Willy Vanilli, Bangalore

Quite often we friends tend to hang out in Koramangla for the fact that – one; a common meeting point is a friends restaurant, two; a couple of us love the momos served on the street side there and three, we love the burgers and sandwiches at Willy Vanilli (WV). This is exactly how we land up at Willy Vanilli every time. Multiple attempts have been made by us to skip rest of the places and head straight to WV. All I can say yet is, “We need to make a couple of attempts more.” WV can be classified as a cafe with simple yet nice interiors. The cafe has both indoor and outdoor seating.

Menu:

The menu mainly comprises a vast section of burgers and sandwiches. To give them company are a few continental items like stroganoff, quiche, waffles and some beverages like coffee, canned juices etc. There is a good range of selection available for both vegetarians and non vegetarians and are easily identifiable based on the color indicators.

What we ate:

My quest for good burgers in Bangalore brought WV into my radar of places to visit. This drive not only compelled me to try out the burgers here but also rest of my friends who have dined with me at WV. While the ultimate burger I’d like to devour is WV’s Gourmet burger, I must say, “This is yet to happen.” The only way to allow this to happen will be avoiding visit to the street stalls serving momos.

Burgers to have visited us are classic veggie burger, classic chicken burger and cottage cheese burger. Apart from the burger, our table also welcomed mushroom sandwich, veg stroganoff, and cappuccinos.

Classic veggie burger comes with a slice of cheese on a nice juicy patty of minced vegetables and mashed potatoes while the cottage cheese burger comes with a nice and chunky cube of marinated paneer and fried onion rings. Both these burgers come loaded with mayo, coleslaw,  and sliced veggies; all in between the bun. On the sides, both these burgers come in the company of more coleslaw served on a lettuce, French fries and vegetable chunks. What’s also common between the two is; how wonderfully the ingredients blend together to bring in a burst of flavor in every bite.

The classic chicken burger being no different comes with a nice patty of chicken topped with cheese. All other ingredients in between the bun and on the side remain the same as the veggie burger. The burger was awesome. The marinade of spices was perfect; not less nor overpowering in flavor. Unfortunately, no one waited for its picture to be taken. Ruthless carnivores; we must me.

All burgers had a good contrast which made every bite enjoyable. Softness of the patty/paneer in the cottage cheese burger and crunchiness of the onion rings, the spice blend in the patty to the sweetness from the coleslaw.

The mushroom sandwich was a Double Decker sandwich toasted to perfection and generously filled with mildly spiced mushrooms and cheese. The sandwich was plated with slaw, fries and fresh vegetable chunks. I am not a big fan of mushrooms the buzz on our table for this sandwich was – ‘A mushroom lover’s delight.’

The veg. stroganoff was a disappointment. Just by the look of it, the portion of stroganoff was insufficient for the amount of rice served. Being served some additional gravy on the side was not an option as we learnt this dish was pre-plated and sourced from a vendor. The taste of the veg stroganoff failed to excite our palate.

Verdict:

Willy Vannily is definitely a great place to hangout and for sure one we love to visit. Having said this, I must point out, “we do not love everything about Willy Vanilly.” We love the food they serve, but not the service. The service has numerous weak links. To start with, the staff is not very attentive especially when you are seated outdoors. At times, you might actually be required to invite them personally to attend to you. Water is not served here until asked for and when you ask for I recommend you specify the number of glasses of water to be served.  Other issues include, non functional air conditioners, card machines for bill payment, etc. Yet, a place I love to revisit for good food and a casual lunch or dinner with friends.

Parking on week days, especially during lunch or early evenings can be difficult for Willy Vanilly is located in a busy 80 FT road and also does not offer valet parking service.

The food served here is definitely not economical yet not unreasonably expensive. A meal per person here can cost anywhere between Rs 200 to Rs 450.

Quick Tips:

A great place to visit for good burgers and sandwiches and accepting the fact the service may not be up to the mark. 

Address: # 58/A, 80 Feet Road, 5th Block, Koramangala, Bangalore

Phone Number: 080 - 65470742