Grab your chance to dine at this Bengaluru restaurant with its new, affordable set lunch menus

It’s been a while since this celebrated restaurant opened its Bengaluru branch. Associated with Bollywood celebrity Shilpa Shetty, the venue quickly garnered rave reviews — not just for its central location, ample space and boho-chic ambience but also for its food. In a city brimming with new dining destinations, it remains notoriously hard to secure a table here without a prior reservation, especially on weekends.

While it leans towards the pricier side, Bastian Garden City has now introduced a pocket-friendly set menu, making it possible to savour an afternoon meal at a more accessible budget. The set menu includes a starter, main course and dessert — all with ample and enticing options to choose from. Given Bengaluru’s sweater weather, we opted for warm and spicy options — The Tofu Bao and Sesame Chicken. The former prepared with chilli soy garlic, gunpowder, giardiniera and thecha, was a delightfully umami-rich dish with layers of texture and flavour while the latter featured Kashmiri chilli, carrot, bell pepper and a sesame soy glaze, which packed a punch of heat and sweetness.

The meals here are usually better enjoyed when paired with their range of cocktails but what happens when one is limited to a set menu you ask? Bastain offers the option to add a concoction with its set lunch cocktail menu for an additional charge. Our pick was the Floral Sip, a refreshing blend of gin, Lillet Blanc, homemade cucumber pickle brine, Thai long coriander, elderflower syrup and soda water. It was an aromatic and perfectly balanced complement to the spicy starters.

For the main course, we chose Jasmine Rice with Sri Lankan Curry, a tangy and aromatic dish seasoned with house-made Sri Lankan spice sambal, curry leaves and coconut. The rich flavours paired beautifully with the subtly fragrant rice, offering a comforting and satisfying meal.

Bastian is renowned for many things, but its desserts hold a special place in diners’ hearts. We had arrived knowing exactly what we wanted: the Chocolate Krak Cake. An indulgent dessert serving a decadent chocolate sponge layered with nutella and milk chocolate mousse, almond praline and salted caramel. It was heavenly, as expected!

₹1,500 onwards. At St Mark’s Road.