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?

Monsoon

The Park, 14/7, MG Road, Bangalore - 560042
Phone : 25594666
Email : tpbl@theparkhotels.com
Website : theparkhotels.com

Food : 3.5/5
Service : 3.5/5
Ambience : 3/5
Meal for 2 : Rs 1500



A quick lunch date on a very busy day took us to Monsoon at the Park. This tastefully done up 24-hour restaurant serves multi-cuisine where you can take your pick from a well planned menu of Mediterranean, Indian and South- East Asian cuisine.


Tenderloin with green pepper sauce

The tenderloin with green pepper sauce was piquant and fresh on the tongue - mind you, these were not green bell peppers but green unripe berries of the pepper plant. The mushrooms and potato fries served alongside were a perfect foil for the mild but fiery taste of the sauce on meat.


BBQ Quail with grilled veggies, jerk seasoning and balsamic reduction

Next was the barbequed quail with jerk seasoning , grilled vegetables and balsamic reduction. Sounds like a mouthful, doesn't it? It tastes equally delectable! The meat was moist and tasty and the seasoning complimented the subtle charred flavour of the dish.

And now for my favouritest part (pardon my English, I lose control when I talk of dessert!) of this review - chocolate mud cake with icecream! I had never had mudcakes earlier and I am glad my first one was at Monsoon. Because I now truly believe that nothing can surpass the lusty mudcake I had here.


No chocolate is too much chocolate!

The sight of rich chocolate sauce oozing out of the warm cake is like poetry to the eyes of a chocoholic! This dessert is meant to be savoured slowly, taking time to enjoy the gooey warmth of the cake with the cold sweetness of icecream. Yummy!!! This is definitely a must try for those with a sweet tooth.
Also on offer at Monsoon is a sumptuous buffet during lunch where I could see some divine looking desserts (needless to say, I always spot these first!).
Pricing is a bit on the higher side but this restaurant is worth a visit - atleast for the mudcake :)

Did you know.......
..........................that chocolate is a mild stimulant to humans mainly due to the presence of theobromine? It is much more potent for horses, and its use in horse racing is prohibited.
..........................that the muscle tissue from where the tenderloin is cut does very little work, so it is the most tender part of the cow and thus the name?