Journey of the Journeyman

I was a great fan of Shiok, on CMH Road. Undoubtedly, they served one of the best Thai food in Bangalore. The food was always great, the ambience springy, the lounge full. People in my office (GE) knew me as an ardent fan and patron., If the place-choosing was on me, Shiok would always be in top contention.

But the operative word here, now, is “was“.

Yesterday, Friday, Santanu, Aditi and I went to Shiok for dinner. Friday night in Bangalore and I got a reservation done without any hassles. That should have set my alarms on.

When I reached there, I found that the lights inside the lift was not working. Walking into the restaurant now gives a hint of a “had been”. When the number of waiters exceed the number of customers, it’s a time to take note. However, I held on to the belief that the food would be good, so did not care much.

The rest was complete disaster. Except for the final bill (~Rs 1500 for a moderate dinner for three — expensive) , everything is a shadow of the past. The upholstery on the sofas badly need a shampoo. The lounge was empty. The maitre d’ seemed more like an extortionist than a headwaiter. The way he kept on saying “What else ?” throughout the ordering process was highly off-putting. What I disliked most was that he did not have the courtesy to tell us that the Mussamman Curry and the Thai Red Curry was essentially the same gravy. In one, they throw in some stir fried chicken and in the other some boiled prawns. Completely disgusting.

What’s extremely pitiful is this place I thought was run by a very nice guy, who I had briefly interacted a couple of times on the Bangalore Livejournal community. He was always a jolly fellow and a very good cook. I have shamelessly followed some of his cooking tips to gain some stature in my immediate family as an otherwise useless person who can cook.

Maybe the place has changed management. I do not know. But you will not find me there again unless I hear something has drastically changed.