The New Year 2017 started with lots of resolutions and one of them was to spend quality time with family. To begin with we decided to enjoy time together on every Sunday and National holiday. We got up early on the first Sunday after the New Year and headed over to VR Bengaluru which is an integrated community lifestyle center in Whitefield. We watched Dangal – a super hit Bollywood movie at PVR IMAX. That was our first IMAX experience and we loved it. Followed by the movie, we did some shopping. We got huge discounts as the end of season sale is on. After movie and shopping we hungry souls decided to have lunch at a brand new pub and restaurant called The Whitefield Arms.
Ambience:
I loved the ambience which is like that of a quintessential modern British Pub. The pub is divided into 2 areas – a living history pub with colonial themed wooden furniture and outdoor seating area. This place makes it the perfect place to catch up with friends and colleagues. The pub has some nice quotes on the walls. Since it was a Sunday there was live music too.
I loved the outdoor seating area which was cool, quiet and serene. We ordered some beverages and I decided to walk around the pub. My husband ordered fresh lime soda, I ordered watermelon and basil mojito and daughter who loves pink ordered pink lemonade. I found a notice board which had the history of The Whitefield Arms and The Waverly Hotel & Residences.
The history of Whitefield and its surrounding areas are imbibed in the The Waverly Hotel & Residences through our 54 spacious rooms and The Whitefield Arms. The Whitefield Arms draws its inspiration from the rich heritage of Whitefield. The Whitefield we know today began in 1882 when as a grand gesture, Charmaraja Wodeyar, the then Maharaja of Mysore granted 3,900 acres towards the creation of a settlement for the Anglo-Indian community of the area. As such, Whitefield was born, named after David White who conceptualised the idea of this settlement and also resided here. Over time, Whitefield developed into a homely Anglo-Indian village that attracted people from Bangalore City and those who were a part of the historic Kolar Gold Fields. It was one of the very few formally planned Anglo-Indian settlements in India, boasting of a relaxing lifestyle, colonial style architecture, quaint bungalows, sprawling orchards and farms as well as delightfully named cottages.
In 1896, a young British army officer by the name of Winston Churchill arrived in Bangalore and, as narrated by the ex-prime minister himself, fell in love with the weather, flowers and butterflies the city had to offer. In fact, the historic Bangalore Club proudly claims this butterfly obsessed officer still owes the club 13 Rupees from an unpaid bill during one of his visits. The young Lieutenant was a frequent visitor of the Waverly Inn at Whitefield, where he is believed to have stayed on occasion. Rumor has it that during his visits, Churchill courted Rose Hamilton, the daughter of James Hamilton, who was the then owner of the Inn. The Waverly Inn still stands today, though it is now a private residence.The history of Whitefield and its surrounding areas are imbibed in the The Waverly Hotel & Residences through their 54 spacious rooms and The Whitefield Arms.
Soon we decided to order some food. We had some more shopping plans after the meal so decided to have a quick lunch. To start with, we ordered a soup – New England Seafood Chowder and Farm-Fresh Salad. The soup was heavenly. It was light and creamy and had fresh shrimps, squid, salmon and halibut. It was served with toasted bread. The soup brought back memories of Fisherman’s Wharf in California where we had tasted seafood Chowder for the first time. The taste was just like that.
The farm-fresh salad with chicken was refreshing. It had fresh greens, goat cheese and poached pears cooked in vintage Merlot.
Soon after the soup and salad, we ordered Twa Chips, Cheese and gravy. This dish was really unique. Crispy fries topped with dal makhani, cheese, chopped jalapenos, green chillies and onions.
We also ordered the non-veg platter which had grilled prawns, Cavalry’s Special Chicken, Ruskin Mutton, Barrack’s Special Chicken and Clay Oven Grilled Grouper.
For main course I ordered a chicken dish – Grilled Spice Crusted Chicken and hubby ordered a dish with fish – Pan- Seared Salmon.
Grilled Spice Crusted Chicken was yummy. Breast of chicken was served with mint and onion sauce, spinach and truffle mushroom rice.
Hubby said that Pan-Seared Salmon was delicious too. It was served with Dill cream sauce, sautéed beans and served with corn and truffle mushroom rice.
The kid did not order main course but she pounced on the dessert. We had Sticky Toffee Pudding to end the meal. It was a rich moist cake soaked with thick sticky sauce topped with vanilla ice cream. The dessert was heavenly. We loved every bite of it.
We were so much impressed with the meal that we decided to meet the head chef – Sasiraj. After talking to the Chef we found that he had worked in lots of International hotels and hence he is an expert at the menu which he has designed personally. We also learnt that the brewery will start very soon.
We had a very good experience at this restaurant and pub. The service was excellent. The staff were very approachable and catered to all our needs. They even customised the taste of food as per our needs.
My Verdict:
- The outdoor seating arrangement is beautiful and gives a European type of feeling. Indoor seating was dark and moody, but it matched with the pub décor.
- They also have breakfast options and serve local favorites like Ven Pongal, Upma, Idli, Medhu Vada, Uttapam, Mini Dosa and freshly brewed filter coffee.
- The service was excellent.
- Food was served hot and tasted good. It can be customised according to one’s taste.
- There is a separate smoking area too.
- They don’t have buffet option, but the dishes on ala carte were good.
- We did not try the bar menu, but the beverages from the food menu were refreshing.
- I will surely visit this place again.
Cost – Rs. 1500 for 2 with alcohol.
Address: The Waverly Hotel & Residences, Whitefield, Bangalore
It is recommended to book a table before visiting this place to get a seating arrangement of your choice. Call them at 9591220066 or 9108481283 to book a table.
Thanks to The Whitefield Arms for making our day. Followed by the lunch we continued shopping at our favorite retail stores in VR Bengaluru. I was happy as we had a quality time together.
Check out my other reviews too.
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