South Bangalore is always short of good fine dining options of international cuisine. A new addition has finally been made to a relatively small list. Aroy is a pan Asian restaurant serving predominantly Thai & Chinese food with a touch of Burmese as well. This place is not been open for long - just about over a month but from the crowd on a Sunday evening, it looks like it has built a reputation for itself.
The restaurant is located on the 3rd Floor above Crossword on the JP Nagar Ring Rd. They have outdoor seating for slightly larger groups and I recommend making reservations if you want this place. They also have a enclosed area which is not too cramped but has no distinct style. The best part they have done is they have no walls - just glass so you get a good view even if you are confined to the room. Their kitchen is also separated by glass so you a get a good view of whats cooking inside.
The food is quite the draw. Unique compositions of Thai street food, Burmese and the regular suspects - Thai curries, Pad Thai etc. Although their starters are quite delectable the portions are small even for 2 ppl. We ordered a nonveg sampler platter. It consisted of 2 pieces of 3 different items. It was literally a "sampler". We were in a experimentation mode that night, so we tried a grilled lamb salad and sea food dumplings. Now, personally, I think the food was excellent. It had all the smells and tastes of close to authentic asian food. But unfortunately, this might put off many of our eaters who like any food to be heavy on spices. But here I found the subtle flavors of the sea food, squid esp, the grilled lamb juices etc coming out very clearly and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. So a warning - if you have a fixed taste and don’t like to experiment, order the standard fare. I didnt order any but based on our experiences it should be good. But those who have developed a taste of oriental cuisine, go out and experiment.
The cocktail menu is quite a delight. They have plenty of options from all kinds of liquor. The bar tender is a nice chap. Knows the drinks and the food. I ordered a drink which was basically vodka with iced tea. Went very well actually. They stock Carlsberg & Tuborg along with other beers, which I like, unlike many places who offer either KF or more expensive imported beers.
The service was slightly the down side. They were not understaffed but seemed to be unable to manage the load - all tables were full. When the bar tender leaves his space and takes orders and serves food, you know there is a problem!
The drinks took a little long esp. the beer. The serving staff was not too knowledgeable about the food which really needs to change. But I think this is more so because the place is new and still finding its feet. I would wait some more before really commenting on this as a con.