Check out this quaintly named eatery in Indiranagar
that experiments daringly and deliciously with its cuisine
that experiments daringly and deliciously with its cuisine
It is Mainly about very good foodAt I & Monkey
It's getting tougher to grab
and hold the diner's
attention, especially
the Indiranagar diner
who is admittedly
spoilt for choice.
However, I & Monkey's
Reji Thomas is clear
about his new enterprise:
while the location (on the
12th Main; it can't get much
better than this) and the
environs (white stippled
walls and a gleam of
dark woodwork,
very pleasing ) ought
to be top- notch, the
focus has to be on
the food.
But before we come to
the food, let's talk about
the name of the restaurant.
Reji, veteran taker of the
Bangalorean diner's pulse
(he is the man behind the
hugely popular Windsor Pub),
has settled on one cracker
of a moniker; the name of the eatery both intrigues and amuses.
Apparently, it's about getting in touch with the monkey inside us all,
the creature that lives for good times and more than a dash of
mischief, the creature that is ready and willing to be entertained
with good food and good wine. But, as Reji Thomas would have
it, it's mainly about the food and the food is, in two succinct
words, very good. The menu encompasses Kerala, Mangalorean,
Coorg, Goan, Anglo-Indian and Continental cuisine and the dishes
all carry quirky-as-hell names. Expectedly, there is a smattering
of God's own dishes… God's own seafood soup, His own melimelo
coconut creamed vegetable soup.
After which Susi aunty makes her appearance on the menu ,
with curry leaf chicken. And then there's Thaai's very own
Bitangala pandhi fry, Cochin bad word curry (I'll give you
a hint: it has to do with spherical dumplings in a spicy curry),
the amazing bang bang prawns, and some of the Windsor
Pub's more popular offerings.
When the monkey makes his appearance, it's through
under the monkey's blanket, crumbed breast of chicken
topped with tomato pomodori, sliced ham, all baked in
cheese; the wrap-up monkey, which is chicken breast
filled with mushrooms, wrapped in milk crepes,
pan-fried with egg dip and served with creamed
Dijon mustard sauce; and the vegetarian All for
monkey goes Herbi, the chef's combo of select
vegetables and cottage cheese grilled and served
with a choice of pepper or mushroom sauce.
The wine list includes Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc
and Red, Shiraz, Cabernet. This writer would
recommend you check if either Reji or his son
Satish are around and leave your taste buds
in their capable hands. Oh, and I and Monkey
is worth a visit just for what the chef does with
curry leaves, I promise you!
I & Monkey is at 968, 12th Main,
near Au Bon Pain. It is open from
12.30 to 3.30 for lunch and 7 to
11.30 in the evenings.
Tel: 080 40923656.
Tel: 080 40923656.