Thai lunch at Mango Tree Bistro Bar, Bangalore

Mango Tree, a very successful Thai brand has launched its first Mango Tree Bistrobar in India at Bangalore. Yesterday, me and some friends visited the Thai restaurant and lounge to try their offerings...

The interiors are spacious and pleasing. I liked how they displayed Thai recipes on the ceiling...

There are some interesting curios too...

I was eager to try their Thai bistronomy and mixology...

I ordered the Mango Tree special Woodoo Martini. Not bad...

Virgin Mint Mojito...

The Tom Yum Goong prawn soup was most amazing...

Satay Paneer served with peanut sauce tasted as good as it looked...

Por Pia Phak deep fried veg spring rolls...

Thod Mun Pla fish cake...

Thod Mun Goong Shrimp Cake with lemongrass skewers...

Beer to wash the food down...

Gai Yang Ta Krai, traditional Thai grilled chicken with lemongrass...

For main course, we had had Thai Goong, stir fried noodles with prawns in tamarind sauce...

Gaeng Phed Goong, Thai red curry with prawns...

Gaeng Kiew Wan Goong, Thai yellow curry with prawns...

The aromatic Jasmine rice was awesome...

Time for desserts. Khao Niew Mamuang, Mango served with sweetened sticky rice... 

Now the wonderful Deep Fried Ice Cream, Thod Aitim...

This is how it looks when you cut open the deep fired ice cream... Wondering how they did it? Here's the recipe.

The smiles after a highly satisfying lunch...

Sunday brunch at Yauatcha, Bangalore

A Michelin-starred restaurant from London,Yauatcha is a dimsum tea house, located at #1 MG Road Mall,Bangalore...

The ambiance is of an old Chinese tea house with a modern feel... 

The lighting and seating embody the atmosphere of a congenially vibrant “chatter shop”. 

The bar is well stocked...

There is a vast selection of tea...

And a lot of colorful beverages to chose from...

Our dimsum marathon started with Truffled edamame dumplings...

The ginger sauce and pickled cucumber and carrots helps to reset the taste buds between tasting the yummy dimsums...

They are served hot and steaming as soon as they are ready...

Har Gau...

Crispy Turnip cake...

Pairs well with Yellow Submarine...

Crispy veg cheung fun. I particularly liked how it is soft on the outside and crispy inside...

Chicken wrapped in Pokchoi leaf. This was one of the best...

Baked Chicken Puff. The mild sweetness was new to my palate. Hope I will like it next time...

Prawn Crystal Dumpling...

Vegetable Chive Dumpling. This was the most beautiful...

Pork and Prawn Shui Ma...

Sesame Balls...

Veg Peking Dumpling...

Veg Shanghai Dumpling...

Crispy Duck Rolls...

Wagyu Prawn Puff...

The main course started with Braised Pork Belly...

It paired well with Mantao sweet buns...

Stir fried Tender loin...

Wraped chicken in pepper...

Golden fried vegetable puff. Very innovative...

Spicy vegetable fired rice...

Stir fried vegetables...

Vegetable Chilly Black Bean Clay Pot...

The Desserts were beautifully crafted. Mango Mousse was my favorite...

Raspberry Delice...

Religieuse...

Assorted Macarons...

Everything about this place is so appealing. The service, the ambiance and the food is fantastic.

The colors of summer in Bangalore

Indian Idols

Idol of Shiva at Ettumanoor Mahadevar Temple...

Shiva is a popular Hindu deity. He is one of the five primary forms of God, believed as "the Destroyer" or "the Transformer" among the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. The main iconographical attributes of Shiva are the third eye on his forehead, a snake around his neck, the crescent moon adorning, the holy river Ganga flowing from his matted hair.

Idol of Subramaniya at Kidangoor Subramaniya Swamy Temple...

Subramaniya is the Hindu god of war, victory, wisdom and love. He is the son of Shiva and brother of Ganesha. He is depicted with his weapon – Vel, the Divine Spear or Lance that he carries and his mount the peacock. His peacock mount symbolizes his destruction of the ego.

I could find one peacock sculpture on the temple flag pole too...

Millipede

When the rains come, the Millipedes (Atta in Malayalam language) get really active in Kerala...

They look more threatening than they actually are. Here are some trivia I got from wikipedia:

• Millipedes do not bite, and their defensive secretions are mostly harmless to humans – usually causing only minor discoloration on the skin – but the secretions of some tropical species may cause pain, itching and occasionally cracked skin.
• Many species also emit various foul-smelling liquid secretions through microscopic ozopores, along the sides of their bodies as a secondary defence. These secretions may include alkaloids, benzoquinones, phenols, terpenoids, and/or hydrogen cyanide, among many others.
• Some can result in home invasions, crop damage, train delays, or even train crashes and derailments.
• Some of the larger millipedes are popular as pets.
• Millipedes also appear in folklore and traditional medicine around the world. In the Yoruba culture of Nigeria, millipedes are used in pregnancy and business rituals, and crushed millipedes are used to treat fever, whitlow, and convulsion in children.
• In Zambia, smashed millipede pulp is used to treat wounds, and in the Bafia people of Cameroon millipede juice is used to treat earaches.
• In certain Himalayan Bhotiya tribes, dry millipede smoke is used to treat hemorrhoids.
• Native people in Malyasia use millipede secretions in poison-tipped arrows.
• The only reported usage of millipedes as food by humans comes from the Bobo people of Burkina Faso, who consume boiled, dried millipedes in tomato sauce.

Addicted to mangoes!

Even the birds love them...

Ceylon Pak

Ceylon Pak is one of the rare species in the Areca genus found in the humid tropical regions of Kerala and Southeast Asia. 

Several species of Areca nuts, known for their bitter and tangy taste, raw or dried, are routinely used for chewing, especially in combination with the leaves of betel, and dried leaves of tobacco.