Copy Link
Don’t we just love the fact that anywhere we go in Bengaluru, there’s a café waiting for us? From nondescript ones that sell generic coffee, chai and fries to ‘concept’ cafés that will boggle your mind with their quirky menus, gourmet brews and what nots – there always room for one more in this city.
Joining the list is Perch, a wine and coffee bar from Delhi and Mumbai, which I personally think has the potential to be a regular hangout for those who live anywhere in its vicinity. An addition to the list of interesting restaurants and cafés at Mall of Asia, Perch doesn’t scream ‘we want to be different’. It just welcomes you happily into its cosy space, offering a lovely menu that’s complemented by an equally impressive lineup of wines, wine cocktails and of course, coffee. Thus, on a mad hot day, three of us made a trip to Perch and quite glad we did.
On the menu
You might need a moment or two to choose from the menu here. Unlike the space, the menu is largish, starting with breakfast and finishing off with calorific desserts. Of course, we had to eat the avo on toast – Instagram has damaged us enough – and this needs to be said, I loved how they call it ‘avocado tartare’. The small bite-sized portions of melba toast topped with the tartare was easy to polish off. And we loved how they added toasted sesame and two edamame beans as garnish and not microgreens. Nothing complicated about that.
In fact, there is nothing complicated about the menu. The dishes are presented really well, portioned with love and cooked with pleasure. You can tell that there is not much halfheartedness going around in the kitchen.
It’s really difficult to find the right thing to eat in summer, especially when you’re eating out, so after weighing our various pros and cons and overthinking over a food menu we decided that we really wanted the Schnitzel. Now, if someone could explain to me what is summery about this dish, I’d be most grateful.
The schnitzel comes with mushroom ragout and is served on a bed of burnt garlic mashed potatoes. The beaten and then crumb-fried meat in itself was thick, thicker than any schnitzel I have ever eaten but it was done just right. We, like Jack Sprat from the nursery rhyme, ‘licked the platter clean’, and quietly too.
The Banana Leaf Wrapped Sole, which we were semi coerced into ordering was comfort wrapped in a… well, banana leaf. And even though the fish in itself looks like it had all the spices in the world, in reality its flavours were rather subtle. And the fish in itself was delicious.
The Sesame Crusted Vietnamese Roll – now this is apt for summer – was a bit of a downer. The roll in itself felt a bit chewier than usual and I wasn’t a big fan of the ginger miso dipping sauce either. I’d still take a chilli honey dip with my summer rolls.
Given that we were at a café, a sandwich was called for. We ordered the Bahn-Mi. The Vietnamese-style baguette with kimchi aioli and pickles can be had with either tofu, smoked chicken, cold cuts or skirt steak (buff). It didn’t hit any spot with me – right or wrong – but if you are a sandwich person, try the good ol’ ham and cheese here.
At the end of this rather ‘light’ lunch, we were ready to run and catch a nap but then they said “But what about dessert?” and that worked like trigger words for us. We sat right back down and said yes to the Coffee Tres Leches with mascarpone cream and the Orange Almond Cake that came with a passionfruit sorbet. The tres leches was good but the cake was better. But both were spongy enough and sweet to just the right amount, even though I was a bit unsure of the cold coffee like syrup that the tres leches was set on.
Thirst quenchers
Let’s talk about the Coffee Sangria here. Sounds pretty odd, doesn’t it? But when it’s about 5pm and you want coffee and wine at the same time and it’s blazing hot outside, it doesn’t seem like a bad idea does it. This cocktail comes with coffee syrup, red wine and orange juice, isn’t too sweet, isn’t bitter and isn’t too citrusy and yet you taste all the three ingredients just as equally. But if you aren’t a coffee addict, you’re not going to like this one. If you are a coffee snob, you probably won’t like it either. It takes a few sips to get used to it but once you’re in the zone, eating all that lovely food, it works fairly well.
However, if you’re going there on a weekend with the girls (or the boys) and are in the mood to spill a lot of tea, I would recommend the more brunch-like cocktails. The Bellini, Mimosa etc. And I would definitely recommend the Papaya Bellini. I mean how many people can claim to find use for the papaya in a cocktail. This one comes with a sparkling wine and a papaya puree, made in-house.
I was of course quite happy with my zero-alcohol Apple and Cinnamon Shrub, served with soda. It's refreshing, hits you with the sweetness of cinnamon beautifully and makes the apple feel really important. The Lavender Glory (I legit ordered it because of the name) is made with lavender essence, lime, sugar and bubbles (aka soda), comes in a tall glass and ideal for an afternoon sip.
Did I mention that Perch is a café? Try their coffees. You get the usual favourites – from Americanos to Matcha Lattes – and they don’t just pour it into a mug and toss it your way. Next time I go there, I really want to find out what the Charcoal Latte is.
Address: Perch, Phoenix Mall of Asia, Hebbal
Timing: 10.30am-10.30pm
Meal for two: INR 2,000 (approximately)
Photo: Featured Restaurant