Lunch at the Grasshopper: A Lipsmacking Experience
After days and days of eating Indian food with the gravies and the curries and the rice and chapathies, all I want to sink my teeth into is some crisp, crunchy, cold lettuce in a well-tossed salad.
And the place I like to do that in is Grasshopper, one of the best places in Bangalore for continental dishes.
You have to call a day in advance to book your table (the restaurant only takes people by reservation, there’s no service for walk-in clients), tell the hostess, Sonali, how many people are coming, tell her what your dietary preferences are (how many of you will eat vegetarian, chicken, veal or mutton) and then show up there at the appointed time.
Grasshopper is located in a farm house off of Bannerghatta Road after the Meenakshi Temple. When you go in, you might see may be another family or group at the restaurant and that’s it. The restaurant serves about 2 to 3 groups at a time. Chairs and tables are arranged on a longish portico that looks out on to a beautiful garden with gravel on the ground and huge trees and plants around, and looks into a studio that exhibits and sells designer clothes, jewellery, shoes and artwork.
Once you settle down and place your drinks orders, the dishes start coming out one after the other. First the appetizers (crackers with olive tapenade, for example), then the salad, then vegetables or meat, then the main course and finally dessert. There’s no hassle of looking over the menu, wondering what to get. You sit back, relax, gab with your friends and enjoy the food. Grasshopper has a prix fixe menu (except for the drinks). With drinks, the bill usually comes out to about Rs. 1,500 per person.
The food is extremely well prepared, tasteful (with lots of flavors spicing the meat and the vegetables – garlic, mint, olive oil, simple salad dressings – but not overwhelming the natural flavors of the food), and very well presented.
It’s a great ambience for a lazy, relaxed lunch with a bunch of friends. Because it’s outdoors and the weather has been holding up nicely these past few weeks, it’s a wonderful place to go to for lunch on the weekends. We’ve been there for both lunch and dinner and we’ve enjoyed the experience at both times of day.
Grasshopper apparently also serves quick lunches on weekdays.
For reservations call Sonali on 98454 52646.
Rs.1500/person…hmmm pretty costly
Thej, I know what you mean. This is for a once in a while thing, for a celebration. As for me, just feeling the crunchy salad in my mouth is the celebration. :)
Is it a kind a buffet..
how much is it without drinks..
and how is ir priced like.. means i dont see the menu.. they keep serving…. it shouldnt end up paying 3-4k in the end.. :(
Hmmm…
Sujatha, you just reminded me that it has been ages since I had any continental food.
Will try and make it sometime in the near future!
Kanth,
I’ll tag along. The treat’s on you?
;)
This sounds nice! I’ve never ever heard of it either… Though the price seems to be on the steeper side. I think the Olive Beach has a buffet lunch with drinks and food for about 1000 bucks. I guess, if you’re celebrating something, it might be worth it. I have to find a good reason to celebrate now :)
Hi Santosh, no it’s not a buffet. It’s a price fixed menu. For lunch, you pay around 1,000 and they’ll serve you everything, from appetizers to dessert. You’ll only have a general idea of what kind of food you’re going to eat (whether salads, vegetarian, meat, etc.), but you will not know what the particular dishes are. With drinks, it might be a little bit more. There is no menu (except for the drinks). But at least they accomodate your preferences. So it’s good.
Kanth and Ravi, count me in as well. :)
Anita, I haven’t been to Olive Beach yet. I heard it’s good. Made reservations a couple of times but could not go. If you’ve been there, will be good to know what you thought of it. Hint. :)
It sucks man. For the price you pay without knowing what they are serving, it sucks.. dont ever go there, if you ask me.
Have been to Grasshopper once……liked the place…cosy…romantic…we paid 950/- per head…