Cheers!

Our blog was featured in the Bangalore supplement of Deccan Chronicle on the 21st of October 2008! Yaaaaaaay!!!!


Click here to read the article

Needless to say, we are mighty thrilled about it..because all along, we thought we had like three readers...What with our long spells of absence and chronic laziness we did not expect anyone would even notice this blip of a blog in the big, vast blogosphere. But hey, we are glad someone thought it was worth a mention, albeit three sentences spanning twelve lines - but what precious, precious twelve lines of newsprint!
And now, time to bring out the tissues. Thanks a million to you- our readers. If not for you, we wouldn't be motivated enough to write about our wonderful experiences. Thanks for the comments, suggestions and feedback. And for the ones who haven't given any, please delurk! We would love to hear from you.
We would like to thank our family and friends for their overwhelming support...errr...doesn't matter that most of them didn't even know about the blog till we showed them the article...and we aren't even going to mention the ones who said...'Blog- aa? Andre?*' (Aaaargh!!!)
And who can forget my well known aversion to anything that starts with 'cook' and ends with 'ing' as well as Balaji's insatiable appetite for food (sorry hon...couldn't resist that dig...teeeheeheee!)If not for those, we would not have ventured into uncharted territories in Bangalore and beyond, sampling culinary delicacies and disasters, to regale you with our adventures.
OK. As you can see I am super excited which is why I am getting absurdly wordy....which in turn is why...tadaaaaa....I wrote two posts today! Leaving you to catch up on the post below and thanks once again! Muah!
Psssst...there's a surprise give away coming up this month so hang in there!

* Andre? - Kannada expression for 'Means what?' accompanied by a blank look.

Gourmet Bazaar at The Olive Beach

16, Wood Street,
Ashok Nagar,
Bangalore - 560025.
Phone : 41128400, 9945565483
Website : http://www.olivebarandkitchen.com/

Gourmands in Bangalore must by now, be well aware of The Olive Beach, an award winning restaurant cocooned in white washed walls keeping with the Mediterranean theme of the cuisine. Since much has been written already in every possible food review worth its salt, extolling the virtues of its thin crust pizza or the crunchiness of their marinated pear salad, we will not bore you with more of the same!





But we thought we must, absolutely must, make a mention of their gourmet bazaar, a fun concept that started around a year ago and takes place on the third Saturday of every month. This is when you can find tables groaning under the weight of a delectable selection of chocolates, cheeses, jams, pestos, pickles, oils.....in a rustic European market like setting with wooden boards, checkered table cloths and picnic baskets. The perfect (though pricey) opportunity to furnish your kitchen larder with exotic condiments while munching on some freshly baked goodies.
We stocked up on chunks of toasted almond chocolate, sinful walnut brownies and flavorful Greek feta cheese. We loved the slices of ham pisaladiere (no, I don't know how to pronounce that but its nothing but pizza!) and the chocolate croissants that we had while browsing through the stalls. Not to forget the rosemary and sea salt focaccia - the words alone make my mouth water. It paired wonderfully with bacon at breakfast the next day and tasted deliciously.... delicious on its own or with olive oil mopped up. There was also the awesomest collection of meats available - salty, smoked, cured, dried - good enough to take back home for hearty breakfasts or a quick sandwich.




Freshly baked comfort


Olives - rightly known as 'gift from the gods'

Coonawara wines had a wine sampling counter in the bazaar the day we had dropped by. And who can say no to free wine! Tea tasting sessions, cooking demos, fun kitchen accessories, home made jams and preserves, seasonal produce are other treats you can expect to find in this market.




Hic!

The happy bonhomie in this colorful bazaar is hard to miss. With all things culinary under one roof, the gourmet bazaar makes for a memorable gastro-shopping experience.

Did you know....................
........................that Olive Beach is co-owned by Sagarika, sister of the popular Indian singer Shaan?
.......................that the word 'gourmet' is from the French term for a wine broker employed by a wine dealer?