Ironhill at Kanakpura Road
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

What do you take into account while choosing a pub for a well-deserved timeout? I suppose its accessibility and insta-worthiness fade after the first few minutes — it is, after all, Bengaluru. There is no dearth of photo-friendly spots in the city and as for accessibility or rather the lack of it, it always factors in such decisions.

So I suppose that leaves one with the important points of food and drink, and that is where Ironhill at Konankunte checks all the boxes; remember, just because you have been to one of their branches, it does not mean they share a common menu.

Like any self-respecting pub, Ironhill offers a tray of testers with eight of their brews — from an Indian Wit crafted from Sharabati wheat to a Coffee Stout — that should please anyone who takes their beer seriously. However, that set of eight includes a delightful chilli guava seltzer. A pale pink in hue, it makes for a refreshing start, especially for an afternoon of indulgence.

Hot toddy which is available on request is a favoured tipple around this time of year.

As we sit back and sip our chosen beers, the cheese jalapeno sticks arrive with the mushroom Ontario. Hot and crunchy, oozing the right amount of spice and gooey goodness, these cheesy bites make for a great starter. The Ontario, a creamy dish of mushroom served with garlic bread, is also a winner with its fine balance of herbs and condiments.

I am a carnivore and if I enjoy a restaurant’s vegetarian offerings, then the chef and menu makers have truly outdone themselves. Which is not to say the non-vegetarian items are to be scoffed at. The Nagin chilli chicken strips and tawa podi chicken are two examples of the range of fiery flavours in their offering of sides you can enjoy with your drink.

The koli chips (chicken chips) were passable — I was taken in by the name and wanted to know what they would be like. However, one name that piqued my curiosity and turned out to be a pleasant surprise was the sambhar chicken rice . A piping hot bowl of spicy, tangy sambar rice dotted with boneless nuggets of well-cooked chicken, it is a wonderful choice if you want something familiar and comforting. Sambhar mutton rice is also on the menu and even though both do not qualify as bar bites, I do not think there would be too many complaints whenever it is ordered.

Not surprising then that, Ironhill does not draw a line when it comes to cuisines — baos and pasta, burgers and pizza, momos and tacos, biryanis and grills are yours for the asking.

The chermoula chicken, a grilled offering served with chimichurri sauce, also met with murmurs of approval all around.

When it came to desserts the palakova samosa — an interesting take on a traditional sweet — won hands down. Apparently, you cannot go wrong with palkova ensconced in pastry and served with ice cream. And for those who are not too keen on experimenting at the end of a meal, the biscoff apple crumble will not disappoint.

Ironhill Kanakpura is at Forum South Bengaluru, Konanakunte.

Hits: Mushroom Ontario, palakova samosa

Misses: Koli chips

Price for two: ₹1600