Macaw by Stories, on Hosur Road, seeks to impress with a wide F&B menu and great ambience!

Hosur Road is not considered a foodie destination. Especially, if one is heading towards Electronics City — the last refuge for a foodie would be the many Malayali joints in Madiwala. It was therefore very exciting for us when we heard that a new food and party destination was opening in AECS Layout, Singasandra. Almost devoid of any competition in a five kilometre radius, Macaw By Stories is built to impress. Think OTT interiors, loud music and an exciting menu and that kind of sums up this new spot in town.

We headed there on a particularly busy Thursday night and were wowed completely by what the establishment had on offer in terms of food and drink. A wonderfully experimental menu, we started off this culinary journey with a Makhan Wali Dal Chat and were absolutely amused by the chefs ingenuity in serving a buttery dal kachori chaat in a tart cup. This delicious amuse bouche was followed by a Meaty Hummus — something we never knew was possible! The delicious kheema served in a bowl of hummus just begged to be lapped up with some warm pita bread and we were very tempted to order for more. Thankfully, we didn’t because next up was a Mutton Pepper Fry that was served atop coin parottas and this was honestly the only dish that seemed similar to what you’d find at any watering hole in the city. That said, it was as delicious as we expected it to be. We paired these appetisers with a Mango Candy Margherita, which was exactly what it sounds like and complemented all three dishes perfectly.

It was now time for the Saag Buratta that blew our minds and taste-buds and was quickly followed by a Pineapple Chaat that was quite simply our favourite dish on the menu. We paired our Saag Buratta (buttery spinach saag with chunks of buratta) with jalapeno parathas and also tried some Coconut Roast Chicken served with neer dosas. This North-South mix strangely worked and we washed it all down with a Blooming Lemonade. We wrapped up our mains with a Mushroom Risotto and a Paneer Lasagne, both absolutely delicious and strangely not as heavy as you’d expect a risotto and lasagne to be.

We now needed a break, but that wasn’t going to be the case and small plates of Chicken Ghee Roast, Cheese Puchka, Ghee Wali Dal Kichdi and a Teriyaki Grilled Chicken Bowl arrived at our table. We were now stuffed beyond measure but absolutely loved the cheesy puchka that stood out from the rest. With no space for dessert, we decided to wrap our meal up with a simple drink made just for us — Oho Chamomile — featuring chamomile tea, orange marmalade, lime juice, tonic water, orange shrub and Bombay Sapphire. Surprised at how good it was as the grand finale, we made a note to definitely order it on our next visit.

Meal for two: INR 1,500 onwards. At AECS Layout, Hosur Road.

romal@newindianexpress.com
@elromal