Restaurant Review: The Fatty Bao

Chef Manu Chandra reinvents Pan Asian cuisine at his new venture, The Fatty Bao. Located in Indiranagar, above the second branch of Monkey Bar, this restaurant morphs back and forth between a fun gastro-bar and a walk-up Hong Kong-style private kitchen, known as Sue Fon Tsoi (intimate restaurants hosted in informal apartments).
Décor
Non-linearity has its own charm and this place has oodles of it — quirky knick-knacks, pandas on the wall, different paint colours, dissimilar furniture — a sort of Bohemia-meets-Ming dynasty, as it were.Large glass walls offer arboreal views and internal arches double up to form semi-private dining spaces. The upper level is open to the sky with wicker-style 60s furniture and lots of green. High chairs at the bar beckon you to roll up your sleeves and rest your elbows on the counter for a much-needed exercise. Overall, a very welcoming and warm space that makes you want to indulge in meaningful conversation, if the loudspeaker lets you.
Food
Innovative cocktails like the Ho Gin Min with sambuca, white wine, gin, ginger and lime cordial; and the Bollywood-sounding Double Jade made with kiwi, khus and kaffir lime (KKK!) did much to kick-start our evening, while the ladies preferred to sip on The Isfahaan (vodka, grape juice, rose and lychee syrup). Wine aficionados will find several pages of local and imported wines to choose from as well. The starter section of the menu offers an array of Asian-inspired creations like Rolls, Dumplings, Salads and ‘Small Plates’, but we came here for the signature Baos. These steamed wheat buns make their appearance here in the form of flat discs that can be folded like a taco to hold various fillings. The Char Siu version (pork belly, green apple kimchi and hoisin), Steak Bao (with beef, kimchi and pickled radish) and Patty Bao (with minced lamb, pickled gherkins and lettuce) were all impressive — Chairman Bao would approve. They are served in portions of two pieces each, so we suggest ordering a wide selection, especially if you are in a group. Although the staff can slice each bao in half, it gets messy. It’s not often that we come across oysters, so we opted for their version served with soy butter, chorizo and ponzu sauce. Sounds like an unlikely combination of flavours, but who wants to eat them with a squeeze of lime all the time? Salmon Carpaccio rises to a new level here, dressed with ginger and garlic juice, soy, yuzu, scallions and jalapeno slices. It’s quite a feat to balance these bold ingredients with salmon, but it’s done well. The food and presentation are a treat for bloggers and Instagrammers, with many diners happily clicking away at surrounding tables. Ramen soups are available in exotic interpretations and we really liked the Exotic Mushroom Ramen and Via Malaysia in coconut broth. Save some room for desserts like the Caramelised Pears Dark Chocolate Mousse, Slow Cooked Apples with Filo Pastry and Warm Fig and Candied Ginger. Fatty Bao’s menu calls for more visits.
Services
The service staff is polite and well-trained in handling guests. But this is a complex menu and they were not familiar with some of the dishes.
Plus and minus
Innovative food and designer cocktails provide a much-needed relief from the regular menus in Bangalore. Beer connoisseurs will be disappointed with the weak line-up and lack of Asian brands.
Venue: The Fatty Bao, 610, 3rd Floor, 12th Main Road, HAL 2nd Stage, Indiranagar, Bangalore — 560038
Meal for two: `2,000
Timings: 12 pm-3.30 pm (lunch) and 7 pm-11.30 pm (dinner). Open till 1 am on Fridays and Saturdays
Rating:
Food: 4
Service: 3.5
Décor: 3.5