Filter Coffee Martinis & Mappas Curry: Tobey’s Celebrates South Indian And Colonial-Era Recipes

A laidback resto-bar on Koramangala’s 80 Feet Road, Tobey’s specialises in hearty South Indian dishes and flavours inspired by our colonial history.

Very Peri Chicken, Chicken Mappas Curry

Filter Coffee Martini, Oh Julia!

Spread across two levels, Tobey’s is a cheerful space decorated with adorable wall murals and vintage props. The ground level, that’s doused in plenty of sunlight during the day, is perfect for a lazy lunch or brunch. And the more cosy second-level can easily host your drunken shenanigans.  

Flavour and booze packed cocktails and colonial-era dishes from around India.

One look at the bar’s House Specials was enough to get us excited. They’ve experimented with a few classic and out of the box flavours. On a warm afternoon, the ‘Oh Julia!’ proves to be a heady cooler. Dedicated to ‘Pretty Woman’ Julia Roberts, the drink mixes up the sweetness of the lychee juice with the potency of vodka, topping it off with rose petals. If you like to kick things up a notch, go with the Filter Coffee Martini. A dark, caramel-hued concoction that’s infused with the richness of filter coffee, rum, and sambuca. Delish!

With these we paired the Very Peri Chicken, that is listed as being slathered with peri peri sauce before it hits the tandoor. The end result was juicy bits of plump, spice-laden chicken that tasted a lot like our very own Chicken Tikka. But we had few complaints considering it was a perfect accompaniment to the booze. For veggies, the silken hummus paired with the crunchy {on the outside} falafel is a great choice.

A bulk of Tobey’s menu consists of dishes whose roots lie in our colonial past. There’s Railway Curry and Pork Vindaloo. We tried the outstanding Mappas Curry {that takes its inspiration from the Chicken Stew} and were well rewarded. The curry was creamy and peppered with subtle spices. And it went beautifully with the fluffy appams. We also tried that Kosha Mangsho {which though was not influenced by the British Raj was born during the colonial period in Bengal}. The thick, spiced-up gravy makes for a great dish to mop up after a drink or two.

Apart from this, we also tried the Noorie Oh Noorie from the regular menu. The piece de resistance of the dish was a chicken breast that was stuffed with chicken mince that was done up in a creamy sauce, before being baked in a clay oven. While we liked the stuffing, the breast itself was dry and overcooked, bringing the dish down.

When you are looking for a chilled out pubbing experience with so great food, Tobey’s can easily deliver. You can also read about their breakfast pizzas here.