Before Harry Potter’s snowy owl Hedwig did some major rebranding, these nocturnal, solitary birds of prey were typically used to signify wisdom or sinister business. Thanks to the Boy Who Lived, owls are now everywhere from clutches to rucksacks and pendants to home décor and restaurant names. And so we have the Fat Owl, which Guru Shivaram, one of the partners of the restaurant at JP Nagar (so happening), says is not so much about owls as the mask you could put on to have a good time.
In my mind’s eye, I saw a fluffy owl, wearing glasses welcoming diners, but then that is the problem with being too literal. There was an abstract owl on the wall and a running theme of the mask. On three levels, the sewing machine legs on the tables in the family section were quirky and the thriving mango tree that the restaurant is built around heartening. Fat Owl is a gastropub offering with the usual suspects as far as food and wine go. While there are pages and pages of non-vegetarian choices, (the steaks looks jolly) I was trying out the vegetarian options.
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- Wallet factor: ₹1,500
- Ambience: Outdoorsy, modern
- Hits: Pumpkin ravioli, beetroot tikki
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In a pub even if it is the middle of the day, one should try a drink no? So it was elderflower and gin in a glass studded with fruit and rosemary. One had to look sharp for the notes of elderflower as it was getting slightly overwhelmed by the citrus and herbs—no missing the gin though.
For small plates we tried cottage spring roll where cilantro added an edge as did the tomato relish. There was also beetroot tikki—while I am not a fan of the beet, the texture and the pesto sauce redeemed it. So much so that I went the whole hog and checked out the beet and arugula salad. The orange and balsamic vinegar dressing worked, not so much the walnuts. Then there were the Portobello packets (such a lovely sound the words have)—which were baked samosas, a healthy treat, if you lean away from oily comestibles.
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While there are a variety of pizzas and burgers (have kept it for another visit) for the main course, Guru suggested the cumin roast pumpkin ravioli—the soft pasta pillows stuffed with super flavorful grated pumpkin hit the right spot as did the delicately spiced Thai green curry with sticky rice.
Dessert was kulfi ice cream (aren’t they the same?), sticky toffy pudding (nice) and gluten free chocolate fudge, which had an interesting texture. Pleasantly stuffed, an Americano would have been perfect to round off the meal. Unfortunately Guru said the machine developed a glitch—so another solid reason to visit the Owl one more time.