Highway Hangout @ The Terminal
What do you think of when you hear the name “The Terminal”?
If you are an avid movie watcher like me then only one thing will pop in your mind and that’s the 2004 Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks film “The Terminal”. Definitely a classic and a great movie and having a restaurant after the same theme is quite interesting to say the least!
Bangalore’s traffic is mind boggling and extremely irritating and hence it is quite an effort to travel just to get yourself to head out for a meal. Having lived on the outskirts of Bangalore for the last 10 years this travel ritual is a normal affair for me and nowadays I dont think much of it.
A few months ago, a new restaurant cum lounge opened up on Old Madras Road which brought a smile to my lips due to its proximity to my residence. Though I said it is close by, it is located on the Bangalore Kolar highway and is actually 14 kms from my residence but due to the highway and good roads it is reachable within 15 mins.
The place is quite unmissable as it is in the shape of a Terminal similar to the one’s you see at the airports worldwide and this itself would make you stop to check the place out to satisfy your curiosity.
They are spread across 3 floors- the ground floor has 2 areas of seating, below the large circular structure where the breeze is excellent and also a an open area which is good for smokers post 5 pm. Additional facilities are they serve here Sheesha too!
The first floor is more of a casual dining experience having a bar at one end and with indoor as well as outdoor seating.
The second floor is more of a lounge which is open only from Friday to Sunday post 7pm and houses the DJ console, a mini dance floor and loads of seating area. The view during the day is quite pleasing.
I have been here to check the place out during the night and I must say the place is superbly light and would be awesome place to hang out during the weekends.
BEVERAGES:
Coming back to the theme, all their cocktails have distinct names ranging from Mile High Madness, Cruising Altitude to Sky Miles. Since we were a boisterous group of friends, we tried a lot of them but some did stick to having their usual beers too.
A glimpse of the cocktails and mocktails that were ordered which turned out to be an interesting mix of flavours. My favourite was the Mile High Madness.
The menu at The Terminal is quite a spread ranging from Quick bites which are available all day in the form of sandwiches, short eats, burgers, katti rolls, coffee, tea and coolers. The lunch and dinner ala carte menu has a lot of choices from North Indian, Continental to Chinese.
APPETIZERS – VEG:
Papad ki Tikki: A great looking appetizer to begin the meal. The crunchiness of the papads is perfect and makes way for mixed veg tikki inside.
Davengare Kadak Aloo: A local sounding name and it had definitely a local touch with the spices used. Great starter with drinks.
Tulsi Paneer: Soft paneer with a light marination of tulsi which melted in the mouth.
Tandoori Subz Bhara: A simple mixed veggie starter. Glad to see broccoli being a part of this dish.
APPETIZERS – NON VEG:
Golchonda Chicken: Chicken spicy enough to match the name given. This one’s for the spice lovers!
Buffalo Chicken Wings: Got to order one of the continental dishes for a change of taste and it turned out to be a very good choice. The wings itself was very soft and the barbecue sauce used was lip-smackingly perfect.
Tandoori Prawns: This dish was a bit of hit and miss for me. I love prawns but something did suit my taste buds with this dish.
Achari Machchi Tikka: After a whole range of veg and meat dishes, someone in our group did us the favour of ordering 2 fish starters. The boneless fish tikka was perfectly cooked and mild in flavour served with mint chutney and terminal shaped papad!
Ladyfish Kane Tawa Fry: This was a surprising starter for me as I was not expecting full fish fry. One glance at this dish, I almost made up my mind not to have it to save me the trouble of picking the tiny bones in it. However the server insisted I try a small piece and I was glad to note the fish fall off the bone easily, making it easy to enjoy this starter without the hassles.
MIXED PLATTER : The platter consisted of a mix of Chicken Tikka, Mutton Kebab, Fish Tikka and Saffron Prawns. Easy choice of a starter for a large group.
MAIN COURSE:
Being the food lovers we are, we did save a little space to dig into some breads and gravies. A special mention for my favourites – Dal Tadka and Chooze Makhni ( Butter Chicken).
STEAMED RICE WITH KONKANI FISH CURRY:
For the rice lovers, they have good options and the konkani fish curry with steamed rice is a great pick.
MUTTON BIRIYANI:
I love biryani and especially in a large group of friends, there is always someone who loves it as much as you. The biryani was made a bit of the traditional dum style and mildly flavoured making it a perfect ending to my meal.
DESSERTS: Not one to miss trying a few desserts, these below desserts are out of the ordinary and if you have a sweet tooth, trust me it’s worth driving down here just for these!
Paan ki Rasmalai: My personal favourite is anything with paan in it. Rasmalai also is one of those rare Indian desserts I enjoy. Hence I was overjoyed to be served a combo of the two and relished every bite of it.
Caramel Custard: A boring enough dessert, but wait, these taste different, why? It is a coconut flavoured caramel custard and a must try if you love caramel custard.
Apple Jalebi with Custard: A bite into this dish and you are not going to share it with anyone. The green apple slices inside the jalebi is enough to get you on a high!
I know this is gonna be my spot to hang out not because it is close to home but because they know how to entice the taste buds and what’s not to like in an out of the city, all day open place like this!
Food lovers in Bangalore would hesitate to travel 30 odd kms for a meal, but I would ask each and everyone of you to give this place a try keeping in mind that it would be a half a day trip to come here, enjoy your meal and head back.
A great highway hang out spot especially if you come with a large group of buddies.
Ambiance – 4/5
Service/Hospitality – 4/5
Food Taste – 4/5
Beverages – 3.5/5
Quantity/Quality – 4/5
Value for Money – 4/5