderful and make money!

Entre: In addition to the standard menu, theres also a daily specials display. Since the idea was to pig out, we decided to try the BBQ Pork from this set. It came with.. ok, this is getting boring, so imagine potatoes as bodyguards and that no dish arrives on the

From top: BBQ Smoked Pork, Brownie Caramel Fudge, Chicken Roulade and New York Style Blackberry Cheese Cake

Appetiser: The menu is a mix of many cuisines. From the more than a dozen

Dessert: There were plenty of interesting options but we were pointed to the Brownie Caramel Fudge and the New York Style Blueberry Cheesecake, and thus we had a new benchmark of how meals should end! The brownie was

BM SAVEUR: SANKRANTHI CATERERS

This kiosk on the footpath of a residential colony of Bangalore maintains maximum hygiene while selling South Indian dishes
ts a regular occurrence. Every evening at 6.30 , drivers honk their way past the milling crowd at a tiny streetside cart on the footpath in a secluded lane next to Kumara Park. A yellow plastic sheet acts as a roof over two carts with stoves and vessels. Under it, stand three young men in yellow uniforms, as a man in jeans and a t-shirt directs them. This is Raghavendra Rao CEO of Sankranthi Caterers, here since September 2012. The men in uniform behind the two idli, dosa, paniyaram and pulao counters wear caps and gloves for hygiene purposes, to serve the dishes in paper plates. Sealed mineral water bottles and a mineral water dispenser are there too. A mechanical engineering student, Rao worked at Le Meridien and Satyam Cinemas as a customer care executive for six

KAUSHIK JN

years, before venturing into his own business. I believe in doing things differently, he says, referring to the high-quality paper plates he serves his dosas in, and the mineral water a novelty at a street kiosk. That extends to the source of their power backup in case of a power cut a UPS, not a regulation candle. Passionate about food since he was a 10-year-old, Rao decided to blend it with his entrepreneurial streak after working in the hospitality industry. I love serving good food, he says, simply. Lucky with the park authorities, he says he hasnt faced too many problems in setting up. We even volunteer to clean the park regularly. On a daily basis, he nets around Rs 20,000 from the sale of 600 dosas, 300 idlis, 200 plates of panniyaram and a rice dish. His most expensive item is the Ghee Pudi Onion

Dosa at Rs 45. Preparations begin at his home in Kumara Park at 10.30 am. The boys arrive at 5.30 pm and stay till 11 pm. Raos, parents who run a school in Mallur are dead against his profession. They often tell me to head back and help them. But Im extremely content with where my business is headed. Despite being against his concept, Rao says his parents are proud of the fact that he is running a business all by himself in Bangalore. My father even supports me financially, if needed, he says as he greets one of the regulars approaching the stall for his popular benne dose and khara bhaat. Future plans include getting a fancier uniform for his boys and growing his business. If youre in the Kumara Park vicinity, make that happen with a visit to this kiosk. Khushali P Madhwani