I was a little nervous about heading to this place with a bunch of kids in tow. I had heard that it was a nice restaurant and I didn’t want to spend the entire evening trying to sit on the kids! I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they had a small children’s play area inside the restaurant. We did go early – around 7 pm on a Friday night, when most Indians haven’t yet headed out for dinner. The place was mostly empty. We had a table right next to the play area and it really was great. The kids mostly stayed in the play area except to quickly eat their dinner. The food was very nice – they have a large menu of Indian, Asian, Continental food items. The wine was also lovely. The location was a little far from us but I really did appreciate the steps they took to make it a family-fun outing!
Archive for August 30, 2008
Restaurant Review – Bar-B-Que Nation
We have started to try and go out at least once a week with some friends. This generally includes all our kids and therefore we try to pick a place where a little noise won’t be a problem! In general, I find that restaurants in India tend to be more family friendly and kid tolerant than nice restaurants in the US.
Bar-B-Que Nation was a hit with the entire family! We visited the Indiranagar branch but I understand they now have three locations in the city. We sat on the rooftop which was very nice. The concept of the restaurant is that they serve a variety of kebabs (fish, chicken, veg, paneer) which you can add sauces to and finish cooking right at your table. They keep bringing new kebabs as you finish off your favorite. The kebabs themselves are probably enough food for most people but then there is a very nice buffet to finish off the meal. The kids loved the novelty of everything (no sitting and waiting for food!) There was enough to satisfy the pickiest eaters. There were traditional Indian dishes as well as some nice soups and pasta dishes. The dessert buffet was also quite good! We really did enjoy ourselves and I would recommend it for a family outing. The night we went there was also a live band singing in the corner!
Little Luxuries of life in Banglore
There are a number of aspects in living life in Bangalore that can seem a little luxurious to our friends and family back home. Here are a few of them!
Of course there is the obvious – the maid, cook and driver. They are all discussed in numerous other posts so I won’t elaborate here.
The nanny. Many families hire additional help just to help out with the kids. They take charge of meal time, take the kids to the park, basically do whatever mom needs help with. This is especially great for those families that end up here with 2-3 very young children.
The beautician. I and many of my friends have a lady who comes home to do manicures, pedicures, facials, massages, you name it! The price is absolutely right – Rs 200 for one hour pedicure, Rs 200 for one hour facial… My mom was visiting from Connecticut – land of the $40 pedicure and she was in heaven! Had a pedicure every week for two months!
The salon. Bangalore is overflowing with fancy new salons – seems like a new one opens every week. If you love to go for day long spa treatments and to try all sorts of new treatments this is the place for you. Prices range from reasonable to outlandish! The highest prices are generally the salons attached to luxury hotels. There are many destination spas that provide a meal along with treatments.
The trainer. This one I just started but lots of friends have been using one for a while. A trainer will come home (or to your clubhouse) and put you through your workout. My trainer charges Rs 4000/month for three one hour sessions per week for individual lessons. A friend and I are sharing him, however, so we will each pay Rs 2000.
