Renowned chef, Viraf Patel ventures into the city with Soley, a bistro tucked away in Street 1522

Well known for this experiments with continental cuisine and his work experience with brands like Olive Bar & Kitchen, Salt Water Café and Neuma — chef Viraf Patel now makes his foray into Bengaluru with Soley, a European bistro in Street 1522 on Sarjapur Road. Taking inspiration from the buildings of Milan and Rome, the small outpost sports a sunny yellow and deep amber-toned façade that makes for a lively ambience.

What you’ll notice first about Soley’s menu is that it offers everything from small plates and bar bites to mains and sandwiches and second, is the quick service of comfort food. Artfully balancing the crispness of fresh, juicy apples with the peppery bite of arugula, the Arugula and Apple Salad, our appetizer, with its distinctively robust taste, added a zesty kick that kickstarted our palate that evening. As we took a bite of the Crispy English Batter Fried Fish ’n’ Chips, we couldn’t help but feel like we were transported bang into the centre of a bustling street in London. 

When it comes to indulging in a truly exceptional egg dish, Turkish Eggs – Simit is an experience that will leave your taste buds in awe. At the heart of this dish lies perfectly poached eggs. The eggs are gently cooked until the whites are delicately set and the yolks remain gloriously runny. The accompaniment is the iconic simit, a Turkish sesame-coated bread ring. And the star of the evening wasn’t something extraordinary but simple — Spice Dusted Corn Ribs — that we enjoyed thoroughly before we savoured a bowlful of Chicken Risotto.

Our evening concluded with us relishing every last bit of Pannacotta and a slice of Flourless Chocolate
Cake, both of which won us over at first bite. After a great meal, we agree that Soley is a charming little place you cannot get enough of and is worth visiting regardless of its distance.

Also read: This new pub on Sampige Road boasts a casual ambience and South Indian comfort food with a twist

CHEFSPEAK WITH VIRAF PATEL:

What was your vision behind Soley?
I have wanted to partner with Akshay Luthria for a long time now and when we noticed that there is still
a space for European cafés in Bengaluru, we thought of Soley.

Tell us a little about the menu?
It is a simple European café where you can walk in for comfort food. Besides European, we also have a few Mediterranean and Turkish dishes on offer. We will soon have a barista too.

We hear Soley will soon have another outlet in the city?
Yes, the idea is to bring many more branches into town. The one at Street 1522 was never meant to be our first outlet because we had a standalone space in the making, which comes with a bigger menu, but since the former was ready ahead of schedule, we just opened it.

Meal for two: INR1,200 onwards. At Sarjapur Road