Out of Sync: Maddy's Blog

It is widely believed that the marching army of Alexander the Great brought Turkish cuisine to the Indian (undivided) borders. The Legend of Sikander claims to specialize in the cuisine that kept his rampaging armies well fed!

After a long break, we are once again on the prowl in bangalore's restaurant scene as this is traditional "treat" season! We decided on Sikander as it is closer to office and the sponsor for the day, Jay, is not very fond of East Asian cuisine! There were 7 of us and as usual reached the restaurant at 8:15 PM even though we wanted to start dining by 7:30 PM to avoid the crowds!  Luckily we managed to find a decent table with a good view of the nearby shopping district though it was very cramped!

Ambience:

Understated elegance is the theme.  The usual dim lit interior with comfortable sofas (correct height for the table) and a nice scented candle on the table with rose petals strewn around it.  When it is crowded, one inevitably feels claustrophobic. 

Caution:  Check if buffet is served before reaching there to avoid disappointment. Also there are *only two rice dishes* in the a la carte menu. 

Real Deal: 

We started off with our favourite - Shorba.  Shorba (cream, herbs, small pieces of dried mutton chops) is very light and the perfect appetizer. Kannan who is a forced to be vegetarian ordered tomato soup.  We also ordered a mixed dish of sauted fish, mutton kebabs and chicken spring rolls with stir fried vegetables. For veg starter, we ordered mixed vegetable cutlets.  The coriander sauce (chutney) was spicier than usual. But the tomato sauce was cooked to perfection.  The starters were good except for mutton kebabs which were over cooked, too oily & bony!

For the main course, we ordered 1 vegetable biryani, rumali rotis, rotis & naan along with chicken in a spicy tomato gravy, tender lamb gravy and a veg curry of lady's finger and other assorted greens. The dishes were delayed and by the time they arrived, the roti had become hard and cold.  But the rumali rotis were hot and tender.  Biryani was a bit spicy but the raitha was good. Thankfully the naan was not oily though it was a bit cold by the time it arrived.

The delay didn't bother us much as we were having a great time - the spouses discussing about "how hard" we work   ;  a few albums to review and "interesting developments" to catch up with! Also the bubbly Sudipthi was distracting our mind away from the food.

For dessert, me, Hari and Jay had sweet lime soda which was very good while others ordered Chocolate ice cream. The bill came to > 2300.

Service: 

The real weak link.  Since it was very crowded, the waiters were in a hurry and the service was pathetic.  Dishes were not cleared quickly and it made the already cramped table filled up with empty plates. I was surprised that there weren't broken china! It is best to avoid scheduling your meal there before going for the movie as delays are the norm!

If not for the good company, we would have been pissed off with the quality of the service. 

Verdict:

Visit the place when you have time to kill.  Buffet tends to be pathetic (earlier experience) and the pricing is sure to burn a hole in your wallet. Also the menu is very restricted.

But the USP is the ambience, good kebabs, shorbas and other mid-east non vegetarian dishes which are cooked really well (very tender and not very oily).

The Legend of Sikander,
Garuda Mall, Magrath Road,
Bangalore.  Ph: 4125 2333