In keeping with the five day work week norm, I initiated a five day cook week for myself, wherein I cook meals for five days a week at home and abstain from the kitchen over the weekends. When residing in our home state of Kerala, this strategy worked well. The weekends always ushered in various celebratory occasions and get-togethers with our extended family and friends such as weddings, engagements, baptisms, housewarmings, birthdays, death anniversaries etc. The ceremonies always ended with a sumptuous feast. And later, whatever was left of the weekend was managed with the left-overs in the fridge and an occasional take-away. If the weekend was devoid of any family function, we were off to visit  our parents and they always made our favourite dishes and even packed the leftovers to take back.

Fast forwarding to the present, in our current home in Bengaluru, the accustomed lethargy towards cooking grips me on Friday evenings. But here we are faced with a predicament in the form of dearth of celebratory occasions with food during the weekends and visiting parents in Kerala during weekends is not practical. So to feed ourselves without much effort, we supplemented the left-overs with take-aways and order-ins during the weekends. We ordered food from the nearby restaurants and they promptly delivered. We ordered frequently from the site Frehmenu.com. Alas, the initial joy of exploring the new flavours in the comfort of the house and in front of the television was short-lived.  Soon the food started tasting the same and to add variety we ventured to the much sought after food delivery apps. They promised food from an array of restaurants and we were spoilt for choice. And here arose the next hurdle; our locality was out of range for the food deliver apps. This was a major damper.

There was only one solution to this crisis, we had to venture out of the house for a new taste. And with this development, the most important topic for discussion on Friday evenings became “Where are we going tomorrow for lunch?” With a plethora of dining options, it can be an overwhelming task to choose a restaurant. Ask any monochromatic mind in Bengaluru the question “ What is it that you like about the city the most?” and pat comes the answer – first the weather and second the food. By referring to food, it’s not the local cuisine, but the abundance of eateries catering to all tastes and budgets.

So the next task is to find reliable sources that help narrow down the choice of restaurants. The internet is ubiquitous and has abundant lists and rankings of the eateries, but the sheer number of such lists makes choosing still a formidable task, but is indispensable when you want to know more, compare or read the reviews. Another source are the Whatapp groups of family and friends where pictures and notes of dining out experiences are posted regularly for providing information and gleaning envy.  It is worthwhile to mention that I stumbled upon the list of Winners of the Times Food and Nightlife Awards – 2018 and it is helpful. To venture out to all the restaurants listed in the list is ambitious, but it does provide a starting point.

Come Saturday, we are off for our weekly brunch or lunch and we try to go to a new place each week, but sometimes, the food is so good, that we want to go for an encore. I hope to list the restaurants we visit and update on the experiences. Bengaluru is a foodie’s paradise and a place to discover India and the world on a platter. Bon appetit !!