T

H
E

T
I
M
E
S

O
F

I
N
D
I
A

e
P
A
P
E
R
G
etting high on Church Street
has never been a problem,
but Bierre Republic seems in
the mood to challenge that
ever so slightly. The huge
signage outside Pavillion Mall serves
as a beacon of hope as you trudge past
two floors of desolation and alien-
looking faux vegetation to finally
land up, ironically, near a man in a
sailor suit! Or you could be boring and
take the lift. Another small flight of
stairs gets you to the dining area with
many parts alfresco with a few en-
closed portions, a smoking section, a
smaller lounge area, and even an up-
per deck. The furniture is almost all
wood, except for the plush sofas and
elements such as dcor consisting of
barrels. It was edging towards
tackiness, but the beer posters man-
age to pull it back a bit. The alfresco
section is the perfect place to be in
typical Bangalore weather and offers
a superb view of the Public Utility
building. A live band was in the
house, and except for a massacre of
The Cranberries Zombie, which al-
most provoked us to violence for the
sake of silence, they were quite good.
Meanwhile, as the evening pro-
gressed, the service began reflecting
the ship theme they were totally
at sea, and were finding it difficult to
manage the orders, despite the valiant
efforts of their active crew, whom we
felt sorry for.
Appetisers: We decided to begin the
voyage with a few cocktails, which
looked interesting on paper. Russian
Fever, for example had vodka, ver-
mouth, green chilly and lime juice,
perfect ingredients for some
Moscow magic, but it fell
short on alcohol content
as well as flavours. The
Tahiti Breeze and Orien-
tal Spice fell in the same
category, and the usual-
ly reliable LIT was insip-
id too. For the price being
charged, we felt like giving
the bartender a taste of some
Russian aggression. The saving
grace was the white wine and vodka
mix with banana and kiwi.
Cottage cheese was char grilled
and superbly made, despite not really
delivering on the pesto stuffing and
the green apple in the dip. The Chick-
en Tenders was a bit of a disappoint-
ment a spicy sauce, but the dish it-
self was a cross between Dhaba and
cheap Chinese. The Thai Chilli bites
(we chose the steak option) made a
quick save tender meat with a feisty
sauce coating. The Coconut Shrimp
skewers was the last starter we tried.
The shrimps were succulent enough,
but the breading was quite a failure.
Around us, we saw beer towers be-
ing consumed in abundance, and that
does seem a good strategy here food,
and beer being the choice of alcohol.
The microbrewery, set to open in a
month, would fit in well into this pic-
ture too.
Entree: Once again, the vegetarian
dish arrived first the penne with fi-
ery Mexican pema sauce. This turned
out to be the joint winner of the
dish of the day, courtesy the
spectacular green chilli
cream sauce. The Mongol-
ian beef, served with
white rice, had beef
cooked just right, and our
only little tiff with it was
because the ginger flavour
managed to overpower ev-
erything else. The Sauted
Chicken Marsala was chicken
breast medallions with sauted mush-
rooms in a Marsala wine sauce. Anoth-
er excellent dish with the mashed po-
tato and subtle sauce, complementing
the chicken very well. The spinach was
a superb touch too. The Pizza Quarta
Formaggi A La Polo didnt quite look
its complicated name. But appearanc-
es were deceiving, and the different
kinds of cheese and the combination
of grilled and barbeque chicken made
it the other winning of the dish of the
day. We also tried the Tempura fish
sandwich, which not only impressed
for the fish itself, but also for the won-
derful toasted focaccia bread.
Afters: There are only about three op-
tions available, and we decided to go
for the Blueberry Cheese Cake. But we
werent destined to know what it
tasted like, because after close to half
an hour, we declared it lost at sea, and
asked for the check.
In all: Though the drinks were a disap-
pointment, we loved most of the food
we had some of it was downright
awesome. The ambiance too is quite
interesting. But they really need to be
better prepared for a crowd. Also,
while the theme might be based on a
ship, expressing it in the form of fresh
water scarcity by making customers
ask for it a gazillion times is a bit much.
Bangalore Mirror reviews
anonymously and pays for meals
Manu Prasad
bmfeedback@gmail.com
TWEETS @BangaloreMirror
THE REPUBLIC OF HIC
Cuisine Pub grub
Owner(s) Ananth Narayan
Chef James
Alcohol Yes. In abundance
Wine list A well-stocked bar,
but avoid the
cocktails
Price range A meal for two would
cost around `1,800
(inclusive of taxes and
service charge) a
cocktail, a non veg
starter, a main course
dish and a dessert
Parking In the basement
Wheelchair No
access
Service Helpful and friendly.
The tardiness can be
attributed to being
short-staffed
Music and Contemporary, and
sound level loud enough to be
shouted above
Ambience Interesting theme,
seating is sometimes
a bit unwieldy
Kid-friendly Only during the
Sunday brunch (12
pm-4 pm)
Hours 12-11.30 pm on
Sunday-Thursday, 12
pm -1 am on Friday,
Saturday
Home delivery No
Reservations Not a bad idea,
though it didnt help
us a lot
Bierre Republic
No: 62/63, Pavillion Mall,
Church Street, Bangalore 560056
Ph: 080 41233655
BM VERDICT
7
10
Paneer char grilled; Fiery Mexican
Pema penne, Sauteed Chicken Marsala
and Pizza Quarta Formaggi A La Polo
ASKTHESEXPERT
DR MAHINDER WATSA
SEND YOUR QUERIES TO: Ask the Sexpert,
Bangalore Mirror, No.4, KCCF Compound
Pampa Mahakavi Road, Chamrajpet,
Bangalore 560018 or e-mail us
at drwatsa@indiatimes.com. You can contact
Dr Watsa on mcwatsa@hotmail.com
1
I have been a smoker for five
years. Will this cause a prob-
lem for my sex life?
The nicotine in the tobacco is harm-
ful. It may affect blood flow to the
penis, bringing on erectile
dysfunction. It can also affect
sperm formation. For other side-
effects, Google.
2
I got married a month ago,
and I am a 32-year-old vir-
gin. During my honeymoon,
my husband tried to pleasure
me by rubbing my privates,
and I had an orgasm, but I was
not interested in proceeding
further. He prefers to use
his finger instead of the penis. I
dont understand this
fascination. Please help me
understand.
Fingering is a common way to
arouse a partner. It is usually fol-
lowed by intercourse. In a quiet mo-
ment, have a word with him about
what youd prefer.
3
I have read that the window
for checking STDs (like HIV)
is three months. How does one
find out that the man and
woman are safe within that pe-
riod if they have been in the
habit of having unprotected
sex?
He should be more worried if she
missed her period and got pregnant.
The regular test is not sensitive to
confirm an HIV infection.
4
I am 38 years old and got
married in 2007. We do not
have kids. I have undergone a
semen analysis test. The doctor
said I have a problem with mo-
tility and sperm count. How do
Isolve it?
Id suggest you set up an appointment
with an andrologist or urologist.
5
After how many days must
she do a self-test to confirm
if she is pregnant?
The test is effective within a few days
of the missed period.
YOU
19 BangaloreMirror
FRIDAY, JUNE 20, 2014
www.bangaloremirror.com/columns
bmfeedback@gmail.com
Health Tips
Drinking warm water helps break down oily food,
assisting digestion and absorption
Afoot soak soothes muscles, hydrates skin and relieves
aches caused by standing/walking for long
SANJAY MD