Ice Cream Cake In Bangalore!

A lot of people showed interest in my recent Whatsapp display picture, an ice cream cake I finally managed to find in Bangalore. This quest goes back to 2012 when the aforementioned dessert took up quite a bit of screen space in an episode of Modern Family. And as luck would have it, Manee and I happened to walk right into a place that has a pretty good version of ice cream cake. Behold Exhibit A from Bella Mooz, Church Street.

First, hear me sing about the ambiance. The eatery has about 4 tables, two of them located in a balcony with a lovely view (again, it’s Church Street we’re talking about). The tables outside look into a garden and for once, the noise gets cancelled out. 

I’ve seen very few people here for some reason. It’s a good place: the menu is fairly creative (try Baked Alaska), the ice creams rich and the smoothies perfectly made.  Manee had a random chocolate sundae with a rather sticky sauce while I settled down with the hero of this post.

 (chocolate sundae)

 

Firstly, it is layered really well. Three layers of very thin cake and ice cream are nearly impossible to be held together by themselves, let alone be cut into pieces. The looks of the cake don’t really kill but it has so much ice cream that the chocolate cake gets lost somewhere amidst its layers. It’s the sort of dessert you’d want to take your time with. I know I know ice cream cake and all that but let it melt a little, almost to a sundae-like consistency and it will taste better. Make sure you take some extra chocolate sauce with it. 

All in all, a good treat for about 100 INR (forgot the exact price). Definitely going back to Bella Mooz..for reasons other than the cake but more on that later. ;)

Bangalore's Best Veggie Burger

Us vegetarians are not exactly spoilt for choice when it comes to continental dining, even within the territorial limits of India. If a grass-eater wanted to relish (authentic or comparable) American cuisine in Bengaluru, he would probably have two princely options namely mashed potato and mashed potato with peas. Quite obviously disappointed, I began looking for a decent-enough veggie version of the burger that would brighten weekends. One place blew my mind away- The Only Place.


This is not a restaurant review of The Only Place..that has been said and done by every other techie who assumed he discovered the best steakhouse in the country. What this post tries to do is recollect Marshall Erikson's speech about a heavenly burger, and proceed to elaborate on the difference such a burger can make to one's day. The burger in question is the humble vegetable burger in the establishment's menu..served with cheese or without. Do not go by the picture below as it looks much better 'in person'.





Before you proceed to polish off the bun and its patty, get yourself an iced tea and a portion of cheese garlic bread..this is a must at The Only Place and I guarantee it will be like no other cheese garlic bread you have had- more cheese than bread, literally. Post that, devour the home made french fries that come with your burger: use the sharp, authentic mustard to dip. Why must you do as I say, you wonder. Food that has been strongly recommended will surpass every level of awesome only if you attack it with great expectation. Of course, it can also backfire but I assure you that will not be the case here. Expectation now built, you hold the warm, HUGE burger and bite into it.


The bun is soft, moist and uncrumbly (hear that, KFC?), the patty large enough to droop outside the bun (hear that, McD?), a slice of tomato, excellent cheese, perfectly flavored..this burger is every vegetarian's delight. Size-wise, it is comparable to two McVeggies which implies I generally skip dinner after making this a late lunch. It even manages to push Mysore's Downtown burger to a far second, not considering the ambiance and pricing. At 110-120 INR, TOP's veggie burger is the best I've had in the city, in comparable/less fancy ambience. Finish it off with a cherry pie and don't scrimp on the ice cream.


I have decided against elaborating on the difference such a meal can make to one's day.