Bengaluru’s dining scene is rarely short of reasons to eat out, but the coming days bring a particularly eclectic mix. Across restaurants, hotels and bars, visiting chefs are bringing regional cooking to the city, community cuisines are being revisited and familiar cocktails are taking on distinctly Asian and Indian flavours.
At Kopitiam Lah in Indiranagar, the journey begins in Singapore. The latest edition of its Masak Masak series brings chef Wayne Liew of Keng Eng Kee Seafood, the Michelin Selected Singapore restaurant known for its traditional zi char cooking, to Bengaluru on September 26 and 27. With roots going back to the 1970s, Keng Eng Kee remains a third-generation family restaurant where Chinese home-style dishes are cooked to order. The menu features chilli crab with fried mantou, black pepper crab, cereal prawns and sambal vegetables, alongside their signature Moonlight Hor Fun – wok-fried rice noodles finished with raw egg yolk for a silky richness. The collaboration also marks the restaurant’s first in the city.
From Singapore, the calendar moves to Parsi cuisine. At The Square, Novotel Bengaluru Outer Ring Road, Mumbai-based chefs Shernaz and Tehmtan Dumasia are presenting a menu that includes patra ni macchi, mutton dhansak, salli boti, margi na farcha, akoori and lagan nu custard. Running until September 27, the festival offers lunch and dinner, bringing together dishes that reflect the culinary traditions of the Parsi community in India.
At Grand Mercure Bengaluru at Gopalan Mall, the focus shifts further east. Indonesian home chef Rika Udayani is at La Utsav until September 27, drawing on the flavours she grew up with in Jakarta. Her connection with Indonesian cooking deepened after she moved to Oman and began recreating the dishes she missed from home. The menu spans nasi padang, nasi goreng, soto ayam, sate madura, rendang ayam, ayam rica rica, nasi uduk and nasi kuning, with traditional sweets including klepon, lupis and es cendol.
Drinks take centre stage next. Negroni Week, which runs until September 27, sees Bengaluru bars putting their own spin on the century-old classic. At Foo in Indiranagar and Orion Mall, the Yuzu Negroni brings Japanese citrus into the mix, while Yazu’s Golden Hour uses Philippine Carabao mango. KICO’s Paradise With Issues combines coconut-infused gin with pandan. At Copitas, Four Seasons Hotel Bengaluru, the list includes Charred Heritage, with coconut fat-washed gin and tandoor-charred bell pepper, and Oak & Bitter, with pandan gin, cacao and coffee-infused vermouth. At Olive Beach, Palermo Paradiso swaps gin for Old Monk, while Monkey Bar offers the tropical negroni tropicale and kaffir passion negroni. The Library Bar at The Leela Palace Bengaluru adds the Milano Torino and tea-infused Offset Negroni.
And then there is wine. Viva La Vino returns to The Lalit Ashok on September 26 for its third season, bringing more than 100 Indian and international wines to the poolside lawns. Co-curated by sommeliers Gargi Kothari and Devati Mallick, the festival expands beyond tastings with artisan cheese, craft chocolate, live food stations and music. New this season is the limited-access Grand Cru Lounge, offering premium wines by the glass, an included dinner buffet and extended hours until midnight. This edition will also feature a vinyl set by DJs Sunil Hubli and Arjun Hora.