Sep 22, 2008 06:52 PM
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(Updated Sep 25, 2008 08:26 PM)
Caramel at Asiana
You keep driving on OMR looking for Asiana Hotel and just when you begin to suspect that it doesn’t exist, it appears on the left side of the road at Semmencheri, just after Satyabhama Engineering College.
It’s a spacious place and it’s location on what has come to be known as the IT Highway, makes it very different from others of its ilk in that it’s at the lunch time on weekdays that it is crowded. Evenings are relatively less populated and on the weekends, there’s hardly anyone around.
There are a few restaurants to choose from; Silk, the “authentic” Thai and “speciality” Indian restaurant, Wild Fire the “specialty” grill, the I-Lounge, as you can guess, the lounge bar and Caramel the Coffee Shop. On that Saturday evening only two tables each were occupied at the first two places while the bar was about three fourths full thanks to the two lively Filipina girls who were singing their hearts out and unsuccessfully trying to get people to dance.
After listening to the music at the bar for a while over a Kingfisher (Rs 190f), we moved on to Carmel, the coffee shop for our dinner. It is a spacious place and it felt a bit lonely to sit at one of the three occupied tables.
The menu has an international flavour with Mid and Far Eastern touches. We had the Malaysian laksa soup, a coconut based concoction with noodles and chicken. It was spicy, typically Malaysian and enjoyable. (Rs 150).
The tenderloin kofta kabab took its time coming, which was strange, considering the sparse population of patrons, which ensured that we got the full attention of the waiters. The grilled minced tenderloin flavored with “Arabic” (I guess they meant Arabian) spices was a nice counterbalance the spicy soup. (Rs 300).
The prices are five star and Cinnamon, with main dishes coming in at Rs 200 to 300, soups at Rs 100 to 150 and desserts at Rs 150/160, has the smallest numbers on the right hand side of the menu. The others are a fair bit more expensive.
We enjoyed the dinner and the music but is it worth driving all the way from town ? I am not sure. However, if you are passing by at meal time it may be OK to drop in.
