On The Edge, MG Road (4.5/5)

I have tried thai food at several places recently and except two or three joints, the results of most of these explorations have been quite average. With this background and zero expectations we decided to visit 'On The Edge'. 

Ambience (4.5/5)

This restaurant has a semi open set up and is located on the 13th floor of Barton towers; a building that has the evergreen 13th floor and ebony in the same floor and commercial office space in floors below. 

We were here on Friday evening and with consistent inflow chilly winds, tasty hot food was the best cure for our needs. Also, the restaurant offers shawls for those who can't embrace the chillness, which I would consider as a wonderful gesture (also after a while it would be impossible to sit around without them - which means its a good customer retention/satisfaction measure). 

The seating options include high rise chairs, wall mounted seating (with cushions of course) and regular dining chairs. Personally, I believe that encompasses all options a place like this can hold. 

With dim lighting, candle lights to support - it might also be an interesting place for a date night. 

Pricing (4.5/5)

I would consider their pricing to be very reasonable when compared counterparts selling similar quality of food. 

Service (4/5)

The staff who attended our tables did a great job in helping us choose the dishes. Also, the wait time for food and drinks was not too long.

One incident that impressed me: as I was clicking the pic of one of the dishes I commented to a friend that it looks great; for which a staff nearby responded saying it would also taste great. What I then thought was arrogance, was nothing but confidence in one's own team. Good job sir! 

Food (4/5)

Our orders included the following:

1. Red thai curry (veg)

Had a couple of small helpings of this dish and it was pretty good. 

2. Pad thai (veg)

Probably the only dish I did not enjoy much. But that's also because I am not a fan of pad thai. 

3. Chilly garlic noodles

A decent noodle offering which combined very well with the curry we ordered (staff recommended). 

4. Stir fried chicken - peanut and chilly curry

The winner dish of the day. The curry was mind-blowing and I am definitely going back to try more of this. 

The curry had a good dose of peanuts and was a thick coconut milk induced chicken curry. Loved the traditional flavours and how the curry combined with both noodles and white rice. 

5. Thai green curry (chicken)

A dish that I have best enjoyed at republic of noodles and singkong and no place has come even close to matching their offerings. 

Well, here is a place that I might now add to that list; curry was a little less thicker than singkong, but extremely delectable.

Drinks

They have a common bar with 13th floor and you would find all the drinks from there being served here. 

I was not drinking but my friends had ordered a red wine sangria and bira (a belgian beer that you do not find in too many places). The sangria tasted pretty good and the beer was as good as always. 

Desserts (4/5)

We ordered three desserts: ebony and ivory,  beeramisu and wayanad. Liked them in the same order and all three of them were unique and relishable in their own ways. 

#ebony and ivory - a chiffon pie with white and dark chocolate swirls

#beeramisu - a beer tiramisu

#wayanad- coconut and jaggery crepe rolls - you would enjoy this is you are a mallu

On a summary note, this place is a must try and I am definitely revisiting!

Big Bang Theory, Kodamabakkam (3/5)

Been staying in and around the locality of this bar since birth and have seen the property undergo a sea of change - starting from woodlands in the early 90s to maharaja inn (a north Indian restaurant) in the late 90s and early 2000 and Brownstar hotel thereafter. The less successful restaurant at Brownstar was revamped along with hotel renovation and is now what you see as Big Bang Theory.  The most pleasing fact is that my neighbourhood now has a fancy looking place. 

The place attracts a decent crowd and you might want to visit them on a party night. 

Ambience (4/5)

The interiors is the biggest plus for this resto-bar. They have pictures of Einstein, UFO's and a lot of space related objects that adorn their walls. The seating is well planned and I found the D shaped sofa's very comfortable. 

They also have an attractive bar counter, DJ area and a covered smoking room. Perfect set-up for a good classy bar. 

Pricing (3.5/5)

Their food and drinks are priced reasonably when compared to few of their counterparts. But on a non-relative note- I would grade the pricing as moderate. 

Service (3/5)

Their service was quite slow and they took forever to serve some of our starters. The drinks were however served pretty quick and the staff were timely in clearing the dishes. 

Food (1.5/5)

We tried two starters and a dessert, all of which were terrible. The dishes were however well presented. 

1. Paapad potato fry - the potato fry standalone might have tasted relatively better; the paapad coating made it blah for me. 

2. Paneer fingers - crispy coating and tasteless/bland paneer. It was served with green chutney and they were a poor combination. Would have been much better if they offered an alternate dip (barbecue, flavoured mayo, etc)

3. Churros - after a perfect churros last week in Bangalore, this was intolerable. The sugar coating on the churros was not consistent and overall very low standard churros and chocolate dip.  

Drinks (2.5/5)

Of the three of our cocktail orders, only adult oreo milkshake would classify as a worthy cocktail. Despite the overpowering oreo milkshake taste, this drink was unique and had a strong vodka flavour. 

Our other orders were: 

1. orange basil caprioska - overdosed with sugar. Was too sweet for me! 

2. Sex on malibu beach - I do not know what happens in Malibu beach, but I definitely like my SOTB thicker. 

The place has everything going right for them except the two most critical items: their food and drinks. With alterations to the same it could potentially be the next most happening thing in the neighborhood.