Lokah , Cochin

We visited Lokah along with friends one evening for dinner. The restaurant boasts of world cuisine with the tagline  ‘The world on your plate’. I have to admit I was a little skeptical on whether it would live up to its promise, but I’m pleased to admit I was wrong.

The ambiance is casual- minimalistic and simple, so perfect for hanging out with your friends.

We started out meal with an unusual soup – chicken and beetroot soup, unfortunately I dint make a note of the exact name of the dishes :( . Our friends suggested it –I was not so sure especially when I saw a deep ‘magenta’ soup with some cream on top.

Chicken and Beetroot Soup

I changed my mind as soon as I put the first spoonful in my mouth – velvety is the exact world I would use. It came with bread sticks, which babies A and M munched on. Both the fussy babies enjoyed the soup, which is always a plus for the parents.

For mains, I ordered the Chicken Cordon Bleu. It was a crumbed fried chicken steak with a wee bit of cheese, served with French fries and veggie salad. It was not bad but not exactly the best I’ve had.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

S had the Meatloaf served with mashed potatoes and boiled veggies. Now, the meatloaf was simply delicious and I loved the light and tender texture of the meat with the sauce. The mashed potatoes were a little bit lumpy and dry though.

Meatloaf

Our friends ordered the Creole fish with the lemon butter sauce – which was good but nothing to rave about. Somehow the fish tasted better without the sauce .

Creole fish with Lemon Butter sauce

We also had a Pasta Alfredo, which was creamy and light.

For dessert, we tried the coconut soufflé and the mocha custard pudding.
The coconut soufflé was too gelatinous in texture and we were not big fans of it.

Coconut Souffle

The mocha custard on the other hand, was fabulous, perfectly creamy and we wiped the plate clean.

Mocha Custard

The portions are just right and satisfying. I would love to go back and try out the different things on the menu.

The best part of this meal was the bill – excellent value for money especially compared to Bangalore rates. Worth a visit!

Location – NH47 Bypass Road, Vyttila, Cochin

Price (for 4) – Rs 1200

Yum-O-Meter – 3 / 5

La Casa

After an evening at the park , watching baby A play with twigs and run around wild, we were ravenous and felt like digging into something meaty and delicious. On a whim , we decided to try La Casa which is quite near home. We've heard good things about this place and so, decided to give it a try - and boy were we glad we did.

First impressions on entering , you can either sit in the normal AC spot, or else you can sit in the open air rooftop ,and on this particular day they had a DJ playing as well.

Turn to your left for the AC spot and go straight upstairs for the rooftop experience.

We decided to go for the rooftop and it was awesome- the music is loud but not loud enough to burst your eardrums - and they had a good mix of music playing- club,hip hop,house mixes. It was spacious as well with good ventilation, really nice ambiance. In fact it was almost like a family style pub - good music , good food and most importantly good drinks ;) but we'll come to that shortly !
The staff was very courteous and friendly . We took our seats and the menu was bought to us, we decided on some cocktails - a kiwi margarita for S and a passion-fruit daiquiri for me .

Passion fruit daiquiri(L) and Kiwi Margarita(R)

 A margarita has the base as tequila with some citrus liqueur and daiquiri has the base as rum , lime and sweeteners. Both were chilled and just perfect with the music and the ambiance. Along with that we ordered chicken satay as a starter to the meal.

Mildly spiced grilled pieces of chicken with a peanut dip, was tasty and baby A enjoyed the chicken more than us.

Next it was time for the main course . S ordered Spaghetti Carbonara .

The spaghetti carbonara had the pasta drenched in creamy cheesy white sauce with bits of bacon and eggs. Was good, though it would be better with a little more of bacon thrown in , cos bacon always makes everything yummm... ;)

I ordered the Chicken Lasagne, and let me tell you - it was heavenly. Each bite was bursting with the flavours of absolutely creamy and sinful cheese , tangy tomatoes , chicken , pasta , we just could not get enough of it . Suffice to say our plates were wiped clean with the garlic bread so that not even a speck of the creamy sauce was left behind.
 By now,we were bursting to the seams but just couldn't leave without tasting one of the desserts and decided to try the New York baked cheesecake .

It was just the perfect end to the meal , warm and soft cheesecake , with blueberry topping - light and not too sweet.

Overall the food was absolutely divine, I would definitely recommend this place to people who want to relax after a long day at work. and those mommies and daddies who want to  kick off their shoes and relax with a drink and good music. Avoid the rooftop if you want to have a serious discussion with quieter surroundings. I' ve heard on Saturdays they have live bands as well .

Location -Kasavanahalli, Sarjapur Road, Bangalore

Price  ( for 2 ) - around 2000 Rs ( including drinks - all dishes are an average of 300 Rs) 

Yum-O-Meter - 4.5/5