I had gone to the Coconut Grove on M.G.Road a couple of years back and had liked the experience. So, on this late sunday afternoon, returning hungry after a visit out of town, when we saw the name Coconut Grove in Koramangala - and a picture depicting a glass of cold beer, we decided to stop and enjoy a chilled beer and have lunch .
As soon as we entered, I realised that this was no comparison to their M.G.Road place. - set bang on a busy road in Koramangala, the section outside was hot and dusty - and inside, there was just two rows of 4 or 5 tables . Absolutely no ambiance to speak of - the tables and chairs are not very comfortable.
Now came the sad part - the picture of the beer was misleading. They do not serve any alcohol! Since we were too tired to get up and leave, we settled for Buttermilk and rasam to drink. The buttermilk was ok .*The rasam was a terribly sour and salty concoction with too many floating particles, making drinking it difficult.
The food order was simple - we just wanted Appoms, Vegetable stew . and kerala style fish. The bearer suggested Prawn fry, Karimeen fry and Meen vevichathu . We decided to try all of them!
I must confess that except for the Karimeen fry, none of the above items were made in the traditional Kerala style . The stew tasted as if it was thickened with cornstarch instead of coconut milk, the fish curry felt like the gravy was made seperately and the fish added later! The prawn fry was ok - with typical masala of coriander powder etc.; but that is not the way Kerala prawn fry is made traditionally. The appams could be a lot better too .
In short, I feelif you are looking for a Kerala cuisine experience, do not go here. The food was edible and priced o.k Our meal came to around 800/- for four of us. For a non Malayali -this place might be worth a visit as the service is good, and the place is clean . I also felt all food cooked was fresh .