Building Castles … on firm ground !!!
The people behind the rapidly progressing fast food chain called Smallys, now bring to us a real Biggie !!!
Their latest restaurant, launched in Feb, 2016, takes on its address as its identity and presents itself to us as 38 Castle Street, the name also fitting easily with its European styling. The place has emerged from the remodelling of one of Bangalore’s charming old bungalows, located in what could be considered the heart of the city. This café serves mainly Continental fare with a smattering of Mediterranean and a scattering of Asian and attempts to proffer a fine dining experience wrapped in a relaxed and laid back ambience.
I was delighted to be invited to a tasting of their food and even more so because this house belongs to a friend of mine. I had been a frequent visitor here over the years and I was keen to see how they had redone the place.
Tables occupying the erstwhile hall, dining room and garden and also the bedrooms and balcony on the first floor, have bestowed a restaurant like avatar on the earlier residence. Miniature Eiffel towers guard every table and glimpses of Europe are visible on canvases clinging to the walls along with painted Spanish sayings, that I nodded sagely at and pretended to understand, not having progressed beyond Level 1 of the language 😀
(Well google helped me satiate my curiosity and I discovered that ‘No me dejes caer hamas’ meant – Don’t let me fall, which I quickly realized was an apt phrase to be staring at, while over indulging in my meal)
Right from the tiny tiles on the floor to the white brick walls, the brick by brick transformation was stunning and the change just blew me away … or should I say Blue me away ? The place is splashed with Teal and white, hues that carry us on the wings of fantasy to the surf and sands of Mediterranean islands. The gorgeous distressed wood furniture, pieced together using recycled pallets, is rustic and lightly painted in order to retain its raw façade. Even the quaint, exposed pipes that encase the electrical wiring alongside the walls, have been given their due dressing of this endearing shade of blue. Yes Teal is definitely the Current theme here 😀 and along with all the other alterations, it has brought about a Sea change so extensive, that I was left in awe at the skill and imagination of the decorators who had barely left any Teal tale er Tell Teal er Tell Tale signs of the home that was !!! (Oh I just love the word Teal 😀 )
The menu is vast and deciding what to opt for is not an easy task, especially for one like me who lives life constantly teetering on the cusp of indecision, a victim of both Libra and Scorpio …
I had to resort to being guided by Nikhil, one of the owners and knowing my penchant for Asian and seafood, he recommended the Thai shrimp soup … what better way to begin a European repast, really 😛
Well I would have been content making a meal just out of the succulent shrimps swimming in the red curry broth but I was gently nudged into going ahead with the rest of the food.
The Julius Caesar salad with Rome’aine lettuce (didn’t you know that was why they named it so? 😀 ), was fresh and as I munched through the crunch of the croutons, I was impressed to know that they were home made. Baking being my passion, it was all the more exciting for me to learn that they have their own in house bakery. They also supply some of the breads, bakes and desserts to their Smally’s outlets from this central location.
The Cream cheese Bombs with their special casing of Panko bread crumbs, are one of the popular starters here, and I was urged to experience the explosion of melted cheese in my mouth. But these have to eaten hot … and disrespectful as it is to allow them to languish as one takes pictures, I do have to plead guilty to eating them cold. French fries, the eternal favorites, are also in demand here and they make them even more interesting by offering a choice of several dips, all of which are yummy … yes I put my finger tip in every dip !!!
They have no bar license but they do have a range of beverages including some interesting mocktails and sinful shakes like the Nutella, Snickers, Oreo, Funfetti(sprinkles), Toblerone etc. Not being passionate about milk in any form, I chose the Passion fruit mocktail to beat the summer heat but one can also go with the general theme and get the Sea Blue, with Curacao and soda.
For the mains I opted for the Texas steak bites and was pleased to find that the little cubes of beef were tender, with none of that tExas’perating chewiness that one normally finds in local meats !!! The Beef Brisket Steak likewise, was juicy and succulent and made a great meal with its accompanying vegetables.
I am not a pasta or pizza lover but for those who are, they have a double bonanza with the Mac and cheese pizza. They also have a vegetarian 3 Secret pizza probably for those who like secrets 😀 and a NaMo pizza for those who like … er no prizes for guessing that one.
The absence of a wood fire is ably overcome with the use of a smoking gun which is fueled with wood chips that impart various smoky flavors.
The most impressive part of my meal was the The Garden Burger Veg with its bright Pink bun and matching red cabbage cole slaw. I was highly enamored by the all natural vegetable coloring of the bun which was quite a neat feat with Beet and one that I have been struggling to achieve because Beet usually discolors with heat. A remarkable achievement by their bakers indeed !!!
The desserts as I mentioned, are all ‘home made’ and it is worth mentioning that they have achieved equally good results, using locally available ingredients to a large extent. Case in point is their New York Baked cheesecake made with local brands of cream cheese.
Their Mama’s Tres Leches cake is one of their star desserts, with the butter cake soaked in three kinds of milk. And despite my aforementioned disinterest in milk, I actually found it quite delightful … of course it helped that I imagined it to be coconut milk !!!
The Mousse de chocolate de Tres, made from three kinds of chocolate, sounded quite tempting but my full stomach was already in a state of De’sTres and I had to regretfully give the mousse a miss.
38 Castle Street is a great place for people of all ages to hang out.
There is a Hookah bar aptly named Fog, planned on the large terrace with a separate access so that diners seated in the main hall need not be disturbed. I was told that this would be operational from July but I haven’t the Fog’giest idea if they have launched it as yet.
Apart from the regular menu, they also serve an all day Western style breakfast on weekends which has its own share of faithfuls who come there to enjoy a relaxed meal.
Their prices are not exactly on the lower side but they are inclusive of all taxes and that makes it easy on the mind.
When I visited in April, the BBMP (the local corporation) was doing what it does best … digging a Moat around the castle in a bid to lay some pipes in the locality. This did cause some amount of difficulty in accessing the restaurant but they have hopefully fixed the approach by now. So pay them a visit and experience a little bit of Europe right here in Bangalore.
The old cottage certainly had its own memories that will not be easily erased from my mind but I am sure that this new incarnation will also be making equally glorious memories of its own and I wish them well in their endeavor.
April 28,2016
