Bloomsbury’s Boutique Cafe & Artisan Bakery: Blooming with Goodness!

Bloomsbury’s Boutique Cafe & Artisan Bakery Review
Bloomsbury’s is located on the second floor of LuLu mall. While we have been buying cakes and pastries from here for quite a while, it wasn’t until recently that we finally decided to try out their other offerings. Serving up a variety of different continental dishes, they have an exciting menu that encompasses pastas, Nasi Goreng, and salads through to pizzas, burgers and more commonplace items.

On the same floor as PVR cinemas, they have a dining area with lots to see in terms of things on the walls and even artifacts like kettles, teapots etc. on shelves suspended from the roof. There are plenty of seats and the service deserves a special mention with attentive staff who are willing to help with your order.

Pizzas

The pizzas here are Italian style thin crust, shaped like a rounded rectangle rather than the traditional circular ones you see everywhere else. Each is about 12 inches lengthwise. We ordered the 'Sollo Pollo' and started tucking into it before we realized we did not have a photo to show! Still took one to give you an idea of the toppings it has.

As you can see it is a thin crust, typical of an authentic Italian pizza. Each slice is topped with a small slice of salami that has a bit of mayonnaise on it. Worth mentioning is the fact that the mayo is really delicious, being nice and full flavored. There is plenty of tomato base to keep it nice and moist. The sausage and ham are also fully cooked and taste delicious. Each pizza is enough for two, and maybe even three if you do order any side dishes. It was different and worth ordering.

Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice)

Nasi Goreng is the Indonesian name for fried rice. It is supposed to be one of the most delicious foods in the world so when we found this one on the menu, we just had to try it out. Here, they serve it with satay and dip.

It was presented well with the rice packed tightly into the shape of a dome and had an egg on top. On the side were the two skewers of satay with three pieces of chicken on each and the peanut dip in the small bowl, along with some sliced vegetables (carrot, cucumber and onion).

When we started eating the rice, it became apparent that this was the type made with shrimp paste. Thus it had a rather fishy tone to it. If you love your seafood like just about everyone in Kerala does, you will really love the flavor of this dish. Others may want to think twice before ordering this. Other than that, it had bits of scrambled egg in the rice as well as spring onion and so on. As with the pizza, there was enough quantity for two and maybe even three people.

Chicken satay served with it was just alright: it had a very mild tangy-sweet flavor and the pieces were cooked well, the peanut sauce fared better though.

Cakes and pastries

They arguably have some of the best cakes in town. They are slightly more expensive than others but the size of the portions kind of makes up for it.

They have a rather unique take on the Black Forest cake; it has some liqueur sprinkled over it and marinated cherries in between. This is one of the only places in Kochi that I have ever had a Black Forest like this one and is probably closer to the real Black Forest cake in Germany.

We also tried their Honey Crunch Cake above, Which had walnut for crunch, honey and caramel for flavoring. We found the three layers of frosting is of an almost overwhelmingly rich, butter icing.

What keeps us coming back for more is the Golden Chocolate Cake. While it is said that all that glitters is not gold, this is definitely one of those exceptions. The golden color comes from the golden powder they use. Not only does it look good, it tastes great. It is a chocoholic’s delight as it has a rich and thick layer of chocolate on top of the dense, dark chocolate cake. Don’t take my word for it, have a look at it above, try it yourself and you will see why.

Just in case you were wondering, yes; that is a picture of my birthday cake!

Type of Cuisine: Continental, Bakery
Location

Near PVR Cinemas, second floor of LuLu Mall, Edappally.

Parking: Mall parking at LuLu [chargeable] is fine except on very busy days and weekends when it may get full and you might have to wait to find a spot.

Ambience: Typical mall ambience, love it or hate it!

Service: Very good, highly attentive.

What we liked/Recommended for:

• Quality cakes 
• Good ambiance 
• Great staff 
• Good continental fare

Potential Shortcomings: 

Some items could be better priced. 
Taxes: Included in price
Phone Number: +91 484 4059034
Timings: 10:00 - 22:30

On Zomato:
      

So head over there and enjoy some great food, you will have a great time as long as you know what you are ordering. Which hopefully, you now know! Let us know in the comments below!

5+5 = SFC Plus?! Let’s Find Out How!

SFC Plus Review

SFC Plus was one of the newest fried chicken joints to come up in 2013. We heard about this in the paper, and hunted for the obscure place, hidden deep in the Bay Pride Mall at Marine Drive. There was just a small signboard near the roof of the mall, out of the driver’s field of vision unless you were on the lookout for it like we were. As expected, we were the only ones inside at that time! After the meal, they told us they would have a stall at Lulu, so we were happy to know we wouldn’t have to go far to get a taste of their stuff next time [Edit: Now open at LuLu]. The Marine Drive one affords a good view of the backwaters, with full glass walls through which you can look out at the boats in the water and the walkway. They have an advantage as far as location goes, as they are in the heart of the city and have a great view.
Strangely their '5+' logo seems to bear some resemblance with HTML5's, check it out for yourselves!

SFC stands for Southern Fried Chicken. Don’t mistake it for South Indian fried chicken; it intends South America. They boast of using skinless chicken, which reduces the overall fat. 

We have tried their pizza, burgers and the fried chicken. Here are the reviews:

Fried Chicken

The chicken, as mentioned, has no skin on it, making it somewhat appear somewhat drier than other competitors but comparatively 'healthier', although healthy and fried chicken probably should not really exist together in the same sentence! The coating is thick and crunchy too, but it’s the taste that is the highlight. Unlike the spicy, Indianized taste of places like ChicKing and other joints, this has a more subtle taste. Specifically that of herbs with a hint of pepper with slightly tangy notes as if it uses something sour like buttermilk. Rather reminiscent of KFC’s Original Recipe chicken, but with the crunchy batter coating instead. It makes for a great change, and is easier on the stomach if you wish to eat fried chicken at night thanks to the reduced fat and spiciness. If you are a hardcore spice fan, then you might find the taste to be a bit bland for your liking but if otherwise, we think it is worth a try. If you want something that is not as spicy as ChicKing, this is a good option. One piece starts at Rs.59/- [2013, prices have increased] and combos or multiple pieces induce further savings.

Chicken Fillet Burger

[EDIT: Prices for the burger have risen drastically, no longer offers the amazing value it used to have.]
They currently [2013] price themselves a few tens of bucks less than the competition, at 95/- instead of the 100+ that you would shell out elsewhere. It would be great if they keep it that way. The burger is slightly bigger too, in terms of both the bun and the fillet. The fillet has the herby taste with a crunchy coating, and the bun is always fresh. While it does not have any extras like jalapeños or cheese, it is currently good value for the size.

Pizza

We checked out the pizzas too. These unlike the fried chicken and burger are not South American style, these are more South Indian. Some of those, like the ‘Chicken Chilly Pizza’ and ‘Southern’ even came with unconventional ingredients like curry leaves or green chillies (!) as part of the topping, and the manager proudly said that it is their own speciality. These we chose to avoid and we finally decided to take a chance on the barbeque chicken pizza. They did put a fair amount of cheese and topping. Unfortunately, like most places, the crust did not taste particularly interesting and the sauce was pretty ordinary. Overall, it was nothing worth mentioning. People with a restricted Indian palate may like them. Unless you want to taste some fusion toppings or spicy pizzas, you can safely skip the pizzas and not miss much. Having said that, at Rs.195/- [2013, prices have increased] for a regular barbeque chicken pizza, you could take a chance if you wish to. You may just like it.

All in all, a good place for fried chicken with a more mild, international flavour. They currently offer good value Edit: Prices for everything have been hiked up significantly, so this is regrettably no longer the case. We find it hard to recommend their burgers anymore but the chicken still deserves a mention.  

Type of Cuisine: Fast Food, Burgers, pizza and Fried Chicken
Location

Food court on the third floor, LuLu Mall, Edapally.

Parking: 
Mall parking lot at LuLu and Marine Drive. The branch at Kaloor Kadavathra Road is going to close down soon. 

Ambience: 
Typical mall ambiance, like it or hate it! The restaurants are rather nice and comfy, generally well lit too.

Service: Generally decent.

What we liked/Recommended for: 

• Burgers provide good value for money  
• Chicken has a unique and mild taste unlike most places in the city 
• Variety to choose from: burgers, pizzas, wraps etc. 
• Skinless chicken should theoretically reduce the amount of calories consumed. 

Potential Shortcomings: 

• Price has gone up reducing value compared to other options. 
• Pizzas are not very authentic. 
• Taste may not appeal to everyone. 

Taxes: Included in price
Phone Number: +91 85899 76486
Restaurant Website: http://sfcplusarabia.com/
On Zomato:
     

Did you eat here and find out how 5+5 = SFC Plus? What did you order? Tell us what you think about the food in the comments below!

One Flew Over MyKukoo's Nest! [EDIT: Now Closed]

EDIT 

We recently found out that MyKukoo has closed down for business. The review is still kept here for those who wish to read on about it anyway.

MyKukoo Review

Forgive us for the (bad?!) movie pun. We just couldn't help it! MyKukoo is located just off the Edappaly toll junction. They have fried chicken but also offer pizza and other things too. How do they stack up against the competition? Let’s find out…!

Right outside the place, there is parking for at least three cars. Inside, the whole place is on a single floor but there is ample room for seating. Worth mentioning are the kids play area, complete with two Xbox 360s and 42” TVs. I did not have the patience to try them though. Service was reasonably quick, and each thing we ordered was brought to the table as soon as they were made.

Strips

The strips came up. The coating looked very pale. While this could indicate that it was fried in a fresh batch of oil, we tried it a bit wearily. Some people may like their meats rare medium but this was not to our taste. Read the notes below for better clarity… The well fried ones mostly tasted great, it was crisp and seemed to have less amount of oil than you would find elsewhere. Plus, they say they do not use Aginomoto (MSG) so it could be as healthy as it gets. 

Onion rings

This snack has plain onion rings coated in a thick batter and fried. Crispy but plain on their own, it is meant to be dipped in a sauce and had. The barbeque sauce that came with it was very tasty with a slightly smoky flavour, and was just what it needed. Worth the order.

Kokum Drink

They boast of many healthy drinks, and highly recommended the kokum drink. My uncle is a good fan of it, so we were well aware of its health benefits. It looked lovely, a gentle pink colour. It tasted great, just the perfect thing to finish off the meal. It has a sweet and sour flavour. Available in 600ml PET bottles, it can be bought over the counter. This is highly recommended.

Pizza

We tried out their pizza, which came with a decent amount of topping but turned out to be nothing worth writing home about. There was not enough tomato base as with most pizza joints, and the crust was not anything we haven’t tasted before.

Notes

One of the strips especially needed a little more time, as the meat was a bit chewy. We informed the manager, who told us that the pale colour is because they use some special oil (I forget what it was) so it does not brown like everywhere else and that they cook it just ‘enough’. He promptly brought a whole new plate of strips which were fried longer, from which we took just one. This was really good. We suggested that they fry them for at least this long, and that it tasted much better. They said they would, but who knows whether they do. We had no other problems.


Type of Cuisine: Fast Food, Burgers, pizza and Fried Chicken

Parking: A few cars in front, should not be a problem finding place nearby either.

Ambience: Good, with TV, XBox and other things to keep oneself occupied

Service: Good

Taxes: Included in price

Did you fly over to 'MyKukoo's' nest? What did you order? Tell us what you think about the food in the comments below!