i have been hearing quite a bit about the lost caravan on church street since it opened a few months ago, so cindy and i decided to check it out on friday night. we had both had busy weeks, and we felt like treating ourselves a bit.

when we arrived, around 8pm on friday, it was empty except for two tables inside that were occupied. we opted for non-smoking seating, and we were offered a very comfortable couch with a low table. it meant we had our backs to the walls, which was perfect for people-watching and for checking out the space.

because it rained like crazy for about an hour, the place stayed pretty empty until we left around 10pm, and it was rather nice. it was nice and relaxed, and we could take our time and enjoy our food and drinks without being rushed.

after being seated, we both spent about 10 minutes looking around the interior and perusing the menus. the place has a very eclectic – and almost eccentric – vibe to it with their combination of pop art, antique souvenirs, and suitcases filled with traveller’s “caravans”. it’s kind of an assault on the senses, but it’s also pretty cool.

because the prices were pretty reasonable, we both decided it was a jack daniel’s kind of night. we were tempted to order a hip flask of old monk, but ultimately we decided not to; i am definitely filing it away for a future visit, though.

we were both intrigued by the cheesy shrooms on the menu, but as always we asked our server for his opinion as well. when the mushrooms were the first thing he mentioned, we knew we had made the right decision. and they were fantastic; i think they might have even been my favourite thing we had all night. they weren’t cheese-stuffed mushrooms as we both had anticipated, but they were rather breaded mushrooms with cheese melted in between. genius, really, and we thoroughly enjoyed them.

since we weren’t in any kind of hurry, we opted for a second starter of salt and pepper prawns before ordering our main course. the prawns were great, cooked to perfection and served with some green salad on the side. any place that serves fresh lettuce ranks high on my list.

we kept noticing the burger that was mentioned in the menu, and when our server suggested it as well, i decided to order the all-time favourite burger. to make sure we had some variety, cindy ordered the seafood paella, and both were good. the paella was a little more tomato-heavy than is usual, but it was still very tasty. and although i wasn’t a huge fan of the cucumbers included on my burger [i would rather have had them on the side], the bacon more than made up for it. all-in-all, i think we made pretty wise food choices over the course of the night.

we were both sadly too full for dessert, but i have eye on that apple pie whenever i return. i am a sucker for apple pie, and i have my fingers crossed theirs is good!

the details:

location: 55 prestige rr building, church street. bangalore – 01.

landmark: above starbucks and across from easy tiger.

serves non-veg: yes. one of their signature dishes is the beef burger.

serves drinks: yes, full bar available.

wifi available? yes. it was adequate.

what we ordered: jack daniel’s 60ml x 4; coke x 2 [drinks]. cheesy ‘shrooms; salt and pepper prawns [starters]. all-time favourite burger [without the fried egg]; seafood paella [mains].

our bill: rs 4,700. our drinks added up, and there were taxes worth rs 900.

my zomato rating: 4.5 out of 5 // average rating is 3.9

fun facts: during the week [monday – thursday], they offer a free pint of kingfisher with every main course. and one of the things i would like to try next time is a flask of old monk — very unique and interesting.

to keep in mind: we got lucky with the crowd on friday, owing to our 8pm arrival as well as the crazy downpour that happened, but i imagine later on fridays and saturdays is probably pretty busy; calling ahead for a table is probably recommended. also, the valet parks the cars pretty far away, so there is a guy whose sole job is to notify the valet when you’ve asked for your bill so that your car can be waiting when you go down.

will i go back? yes, ma’am. i would love to see it during the day with some natural sunlight streaming through there.

xx