Kalpaney — Restaurant in Bengaluru

The Onam Sadhya at Kalpaney JP Nagar

Every year I try a different place to experience Sadhya during Onam festival. It's an annual ritual I try not to miss. This year too I had shortlisted a few places and zeroed in on Kalpaney in JP Nagar. I heard such great things about this place. I went by myself. It's tough to review leaf meals/baale yele oota so I'll list what worked and what dint. The Pluses Great ambiance with flower and peppy malayalam music Calm, courteous staff Most items served were tasty and fresh. Reasonably priced The Minuses Extremely disorganized. It took AGES to serve one item to another and we had to ask for some multiple times. Food also turned real cold fast because of AC. It was awful to sit there with rice and wait ages for Sambar or Rasam or Papads.

Sweets ...I did not know what's coming next ..no information nothing and because everything was taking time, I thought we were done with the meal after rice was served...but heard there was payasam. I got this AFTER paying up. I had to share a table which I felt uncomfortable initially but I had the good fortune of having two couples who were very friendly and chatty so that worked out well. Some items just did not belong as Sadhya like poori but it was tasty with the curries so I can’t complain. All curries were good but not great. Rice and Sambar was good. Sweet was good. Pineapple pachadi was awful. Raw- ish weird taste. Place was jam packed and I don't think they could really handle it. Someone suggested that it should have been like wedding style seating and serving like one long table with well spaced out seats in 3 rows and slots....then food served in an order ...that would cut down the waiting time and frustration. Overall experience was good but not outstanding. I've had better.

Would I go again? Maybe to try their regular fare and review it but NOT for festive meals or melas, if any.

Overall rating 3/5 only for Sadhya. I don't know how their regular menu is.

Others having the Sadhya alongside agreed with the rating.

Overall rating 3/5

My Ratings for reviews

1-No! No! No! 2-Just about average 3- Good. Can give it a try 4-Great!! 5-Yes! Yes! Yes! And I’ll tell...

From the moment you step into Kalpaney, every little detail — the interiors, the plating, even how the staff carries themselves — makes you feel like you’re in for something special. It’s a proper fine-dine experience, and no surprise that getting a table here isn’t easy.

I’ve been here twice in the past month — once with my wife and our 2-year-old, and the second time with my extended family. Both visits had the same vibe: luxury paired with genuinely good food.

Here’s what stood out for us:

Soups: Absolute stars of the show. The tomato shorba and mushroom truffle soup were so good we ordered them again on our second visit. Even the tomato rasam was spot on.

Sushi:Honestly, the only disappointment. The avocado cheese nigiri was a miss — probably the least enjoyable sushi I’ve had. The uramaki blue pea California roll was passable, but if you’re craving sushi, — Kalpaney’s version simply can’t match up to good spots in Bangalore

Dimsum:Tried the water chestnut dimsum. Nice, but not something I’d go back for.

Starters:Big win here. Jack, who served us, suggested the paneer bhatti — and wow, what a dish! I liked it so much the first time that I made sure to order it again on my second visit. The palak patta chaat was another crowd-pleaser. My uncle, a hardcore chaat fan, gave it a big thumbs up.

Mains:First time we went with noodles (really good), but the second time we ordered their veg biryani — and honestly, it’s the best veg biryani I’ve eaten. Full marks for that.

Desserts: The rasmalai was fantastic. The biscoff dessert, on the other hand, was just okay.

Special Touch:They serve a warm ashwagandha herbal tea before the soups — such a classy and refreshing touch.

Pricing: Felt just right. Not cheap, but not overpriced either — you really get your money’s worth.

Overall:Kalpaney has nailed the balance of great food and fine-dining vibes. Yes, the sushi needs work, but everything else more than made up for it. Easily one of the best dining experiences I’ve had in JP Nagar, and I’d love to...

I have been wanting to go to Kalpaney for a long time. Could not make it. The Onam Sadya provided this opportunity. Booked a table for two (12pm slot) and was so thrilled as I walked in. The aesthetics was so good, my expectations soared. Just waited for that perfect Sadya to start. We felt we had made the best choice and took some amazing pictures

As soon as service started, and the first pinch of Puli Ingi I tasted, my hopes came crashing down. With every dish that made it to our plate, the so called Olan, the avial, kalan, pacchaddi, kootu, et all, not one of them was authentic, not one of them truly Keralam. Not one of them had any hint of coconut oil flavour. Cabbage Thoran without a hint of coconut!! Need I say more?

We had to constantly keep pushing for service because the waiters were not familiar with the dish, nor did they know the sequence of serving a Kerala meal. They were running around with some dish in hand like headless chickens. If rice was served, sambar would come a good 10/15 minutes later, in between someone would arrive with curd, or something else. Rasam never came till a good 50 minutes into the lunch. Poori kept coming all the time. In short, it was just like being a spectator in a circus arena.

Finally, we just accepted the fact that this was an opportunity that Kalpaney could not resist, in the name of Onam Sadya, just dish out any dam stuff and people would lap it up. Many non-Keralites seem to do so.

After expressing my disapproval to the Manager who was kind to see me and give a patient hearing, we just resigned to the fact that "All that glitters is not gold" and left the place.

I am not sure if this event added to Kalpaney's reputation. I feel that they lost a very big occassion to make...