Ranjith

Barbeque Nation

Indira Nagar ,Bangalore

Barbeque Nation(BBQN) never stops to surprise you. Some years back, I was a regular there purely for the reason that you could always fill yourself silly there. But after a while, things got boring and I stopped going there. But BBQN has a habit of surprising you. Last week, we went to BBQN after a very long while and as expected, the starters were great, the buffet mediocre and the service, very friendly. But what took us by surprise is that somewhere towards the end, they suddenly started playing loud music and about 8-10 waiters got together and started dancing!!! And they danced some elaborate steps with the jives, moves and grooves and this went on for about 5 minutes. Soon enough, all of the crowd were clapping and cheering them up. Really cool fun!!! BBQN is known for the ‘grill ur starters on ur table’ concept and hence is quite interesting. I usually bring my parents here for the experience and my office crowd also takes most of our foreign friends here regularly. The “grill-starter” session is followed by a buffet with a good ensemble of desserts. I never could do justice to the buffet as I’d be very full just with the starters so I just go straight to the desserts after the starters. However, I’ve always found the buffet and dessert just mediocre. Ambience is good – it’s always very lively and neat and tidy. Service is good - the waiters make it a point to explain the concept of barbeque before starting and they regularly filled in the empty glasses without really interrupting . The cost is slightly on the higher side – dinner for two with mocktails cost us about Rs. 1300/-, but no other restaurant gives that experience – perfect to impress your out-of-town parents. Just remember to book at least a day in advance. We had to reserve two days in advance for a table for two at the 7 PM slot (they have sessions at &PM, 9 PM and now 10 PM also). Parking too might be an issue at the Indiranagar BBQN. Overall, great for the starters and the concept experience and they do surprise you pleasantly.

Coastal Junction

Indira Nagar ,Bangalore

I went to Coastal Junction for a blind date. Since my date also stayed near Indiranagar and said that she liked sea food, I could not think of any other place in Indiranagar for sea food. (Of course, now there is Catch Marine also, but more on that in another review :)). I wanted to make a great first impression on a first date sure, so I went about researching a lot about Coastal Junction. Coastal Junction occupies the 4nd and 5th floor of the five storied Roseby’s building on 80feet road, right near the Kaya Skin Clinic (a good landmark if you need to find the way). Firstly, the location works great for me as it’s just a few minutes from my place. And you can always find parking space right behind the building as there are the fabled residential layouts of Indiranagar with neatly maintained gardens and ordered service roads right just behind. So parking is usually never a big problem though you might need to walk for a minute or two. As you walk into Coastal Junction, what greets you is the ambience – it’s got a dim-lit new-age ambience which works great for dinners – the ambience exemplifies fine dining. They’ve really done the interiors very well with plush white seats contrasted against the adjoining dark brown tables and the lighting is just right. I was definitely impressed with the 4th floor with its dim romantic lighting, the ambience and the view it offers of 80feet road below. Most importantly, it had air-conditioning unlike the 5th floor, which is the roof top. I selected a table for two by the window on the 4th floor and I told the waiter to reserve the same for me for my date later that night. The waiter took my name and handed me a visiting card with his number on it. As I had time to kill, I browsed through their speed lunch buffet offer for weekdays, which I did not find too exciting. For the date, the 4th floor looked very sophisticated and I was sure my friend was impressed. Also, the crowd in the other tables were also very well dressed and this added to the charm of the overall place . For starters, we ordered Baby Corn Kempu Bazulle and Squid Sukka – both amazing dishes as they were. The Squid Sukka was pure heaven. The beauty of the cuisine here is that the food is loaded with spices which are very well blended and as you eat, the various flavors run amok in your mouth and you can identify the different tastes distinctly in your mouth. For the main course, I have been dying to have Neer dosa and I ordered that while my friend ordered Appam. The Neer Dosa was well made and the Appam had that fresh made crispness about it, both of which we dunked into the Goan Prawn Curry. Even though my friend liked the Goan Curry, I found it just ok. We found a lot of time for conversation in between the meals and the service is good as the waiters faithfully come and pour water in the half filled glasses every now and then, as we went along chatting by. We ended the dish with payasams and the Pal Payasam provided a fitting end to a great experience. On the whole, Coastal Junction is a great place to go, with a very classy ambience with great food and service. It is a tad too expensive; a wholesome meal for two would cost you about Rs. 1600/- or so ( though I have seen some 50% off deals running on various sites recently). If you need to impress someone who like seafood and you don’t want to go out of Indiranagar, I would definitely recommend Coastal Junction for a great night out, and I would especially recommend the 4th floor by the window. :)