A small sign by the entrance is all the indication that lets you know you have arrived at Toast & Tonic, located at a corner of Ashok Nagar’s Wood Street. Step in through the tiny reception area into the main dining space and the sudden expanse combined with the warm lighting creates quite an extravagant welcome. Tables in many sizes form neat rows up to the well-lit bar, with further seating extending off to the side and down a narrow staircase tucked away in a corner. The interiors, designed by Bengaluru-based Shruti Jaipuria, are meant to replicate the cultural amalgamation of Manhattan’s East Village, and the light colour palette, wide material choices, and the glow from the candles on the tabletops transport you to a plane reserved for culinary appreciation.
Which brings us to the food and drink. As the name of the establishment implies, tonics are a major part of the drinks menu, and we begin with the creatively named Gin-tleman’s Tonic, a concoction that mixes jasmine tea, elderflower and grapefruit tonic water with rose-petal cucumber ice. The added flavour and aroma combine with the edge of the drink; a good companion to keep around for a meal. For a less aromatic and more flavourful experience, the pomegranate and cinnamon tonic water mix provided by British Raj is worth a try.
Despite having a blatantly international vibe, the restaurant works with local producers to keep the ingredients sourced from close to home. There is also a lot of relevance given to the oft-neglected vegetarian, and interesting combinations like a jackfruit and goat cheese toastada, which provide a tender start to the meal, go a long way towards providing them with a wealth of options. That is not to say that that the non-vegetarian fare is lacking. Some mackerel and green peppers with orange salsa, and totapuri marinated chicken with Greek yoghurt in sourdough raagi batter (called au revoir Colonel Sanders), quickly put any such aspersions to rest.
Such ingredients, aimed at making wholesome meals healthy, are ubiquitous in the menu. Diners can pick from tofu and watermelon poke bowls to slow cooked BBQ ribs for some guilty indulgence. And if you go easy on the light bites, the asparagus and mushroom risotto, with chilli, sweet potato leaves and godindobhog rice, is sure to set things right.
As we wind things up with the dessert simply titled milk (a mixture of whey kulfi, milk crisps, ice cream and palm fruit), which slowly melts away everything that came before it, the restaurant is near full with animated chatter. The meal might be over, but this little pocket of East Village style endures, and beckons one back for more.
Food for thought
Toast and Tonic specialises in a variety of flavour-infused tonics and international cuisine with locally sourced ingredients. Children below 18 only admitted for lunch.
Specialty: …
Meal for two: Rs. 2,000
Location: 14/1, Wood Street, Richmond Road, Ashok Nagar,
Bangalore – 560025.
For reservation: 080 41116878. Online Reservations: www.toastandtonic.com
