Coorg @ Koramangala

I am still not sure if I did the right thing. Was it worth the time and effort? After a hectic morning schedule, we decided it was going to be Coorg @ Koramangala to put our hunger to rest. Going by the review that was carried in a newspaper, I was really looking forward to some authentic Coorgi fare.

We reached there at exactly 1pm. What welcomed us was a small restaurant up a narrow stairway, just opposite Corner House and Sweet Chariot in Koramangala. The walls wore a metallic shade of purple and carried the formal corporate look. Not the best ambience to unwind and have a leisure lunch. The entire place could hold about 8 -10 tables with a seating of 4 in each.

Thirty minutes later, we were handed the menu. Yes, Thirty minutes. The restaurant was packed (thanks to the previous day’s reviews) to full capacity that everyone was asked to share tables. Now this was not something nice but luckily we had another young couple share the table with us. Its sad to know this place does not have seating for two.

The menu does not have too many options and it would hardly take any time to decide on what to have. And if you’ve tried Coorgi food earlier, you would surely know what you would want. For starters we ordered the Coorgi Chilli Chicken and for main course I was sure I wanted to feast on Pandi Curry ( the famous pork that the Kodavas boast of, and why not?). To go with it, we ordered some Akki Rottis.

On the menu they had various other Kodava delicacies too that you can tempt your taste buds with. Various Coorgi gravies and curries of chicken and pork offer enough for the non-vegetarians, the vegetarians might have to visit some other place for a full meal. There’s not much in store.

It was 2 pm and our food hadn’t arrived. The restaurant that was quiet until then, suddenly had some club mixes played in the background. Thanks to the music, the others in the restaurant could not hear my tummy growl. After repeated reminders and a stern comment, our food finally arrived. Wrong order! After the wait….you finally get a dish you didn’t order. The staff conveniently served us pork in place of chilli chicken. We were too hungry to fight and decided to eat whatever was served.

The Chilli Pork (a semi gravy) scored high in comparison with the Pandi Curry. Hot, spicy and Tangy…the flavours that best describe the dish. The meat was tender and absorbed all the masalas well. The dark brown colour of the dish spoke of the roasted spices that have gone into its making. For every piece of meat there were two chillies. The generous amount of black pepper too added to the tears that were rolling out of our eyes. Vinod cannot handle too much spice and this time we had to place the tissue holder right next to his plate. Though the taste was great, there was one distinct ingredient that stood out. I am still wondering what it was. If not for this, that dish was something I’d go back there for.

The akki rottis (rotis made of rice fried on a tawa)were just the way a Coorgi family would make them. Light and crisp and not too large. The Pandi Curry (a gravy with pork, onions and other spices) was just average. The spices were still raw and it was evident that the meat has just been added to it. I like the gravy thick as against this one which was quite watery. The taste of garam masalas along with the coriander and the chilli came out separately with each morsel. Being a fan of Kodava food, this dish definitely needs improvement at Coorg @ Koramangala.

We wanted to finish our meal with some rice and a glass of buttermilk each, both of which didn’t arrive till 3 pm hence we decided to go without it. As for the billing, the cashier didn’t seem apologetic for the wrong order and also charged us a higher price.

With all the bad experiences we had, I’d still want to think that this place can do a much better job. I’d still want to believe that they are new to the business and are having their teething problems. Well, will I go there again? …..not sure as yet!

Pay by : Cash / Credit Card ( machine is yet to be up and running)

Restroom : Unisex, clean

Average meal for two : Rs 400

Mel’s Overall Rating: 2 out of 5

Location : Above the Wild Craft Store and opposite Corner House and Sweet Chariot.

Address : #64, 1st Floor, 1st Main, 7th Stage, Koramangala, Bangalore. Ph: 080 40991191