Herbs and Spices — Restaurant in Bengaluru

Ambiense/location - I had been to this place with my parents as I wanted to take them somewhere where it's calm and pleasent and this place is all that ... Old rustic , smells of old wood and paint , mosaic flooring , 70 movies setting , although it's on the main road you are isolated from all the honks and bonks of traffic and the busy world ... If you see it during the day you'd feel why don't your grandfather have a place like this which you could inherit one day ...

Staff - 75% of them know what they are doing and they do a great job . Two guys took our order ,both were very good but the second guys turned out to be different when I started complaining about the food .. thats good for the restaurant but it did not turn out that good for me ...😊

Food - mom wanted chicken dad wanted fish and I wanted veg divided by health and pledge we have to choose that way ... So the non-veg platter was a mixed platter with fish and chicken which mom and dad liked ... I got a Malai panner Tikka which was just panner burnt on the edges but I was happy cos my parents were happy with their staters which were soft and tender

Now for the main course - mom wanted rice and she expected the reshmi murg pulao to be filled flavour but this one turned out to be bland rice with some chicken pieces in a very large plate which looked like its holding food for a child and as for me I turned fancy and asked for gnoochi and wanted find out if it was eggless and turned out they just have it on the menu but don't cook it ..so I asked for spianch roicotto ravioli cooked in cream and mushroom sauce .. and when it arrives I asked for that to be server to my parents also .. but the ravioli was so thick that I was compelled to call the waiter and her took back the order to kitchen and my mother who dint knows what a ravioli tastes asked me is it supposed to be so thick and not so cooked ... Waiter comes back from th kitchen and tells me that no one has ever complained about the ravioli and the thickness and I was the first person to request for ravioli to be cooked in cream of mushroom sauce ... No matter what he was trying to convince me that ravioli was to be served in tomato based sauce .. anyways we gave up and asked for bill and it took for ever to get the bill I had to get up want walk up to the billing counter and get it sorted out pay and get out of there ...

Never again ..never ever again will I ever visit the beautiful restaurant...

So finally got a chance to visit the relocated / renovated Herbs & Spices. Without more let’s get into the review.

Ambiance : when you enter same old rustic furniture with a contemporary modern look. It really wowed us. The place feels very open and airy and cozy. There wasn’t any special greeting but it was a public holiday and we were early as usual. Not much of a crowd.

Service : we were served by Kiran a smiling face and he recommended dishes which were yet to come but we took the menu to mix and match. Now let’s get into food

Palak Corn Ki Tikki : perfectly blended palak with couple of corn kernels. Mild spicy but perfectly well balanced. Each bite would melt in the mouth. Rating 4/5

Dakhni Murg Kebab : boneless chicken pieces well marinated with yoghurt and spices with a hint of curry leaf flavoring. Perfectly cooked, juicy and delightful. Enjoyed with mint chutney. Rating 4/5

These were the starters and for main course we went for the below.

Appams with Chicken Stew (Boneless) : succulent pieces of chicken perfect blend in a thick coconut gravy with slightly spices and a hint of pepper along with the sweetness of the coconut was a delight to eat. The appams edges were a bit tough could have been a bit soft. PS : Since appams are rice base keep in mind they will be heavy. My rating would vary so for Appam 2.5/5 and Chicken Stew 3.5/5.

We also ordered one Lassi and Peach Iced Tea. Both were awesome on their own. Would rate both of them 4/5.

Overall, what is missed was a beer or wine to enjoy the meal. Kiran did mention that they have applied for Wine license. They have a party hall and they do catering service. I would definitely recommend this place if you are ok without Alcohol. In terms of service, ambiance and overall feel of the place my rating would be 5/5.

Finally with all the above and a missing point of no alcohol would slightly reduce my rating but let me keep that side. Just for food and it’s overall pricing...

We were at Herbs & Spices recently - after many years actually - for a small private event. So while I can't speak about the regular restaurant, menu, etc. I can definitely talk about our experience.

Herbs & Spices is a great cosy venue for an intimate event, a family gathering or similar - we were in fact there for an engagement. The staff were attentive and there was a steady stream of drinks (assorted soft drinks) and appetisers served to the guests.

Appetisers included hara bhara kebabs and chicken kebabs. I'm not sure what else was there, but I can couch for these. In fact I just loved those chicken kebabs - there were 2 varieties one was malai and the other was a tikka. Both were well cooked, tender and each had a distinct, yet subtle flavour of their variant; not heavily masala laden. I could have eaten those chicken kebabs all night 😃😄

The main course was laid out buffet style and included a paani puri station, a live appam station, a selection of salads, Indian and continental main course items featuring veg and non-veg dishes; finishing with a dessert counter. I don't remember all the dishes names, but everything was good and well prepared. What I noticed was that the veg pulao was fresh and flavourful - in buffets usually pulao can be lack lustre and spoil fast, but was not the case here. Appams were soft and literally melt in the mouth. I of course ate more kebabs 😂 I heard all the guests praising the food, so that's a stellar moment for the place 😊

All in all a pleasant evening, good ambience, good service and...