Shiok - Inner Ring Road - Domlur Bangalore

This is a relatively new place in town. A small cosy place on the Inner Ring Road that connects Indiranagar to Koramangala.

We were actually driving down to another place when we remembered this attractive board and were fascinated by the name - Shiok.

It was a very warm welcome - the manager and the waiters were very welcoming right from the moment we walked in. It was not all that crowded perhaps because it is relatively new. The interiors are nice and woody - which we thought was neat.

Starters was a unique dish of King Prawns in Black Bean sauce - which we really liked They had opened up the prawns well and garnished with the usual chinese dressings which made it taste quite good.

We tried Indonesian Chicken Chill and the Sumatra Fish (Red Curry). Both were fine. I would not say the food is exceptional but certainly something we liked. I thought the rice was intentionally left a little uncooked but over the years have realized that this is how they like to serve it in Far Eastern restaurants.

They have a decent variety of chicken, lamb, beef, seafood and of course vegetarian options. They have also tried to mix in a little bit of chinese into the menu but I would rather go to Shiok only if I want Thai or Indonesian food.

Quantities served are reasonable (we eat less and ended up consuming just half of the 2 main course dishes served).

Style - 2 Stars

Will I go there again? - Yes (specifically for Indonesian )

Dinner for 2 - ~ Rs 800 total

Mugen - Indiranagar Bangalore

Being close to our place is always an advantage because it saves us the effort of driving all over town to get to a meal! But this one is a new find. The food is different - Indonesian, Thai and Chinese. Parking is not tough as there is a valet (although I thought the guy could have been more proactive in the way he helps customers). You are bound to notice the interesting chef's table with "Benjorong" crockery as you enter. Pretty attractive - although we preferred eating in the more functional normal crockery :)

The starters are very nice - they can tune the taste to your buds which is quite cool. We tried veg momos and the "Gai yang horappa" - grill chicken with thai herbs and basil leaves. It was a good start. We've done some Thai curries, Chinese Curries and also went adventurous with Indonesian but and thought that food was good overall. They do seem to have a nice set of chefs. I recommend the "Pla neug manow" - fish in coriander & lemon sauce.

Service is decent and portions are good too. Get 2 starters and 2 dishes at a table of 4 (normal diet!!!).

Style - 2.5 stars

Will I go there again? - Yes (when the mood is traditional Oriental)

Meal for 2 (sans alcohol) - ~ Rs 1400