BENGALURU: It’s the middle of the week, and you have a little more than an hour
before you have to get to that important meeting. If you’re looking to grab a quick lunch somewhere, which isn’t going to make you feel like dozing off right after, head to 1Q1 Bar and Kitchen for their Bento Boxes and Donburi sets. Bento boxes and Donburi bowls are meals by themselves, and the ones at 1Q1 will definitely brighten up a boring work day.
The Bento boxes come in five options – Vegetarian Bento Box, Non-veg Bento Box, Veg Sushi Bento Box, Sushi Bento Box and Thai Bento Box. We tried the Sushi Bento Box, and were pleased by the generous portion and the beautiful way it was served. With a flavoursome Miso soup to start with, four Maki rolls, two pieces of Nigiri, a delicious spinach salad, pickled veggies and a house salad, this was a great start to the meal. We also tried the Thai Bento Box, which came with a warm, coconut-y Tom Kha soup, followed by a Thai red curry (you can also opt for the green version), jasmine rice, stir-fried vegetables and papaya salad.
While we enjoyed the flavours and vibrant colours of this box, it didn’t compare to the Japanese boxes. However, for those looking for more familiar and comforting tastes, this one is ideal. Our favourite box was the non-veg one, and the star in the combination was undoubtedly the Wasabi Ebimayo – jumbo prawns in a wasabi-mayo sauce. Accompanied with a crunchy green bean salad, rice, a meat dish, a salad and soup, this box had us in a food coma.
Tempura Donburi, the Hawaiian-Japanese Poke Bowl, Teriyaki Bowl and the Korean Bibimbap Bowl are among the options you can choose from. We went with the Tempura Donburi, which had a mix of tempura vegetables and prawns, served with flavoured rice, miso sauce, salad and soup.
If you can grab a drink, try one of their signatures, or pick from the different varieties of mojitos they’ve got on offer. And for dessert, the Matcha, Raspberry Ice Cream Meringue Cake is perfect for the summer, and will not disappoint you. Cost for two: `2,500