The Terminus-Crowne Plaza

Having stayed in Electronic city for the better part of 2 years, a visit to Terminus after almost half-a decade, brought back a lot of memories, and it turned out to be an evening to remember with some lip-smacking dishes, presented very uniquely. More on that later. Here is the review:

Location/Ambience:

Located on one of the higher floors of Crowne Plaza, opposite the Infosys Gate 6/Bus Stand, this place is easy to spot. The location is probably a double edged sword here, since few pubs in e-city means that people would consider this an option, but being in a star-rated hotel, the prices are on the higher side too. 

The ambience here is understated, and that is probably not such a bad thing. Themed around a terminal (probably the London Terminal) with a pool-table, open-360 degree bar counter, dim lighting, this place gives off a distinct English pub vibe, and the seating near the edges have a magnificent view of the surroundings.

Food:

We got to taste a newly-launched menu, under the able guidance of Chef Suvaranjan Banerjee, and it was a pretty interesting tasting session. One unique aspect of the dishes, was the presentation, where a variety of toys (several of them from Channapatna too!) was used to serve the dishes on. While the food was pretty good overall, serving it in such a manner requires a different mindset, starting from the cooking to plating, we were impressed by most of the dishes presented to us. Another good part was the balance of Veg. and Non-Vegetarian dishes, and they didn’t disappoint either.

Here are some of the dishes we sampled:

‘Chip n Dip’- As simple as it sounds, this vegetarian appetizer contained Wedges of Potato, Sweet Potato and Tapioca, crisply fried and beautifully presented in paper cones, atop a ‘cone-stand’ if you will with a mayo-peri-peri dip on the side. All the three variants were yummy, though my personal favorite was the sweet potato one, sweet-spicy fried goodness.

‘Calamari Kurkure’ – Tender Rings of Calamari, crumb-fried and served with an amazing curry-leaf-curd dip, was definitely the appetizer of the day.

‘Galauti Dragon Roll’- It’s not often that you hear a fusion of Awadhi/Mughlai and Chinese Cuisine. This was a true-blue galauti kebab from Lucknow, deep-fried in a spring-roll avatar, and I really like the combination.

‘BBQ Cottage-Cheese Steak’: Vegetarian Steaks is almost like an oxymoron, but this was a nice attempt at using the sizzling plate with paneer. It was served with delicious cheese stuffed-cherry tomatoes which I really enjoyed and the cottage-cheese-bbq sauce combination works really well, so I enjoyed this dish overall.

‘XXL Burger’- As the name suggests, a ginormous chicken patty encased in a super-soft bun which was baked in-house, this is a dream come true for a chicken-burger lover. Served with the standard fries and slaw.

Desserts:

Drunken Volcano: With a zany name, this was the usual sizzling chocolate brownie with vanilla ice-cream, nothing spectacular, but not bad either. The brownie was fresh, and the quality of chocolate used was pretty good, so a win-win dish for chocolate lovers.

Kulfi: This had two variants, one the traditional kesar-pista kulfi, and another one with a hint of gulkand. Both were very well made and liked by everyone present. Definitely a winner in the dessert section.

Verdict: This is one place you shouldn’t miss, if you are looking for a good pub to hangout in Electronic City. Old-English vibes, dim lighting, great-views, plenty of events (Retro Nights, Karaoke, etc), a spacious-rooftop style air smoking zone and good food ensure this place stays on your EC Wishlist!