Mangala Bar & Restaurant

If you an old timer in Mangalore, you’re definitely familiar with Mangala. For years, this restaurant has dished out several delicacies for the Mangalorean palate. Situated near Fathima Retreat House in Jeppu, this place has come a long way from being just a bar and restaurant to a hip and happening hang-out. Thanks to the next generation that took over the management, Mangala has become a much sought after place for great food.

I had been to this place a few years ago with my uncle who has to pay his customary visit each time he comes down to India. Such was the restaurant’s reputation. But somehow having seen fancy restaurants around, a dark and dingy place didn’t go well with me.

Vinod convinced me that the place has changed and I decided to try it. I am sssoooo glad I did it. To begin with, the place has been strategically divided into various sections- pub, family seating area, smoking zone and the old dark section. These are not the names given by the owner, but that’s what I figured by looking around at the seating.

We seated ourselves in the family area, which was filled with a lot of youngsters intrestingly. I am guessing it was the spill-over crowd as the pub was jam packed on that Saturday night. Some things never change- like the old waiters who are right now going through a culture shock watching babes in short skirts as against middle aged aunties walking around in saris.

As the place was packed, we had to wait to place an order as well as to receive it. Mangala has long been famous for its bar and now in their new avatar, they serve some amazing cocktails too at throw-away prices. Vinod ordered a cocktail (missed writing the name) and me a Bloody Mary - classic cocktails that never fail to impress.

Bloody Mary

The menu offers a multi cuisine fare. The famous Freddies (burgers) are a recent super-hit addition amongst other great choices. To go with the drinks, We ordered a Fried Chicken which were diced chicken fried in Indian spices.

Fried Chicken

We also ordered Roast Pork Chops. What a  delight! Succulent, juicy pork chops in a dark sauce which tasted like a Teriyaki sauce. The meat was so soft, it came off the bone with absolutely no effort. Because of the long wait, the waiter himself suggested that we go onto the main course. So, we skipped our second round of cocktails and took Breezers instead.

Roast Pork Chops

For main course, Vinod ordered a Kori Rotti for himself. This is a Mangalorean delicacy of red-chili based chicken curry and crisp dry wafers (the thickness of a Khakra or even thinner) made from boiled rice. The wafers (rotti) are broken to pieces and soaked in the gravy. The gravy was truly delectable and was soon swept clean off the dish.

I was told never to miss the Freddie and chose a Phat Freddie. The look of this burger can add on a 1000 calories to your weight. The posters around the place make it absolutely irresistible. My Phat Freddie had a beef patty with bacon, sour cream, lettuce and cheese. This had heaven in every bite. The patty was done to perfection and gave  KFC and McD a run for their money. Phat Freddie comes in choices of chicken, beef and pork. 

Phat Freddie

We would have loved to eat more, but for the rush. Mangala is surely going to be added to my list must-visit places in Mangalore. 

Pay by : Cash and cards

Restroom : Did not try

Average meal for two : Rs 800 with cocktails

Mel’s overall rating : 3.5 out of 5

Location: Silva Cross, Jeppu, Mangalore. Ph: 0824 2436726.

Kismis

Of the many eating joints that have sprung up in Mangalore, Kismis is a decent addition. Situated in Bijai Hills near Circuit house, this place offers south Indian, north Indian, International, Oriental and Arabic cuisines.

Walking in what strikes you first are the pink interiors hinting that this place must have hired a woman to do up the interiors. I am not biased but yes, we do love our ‘Pinks’.  The custom-made tall back chairs are a genuine attempt to give the place a modern chic look. From the extensive menu, we wanted to begin with a soup and ordered a Beijing Thong. Not a great name for a soup, but tasty nonetheless.

Beijing Thong Soup

A thick soup with shredded chicken and lots of red chilli paste, this awakened all my senses. With a dash of vinegar, I enjoyed (read slurped) it all the way. For starters we asked for the Al – Faham chicken. This dish was made of chicken breasts flattened out flavoured with ginger garlic paste and tomato and barbequed in Arabian style. The spices and the masala have the meat the needed zing. 

Al-Faham Chicken

Kismis offered choices in salads as well and we chose the Kismis special seafood salad. Salad veggies and chunks of assorted seafood tossed together in a cocktail dressing formed a meal in itself. But it was not much to my liking since I did not find the shrimps fresh. 

Kismis Special Seafood Salad

For main course, we picked Dijai Mandi from the Arabian food section. This was nothing but Arabian white rice with chicken. the rice was flavoured well with many spices but the chicken was extremely bland. The dish was accompanied by a sauce of tomato, ginger and garlic which did not  go well with the rice.

Dijai Mandi



Caramel Custard



To end our meal, we ordered for a Caramel Custard. A thin slice is what we got. Since I enjoy eating custard, the portion at Kismis was too little.  In all, our meal cost us a little over Rs 400. The service was good, ambience was decent and the food was just average. They would definitely have to work on their food to retain their customers.

Pay by : Cash and cards

Restroom : Did not visit

Average meal for two : Rs 450

Mel’s overall rating : 1 out of 5

Location: Bejai Hills, Circuit House Down Road, Bejai, Mangalore 575004. Ph: 0824 4279438

Sizzler Ranch

I had been waiting to go to this sizzler place for a long time and finally on a rainy Saturday, Vinod and me decided to indulge in sizzlers. Mangalore has few choices for sizzlers but I found Sizzler Ranch a good bet.  Located near the Mangalore City Corporation building, this place looks quite small form the outside. The garden seating is great if it does not rain. Inside the cozy looking restaurant, the seating is in two levels. The place in all can seat about 50 pax if not more. The menu mainly consists of various sizzlers and some side orders to go with them.  When you visit a sizzler joint, go straight for the sizzlers unlike what we did. We shared a Cream of Chicken Soup to begin with. A bland, not-so-creamy chicken broth was not a great start but was not a disappointment either.



Cream of Chicken Soup

If that was not enough, we ordered for Chicken and Chips. The chicken was mildly spiced, well done but not juicy. A brown sauce was poured over it with a generous sprinkle of pepper and salt. The quantity is good and may be too much for two before the main course.



Chicken and Chips



When it was time for sizzlers, we were not too hungry. We asked the waiter to suggest a sizzler with a cheesy sauce. Since we were sharing the sizzler, we were looking for something sinful. He recommended the Chicken Satellite. What was served was a standard sizzler with chicken with veggies, the only addition being a slice of cheese. The sauce was the usual brown sauce. However the taste was not disappointing. It might not be as good as the sizzler at Kobe but this was still one of the best in Mangalore.




Chicken Satellite

 Finally we could not resist the Sizzler Brownie and ordered for one to be shared. A scoop of vanilla ice cream balanced atop a warm brownie, with chocolate sauce sizzling on the plate. There was a piece of heaven in every slice as we scraped the plate clean.




Sizzling Brownie





The exterior of Sizzler Ranch and the two waiters who refused to move



Overall the meal was good. The place is neat. The service is fast and the prices for the quantity are very affordable.  

Pay by : Cash

Restroom : Basic facility with a steel wash basin like those in trains

Average meal for two : Rs 450

Mel’s overall rating : 2 out of 5

Location: Nehru Avenue Road, Lalbagh, Mangalore 575003  Phone: 0824 2459008

Chinese Cottage

The plan was to have some coastal food that afternoon but since the restaurant we wanted to go to was running full, we decided to try Chinese Cottage in Koramangala.

Situated amongst the many restaurants near Koramangala Club, this quiet little place has humble interiors, cozy and is a great place to chit chat without disturbance. And that’s exactly what my friend and I were looking for. With an honest but pleasing attempt to give it a Chinese look, you can find Chinese masks and fans on the wall along with some 3D art as well. Soft classics played in the background of this place that can seat over 20-30 people.

The menu offers Thai, Chinese and interestingly Bengali cuisine as well and has a good choice of vegetarian, chicken, seafood and pork dishes.

Rule no 1. Order soup. We shared a Thai Chicken Tom Yum Soup which happens to be my favourite. A thin tangy chicken broth spiced to light up your senses with a generous amount of chilli and coriander leaves.



Thai Chicken Tum Yum Soup

Next on order were the Drunken Chicken wings. I thoroughly enjoyed the flavours trapped in the chicken wings. With a crispy coating, a dash of alcohol and a garnish of spring onions, this leaves the spice on your tips long after you’ve taken a bite.

Drunken Chicken Wings

A closer view

For the main course again, we opted for a Chicken and prawn Nasi Goreng Fried Rice. This dish is good those who like their food mildly spiced. The rice is well suited for any palate and has a mix of shrimps, chicken, egg and vegetables.

Nasi Goreng Fried Rice

To go with it, we ordered Chilli Roast Pork. This dish would have been great, had I not asked for a gravy. Sliced pork with vegetables cooked in a typical Indian-Chinese brown sauce/ gravy- it was not so bad after all though not the best way I’d enjoy pork.

Chilli Roast Pork

Deep Fried Ice Cream

And now for the best part, it had to be the Deep Fried Ice Cream. It looked simple with bread slices, wrapped around a scoop of vanilla and fried to make the coating crispy and golden brown. The bread slices were sweetened with sugar syrup and honey and garnished with sesame seeds. I’ve decided to try this at home sometime!

Our meal considering we shared everything came to nearly Rs 700.

Pay by : Cash

Restroom : Decent

Average meal for two : Rs 800

Mel’s overall rating : 2 out of 5

Location: Koramangala 4^th block, near Koramangala Club.



Cafe Thulp

It was the first “Girlies” Outing and we decided that it was going to be Café Thulp. I had passed by this place a couple of times and wanted to visit it for long. Finally the day had come.

We decided to meet for lunch and I happened to reach the place ‘early’. I had checked their site for timings and they were to open their doors at 11am. However at 11.45, just when I thought I’d make myself comfortable at one of the tables, I was ushered out and was not-so-politely told that the restaurant opens at 12pm. That was probably a not-so-good start.

 Once the entire group had arrived we entered the place. The interiors are chic and a lot of thought has gone into the art work on the walls. Looking around, I was convinced that this was the place for a relaxed meal. There was a bookshelf at one corner and some board games. Random photographs found their place on the walls. Also the main wall had a black and red Manga art work and looked very neat. Each wall wore a different look and didn’t quite match the other.  A pastry counter with a display of mouth-watering cheese cakes and pies was indicative of the good things in store for us. 

Café Thulp can seat about 40-50 people. We were six of us (incidentally two boys too). We asked for a 4 and a 2 seater to be joined, obviously because there were no large tables. And again the waiter refused to oblige. Instead he brought in two more chairs and asked us to adjust. Rubbing our elbows against each other and touching shoulders, we didn’t have a choice, did we? This was somehow not going too well.

 With no options for us to whine about the pitiful service, we went through the menu given to us. Interesting is the word! The wacky names and their descriptions can keep you entertained for at least 10 minutes. Not many places would call their French fries The Heart Attack or their prawn cocktail Prawnic Healing. The options are vast and are a promise of a feast for lovers of meat. For the veggies, you might as well drive past this place.

 

The engaging menu



To begin our eating spree, we started with the Buffalo Bill. The first dish to arrive at the table and the first to disappear too. Fiery, red buffalo chicken wings served with a cream cheese dip. Crispy on the outside, tangy and absolutely hot, the tender chicken burns the tongue. A generous dash of vinegar and lots of red chilli pepper sauce along with some soy had surely made its way into the marinade.  Saritha and me love bacon and zeroed in on the Shot Through The Heart. Chunks of beef wrapped in bacon, braised with Teriyaki sauce and pierced on satay sticks. How does that sound for a starter? The beef in steak language was medium done, a little tough to eat but was tasty nonetheless. The bacon was crispy fried and the sauce had its soy with a tinge of honey /sugar flavour but was not very sweet as in some places.

Buffallo Bill



Shot Through The Heart

A closer look

Next in line was the Spuds Papunzie. The decoded version is spicy potato salad dressed with mayo, English mustard and red chilli sauce, laid on a bed of lettuce. Yummy would be an understatement. The succulent pieces of potato married to perfection with the dressing.  Abhi chose the Koli Dosa which was nothing but a masala omelet.

Spuds Papunzie

Koli Dosa

 Café Thulp offers a great choice of smoothies and shakes as well. From the Shiekh Yerbooty’s Old Fashioned Milkshakes, Neha and me ordered the Oreo Cookie shake and the Snickers Blizzard. The cookie shake was out of this world even if you were not a fan of the cookies. Thick and creamy, you can actually enjoy crushed cookies in every sip.

Oreo Cookie Shake

Snickers Blizzard

The Snickers Blizzard was a bar of snickers blended with milk of course. Nothing to write home about but I wished it were a little thicker. Saritha chose to take the diet track and ordered a Sour Puss – the basic home style lizzy lemonade with mint.

Sour Puss

For main course, Preeti selected the Veg Alphonso Hankypants. The dish was penne pasta with Alfredo sauce, mushrooms and red peppers. Bland to every bite, the pasta did not even contain salt. The white cream sauce was too little to even remotely coat the pasta. Preeti did her bit by adding chilli flakes, salt, pepper, ketchup and everything she could find and put together something palatable. The revamped pasta got over faster than expected. 

Veg Alphonso Hankypants

Karthik and Neha ordered the El Pollo Loco. This dish was a big wow, at least for me. Fried chicken strips with mashed potatoes and creamed spinach.  The quantity was impressive with about 7 large strips, dipped in a light batter and fried to perfection. The enormous helping of mashed potatoes with herbs was a mini meal in itself.

El Pollo Loco

Moo burger with bacon and cheese

My choice from the menu was Moo with Bacon and Cheese from the burger section. The best beef burger patty I have tasted, topped with pieces of bacon and cheese. This couldn’t get any better. Absolutely soft, this patty melts in the mouth. What’s more! It comes with fries and coleslaw. A must-try while at CT. 

Abhi carefully selected the Wok with Me.  Stir fried vegetables in a watery sauce/ gravy with fried rice and Thai papaya salad. Nothing special in this one.  The stir fried veggies were almost bland but partnered well with the rice. The salad did not carry the original Thai taste but a good attempt nonetheless.

Wok with Me

Fried rice with papaya salad

Crispy Pork Pomegranate Orange Salad

Another superhit dish was the Crispy Pork Pomegranate Orange Salad that Saritha picked from the ‘specials’ of the day. Green was the first impression. Shredded spinach stir fried in olive oil, the leaves were softened yet retained their freshness. This was tossed with white sesame seeds, garlic, peeled oranges, pomegranate and bits of red chillies. But the star of the dish was the roast pork and lots of it.  What a fusion of flavours! This salad thoroughly seduces the taste buds. The sweetness of the pomegranate and orange, mixed with the light taste of spinach, the saltiness of the pork and the olive oil dressing comes together to form an absolutely scrumptious salad.

Needless to say, after eating so much we did not have space for desserts. Café Thulp definitely knows how to strike the right chord with its customers. Though the service was not good, the food almost made up for it. Most dishes can be shared by two and hence watch out and don’t over order. The pricing cannot be termed cheap but considering the quantity and quality it is completely worth it. For six of us, the meal cost close to Rs 2000.

Pay by : Cash or Credit Card

Restroom : Didn’t try

Average meal for two : Rs 600 (including drinks).

Mel’s overall rating : 4 out of 5

Location: Near Wipro Park, Koramangala 1st block.



 

Saanjhi Dopahar

Saanjhi Dopahar, a small eatery with a catchy black and red board caught my attention each time I passed the place. Over the weekend, going by the recommendation of a friend who was new to Bangalore, I decided to have lunch at SD.

The restaurant is situated in a lane near the Airtel Showroom in Koramangala, almost next to Furtados music store (if you’re familiar with the area). It's located at the corner of a building and has an entrance from two sides. As soon as I entered I realized it could hardly accommodate about 15 people. The ambience was very basic with a few tables and chairs with tall back rests. Being a very small place, there is not much place to move around.

We were handed the menu as soon as we were seated – two of them. One had a multi cuisine selection of food items while the other had a array of combo meals. My first impression – this place reminds you of home food. Especially for those from up north, the Rajma curry and Rice can be quite inviting. The menu ran into about four sides of a card and we chose to order some chicken tikkas and kebabs from the tandoori section and some butter naan with Chicken masala. It was a lunch we had to hurry through and quickly called for the waiter. As we listed our preferences, we were told that none of them were available. Not a nice thing I must say, considering we did not order anything exotic.

Of the 8-10 sections of the menu, the waiter told us to choose what we wanted only form about 3 sections. And with the limited choice, we placed our order a second time. Chicken 65 , Chicken Dum Biryani and Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani after confirming all were available. After a few minutes, the waiter returned to tell us that Chicken Dum Biryani and Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani were the same. Did we have a choice now? But why mention two names in a menu if both meant the same?

Chicken 65

Chicken Biryani

The Chicken 65 was a shade of bright red and had a generous amount of lime juice sprinkled on it. I like it that way. Spicy and tangy. The quantity was a too little for the price. The chicken was not dry as in other restaurants but the taste was not bad.

Soon followed the biryani. My friend liked it but having tasted some great biryanis, this did not live up to its name. It possibly had every ingredient off the kitchen shelf into it, the biryani was laden with spice. Very amateur to say the least. This simple dish could have been made much better. The quantity was good with a good helping of chicken pieces. But again, it failed to impress.

What was worse was that the kitchen did not have a proper exhaust/ chimney facility and all the fumes were out in the dining area. The pedestral fan obstructed the smoke from going out. For the rest of our meal, we had our eyes burning. The ‘not-so-clean’ wash basin near our table was a put-off as well.

Saanjhi Dopahar is probably a restaurant you would like to try for daily lunch if you were studying or working near-by. I would like to believe the Rajma and rice was far better than what we ordered. This place is a complete no for a leisure lunch.

Pay by : Cash. Not sure of Credit Cards

Restroom : Looking at the wash basin, I avoided using the loo. Could not see one either!

Average meal for two : Rs 350 (including soft drinks)

Mel’s overall rating : NA

Location: Next to Furtados Music Store, near the Airtel Showroom Koramangala. The first right turn after HDFC bank junction, if you are coming from the Forum.

Froth on Top

‘Froth on Top’ the name itself is inviting. This was a favourite hangout for Vinod and his bachelor friends and that’s how I found my way to this cozy beer joint at Balmatta, Mangalore. And boy, am I happy or what! And quiet a nice name for a beer joint!

It’s not one of those run-of-the-mill dingy, noisy pubs. FOT is a quaint house with a tiled roof renovated to make place for  this pub. Tall shrubs placed all around the house surely cuts down the din from the busy street.  Thanks to the shrubs, many students make themselves comfortable with a mug of beer away from the sight of passersby.

The décor of the place is simple. White walls with wacky sing boards and posters. The seating is very basic and is arranged to fit in a maximum crowd. Each room of the house is converted to provide seating. To make ordering food simple, the menu is placed under the glass toped table so you can look at it all the time while you’re wondering what to order next. On second thoughts, a good strategy to get the guests to order more!

The menu has a lot to offer and FOT is definitely the place to be if you like to spend half a day with your beer and friends. You can start your day with their good breakfast offerings. The American breakfast here is something you’d love to begin your day with. Apart from this, there are a whole variety of starters spanning across chicken, pork, seafood and of course veggies. There’s almost everything on a menu. The various cuisines at FOT are Goan, Mangalorean, Continental, Chinese and Thai. If you’re looking for a no-frill order, then there are always the burgers and sandwiches which are a good bet.



We reached Froth on Top for an early lunch. The bachelor boys, hubby and wifey! As ritual demands, beer was ordered first. Nothing to write home about KF Premium here. Bibhash, one of the boys ordered French Fries until he decided on what he actually wanted to order. The fries are yummy, similar to the ones you get at McD. Moderately plump and not follow in the centre like many other fries. The good thing is, there’s absolutely no oil sticking to your fingers. You can order a second and a third helping without feeling guilty.

French Fries





Vinod does not miss his Sausage and Corn Hash when he visits FOT. Chicken sausages chopped and tossed with corn hash and mashed potatoes in a white creamy sauce go into the making of this splendid dish. The dish is low on spice and can suit any palate. A dash of pepper is all it has. Top it with a little ketchup for a tangy twist and voila! Highly recommended, the Sausage and Corn Hash will make its way to your list of favourites.

Sausage and Corn Hash

The good thing about FOT is that many a times, they have new introductions to their menu. Bibhash ordered a pasta with chicken and corn. This dish does not feature on the menu but was one of those limited edition dishes they introduced. Bibhash being a regular here, gets to order it anyways. It looked like any other pasta. Penne with chunks of crunchy grilled chicken, steamed sweet corn in white sauce combined with spinach make it a whole meal. The combination of tastes is incredible in this dish but personally I would have preferred more sauce in it. I usually like pasta swimming in sauce rather than a mere coating.

Pasta with Chicken and Corn



Pasta from up close


Yashpal, another of our friends ordered a Paneer Shanghai. A starter which he chose to make the main course. Thanks to the back to back weddings in the month of May, the tummy craves for some simple vegetarian food. Not ours as yet, but Yashpal’s. The Panner Shanghai with its dark red colour looked tempting as compared to the previous two dishes. It tasted equally good with thinly sliced panner pieces in a semi spicy sauce of Capsicum and spring Onions. This dish would taste best when accompanied with a fried rice. The panner was not rubbery  and sufficiently soft, just enough to hold it together. The flavor of the soy sauce came out very well but at the same time blended with the other spices as well.

Paneer Shanghai

After a lot of speculation, I ordered a Chicken and Sausage Steak. Yes sausage once again! By now you know what my favourite food is. This dish had a generous amount of sausages and sliced of grilled chicken. The meats were stirred in a brown sauce. I do not know the exact name of the sauce but yes it was medium spicy and had a lot of pepper in it. The steak was served with a helping of buttered veggies and mashed potatoes. While the sausage and chicken tasted great as always, the hero in this dish was the portion of mashed potatoes. The texture was smooth and was tasted fantastic with its creamy flavor. Unlike other mashed potatoes, there was a distinct cheesy/ creamy taste to it.

Chicken and sausage steak

There are many reasons why you should go to Froth on Top. The menu is vast, the ambience is good, the food is great, the service is fast and above all it does not cost much. The bill for the four of us for a light lunch including the beer came up a little more than a 1000 bucks.

Pay by : Cash and cards
Restroom : Did not explore
Average meal for two : approx Rs 500
Mel’s overall rating : 4 out of 5
Location: Balmatta, Balmatta Arya Samaj Rd, Mangalore - 575001, Karnataka, India. Phone : 0824-4256855