#LBBRecap: When We Ate Our Way Through 2015

So what if we have just been around for five months in the city. Baby steps you see! But five months have been enough to eat {err hog} our way through some of the best, adventurous and nouvelle food the city's F&B scene has to offer. From stuffing our faces with truck grub to stocking up on Maggi again, and sipping cocktails from drips to tucking into biryani in a wrestling pit, we have done it all in 2015.

Stood in snaking queues for food truck fare

This was the definitive year of food trucks. With no signs of slowing down, food trucks selling everything from Cubano sandwiches to wood-fired pizzas fired our tummies and imagination. So popular were they, we even had a BLR Food Truck + Music Festival {in its third edition now} dedicated just to these meals on wheels.

Welcomed Maggi back into our lives

We had to wait nearly six months for Maggi to walk back into our arms, but what an entry it was. We then proceeded to relive one of our favourite teatime rituals, and ate Maggi by the bowlfuls at these places.

Discovered that Hennur has the best pizzas and ice cream cookies

Forget Indiranagar and Koramangala, this was the year of discovering new neighbourhoods and the astonishing range of F&B options they offered. We discovered that Hennur, though overshadowed by its more popular cousin across the road, Kamanahalli, could well hold out on its own. Hennur's eateries offer everything from New York-style pizza by the slice to ice cream cookies and Naga thalis. Discover more here.

Pigged out at a stranger's home

No we are not kidding. We made it to an elaborate, nine-course Naga meal cooked by home chef Lichibeni Kikon through Door Number, an app that connects diners with local hosts {of the foodie kind}. And boy, what a meal it was! We are still dreaming of the excellent Pork with Wild Ferns and beef cooked with radish and red sesame.

Said bao bao wow

We had to bao to this new trend. The Cantonese steamed buns were the shining stars this year with an entire festival dedicated to them at The Fatty Bao's #BaoWowFestival {the festival is still on till the end of the year}. But giving the bao street cred was Kylie's: The Bao Shop with everything from Chicken Teriyaki bao to Amritsar fish bao available at pocket-friendly prices and a takeaway avatar.

Got fresh, exotic produce delivered to our doorstep

Oh the joys of having access to fresh, crunchy arugula or juicy heirloom tomatoes, freshly plucked right off First Agro's zero pesticide farm in Talkaad and delivered right to your doorstep. Thanks to Sakura Fresh {First Agro's veggie delivery service}, stocking up your refrigerator with edamame, rocket, bird's eye chillies, zucchini blossoms and other similar exotic produce just got easier this year.

Discovered bean-to-bar chocolates with homegrown ingredients

Though artisanal, bean-to-bar chocolate brands Earth Loaf {Mysore-based} and Mason & Co {Pondicherry-based} have been making the right kind of noise {the crackling, reassuring crunch of a piece of chocolate being broken from a bar}, we discovered them this year, thanks to easier availability in our city and online. And since then we have refused to sink our teeth into any kind of commercially processed, over-sweet chocolate. This is the real deal.

Ate a giant Andhra Brahmin Thali

One of our favourite discoveries of the year was Sumi's Kitchen, where we tucked into a big Andhra vegetarian thali created by home chef Sumitra in her Cooke Town flat. Stuffed brinjals, deep-fried arbi, curd-based gravies and fiery pickles and chutneys made us go weak-in-the-knees. Plus, we were kept company by Sumitra's fine pet dog Jade.

Sipped cocktails from a drip

Cocktails served out of a mini van { a la Bangkok and Hangover Part II}, Thai dive-inspired cocktails at One Night in Bangkok and cocktails to be sipped straight out a of a drip at The Open Box, this was a year when OTT cocktails still continued to be offered in gimmicky serve ware. And if the crockery was not cooky enough, our list of whacky cocktails sure were.

Scored biryani at a wrestling pit

Bangalore's best-kept secret has always been right under our noses, in a bylane, off Shivaji Nagar. Kale Pehelwan Ki Gardi offers sumptuous biryani and shammi {only on Fridays}, all served up, bang in the middle of a wrestling pit.

Ate through menus that put the spotlight on regional cuisine

This was the year when regional food achieved star status what with bars and restaurants such as Church Street Social, Monkey Bar and The Glasshouse, all paying special attention to it {with modern twists of course}. From Sindhi Kadi and Ladi Paos topped with Lal Maas at Social to the Bengali Mochar Chop and Jackfruit Biryani at MoBar, and Coimbatore Pork Chops served with a a chilli tamarind jus and Mangalorean Sannas at The Glass House, we were sold on the sheer diversity of regional fare.

Found out about a tiny tea stall with a giant menu

We have passed by this tiny tea stall many times when out and about in the city, but what we didn't know was that Sharon Tea Stall offers nearly 140 kinds of teas and infusions. Woah!

Featured image via: The Fatty Bao