Secret Garden Cafe 3.10/5.00

Had some time to kill before a meeting and as I was in Ulsoor, popped by the Secret Garden Cafe for a quick bite. Late as it was, the only food on offer was a grilled panini sandwich with roast chicken, Mediterranean vegetables and cheese. So, I ordered that and a glass of iced tea.

S’wich wasn’t too bad, bread was most certainly from Daily Bread, cheese was definitely Nilgiris cheddar (which isn’t as mature as I like my cheddar, hmmm, well isn’t really cheddar but it does acceptably well in a grilled s’wich), the chicken was most certainly not roasted and since when did red and yellow bell peppers become the sole representatives of the Mediterranean? Plus, they seem to have a large stock of pesto in their fridge. A lighter touch on the pesto would be welcome. (Last week I had a lamb burger and that had pesto too. It could have been a nice combination but their heavy hand effectively doused all other flavours in that burger. The other options that were on the menu, penne with pesto, crepes with pesto and something else with pesto. Fsking pesto lovers.) The s’wich tasted fine, just too much of the pesto. On the upside, they are generous with the chicken. But the chips were characterless.

The salad had a lively vinaigrette-theme going for it and the cherry tomatoes were a welcome addition.

Oh, and the iced tea came out of a carton. Of this I am sure. (Rant: Why does Lipton iced tea, especially the peach flavour, smell and taste like shampoo?)

The place is a little sanctuary of calm and green in a hectic neighborhood. You can’t go there for the food but if you’re in the area and want to have a quick snack, it us an acceptable option.