Restaurant: Fav 5

List of my 5 favorite restaurants are:

1) 13th Floor, MG Road Bangalore. - For its Daal Makhani and amazing view of Bangalore from the 13th Floor balcony.

2) 3 Quarter Chinese, Bangalore - For its ambience

3) Queens, Church Street, Bangalore - For its daal Makhani

4) Elixir, Sector - 29, Faridabad - For its Daal Makhani

5) Hunger Cure, Sector - 29, Faridabad - For its Indian sauce used in Pizza

I rate restaurants on the basis of the quality of Daal Makhani.:-)

Landing at New Delhi Airport...

Now that I have landed in Delhi many times, I thought of sharing my experience and write this post.

Even if one is blindfolded he/she can make out that they have arrived at New Delhi airport by the smells. One can smell and tell that the flight is about to land in Delhi. It is a good 'fragrance', a mixture of dust and smoke. This smell creeps a little into the the plane's cabin when the plane is hovering over Delhi, just before the landing. It is a wonderful feeling to be choked. I feel so nostalgic.

For me who is allergic to dust and smoke, I know I have arrived in Delhi as I start sneezing. It takes couple of days for my immune system to adjust to Delhi air.

As soon as one gets down at IGI (New Delhi Airport) airport there is a strong smell of Phenyl and the white tiles and mosaic floors reminds of 1980s. By this time having experienced so many 'fragrances' my nose gives up and I can barely breathe.

Then comes the immigration queues with broken wooden tables, and paan eating babus waiting to stamp your PASSPORT and ask weird questions. Just as one thinks it is all over and now I will meet my loved ones. One has to collect the luggage, with people literally resting their heads on your shoulder to look at the conveyor belt.

By now you would love to run outside, cry, scream, etc; but wait there is more. While getting out of the airport one has to tell so many people that they have their own arrangements to go back home or to the hotel. People of Saddi Dilli (New Delhi) are so courteous to the guests.

I am talking about millions and zillions of taxi drivers and touts waiting outside. With only one intention, of fleecing you of all the monies you have.

Well, whatever it is; It is my home and I love being in Delhi. The dust, the smoke, the traffic, the swearing and shouting while driving, the food, the mess, the chaos, the heat - I love it ALL. Dilli is Dilli And, I love Dilli.

Tandoor, MG Road (Bangalore, India)

To start off Tandoor is a restaurant on MG Road, Bangalore.

The décor is 'haveli style', this is the best I could think of to explain the decor. And yes the seating is not that comfortable.

I don’t know when my search for perfect seating and perfect food will end. Coming back to food, it is amazingly delicious at Tandoor. It is a heaven for a North Indian residing in Bangalore. The food is 'Lajwaab' in short.

The restaurant is a bit on the expensive side. Drinks and food for two will cost anywhere around 800.00INR to 1200.00INR depending upon one’s appetite.

Please beware the servings are quite generous and if you are not that hungry. Think twice before ordering multiple dishes. Food should never go wasted, there are millions of people starving to death on this planet.

Our (As we are two now) two favorites dal makhani with naan was delicious and chicken was fabulous. The ambiance is good on the ground floor. However on the first floor towards the other end of the floor, some tables are too close to the toilets and some old furniture is piled up in full view of the customers. This looks quite shabby and is not expected from a restaurant of such a repute.

Tip: Like any other restaurant in Bangalore, while going for dinner on weekends – PLEASE BOOK IN ADVANCE.

HAKA, RMZ Infinity (Bangalore, India)

Haka is located at RMZ Infinity, Old Madras Road.

The RMZ infinity building has shops and food court on the ground floor and offices above it. Companies such as Agilent, Synopsys, Reuters have their offices here. Haka looks nice and attractive from outside and the ambience is also modern. Seating is not the best but comfortable. One does not end up sitting in some awkward position or one arm distance from the table. Food and service is average – nothing much to write about. Quantity of food when compared to other restaurants of same standard and pricing is less.

Infact this is the trend with all the stores and food joints at RMZ infinity. Low on quality and high on price. This may be because there is no mall in nearby areas and they are holding people for ransom, which is a trend in Bangalore. Well this is not the topic of this post so I would refrain from writing anymore on this.

Overall I would not rate the restaurant above average, but you may visit the restaurant if you have some extra money in your pockets ready to be spent. Mainland china at Indiranagar and Church Street is anytime better at comparable prices and provides better ambiance and better quality of the food.