Sunday, September 30, 2007

Jalsa

Jalsa is a restaurant that looks like a sand castle on the dusty dry outer Ring Road, and almost as soon as you approach, you are treated like royalty. Never before has someone bothered to hold open the car door for us!

The interiors are cool and inviting, resembling a set of Mughal-e-aazam. We were led in by a lady dressed in the garb of the period, a tad garish, but still in keeping with the theme.

The staff are most courteous, and wait on you constantly. Each table has its own little space, with glittering glass bead curtains, for a intimate feel.

The food was excellent, save for the Fish Curry which was a bit over poweringly cinnamon flavoured. I especially liked the Sheekh Kabab, moist and succulent.

Half way through our meal, the gentle ambiance was broken as a projector screen came down from the ceiling and a video of Devdas was screened. The volume increased as well, replacing softly played old numbers with their louder modern cousins.

At the end of our meal the maƮtre d', dressed like a nawab, checked in on us and enquired in Urdu as to how we enjoyed the food.

For dessert we decided to try the Flambe-ed Jamoon. The jamoon was drowning in a small cup filled with rum and set alight. Sadly, the rum and the jamoon were not on talking terms and the combo was a failure.

Before we left, we were offered pa'an, which did not come up to the standard of the food. On the way out, we got to pick a small scroll each from a basket of Shaeries.
I was delighted until they were opened to reveal rather silly poems in English.

Conclusion:
Overall a very delightful experience. The food is great, provided you make a choice that suits your taste buds. Ambience is the main attraction. We would recommend every connoisseur of food to visit this place at least once.

For us, it was one of the better places in Bangalore.

Rating: 4/5

Cost: Though a bit on the costlier side, we feel the money is worth spending for some reasonable occassions or when you are in mood to be pampered like Royalty. A meal for two may set you back by around 1000 to 1200 Rs.
They do not have a buffet menu, hence the place is to be ruled out for those who relish great places on company/team budgets. :)

Route:



For those coming from Airport road side:

Airport Road -> Marathalli -> Take left connecting lane at Marathalli overbridge signal -> go around 2 kms on the outer Ring road towards K.R. Puram, beyond the Dhaba(another well known restaurant). It will be on your left hand side.

For those coming from Sharjahpur Road side:

Continue past Innovative multiplex-> Go below the Marathalli overbrigde ->go around 2 kms on the outer Ring road towards K.R. Puram, beyond the Dhaba(another well known restaurant). It will be on your left hand side.

For those coming from K.R. Puram side:

K.R.Puram railway station-> Take the over bridge connecting Whitefield main road to Outer ring Road towards Marathalli-> go around 5 kms on the outer Ring road towards Marathalli-> Once you see a cluster of upcoming apartments, slow down -> Look for a sand castle like place on your right. It is right opposite a popular South Indian dhaba chain Bhagini. Keep in mind not to miss the connector on the road few feet before the restaurant Bhagini, else you'd need to go another 2 km to take a U turn.