Ritz Classic Restaurant and Bar

We had heard about Ritz Classic Restaurant and Bar from afew friends. And since it had to do with Goan cuisine, we had to be there. ThinkGoa, think seafood, think Ritz. Locating the place can be quite a challenge butits popularity helps you find the way.

We did a smart thing by reaching there early promptly to beushered to our seats. We were told that most people have to wait to be seatedduring the lunch hours. The seating is basic and does not promise a fine diningexperience. But the AC provides a respite from the scorching heat outside.

The humble interiors of Ritz

 This restaurant has been around for ages and boasts of avast seafood menu among others. Of course with it, come thousands of loyalcustomers. Hubby and me usually pick chicken or pork over seafood most often. Quitestrange for a Mangalorean but true. But this time it was going to be a good helping of seafood at Ritz.

We started our meal with a plate of Mussels Rawa Fry.  A local favourite here, the bites are crispy and the quantity is good if not great. If you like to pick your fish, the waiters bring a large tray of fresh fish for you to choose from. King fish, shark, snappers, tiger prawns, lobsters, pomfrets, mackerels….there’s lots to offer. We picked a large whitepomfret to be fried in the traditional recheido masala. The fish was at its fresh best and the masala was great. I missed the tanginess that most Goan dishes have but I am sure the taste has been neutralized to suit all tastebuds.

Mussels Rawa Fry

White pomfret in recheido masala

Beer and port wine go without saying. Vinod and me helped ourselves with two rounds each. Ritz is famous for its fish plate meals or ‘thali’.Having seen it on all tables, we could hardly resist it for main course. For a100 bucks, this was a complete steal. The meal came with a prawn curry and rice, shell fish sukka, a large piece of fried king fish, dry prawn chutney, a ‘parra’of sardines and a veggie. Belt on these meals and you wouldn’t needstarters too. Vinod settled for the meal while I had some other choices.

Fish meals

I feasted on a Sea Food Fried Rice. In Goa I prefer theirpulaos but with the spice overdose, I decided to stick to the slightly bland fried rice. Squids, prawns, fish and crab meat found their way into the riceand was yummy to say the least. To go with it, I ordered for my favourite –the Prawn Balchao. The gravy was spicy with large prawns and went well with therice. Having tasted the Balchao at various places, I would well put my money on the one sold at Martin’s Corner. Good try nonetheless if you have not tried the former. Plain rice or bread (pao) too is a great accompaniment for balchao.

Sea Food Fried Rice

Prawn Balchao

Vinod was particularly happy with this meal and I too had myfill of seafood. We are definitely going back there.

Payby : Cash and cards

Restroom: Basic and pray that it doesn’t stink

Averagemeal for two : Rs 1000 (with drinks); ours worked up to Rs 1400. Just keep a watch on the taxes on the bill though.

Mel’soverall rating : 3.5 out of 5

Location:First Flor, Wagle Vision, 18 June Road, Panjim, Goa. Ph : 0832 6644796

Rogue Elephant

Great ambience with great food is what sums up Rogue Elephant in one sentence. But then what the objective of this blog, if all ends there?

So we decided to stop by at Rogue Elephant on a Saturday afternoon. Situated in a not-so-crowded area in Koramangala, RE offers some space to breathe with soothing close-to-nature ambience and semi outdoor seating.

The menu here has a wide choice for non vegetarians and a little vegetarian here and there. With no delay, for starters we asked for a non-veg platter which was not on the menu. Good choice for four. There were sheek kebabs, malai kebabs, tikkas and some fish too. I would not say that the quantity was great for the price because with a large appetite like ours, this could be finished by two. But on serious note, the meat was juicy and there was variety.

Non-Veg Platter

For drinks we ordered a non-alcoholic mojito, Caribbean fruit punch and some Chilean red wine.  

Carribean Fruit Punch

Mojito

Red wine

For a second starter, we picked the Paneer kebab. Juicy paneer is a spicy tangy marinade tickled the taste buds thoroughly. The flavor somehow reminded me about the Goan Rechaedo masala. I could go back for that flavor.

Paneer Kabab

With one round of Hummus and Pita bread, we moved on for main course. Sorry guys, but after tasting the Hummus and Pita at Pepper café, nothing matches to that superior taste.

Hummus and Pita Bread

For main course, I ordered for a Chicken Escalope Milanese. Robin called it a chicken roti and the dish lived up to it. The texture, the hardness and even the flavor to some extent made it like a roti. It required a lot of effort and half way through the dish, I was waiting to finish it. The taste was just OK.

Chicken Escalope Milanese

Herb Roast Chicken

 Robin picked a Herb Roast Chicken which came with veggies and mash. The sauce was similar to the usual brown sauce but tasty nonetheless.

Chicken Quiche

Neha ordered for a Chicken Quiche which came with a potato salad. The quiche was good with generous amounts of chicken but I felt the quantity was poor for the price.

The best choice of the day was the Baked Fish Mornay taken by Saritha. Cheese lovers, look no further! Firm pieces of fish delicately baked and placed on a bed of mash potatoes drowned in a cheesy white sauce…how does that sound? When this dish arrived, we had kept aside our dishes and polished this plate clean. Awesomeness! Again another dish to swear by!

Baked Fish Mornay

Since the kitchen had closed, we missed dessert L. I would surely recommend this place if you want to go out with your special someone or a friend you really need to catch up with. However you might want to reach there early as their kitchen closes at 2.30pm and you’ll end up hurrying with your food.

Pay by : Cash and cards

Restroom : Clean

Average meal for two Rs 1500 (for 4of us, it worked up Rs 4000 including the wine)

Mel’s overall rating : 3.5 out of 5

Location: No 444, 18^th main, 6^th Block, Koramangala, Bangalore 560095. Ph : 080-40922037.