Canteen-style bar with budget snacks

The flavour palate of The Canteen Bar and Kitchen is defined by the spices brought in from Lucknow

When you hear the word ‘canteen’, you might probably think of steel tables and stools, the food you shared with your college friends and how inexpensive it was. Bringing that same concept is ‘The Canteen Bar and Kitchen’ in Indiranagar, a sister branch of the popular microbrewery ‘Vapour’.

However, the ambience isn’t anything like the canteen you remember. It’s well-lit with comfy sofas and chairs with well-polished wooden tables. But the food is served in are steel plates and bowls.

The menu is very simple, just like the ones you’d find at any small eatery. You’ll find your usual spicy Indian starters and curries. The spices used here are brought in from Lucknow; so you can already imagine the flavours these dishes will have.

The ‘Masala Peanuts’ and the ‘Fryums’ were a trip down memory lane where you’d much on them for hours and probably keep ordering more of it. They are quite addictive, after all.

The ‘Chilli Chicken’ here was good in taste (when paired with a chilled glass of beer) but after a point of time, the spice gets to you. It almost leaves you wondering if you are tasting anything at all.

If you don’t like the taste of garlic or to accidentally bite into one, don’t order the ‘Veg Pakoda’. We felt that the garlic was overly used and pan-frying it probably added to its intensity.

The ‘Chicken Achari Tikka’ was decent in taste but I had high expectations for the ‘Mutton Galouti Kebab’. It did melt in my mouth but it felt like it lacked that punch in flavour.

The main course here has your usual orders of ‘Dal Makhni’, ‘Paneer Burji’, ‘Veg Jalfrezi’ and ‘Mutton Keema Matar’. The bread basket has a mix of all kinds of rotis and naans.

The ‘Onion Kulcha’, we were told, is a specialty here. It was definitely soft and had a slight bite to it that we enjoyed. However, the naan was flaky. The good thing is, the curries held their individuality.

We also tried their recommended potli biryani. We ordered the ‘Red Roast Egg Biryani’ which was good. It tasted better with the raita though. It balanced out the flavours from the spice.

We ended the meal with ‘Gulab Jamun’ and ‘Pista Phirni’. If you don’t have a sweet tooth, we recommend that you give this a miss.

The single plates concept is interesting; it’s a great way to order only for one.

‘The Canteen Bar and Kitchen’ is located at 773, Ramadevi Plaza (Vapour Building), HAL 2nd Stage, Indiranagar. For reservations, call 9900 088194.