RESTAURANT REVIEW – TIFFIN BOX Etc., BANGALORE

What do you miss when you are away from HOME ? Apart from family , its indeed the home food. But there is some happy news for people at Bangalore. You need not miss your favorite dishes anymore…Just head straight to ” Tiffinbox Etc.. ” and enjoy the exciting dishes from homes of India .There is a new dining concept at Inorbit Mall in Whitefield, that is cool .With dishes that make you feel at home, TiffinBox etc. takes you straight to the kitchens from where native recipes originate.I discovered it last week over a lunch and feasted on their mouth watering menu accompanied with a nice chit chat with few friends .

ABOUT TIFFINBOX Etc

TiffinBox etc. is run by KA Hospitality, the same team that runs Hakkasan and Yauatcha. Understanding the craving for home food, TiffinBox etc. promises a taste of regional cuisine showcasing dishes from Gujarati, Rajasthani, Marwari, Sindhi, Maharastrian, Punjabi, Awadhi, Hyderbadi, Bengali and South Indian (Chettinad cuisine, Malabar) cuisines.It alsorecently launched Café Infinito, a casual dining café that serves Italian and eclectic comfortfood. Tiffinbox etc is also open in Mumbai.

WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT?

Novelty Tiffins — Catering to the the requirements of fast paced office goers, Tiffinbox etc offers hearty regional food served in novelty tiffin boxes. They open to reveal fragrant curries, vegetables and staples that bring to mind old family recipes and mother’s old-fashioned cooking. You can order the Tiffinbox set meals in five different regional choices:

> Delhi Tiffinbox (contains paneer or murgh makhani as main dish),

> Kolkata Tiffinbox (signature veg curry or kosho mongsho chicken or mutton),

> Mumbai Tiffinbox (sabj or chicken or mutton kolhapuri),

> Bengaluru Tiffinbox (Diwani handi or chicken or mutton chettinadu) and

> Birmingham Tiffinbox (Birmingham Balti chicken).

All tiffins contain  rice, chapatti, yellow dal and gulab jamun.

MY EXPERIENCE AT TIFFINBOX Etc…

I reached the place on a weekday ( Monday ) for lunch and was surprised to see quiet a good crowd ,taking into account that its been just a month since its opened.

THE AMBIANCE:

We were greeted with a colorful,rustic and contemporary feel on entering the venue.Decor is minimalistic ,creative and colorful.

I was impressed with their unique and creative lighting fixtures which hang from the ceiling—a bunch of traditional milk cans as well as tiffin boxes and an entrance artwork made of cycle rims.Kettles and caricatures are interestingly placed all around the restaurant; all of them depicting the different regions where their cuisines originated.

Even the table mat is creative.You can scribble and solve the puzzles and crosswords till the food reaches you.

It also has an attached Italian restaurant to which serves Italian food options.

FOOD:

We were served with pink-coloured Ayurvedic water made from the pathimukham herb that’s meant to aid digestion .Usually this is available only for dinner , but was specially served for us to taste. Its was luke warm and doesn’t haveany odd taste or smell . I tasted it for the first time.

After the drink , we started exploring the wide spread of buffet lunch .The spread included a soup, few starters,salads,Indian flat bread,Side dish,Pulao,Raitha,Rice ,Dal ,Curd and desserts. Quiet a lot isn’t it … We first started with Soup. The dishes in the buffet keeps changing .

That day it was Makai Shorba. Simple,with mild favors and very soothing.

In the starters section , there were few veg & non veg options .For veg there was Peanut Tikki, Papdi Chat, Dahi Balla and aloo Chana Chat .. all my favorites . I dont know how many tikkis, dahi ballas and papdi chat i ate . Each was so yum and perfectly spiced. Tasty chutney drizzled on top it reminded me of streets of Delhi .Peanut tikki was a stand out dish. They were toooooo gooood…

Moving ahead i filled my plate with some paneer biriyani,raita and salads. Salads were fresh ,but the regular ones , not that appealing options. Can improvise .

By this time, waiter started serving us fresh hot flat breads right from tandoor.To go along with it,there were 2 vegetarian mains – Malai Methi and Deewani Handi and two non-vegetarian gravies . Loved Deewani handi . They were cooked consciously making lighter and healthier by using less oil, ghee, butter and cream.

To go along , i ordered a punjabi lassi .

The desserts for the day were Caramel Custard , Blueberry Cheese Cake ,Phirni and Butterscotch Ice cream .Blueberry cheese cake and caramel custard were really exotic and attractive .

After filling our tummy with these yummy dishes i was thinking i am done for the day ,in fact my lunch cum dinner was over.Just then Mr. Sumit Sharma(Operations Head ,Bangalore) and Ms.Ema (PR consultant) announced us that it was time to unveil there signature Tiffinbox to us.

I was like “OMG!! where do i
accommodate them now ??” Sight of those traditional steel lunch box,reminded me of good old college days.

We were shown Delhi and Kolkata Tiffin Box. Both tiffins contained  rice, chapatti, yellow dal and gulab jamun. In delhi veg side dish was Paneer Makhani and in Kolkata it was  kosha mongsho .Both the gravies were made with less oil unlike other restaurants .The portions were generous enough to be shared by two people.

Delhi Tiffin Box

Kolkatta Tiffin Box

After tasting few of the dishes from them too , i was fully done for the day . There was not a single mm of space left . Have to thank the chef  for a tasty treat .

THINGS I LIKED MOST ABOUT TIFFINBOX Etc.,

• Very quirky ambiance which is not overdone.

• Selected items from regional cuisines .Some of their vegetarian signature dishes are achari mushroom, upma, diwani handi, sindhi kadhi, chhole lahori and mirch ka salan. The dishes can be catered to Jain requirements too .Their signature meaty dishes are nalli nihari, Goan prawn curry, , mustard fish tikka, prawns koliwada and the Birmingham balti. My non veg friends were all praise for Nalli nihari and were telling its the best in Bangalore.
• Home style food with minimal oil .

• Very reasonably priced for the location ,for the quantity and variety . Both Veg & Non Veg lunch buffet inclusive of tax costs Rs 440 . For Tiffin Box its Veg -Rs 320 and Non Veg – Rs 420 .
• Service pretty good .

THINGS THAT CAN IMPROVE 

In the drinks, apart from Lassi n chas there were only few smoothies to choose from .Felt they can include few more fresh juice or cocktails or jaljeera.May be in future , they l add one by one.

FINAL VERDICT 

So friends , next time if you are hungry ,craving for some home food / authentic regional cuisines .. you know where to Go. Nice combination of traditional dishes picked from various states .

ADDRESS

Tiffinbox etc

First Floor, Inorbit Mall (between Sathya Sai Hospital and Marriott Hotel)

EPIP Area, Whitefield, Bangalore

TIMINGS: 12 noon to 3:30 pm / 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm

For reservations, call 080-28029599