Karavalli - Vivanta Bengaluru, Residency Road — Restaurant in Bengaluru

Karavalli is not just a restaurant, it truly feels like an experience. The authenticity of the West Coast flavors, combined with the beautiful ambience, made me feel right at home. As someone who comes from the coast, every dish touched a chord, reminding me of familiar tastes yet presented with such finesse. From the little details like the pre-starter chutneys and pickles to the refreshing paan at the end, everything was thoughtfully curated. We chose to sit outside, and that in itself was magical as the classical music in the background, the calm Bengaluru weather, and the warm hospitality made the entire evening feel special.

One thing that stood out was the wonderful selection of vegetarian dishes. The hot rasam served as a welcome drink along with papad set the tone beautifully. The Oggaraneda Aritha Pundi and Pathrode were absolute standouts. They were comforting, delicious, and truly memorable. The Kerala stew and the tangy Mango Menaskayi paired with freshly made appams were a perfect combination, each bite bursting with flavor. To end our meal on a sweet note we had Elaneer Payasa, the tender coconut pudding, which was nothing short of heavenly.

What truly elevated the experience was the warmth and generosity of Chef Naren Thimmaiah. My family and I had such an engaging conversation with him about the food and its preparation. He went out of his way to ensure we enjoyed every dish, and the surprise kitchen tour he gave us was unforgettable. The service staff too were exceptional. They patiently explained each dish and serving at a perfect pace, which made the whole afternoon feel relaxed. We also truly appreciated that the service staff themselves hailed from the coast, carrying with them a natural familiarity and reapect for the cuisine they served. It added an extra layer of authenticity and connection to the whole experience.

This was an extraordinary culinary journey that left us feeling grateful and delighted. Thank you, Chef Thimmaiah and the entire team, for making it so memorable. I would wholeheartedly recommend Karavalli to anyone looking for an authentic and soulful West coast...

I had memories of the most delectable cuisine served at Karavalli. So i convinced my friend to share a meal here (we drive from Chennai and decided to eat out) The place is a mosquito pit serving dishes prepared in the afternoon...tasteless and bland and absolutely not worth the money. For the 2 of us we paid 11.5k for 2 egg appams, 1 avial(had an off taste with wilted vegetables) 1 mushroom ghee roast(decent but was a 4 tbsp portion), 1 prawn Ghee roast(decent) and a vegetable stew(filled with only potatoes). All dishes were underseasoned and are likely made suited to firang palettes. Given that one pays as much as the firangs ... the chef can make the least effort to season before sending his dishes out. But the lack of care is evident in the cooking and the handling of the food.

The welcome rasam was served cold. The chutney accompanying the popadums was so cold the coconut oil had clumped together and was of an unpleasant texture. The waiters seemed to be in a hurry and slammed dishes and rushed off and never came back to serve or check on us. Noone noticed i didnt have cutlery or a serviette.. Even darshini waiters are more gracious and far more attentive. The glasses to drink out of were placed rim side down on the table and the spoons were greasy. This was an instant put off. The waiters' unwillingness to engage and total lack of knowledge was apallng. Lastly, the portion sizes are well suited for the mosquitos that the place is teeming with. Unbelievably bad experience at an establishment of such repute...esp one of the Taj grp hotels.

To add insult to injury...the hotel and it's management DID NOT RESPOND to feedback I shared with them - what a shame. Go only if you wish for a bite of dengue with a side of...

Thoroughly satisfied with this place. Absolutely outstanding. Everything was top-notch. The food, ambience, service, everything was absolutely fantastic.

The place has got an indoor as well as outdoor seating area, we made ourselves comfortable outdoors. the seating is in a garden which has a stream running and has a lot of greenery around. Brilliant setting it is

For food we first ordered a crab Milangu fry, Tiger Prawns roast and coorg chicken fry. All these dishes tasted out of the world and were fantastic. The crab is cooked in a south Indian spicy pepper masala which gives it a scintillating taste. Tiger prawns roast has big pieces of tiger prawns roasted in traditional spices, While coorg chicken fry has chunks of boneless chicken cooked in a spicy masala and tastes incredible.

We further ordered a few more starters like camaro con cilantro, kane bezule and chicken ghee roast. Camaro con cilantro is basically spicy prawns which tastes scrumptious. Kane bezule is whole lady fish pan cooked in mangalorean spices. tastes delightful. While chicken ghee roast has big chunks of boneless chicken cooked in ghee and spices. You get a strong flavour of ghee and tastes delectable.

For desert we ordered a bebinca and dodol. Both these dishes were unique and I had them for the first time ever. Bebinca has a scoop of ice cream served with jaggery based payasam and a goan style pudding. Tastes heavenly. Dodol also has a scoop of ice cream served with a chocolate and jaggery based rice cake. MOUTHWATERING.

Service also was top-notch and we were taken extremely good care of by a team comprising of Vinoth, Sunder and Kiran. Thanks to these guys for making our evening a...