as i was in namma ooru for a short trip, i had decided to meet my friends - who are major foodies and food bloggers - for lunch on a sunny and jam packed saturday afternoon. after giving them a list of my favorite cuisines, they suggested a few places for me to choose from. we finally decided to visit brik oven on church street. it is a very small place compared to their other outlets in the city. the seating area yields about 6 tables and the kitchen - especially the wood fire oven - could be seen clearly from where we were seated. there is no physical menu, but a qr code which we can scan on our mobile to see a list of the items. my friends told me that the menu is not as vast as the one in their other outlets.
there is also a chalkboard on the wall where they write the list of the 'specials' for the day. after browsing through the menu, we finally decided to order: -
beverages:
1. brik oven lemonade - this beverage is their in house special. the lemonade was sweet and perfect for the hot bengaluru weather.
2. lemon iced tea - no matter where i go, my favorite beverage is iced tea. given a choice between soft drinks and iced tea, i would rather order the latter. the nice thing about this iced tea was that it was extremely sweet and did not need to add any extra sugar. it was served in a tall glass, so the quantity was perfect for my tastebuds.
3. the hangover shake - the name says it all! once you drink this, you will feel like you are intoxicated because the shake is so filling. the list of ingredients will make you feel dizzy. it contained granola, banana, strawberries, ice cream and whipped cream. this shake would be better off as a dessert than as a beverage. my friend said it was a tall glass of sweetness overloaded.
appetizer:
1. garlicbread with cheese - cheese is an ingredient we all love, so what better appetizer to order than two plates of the ooey gooey goodness. actually, it looked more like breadsticks than bread. one portion is sufficient for two people. the breadsticks were neatly arranged on a wooden tray. the right proportion of olive oil, garlic, butter and cheese made this dish an extremely delicious one. it was so soft that the pieces just melted in our mouth.
main course:
1. anna goes vegan - as my friend and i are vegetarians, we ordered this particular pizza. just by reading the description, my mouth started to water. the toppings included: san marzano sauce, red onions, red bell peppers, jalapeno, vegan mozzarella, sun dried tomatoes,garlicand vegan feta. i have never tried a vegan pizza before but must say it was flavorsome. the base was not too thin nor thick, the toppings were crispy and fresh and the vegan feta was dripping here and there since it was so bubbly. i would definitely recommend this pizza.
2. smoked chicken - n - mushroom pizza - out of the three of us, only one was a non vegetarian, so he ordered one pizza just for himself. the remaining pieces were packed so he could enjoy it after going home. this pizza comprised of smoked chicken, roasted mushrooms, caramelised onion, red chilligarlicand basil with a tomato sauce base topped with mozzarella. the smokey flavor was circulating all around us. just like in the vegan pizza, the toppings in this one were also garden fresh and crunchy.
my friends have eaten in brik oven's outlets before, so they were aware of the quality and quantity of the food. the ambiance was pleasant and the service was quick in spite of all tables being occupied.
speaking about tables, i wish they were a little bigger because if you order a lot of items, it is difficult to arrange them, the plates and glasses.
the only negative point of the afternoon was that of the manager's behavior. as my friends are food bloggers, they were keen on taking photos of all the dishes. however when the manager saw this, he told my friend, in a very rude tone, to sit down. never ever have i seen this type of attitude by a manager when their customers are actually trying to promote their business. we felt extremely insulted but somehow managed to enjoy our meal as the food looked so yummy and we were equally hungry.
if you are heading on church street and feel like gorging on wood fire pizzas, then do drop into brik oven for a wholesome and appetizing meal with your friends and loved ones.