Bengaluru’s October food guide: a Bar Find cocktail residency, Amar Khamar’s Bengali feast, and more

Taste of Lucknow @ SEHN

For Taiyaba Ali, a chef, food writer and researcher from Lucknow, the menu at her fairly-new 14-seater SEHN Dining Room has been designed “very intentionally”. There are three sections, and each has a different role in the experience. 

The small plates are experimental and designed to immediately challenge some of the perceptions of what Lucknowi food can be, she says, of the section comprising vegetable kawabs, hot and cold chaats, dal gosht dumplings, and hari mirch hing achar and prawns. 

The large plates of hearty pulaos and in-house breads are intentionally more traditional in their presentation to give diners a sense of a daawat (feast) at someone’s home in Lucknow. The desserts include sheer khurma ice cream; mukku baraf with fermented plum, cumin, black salt; and the Russel Market meetha paan. 

These dishes may not necessarily be traditional, but the inspiration comes from the different tastes, ingredients and techniques that you would encounter in Lucknowi homes, says Taiyaba, who has drawn from the Lucknow Muslim home she grew up in, while others come from the homes of friends. 

Taiyaba has intentionally veered away from Lucknowi classics such as shaami and galouti to explore another part of Lucknow. Vegetarian kawabs, for instance, that she grew up eating. “Leaving out the obvious dishes from the dining-room menu isn’t a rejection of them. It’s a way of making space for another story.” 

At G1/2, Frontline Manor, Wheeler Road, Cox Town. Open for dinner Thursday through Saturday. For reservations, call +91 6366052123

Bar Find X Circa 11

Bar Find, India’s travelling bar, has made Circa 11 its home for a three-month residency starting October 9. The shapeshifting dining room founded by Chef Pradyumna Harithsa, Sudhiksha Kaushik Anantharamu, and Ankit Agarwal is hosting Bar Find’s new cocktail menu (by creative director and co-founder Matteo Ciarpaglini) alongside a specially curated food menu by Pradyumma.

The former includes cocktails including Spumante Marino, made with tomato water, marine cordial, olives and clarified bergamot essence; Gilda Martini, inspired by the Spanish pintxo with notes of smoke, spice and umami; and Ceviche Mary, combining vodka, leche de tigre and a flower and corn cordial, a Spicy Margarita, and more. Sweeter serves include Pistachio & Coffee, a reinterpretation of the espresso martini with cognac and vanilla-pistachio foam, and Sgroppino, made with sparkling wine, lemon liqueur and ice cream. 

The new food menu features an array of small plates and mains such as grilled confit cabbage, lamb tostada, red snapper ceviche, biang biang noodles, seafood orzo, lamb tostada with garlic toum, roasted carrots with tomato XO and labneh, red snapper ceviche, seared pork belly, and more. Desserts include a rich chocolate pavé, a delicately flavoured sweet lime catalana, hazelnut financier and The Circa 11 tiramisu rounding off the menu.

Until January 10, 2027 at 957, 12th Main Road, Indira Nagar

Coffee and more @ Roastery

After launching 16 outlets across the city, Roastery has now opened its latest outpost at Banashankari II Stage. While the brand launched in Hyderabad in 2017, nearly 99% of the coffee it serves comes from Karnataka, specifically the Chikmagalur region. 

Sprawled across approximately 4,000 sq. ft. with seating for around 80 guests, the new outlet titled Bengaluru House ‘takes subtle inspiration from Indian arches and traditional design vocabulary, interpreted in a contemporary manner’.

As for the menu, it features classics such as cheesy garlic bread, signature zucchini fries, onion rings, nachos with cheese and salsa, chicken southwest fingers, etc. For mains, choose from the new Hold-in-Hand Sandwich range, pastas, and flatbread pizzas.

The coffee experience includes Honey Cinnamon, Cranberry, Litchi, and Guava Iced Coffees; Brownie Blend; Cinnamon Latte, Milk Mocha, to name a few.

At No. 510, 9th Main Road, Banashankari II Stage

In bread heaven @ Toast House

Akshay Karal always wondered why the humble bread is often treated as an ingredient a dish is centred around rather than being the star of a dish. And this thought led him to create Toast House, a cafe dedicated to giving this “universal comfort food” the attention it deserves.

The menu is crisp and draws from bread cultures across Asia: Japan, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, among other countries. Think soft milk breads and sandos to bakery buns, sweet toasts and convenience-store sandwiches. 

Highlights include the house-made shokupan, a Japanese-style milk bread made using the tangzhong method that comes with a savoury filling or in the form of a French toast; fruit sandos  including strawberry and mixed fruit; savoury sandos such as eggplant sando; chicken katsu; tamago; dessert toasts including hazelnut French toast, mango French toast; and a range of salads and beverages. 

At 871, 80 Feet Rd, Indira Nagar 1st Stage

Amar Khamar @ Lapis

Could not travel to Bengal for Pujo? You can savour the best of the region’s culinary heritage at this pop-up later this month as a part of The Oberoi’s Decked Out at Lapis pop-up series. Chefs Juhi Punwani, Rekha Das and co-founder Sujoy Chatterjee of the Kolkata lunch room, Amar Khamar will bring their indigenous rice, heirloom pulses, and regional spices for a two-day dinner-only pop-up. 

Small plates comprise shapla phool bhaja, kaon millet khichuri with accompaniments, and mutton ghugni with pauruti. Big plates comprise chine kamini-r panta bhat, dal bhat, radhatilak aar shiuli phool-er pulao, mangso bhat with mohan-sal and chui jhal mangso, among others. End the meal with the trio of gur or a chandrapuli.

The menu also features a curated cocktail section including Park Mansion Old Fashioned with Gobindbhog infused whisky, bitters, brown sugar; Synagogue’s Charm with vodka, lime juice, grenadine, vermouth; and Sathyadrammy with whisky, lime juice, mango ginger, and jaggery syrup. 

On October 30 and 31, 7 pm and 9 pm at The Oberoi. For reservations, call 080 2558 5858