The idea of Forage is a little different from your conventional restaurant, and this is apparent even as you come across it, on a relatively quiet stretch of Indiranagar’s 6th Main Road. The elegant building features just one nondescript sign, and upon entering its premises, the ambience is inviting and classily upmarket.
According to the restaurant owners, the idea of Forage is to provide a healthy meal which leaves diners feeling content, but not overstuffed. The small, carefully curated menu reflects this, with every ingredient hand-picked to serve a purpose. This careful foraging for ingredients is what contributed to the name, we are told.
We began with a helping of petite lamb chops and butter sweet prawns, presented in small, manageable portions befitting the beginning of a meal. The lamb in particular, with some baby potatoes accompanying it, was a delightful introduction. Juicy and just the right kind of tender, it sated the appetite without being overwhelming. Wash this down with some cold pressed juice from the drinks section, and you’re good to go.
That’s not to say there is a lack of choice among starters. If prawns are not your preferred type of seafood, try the mackerel complemented with tomato chilli butter. Salads range from quinoa to beef and orange and for something a little heartier, there are aromatic pork spare ribs. The menu also includes helpful little icons to show which dishes are lactose and carbohydrate free, to help decision-making.
As we find ourselves halfway down a glass of sunrise juice (a combination of apple, ginger, black pepper and carrot with a hint of lemon), we are greeted by the main course, a pork stew with a healthy helping of black bean and quinoa, and the customer favourite beef fillet, with grilled mushroom and a sweet pumpkin mash accompaniment to give the taste buds a workout. The stew is generous in portion, but the assortment of flavours keeps it interesting enough to wolf down easily. But the beef, which strikes a balance with a succulent centre and crispy edge, steals the show. Other options include soupy lamb, prawns, steamed root vegetables, sautéed mushrooms, sausage casserole and more.
While the menu is not the most diverse spread and is primarily focussed on being whole and healthy, we found the reminders unnecessary. Yes, the food and portions do serve to ensure that the bloat which accompanies most dinners is avoided, but this does not come at the expense of taste, as we found out when we sampled the coffee pannacotta for dessert. Until told, it is hard to guess the dessert menu’s vegan origins.
All things considered, Forage is not the kind of place you want to visit with a large family group looking for a five course Punjabi meal, and it does not try to advertise itself as such. What it does, and does well, is be a warm, intimate setting for couples and small groups, with fine food for those who appreciate a tasty, healthy meal.
