Republique, the Pub & Terrace Lounge…!

How many of you have that one favourite restaurant that you always visit because you know that nothing can go wrong with your food & you are happy while walking out as it hasn't burned a hole in your pocket or even if it does it's totally worth every penny?! 🙂 I'm sure all of us have a few favourites when it comes to different cuisines.. As a kid growing up in Mangalore, Indo-Chinese was my favourite cuisine, well to tell the truth other than that there were only restaurants serving North Indian & the local cuisine. It was a no brainer... Was so simple, we knew where to head to for a lovely time with family or friends.

Bangalore or rather most big cities & towns in India are popping up with so many restaurants serving international cuisines/ restaurants themed in ways to teleport you to another place or time! Every time I need to head out I spend at least a few minutes pouring over various review wesites to decide where to eat/what to eat!! It gets quite difficult when you have so many choices.. Don't you think we are spoilt for choice?

A place with good acoustics is a treat for any music lover, such places are almost non-existent now. Are you the type who loves some fresh air, who loves gazing at the starlit sky on a terrace?? What if I told you to add to that there is a mediterranean touch to it? 😀 , Can it get better than this ?!? Of course not!. Do you love a mug of draught beer/well concocted cocktails with some finger licking nibbles/mains?!!? If you also like to dance to the tunes of a DJ, then you need to head out to HSR layout in Bangalore... Very close to the BDA complex you will see this tastefully done up place which will satisfy almost all the different things you look for when you want to have a good time!

They have 2 floors - 1st floor (The air conditioned acoustically enhanced seating area, a large balcony seating & the terrace (Partly covered done up with a mediterranean touch & some portions open air, with even a small mezzanine area for a private party of 15).

The terrace area is serviceable from 12-3.30pm & then re-opens at 5-11pm on weekdays & upto 1pm on weekends, but the 1st floor is serviceable from 12pm till 11pm on weekdays & till 1pm on weekends. 😀

Bar Available: Yes, fully equipped

They have good offers on Liquor too. During the Happy Hours , a(12pm-10.30pm Monday-Tuesday & 12pm-6pm Wednesday-Saturday) mug of draught beer will cost you 65/-INR, which is a steal deal. BOGO offers on select cocktails 😀 . You can also buy quarters or bottles of your poison here 🙂 .

I had the opportunity to try Their Mai Tai, Mojito (an orange Mojito on request 😀 ) & their Long Island Iced tea. All were very well concocted but my personal favourite was the Orange Mojito as it was a hot summer day & the cocktail was very refreshing 😀 !!

Ambiance: The place is tastefully done with hand painted graphics on the wall all across & commendable acoustics on their 1st Floor enclosed seating. Their seating consists of benches for larger groups & chairs & bar stools for smaller groups. The terrace area has a lovely mediterranean feel. Lighting is as per their lounge theme, not brightly lit & sets you in the right mood along with good mix of house music, rock, pop & hip hop etc. They have seating to cater to different sized groups. 🙂

They have clean washrooms on both floors which I consider is a must for any restaurant. They have very courteous staff too. 🙂

If you opt to sit on the outdoor seating area on the 1st floor or the terrace in the evening you may have some mosquito issues 😦 . Also the music was barely audible in the terrace outdoor seating area which I think can be looked into so that the guests in this area can enjoy it while dining.

Cuisine: Multi-cuisine, North Indian, Chinese, Continental

Their all day menu is a good mix of Indian pub classics & they also serve "Small Bites.." yes! no more stuffing yourself up with a portion which is large if you are just 2 & then wondering what "Menu item number 10 would have been like .... if only you had space in your tummy, you would have ordered it too... 😉 Then wait around for your next visit to try it out". "Small Bites" are a wonderful addition to their menu which I love because I'm a foodie & I always want to order almost everything ;). So here you have a chance to try so many more dishes put together by their skilled chefs :). But the Tandoor is closed between 3pm-5pm, well that's how it works in most places, so it is not a reason to fret about. 😀

Their skilfully trained chefs dish out very delectable dishes. I had a chance to try loads of them 🙂 .

My recommendations:

1. Hunan Potato - Crispy & stays that way for a while. Chit-chat away without any worry about them going soft. Portion size is good.
2. Khumbh Tandoorwala - Very well done juicy mushrooms on skewers with some peppers & onions.
3. Paneer Malai Tikka - Tender chunks of Paneer very delicately spiced, a must try for the Paneer lovers!
4. Banarasi Aloo - A main which is slightly on the sweeter side. The baby potatoes are stuffed with a dry fruit mix & cooked in a heavenly sauce which has such lovely hints of turmeric. Something you wouldn't have seen in other restaurants. A must try.

1. Chicken Pockets - Minced chicken & mushrooms married together in a hot & sweet sauce & stuffed into golden fried pastry baskets. Bliss!! 😀 Served with a equally tasty dip.
   
2. Chicken Satay - A treat if you love tender pieces of chicken on a skewer. The meat was very flavourful.. I licked my fingers clean 😀 & made sure I did not waste any of that yummy peanut sauce served with it. 6 pieces per portion.
3. Thai style garlic prawns - Prawn lovers will love this for sure. Juicy prawns with a lovely flavour of garlic.
4. Murgh Tikka Chaat - A very delightful blend of freshly diced tomatoes, cucumbers & onions in a cilantro-lemon-chilli dressing with roughly chopped bits of chicken tikka. The portion size is enough for 2 if you plan to order another plate of nibbles, because this is from their Small Bites menu.
5. Greek Salad Chicken - Mixed lettuce leaves tossed in a very well balanced vinaigrette dressing. You won't find chunks of feta, it is blended with the salad. Also the chicken pieces where flavourful & the salad itself was well marinated in the dressing 🙂 . Portion size enough for one if you choose this as a starter just for yourself.
   
6. Red Chilli Honey chicken - Tender boneless pieces of chicken tossed in a juicy sauce of honey & dried red chilli's cooked to perfection. Very well balanced flavours 🙂 . Kids may find it a little on the hot side.
7. Mutton Biryani - A Bengali style Biryani, topped with fried onions & a fried boiled egg. Not too heavy on the spice. Perfectly cooked long grain rice gives you a fiery flavour of chilli after a few bites 🙂 . The raita & the poppy seed salan served on the side compliments the biryani well. The mutton is tender very well cooked, almost falling off the bone. A good biryani all in all.

Desserts -

Nothing fancy about their dessert selection. The usual Indian dessert fare...! The Gulab Jamun, Gajar Halwa, served with or without ice-cream. I tried the gajar halwa & it was decadent.

All in all had a wonderful time... food, the ambiance, courteous staff .... I already visited them again for a meal with family before I finished writing this blogpost! 🙂

Offers - Happy Hours 😀 (12pm-10.30pm Monday-Tuesday & 12pm-6pm Wednesday-Saturday) for drinks available on a select menu. BOGO on some cocktails as well.

Cost - 1000/- approx for 2 with alcohol.

Value for money - Yes, completely worth the money.

1. Small bites menu which has loads of veggie & non-veggie options & allows you to explore more of their menu.

2. Delectable e conomically priced menu.

3. Terrace & Indoor seating with great acoustics.

4. Dance floor with DJ nights on the weekends.

Opening Hours - 12pm - 11pm weekdays & 12pm - 1pm on weekends

For Reservations - 080 49653322