Banglaore Express - City Dining

This food blog gig isn't too bad. Write articles every week, get mocked by colleagues and friends alike and don't make any money. Sounds good doesn't it?
Every so often I get lucky enough to be invited out for dinner and last week I went to Bangalore Express, a restaurant by Yogesh Datta.

Chef Yogesh Datta with Humayun Hussain

The menu at Bangalore Express has been given a makeover with many new dishes. Bangalore Express now offers its customers a wide range of cuisines with the theme being, sharing and plenty of options.

Yogesh Datta is a name that I have heard of before and his credentials are strong. He brings a strong sense of tradition to his cooking and then brings a modern style and flavour too. Datta has worked in London, heading up the kitchen of Tabla, a modern Indian in the Docklands. Thereafter, he went on to open the widely acclaimed fine dining Indian restaurant The Painted Heron, which recently took the accolade of ‘Best Indian Establishment’ at The Food Awards London 2016

Bangalore Summer and a Prosecco

The drinks here do definitely distinguish Bangalore Express away from other Indian joints. I went for the Bangalore Summer and this was their signature cocktail with Gin, Coriander and Chilli. The chilli was the clincher here and it was tasty and had a good amount of gin too. I was happy to have a second of course.

The menu was quite complicated as it tried to incorporate a lot, from traditional favourites to new modern dishes. With so much choice I was a bit stumped initially and did not know where to start; I did not want the feeling of having missed out. The way the menu is presented you really want a bit of everything, from small plates to street food, sharing platters and big plates and even a chance to build you own curry. On top of this, you can order Dosa's and Thali's too. You really HAVE TO check out the menu.

I played it safe and went for a few of my own classics and ordered chilli paneer and lamb chops to start with. For the mains, i was a bit riskier with a Thali, an aubergine curry and a minced lamb Dosa. These dishes were more than we could handle and had Laura and I very full.

As it was a foodie event, we were sat amongst some really nice people and met some big players in the Indian food scene. We were sat next to Manju Mahli, British born chef and food writer and also Asma Khan, from the Darjeeling Express Supper club. They were both very friendly and kind and we were able to share our food between us. So I was able to sample some dumplings, fish and a curry as well as what we had ordered. Good food and good people = happy Life of Shayan.

I will have to come back to Bangalore Express because there is so much to choose from. The restaurant was a lot bigger than i thought and in a good location too, in between Liverpool Street and Bank station. Thank you to Humayun Hussain for the invite and to Yogesh Datta and the restaurant for good service, food and a lovely night. See you both soon I hope.