Food Review: The newly relaunched Monkey Bar in Bengaluru brings back its iconic breakfast menu

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, someone said, and we are almost sure whoever said so must have been from Bengaluru! Be it traditional favourites such as khara bath or elaborate choices such as English breakfast platters — cityzens here take their first meal very seriously. Taking cues, the newly relaunched gastropub Monkey Bar has recently brought back its much-loved breakfast menu and we were among the first ones to try it out.

When we reached there on a Saturday morning, the soft sunshine was breaking through the thin layer of the winter morning chill just enough to bring a smile to our faces. So, we decided to sit at one of the tables on the terrace. As we perused through the menu, the wide range of options impressed us. It included eggs, sandwiches, pancakes and crepes, healthy bowls, milkshakes and also cold-pressed juices.

To kick start our day, we began with two juices — Jumpstart (a concoction of fresh watermelon, pineapple, lemon and ginger) and Get That Glow (strawberry, pomegranate and beetroot). In case the mention of beetroot juice troubles you, know that the sweetness of strawberries cancels out the earthy notes. In Jumpstart, the zing of ginger and pineapple on the soft watermelon juice made it just the perfect drink to wake us up!

By then our tummies were growling and we ordered a Classic Cream Cheese Bagel, a Dahi Toast (sourdough bread layered with a spiced-yoghurt mix; garnished with a mustard seeds-tadka) and The Elvis (bread with creamy peanut butter, blueberry jam and caramelised banana; drizzled with honey). The bagel was plated so well that even our starved selves took a moment to click a picture.

Those, who have palates that find a tadka-infused yoghurt comforting, would definitely like Dahi Toast. However, The Elvis was the winner for us. If you are skeptical about having bananas on your bread or butter and jam together like us, this can change your mind. The smooth butter, fruity jam, candy-like banana slices and chewy bread complemented each other so well that we secretly took mental notes of how to replicate the recipe at home!

It was now time for some protein intake and we ordered Monkey Style Eggs Kejriwal (topped with kheema masala). Plot twist: instead of on bread, the poached egg came on an appam! Topped with meticulously cooked mutton kheema, one egg kejriwal is enough as a breakfast for an average appetite.

By now, our tummies were full, but our hearts wanted something sweet to end the meal. We opted for Apple Crepes, which were crepes stuffed with apple compote, drizzled with chocolate sauce and a side of strawberries. The supple, chocolate-covered crepes gave way to perfectly cooked apple compote and this, with a bite of a strawberry, gave us a burst of flavours! We gulped down the food with vanilla latte from their coffee menu, and received the much-needed jolt we so required to start our day after this heavy meal!

Meal for two: INR 1,200 onwards. Saturday and Sundays, 8 am-12 pm. At Museum Road.

Email: prattusa@newindianexpress.com
Twitter: @MallikPrattusa