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Finding fine food

Here is a food guide by foodies and for foodies that showcases over 200 restaurants in town

PICK OF THE LOT The best of restaurants are featured in the small booklet PHOTO: MURALI KUMAR K.

As a foodie, one of the biggest frustrations for me is to know that there are dozens of exquisite restaurants I'll never discover simply because no one told me about them. There have been many moments when, after a disappointing search for new experiences and tastes, I've thrown up my hands and asked why no one ever thought of making a food guide for the city. And I'm not talking of the directory-like listings that have been out in the past.

For foodies by foodies

For everyone who's felt the same frustrations I have, Taste & Travel has the answer — The Food Lovers' Food Guide. Billed as a food guide by foodies for foodies, this publication boasts a total of 800 reviewers. "We've done the reviews in three stages," says Kripal V. Amanna, the man behind the effort. We started off with an in-depth survey of hundreds of food lovers. We then exposed the foodie panel to these restaurants to get their take on them. And finally we did editorial reviews of each of the restaurants." The foodie panel, which forms the bulk of the discerning audience that shaped the book, was chosen from various different walks of life, says Kripal.

"We chose people from different professions and with different personalities so that we could get varied perspectives of restaurants that gave a more wholesome picture." That wholesome perspective also extends to the range of restaurants reviewed, from Rs. 150 hideaways to expensive five-star eateries.

Another effort on the part of the food guide has been to pinpoint idiosyncrasies that one-time reviewers might miss, but regulars wouldn't.

Moreover, the food guide also restrains itself from listing every restaurant in Bangalore, choosing instead to showcase only the top 200 of the lot.

The result is a 130-page pocket guide that showcases a little over 200 restaurants cross-indexed through 60 different indexes.

Anyone looking to find a meal option suited for them can pick and choose on the basis of anything from location to food and decor ratings to budgets to cuisines and even specific dishes or options.

Each restaurant's listing carries with it a three-point rating system, measuring each for food, decor and service.

Moreover, the brief description that follows is typically chatty and informal, much like what one would say to a friend about an eatery. Some of the descriptions even incorporate a few phrases or sentences in quotes, which are actual opinions provided by food lovers surveyed.

Priced at Rs. 100, The Food Lovers' Food Guide is being sold not only in Bangalore but also in various gateway cities and airport bookstores around the country.

In Bangalore, the food guide is available at all leading bookstores.

RAKESH MEHAR

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