Unwind the Hawaiian Way @ 3 Dots and a Dash

0 Comments Cocktails, hangout, hookah, Indiranagar, tikibar

There is no dearth for great ideas in the restaurant business and a Bar based on Tiki Culture is one such recent development for the Tiki cocktails lovers in Bangalore to rejoice.

The history of Tiki culture has its origins from Polynesia where Tiki carvings were discovered and understood to represent a Polynesian God. Maori mythology refers to Tiki as the first man created and there are many legends surrounding this culture.

A little research into this fascinating world of Tiki Gods made me realize there are many islands who probably still pay tribute to the four major Hawaiian Tiki Gods – Ku the God of War, Lono the God of Fertility and Peace, Kane the God of Light and Life, and Kanaloa the God of the Sea.

Fascination for Tiki Culture lead to the first Tiki bar in California started by Ernest Raymond Beaumont-Gantt who changed his name to Donn Beach to match the name of his restaurant, “Don the Beachcomber.” Nowadays Tiki Culture is mainly used as themes for restaurants across the world to represent Polynesian-styled restaurants and clubs.

Their name THREE DOTS AND A DASH is a drink which was also created by Don Beach. The name represents the morse code for the letter ‘V’ which stood for victory during the World War.

Three Dots and a Dash, Bangalore is an exotic Tiki Themed Bar and Restaurant offering a glimpse of Polynesia including the Tiki cocktails served in unique ceramic mugs depicting Tikis hence aptly named Tiki Mugs. As is the trend nowadays, a welcome addition is their Hookah offering.

Located on the busy 100 Feet Road in Indiranagar their entrance is interesting with the bamboo setup. They have an indoor non smoking seating on the first floor and the more popular open smoking area on the roof top.

Image courtesy : Three Dots and a Dash

The decor is reminiscent of Tiki culture with wooden and bamboo and Tiki faces and masks.

Image courtesy : Three Dots and a Dash

I was invited to try their newly launched cocktails and food menu to mark their First Year Anniversary celebrations. To add to the Hawaiian feel, was their traditional welcome with a garland.

This was not my first experience with Tiki cocktails and as expected they were all rum based. These bars are supposed to be all about the presentation and they do not disappoint starting from the scary, glum, happy Tiki and Skull mugs to the liquid nitrogen used in their cocktails.

Image courtesy: http://www.3dotsbangalore.com

A glimpse into what they have to offer:

Fog Cutter

Dark and Stormy

DARK & STORMY

A simple mix of Gosling’s Black Seal Rum, Lime juice and Ginger beer, this drink was one of the drinks of the night for me. The kick of the rum was subdued by the ginger beer.

FOG CUTTER

This cocktail was a strong blend of 3 spirits – Aged rum, Bourbon, Gin, Orange juice, Pineapple juice, Lime juice, Orgeat and Honey syrup.

Something different from the usual Rum cocktails but definitely a pretty strong drink!

Jungle Bird

Pineapple Daiquiri

JUNGLE BIRD

Well I love Cointreau and this drink was a mix of Cointreau,Campari, Dark rum, Lime juice, Orgeat and Spiced simple syrup.

Not my kind of drink, this drink is for those who like their cocktails to have that bitter aftertaste.

PINEAPPLE DAIQUIRI

A very simple yet enjoyable light cocktails made with Aged rum, Lime juice and Pineapple syrup.

Run Crusta

Rob’s Mistake

RUM CRUSTA

As I mentioned before I am a sucker for Cointreau and this was the best cocktail of the evening for me! Mix – Aged rum, Cointreau, Maraschino and Limejuice.

ROB’S MISTAKE

This cocktail is meant to be very similar to the original Tiki cocktails with a blend of Light rum, London dry gin, Lime juice, Passion fruit puree, Frangelico, Pineapple syrup, Grenadine, Dark rum.

Caribbean Cooler

Though not a rum lover, my personal choice was Rum Crusta where the blend seemed to be perfect yet potent!!

MOCKTAILS

Green Apple Mojito

Mango Tall

Dont miss their mocktails as they also have some very refreshing and light mocktails.

APPETIZERS:

LEMON CORIANDER – VEG / CHICKEN

A simple and light soup with a mild hint of coriander to open the taste buds for the rest of the meal.

CAESAR SALAD – VEG / CHICKEN

Once again a light yet very crunchy and tasty salad. Definitely a must for the health conscious!

HERB CHEESE STUFFED MUSHROOM

Not a big mushroom lover, I was not too keen to try this starter but a bite proved me wrong as the cheese and herbs definitely gave a good taste to this crunchy appetizer.

VEGETABLE CROQUETTES

Croquettes come in all forms nowadays and being a hard-core non-vegetarian, I was pleasantly surprised at how good these croquettes were. I am glad to note they have enough veg appetizers for the vegetarians who visit here.

CALIFORNIA SPUD – VEG / CHICKEN

A bit complicated looking appetizer which I found not only a bit difficult to eat but had a little too much potato.

GREEN MARINATED CHICKEN KEBAB

An innocent looking and simple sounding appetizer which turned out to be extremely tasty and succulent. The marination was perfect and I for one would love to have this on my next visit.

POLYNESIAN BAKED FISH

Who doesn’t like fish! And fish wrapped in leaves and baked sounded yum! This appetizer is a must have for its rush of flavours.

MAIN COURSE:

QUESADILLAS VEGETABLE / SPICY CHICKEN

Again not a big fan of quesadillas but the spice added to the chicken filling did wonders for this dish.

VEGETABLE TAGINE WITH COUS COUS

Something in their main course for the health conscious but the preparation is well done and the assorted veggies make this dish interesting.

TUNA POKE BOWL IN THREE DOTS STYLE

I was looking forward to having this particular dish and it did not disappoint. The rice was mildly flavoured and the tuna with the dip added that extra zing to the whole dish.

VERACRUZANA CHICKEN
A layered chicken dish well presented.

I have been to this Tiki bar a few times over the last one year and I am glad to note that they are probably the best if not the only Tiki themed bar which continue to impress!