Lessons on Anglo-Indian food and culture at 1882 Alfresco, a new restaurant in Bengaluru

Long before business parks and skyscrapers made Whitefield the notorious IT hub we know it as today, it had a quiet and pastoral identity.

Its very interesting history stretches back to the late 1800s. In 1882, the king of Mysore, Chamaraja Wodeyar X, allocated land to the Eurasian and Anglo-Indian Association to create agricultural settlements. The president of the association was David White, and the locality was named after him. The farming never took off, but it became a home to the community. A new restaurant in DoubleTree by Hilton, Whitefield is paying homage to the ground it stands on. At 1882 Alfresco, each dish has an origin story from the Anglo-Indian community or harks back to the British Raj.

Bar word curry
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Special arrangement

The interiors of the restaurant are plush and old school. Wingback chairs, fine China and tiled floors complete the look. Executive chef, Tamoghna Chakraborty regales me with the history of Whitefield, as the servers bring out the dishes. The soup is a classic from the British era —mulligatawny soup. Named after milagu rasam, or pepper rasam, the soup has the warmth of pepper and the flavour from spices. Unlike rasam it has a body to it.

The next dish is bubble and squeak, a WWII dish. It is a patty made with potatoes, meat and cabbage. The shallow-fried crispy edge reminds me of aloo tikki. Chef has also included some Indo-Chinese dishes that emerged during colonial era. The Chinese community came to India during British times and brought with them their cuisine, which we have made our own. The Tangra style chilli tofu is fiery red and piquant. Another famous Kolkata dish is the mutton pantheras. The minced meat is wrapped in a crepe, coated with breadcrumbs and fried. It is served with Kasundi mustard.

Bubble and squeak
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Special arrangement

The word curry itself is Indian in origin. And today, the Brits love it as much as their fish and chips. Tamoghna serves up some classic curries on the menu. The bad word curry, an Anglo-Indian delicacy, is served with coconut millet and a spicy devil’s chutney. The railway mutton curry is made with succulent mutton and served with zafrani pualo and confit potatoes.

The Bengal Lancers shrimp curry and the country captain curry are also recommended. The mains at 1882 are pre-plated so you do not have to order rice or rotis separately.

Mulligatawny soup
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Special arrangement

I end the meal with a tender coconut pudding, light and nutty. I love a menu with good stories behind it and the warm hospitality at 1882 is a plus.

₹2,500 for two. Open for dinner, 6 PM onwards. At Whitefield. For more details, call 08069449999