Burnt Garlic is a Café-Bar located on the Ground Floor of the Priya Cinema Complex. I loved the décor which was rather different from the average city cafés. Elegant Grey walls with some unusual paintings surrounded by needlepoint hoops mounted with bright fabric swatches. The area inside is divided into a mezzanine which is ideal for private parties and a cozy bar area and a general family section. The distressed wood tables were rather pleasing and I thought they made a great background for the food pictures we took. The dividers made out of rolling pins added a lovely color palette to the setting.
We were warmly greeted by Gavin Baptist the Manager who not only took wonderful care of us but also patiently answered all our queries regarding the Menu. But as always the best and most important part of our experience is the food and that was what we were looking forward to. Our drink orders were taken and we were served up a Mai Tai to begin with since we preferred a Rum-based cocktail. Later on during our dinner we also tried the Strawberry and Kiwi Mojitos and both are great choices for Summer Cocktails and were well-made.
Our dinner kicked off with a fabulous salad called Savor It. Now most people who know me will be surprised because I am not a salad person but I really enjoyed this one. It was such a perfect dish after the hot sultry weather and I loved the fresh citrus flavors of the orange sections against and the crunchy iceberg base. A Broccoli and Spinach Soup followed which I gave a miss because it was just too hot but my co-diners seemed to enjoy it. Two more starters followed Crispy Fried Cottage Cheese and Coriander Chicken …. The Cottage Cheese was very nice, I loved the Vinaigrette they served with it since it gave the dish some punch in terms of flavor as well as texture. The Coriander Chicken was slightly on the bland side and I feel greater depth of flavor could have been achieved had the chicken been marinated longer.
Next up was a rather nice Oregano Chicken Burger. I believe they also have Pulled Pork and Juicy Lamb Burgers which I hope to try out on my next visit. The fries served alongside were nicely done and not at all soggy, a perfect accompaniment to the Burger. A Mushroom and Artichoke Crepe in a Thyme Cream Sauce followed and this was certainly one of the stand-out dishes of the day for us. I would certainly suggest this to all those who visit and are not into overtly spicy food, lovely delicate flavors.
A Chicken Steak topped with Porcini Sauce and Roasted Potatoes followed and though I found the Chicken slightly bland I loved the Porcini Sauce which and the perfectly done potatoes. This has the potential of being an incredible dish with just a bit of tweaking.
The much loved Chinese staples followed with a very good Veg Hakka Noodle and a spicy but tasty Kung Pao Chicken and these insured we ended our lovely dinner on a high note. It was good Indian-Chinese and I loved both the noodles and the chicken.
Despite us being stuffed our hosts insisted we try a dessert and the Tiramisu followed which was nice and fresh if not an absolutely authentic one.
I am looking forward to further food explorations because a few items on the Menu have caught my eye. Do Grilled Pork Chops, Pork Pizza, Lamb Bolognaise Pizza, Roasted Chili Pork sound as good to you as they do to me?
I am delighted to see these standalone places coming up in our city and giving us more choices and variety to explore and experiment.
DISCLAIMER: I was invited to dine as a guest of The Management but the views expressed are entirely my own.