A Bar with an Alter-Ego, and Then Some...

How often have you heard of a bar with an alter-ego? Sounds absurd? Well the good folks at Shilton Hospitality have been able to achieve a milestone with their latest offering in the busy downtown of Indiranagar 100 feet road. Watsons-their feel good next door neighbourhood bar and the more hip and EDM-oriented Puma Shuffle have managed to open their doors to the outgoing folks of Namma Uru at this new destination in town. The bar stands as Watsons from Sunday through Thursday and takes up its other Avatar-Puma Shuffle over Friday and Saturday. The look and feel is different from each other including the neon signs on the wall. Technology has allowed this innovation and it was my advantage to experience the best of both worlds on a weekday when the bar operated under its Watsons avatar with dishes served also from the Puma Shuffle menu.

I was very thrilled to notice the dishes were pre-dominantly Anglo-Indian as is quite well-received in Bangalore with its colonial history and inclination to intermingling of cultural diversity. I loved the Two-Way Mushrooms on Toast and thought rooms could not be made to taste any better. The alcoholic Jamming on the Over-Smirnoff on multi-coloured popsicles were served alongside to give us a taste of what lies ahead alcohol-wise.

It was fun to switch between the menus of the two avatars and next up were the Tuna cutlets, another delicacy from the posh Shuffle menu. Being an ardent adrer of everything deep-fried and my Bengali roots, I could not have asked for more. I decided to order the very dramatically sounding-Defy Time, A whiskey cocktail along with it. The next in line was from the Watsons menu=Lal Mans Samosa, a sinful snack which I can saviour anytime and geos best with potent drinks. The crispy Lotus Stem is another vegetarian delicacy I have always cherished and Shuffle does a very good job at it. It paired well with my next cocktail-Nova Sour, a twist of the traditional Whiskey Sour.

What is Anglo-Indian food without some good old Beef? And the Beef Rolls from the Shuffle Menu were there to render me an ear to ear smile. I must say that although every dish was cooked to perfection, the Beef Rolls were extraordinarily tempting and scrumptious. I wish I could have theme every time I go out clubbing. The Crunchy Chicken Strips from the Watsons menu as well as the Honey Sesame Glazed Tofu from the Shuffle menu were well received at the table. The Cheesy Mushroom Paprika was my favourite amongst the vegetarian dishes with its generous portion of cheese melt on the top.

We tried a variety of Salad each from the Watsons and the Shuffle menu and the Candied Bacon and Mixed Green Salad had a neck to neck tie with the Thai Mango and Papaya Salad with which I decided to pair a very well-stirred glass of Martini.

We again had a couple of Mains from either-The Chicken Biryani from the Watsons Menu and the Lemon Chilli Prawn Meal Bowl from Shuffle. My votes were in for the latter and I think it is definitely one of the most popular dishes in the Mains category owing to its flavours and universal appeal.

Our final decadence was the gooey Chocolate Brownie Pie which was another accomplishment of the amazing culinary team of the restaurants. It was a truly delightful evening in the company of good friends and food aficionados and some good old signature cocktails from the two alter-egos.