Watson's, namma Bengaluru's favourite bar, has been consistently delivering a chilled-out experience for regulars over beers and chilly beef fry amidst a rustic ambience for the last five years. With its first opening in Ulsoor, which became an instant hit, the Watson's family has now spread further with additional outlets in Bengaluru, Goa and Chennai taking the total to seven locations and under thousand seats between them all.
What is the winning formula, we ask? Well, Watson's is a place devoid of any pretensions, a place where you can hang loose in your shorts and loafers with a beer in hand, a place where you can simply be yourself each day of your visit. The food is familiar, the menu prices are easy on the pocket and the music is exactly what the doctor ordered. Coinciding with its fifth-year anniversary celebrations, Watson's has introduced a new menu loaded with no-fuss comfort food, classic cocktails and signature drinks, reinforcing its position as the quintessential neighbourhood bar.
Ashley D'Souza, corporate executive chef at Shilton Hospitality explains his thoughts on curating this new menu, "We simply wanted to give our diners what they were missing and have been asking us for a long time. We looked back at our old menus and brought back some of our old classics like the chilli chicken, dal makhni, rogan josh and we tweaked some dishes to give them a modern feel while maintaining their simplicity, like the Watson's upma with paneer or chicken, and the egg wrapped fried rice." He adds, "Our pizzas were missed by many so we created new variations and brought them back with plenty to choose from. The idea was always to give our patrons comfort food where they know exactly what they are ordering without having to overthink it."
Some of the must-try dishes are the Lankan Spicy Fish Balls with Tuna fish, Tawa Grilled Paneer, the popular Kerala Beef Fry served on coin parothas, Paprika Chicken Pizza, beetroot flavoured Watson's Style Upma with Coconut Chutney, the famous Watsons Wings and the mildly spiced Sri Lankan Dal tempered with red lentils, onions, curry leaves and a side option of ghee rice or idli. For desserts, try the Gooey Brownie or the Banana Toffee Cake.
On the drinks front, the mixologists at Watson's infuse guava, kiwi and tamarind to create signature cocktails which pack a flavourful punch. Few of our reccos here go by the name of Smooth Criminal, a blend of gin, fresh grapes, grapefruit, cranberry; Ginger Drama with vodka, fresh basil, honey lemon ginger; Tamarind Tales infused with vodka, orange liqueur, tamarind, bell pepper, mayo, basil and the Southern Star concocted with whisky, passion fruit syrup, orange and lime. Additionally, there is a full bar menu with wine, vodka, beer, rum, tequila, whisky, gin and brandy.
Watson's ticks all the boxes as your neighbourhood hangout place where the drinks, food and company will always ensure you keep coming back for more.
— Aslam Gafoor is a Bengaluru based hospitality professional, food lover and travel enthusiast
