BENGALURU : Wednesdays are a perfect time to beat one’s weekday blues and if you take a chance to combine a spicy dinner and some off-beat cocktails with live karaoke, no doubt that it would be a power-packed break. That’s what my experience with Watson’s, which recently changed its brand identity from grub pub to neighbourhood bar.
Celebrating its fifth anniversary, the brand took this occasion to revamp their menu with some new dishes as well as bringing their some popular old drinks and food items back on the menu. The whole concept was interesting and I decided to try their renewed menu on Wednesday. I started with Ginger Drama cocktail and as its name suggests the taste of ginger was dominating. And it also had the blend of sweetness and sour taste of honey and lemon.
The menu includes some interesting Asian style-infused Indian dishes such as Spicy Lankan Fish Balls, Sri Lankan Dal, Vegetable Momos and Tandoori Eggs. These are some new entries, whereas Pandi Dry, Paneer Karepak Vepadu, Mogo, Cheesling Bhel and Kerala Beef Fry are some of the dishes pulled out from old menu.
From their yummy appetisers, I first ordered Spicy Lankan Fish Balls. The fish balls had crunchy golden cover and delicate tuna fish fillings with an assortment of spices. It was served with red chutney, instead of mayonnaise, as mentioned in the menu.
Then came Watson’s special, Patakka Pepper Chicken. If you ask me to describe it, I would say it’s a naati chicken recipe with another naati twist. Yes, along with finely tossed chicken using black pepper, green chilli, garlic and curry leaves they served papad shards, which gave a slight crunchy break while eating this hot dish. The bar has something spicy and out-of-the-box dish for vegetarians too – Spicy Veg in Lettuce Cups with soya chunks and spices. This was a completely different experience for me.
From the main course, I tried their two signature dishes, South Indian Style Beef and Beetroot Upma With Chutney. The meat roast tasted like a typical south Indian delicacy and the fact that it was less spicy was a welcome change.
The pizza’s crust was thin and it was burnt a little bit. Beetroot Upma With Chutney had paneer fry on side and was presented beautifully. Altogether, it was a decent attempt. However, I asked for more green chutney to get a balanced flavour. After a spicy meal, I ended my culinary journey with soft and spongy Banana Toffee Cake. The new menu is available at all Watson’s outlets and unlike before, the bar will be open on all days from 11am to 1am. Cost for two: `1,200 (approx)