From Kerala Tasting Menus to Sakura Specials: What to Eat in Bengaluru This June

Kerala calling @ Nila

Chef Rahul Sharma’s newly-launched tasting restaurant has returned with its second chapter that focusses on the South, the backwaters of Kerala to be precise. The 12-course menu is said to move through the ecology of the region: rice paddies, toddy vinegar, toddy-tapped-at-dawn acidity, Kuttiattoor mango shifting between pickle and dessert, and coconut in near-constant presence. Aimed at offering a new way to experience regional Indian ingredients, the menu features ‘small compositions, shared elements, and more substantial mains’.

The meal opens with snack-led introductions, such as the textures of coconut with curry leaf and fresh herbs. Navara, Gandhakasala, and Kalipad rice anchor the middle courses, each bringing its own terroir to the table. In the latter half, karimeen, pork, and duck are layered with pepper and fermented elements, finished with coconut husk smoke and Travancore jaggery. The meal also shifts into a shared format, where breads, broths, and condiments come together at the table alongside chutneys, pickles, podis, and preserves. 

₹4,820++ per person , 7 pm onwards at 9-1/2, Cambridge Road, Halasuru

Thursday Tasting Lab Vol. 4 @ Circa 11

This all-day dining room’s monthly behind-the-scenes tasting series is all set to take on gourmet fast food for its fourth edition. Thursday Tasting Lab is known for offering guests a behind-the-scenes look into the restaurant’s evolving kitchen, coffee, and bar programmes, and June is all about ‘the world of gourmet fast food, diner culture, soda fountains, street food nostalgia, and late-night comfort eating’.

Titled Grease Trap Gourmet, the fourth edition will have diners experience fast food reinterpreted through the restaurant’s lens of technique and flavour development. Guests will move through different sections of the space, engaging directly with the kitchen, espresso bar, and bar teams. 

The menu features chicken fried quail sandwiches, smoked mushroom birria, bucatini mac and cheese, and pommes dauphine fries. The espresso bar offers a PB&J marshmallow fluff latte and a root beer espresso float; the cocktail programme takes its cues from diner beverages and soda fountain culture. 

On June 11, from 5 pm to 8 pm at 12th Main Road, Indiranagar,. Limited Seats available.

After hours @ No Shop Talk

This new cocktail bar in Bellandur is built around a single premise: life after office hours. No Shop Talk is founded by entrepreneurs Nikhil Wahi, Kapil Dua, and Raja Mukherjee, while the bar programme — created by Countertop and led by mixologists Kiran Kuberan and Vardhan — revolves around a concept called Life & Afterlife. Here, ingredients are explored alongside their transformed counterparts and signature creations include Grape & Pomace, Coffee & Cascara, Coconut Water & Coconut Oil, and Cheese & Ricotta. 

The food menu leans into globally inspired comfort food with Asian, European, and Indian influences. Highlights include truffle burrata tart, Goan cutlet sliders, kimchi smash burger,  Aslam style butter chicken, seaweed crisps, miso chilli churros, Korean spiced chicken, baked pasta shells and burrata. Desserts include a Kyoto matcha pudding and blood orange and passionfruit sandwich.

At 13/1, Embassy Tech Square Main Road, Kadubeesanahalli, Varthur

Crazy about eggs @ Benedict’s 

The latest addition to South Bengaluru’s dining scene is an all-day diner  where the menu is all about eggs. Offering an entire range of continental dishes and Mediterranean-influenced cooking, the menu includes the classic Benedict with hollandaise on brioche, Turkish eggs with garlic yogurt and chilli butter, and a no-egg Benedict with burrata and cashew mustard crème. Brunch staples include shakshouka, akuri, avocado toast, akuri eggs, loaded omelettes and customizable egg plates served with toasted breads, pesto-grilled tomatoes and hash browns.

Larger plates include harissa chicken with saffron pilaf, seared salmon with chilli garlic lemon butter, and a range of burgers. There is also a savoury crepe section with The Lasagna Crepe filled with slow-cooked lamb ragu and brûléed cheese, The Cluck with creamy peri-peri shredded chicken, and The Verdure with spinach, mushrooms and melted cheese. Also on offer are breakfast platters (The Full English, The Turkish Table, The Desi Morning), and a salad bar. 

For dessert, there are pancakes and French toasts: matcha French toast layered with coconut cream and toasted flakes, red velvet pancakes topped with strawberry compote and whipped mascarpone, and the popcorn pancake finished with caramel popcorn and smoked caramel drizzle.

The beverage programme features classic coffees, specialty brews, cold brews, matcha-based drinks, bubble teas and cocktails. 

At Ground Floor, 19th Main Street, 2nd Phase, JP Nagar

Father’s Day Brunch: Circa 11 X The LooRoo Club 

Ring in Father’s Day with a brunch that doubles as an immersive afternoon for parents and children. Themed on the blockbuster film, Finding Nemo, the dining room at Circa 11 is all set to transform into an underwater world, with coral reef-building, painting, and ocean-inspired sensory experiences woven through the meal. 

The food is designed not as a ‘kid’s menu’ but as thoughtfully constructed, themed dishes with ocean-inspired presentation. Available in vegetarian and non-vegetarian formats, the three-course meal includes a coral reef snack box with sweet potato chips, lotus root chips, cheese-stuffed croquettes and tortilla shards with smoked cheddar, roasted tomato lava dip, basil sea foam, whipped feta and herb oil; Mr Ray’s sea shell pasta with giant spinach and ricotta conchiglioni with garlic crumb coral, herb oil and hidden tomato sauce; the lost pearl: mango mille-feuille with mango diplomat, toasted vanilla-coconut sand and mango ice cream.

The non-vegetarian meal includes Nemo’s lost and found with crispy fish goujons and reef fries with sea foam tartar, lemon dust and nori salt, Crush’s current sliders with fried chicken sliders with honey butter glaze, mild hot sauce, cheddar and cabbage slaw; and Bruce’s chocolate reef cake with sea salt caramel sauce, brownie rubble, and vanilla bean ice cream. 

The entry price of ₹4,000 covers one father and one child; additional guests can be added at ₹2,750 per person. On June 21, Sunday, from 11 am – 1 pm at 12th Main Road, Indiranagar

Food meets gaming @ Pixi

This new restaurant has opened inside the renovated sports and gaming arcade, Amoeba. Led by Chef Kartikeya Ratan, the restaurant aims to be a coffee spot in the day, and a cocktail lounge in the evening, with an all-day dining menu to match. Spanning 13,500 square feet, it is ideal for large groups and parties. 

From the menu the starters stand out. The Thai curry dumplings are served on top of the curry, which is delicious. The Balinese satay, sticky shrooms and pathar ke kebab were the highlights. Their cocktail pitchers are pretty and also pack in quite a punch. 

At Church Street

Drink – o – clock @ Hype 

Capturing the essence of the city’s golden hour is this newly-launched beverage experience at Shangri-La Bengaluru. ‘Drawing from global influences and contemporary cocktail artistry’, the selection includes flower garden, where jasmine-infused vodka meets lime, honey and passion fruit foam; the welcome ritual with jasmine, lychee and mint foam; and Sodeshi reverie, blending gin, yuzu and peach with delicate floral notes; among others.

For guests who prefer bolder profiles, Purana legacy and common ground offer layered, spirit-forward expressions, while Ruby fizz, Jimmy saved the queen and the alcohol-free salto-politan bring lighter citrus and botanical notes to the experience.

On all days, from 5 pm to 6 pm at Hype

Himalayan sojourn @ Tijouri 

This weekend, Radisson Blu Atria Hotel will host a Himalayan supper club by ma:mo, a Bengaluru-based supper club helmed by husband-and-wife duo Bidisha Banik and Gaurav Saini. Known for creating flavours inspired by the Eastern Himalayan region, the duo draw inspiration from quaint momo joints and home kitchens across the hills of Sikkim, Nepal, Bhutan, and Kalimpong: regions they grew up in. 

The specially curated menu will feature classics such as steamed momos with fiery achar; Druk Taipo, steamed taipo with potato-cheese-mushroom or chicken-cheese filling; sherpa’s khao suey; Boudha Bazaar keema noodles with chicken or mushroom keema; and sikarni and biscotti, a traditional Himalayan yoghurt dish paired with biscotti, for dessert.

All dishes will be available in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian versions.

On June 13 and 14, for lunch, at Radisson Blu Atria Hotel

Punjabi trails @ Sheraton Grand Bengaluru

Chef Harjinder Singh brings to the city flavours of Punjab with a food festival that celebrates the State’s bounty. Fondly called Sweety Singh, his menu brings together recipes and flavours ‘that feel deeply nostalgic yet indulgent’. With this pop-up, the chef brings his signature style of slow-cooked, ghee-rich, spice-forward cooking that uses freshly ground spices, a generous use of ghee, and heirloom recipes.

Highlights from the menu include butter chicken, aloo wadiyan, Amritsari kulcha chole aur pyese ki chatni, dal makhni, bhatti ka chicken, butter chicken, hing wali kadi pakora, tandoori soya chaap, sarson da saag, makki ki roti, and more. 

Until June 14 for lunch and dinner, at Sheraton Grand Bengaluru Whitefield Hotel and Convention Center

Sakura blooms @ Katana

This month, the city’s sake-led izakaya in Domlur is celebrating Sakura, flowers of ornamental cherry trees, with a special menu. Titled Under The Blossom, the menu highlights Sakura-inspired cocktails and a range of culinary offerings. 

Highlights include mango asparagus maki, salmon chilli crab uramaki, shrimp sensation uramaki, and the savoury plates feature Japanese potato croquette, gyu yakiniku, and tomagoyaki chicken. For dessert aficionados, there is berry shortcake, matcha tres leches, and a limited-edition twice-baked chocolate cake.

The cocktail menu includes Yuzu imperial, midnight berry smash, Kyoto mango Zen, matcha stick lounge, mango togarashi, and more. 

Until June 15 at HAL 2nd Stage, Defence Colony, Domlur