When Hoot opened its doors very close home; I was wondering whether the laid back locality would have the appetite for an upscale microbrewery. On my first visit within 2 weeks of their inauguration, I realized that it was much more than a microbrewery behind the huge iron door. The ambiance was calming yet electrifying within the 40000 square feet space complete with a water body, palm trees and cosy seating. In spite of the hip Bangalore crowd swaying to live beats on a late Friday evening it was a perfect place to unwind. We had ordered paneer which was melt in the mouth, creamy rich and the tandoori prawn was at its juicy best both of which left me yearning for more. I wanted to go back again to try more of their food and finally got the opportunity to lounge around with a bunch of enthusiastic foodies in Hoot, Bangalore during a recent Food Bloggers Association of Bangalore meet up.
This time I got the opportunity to walk around on an early Sunday evening. I was pleasantly surprised to find rows of books stacked on the wall shelves and some of the seating was vintage gracious resembling automobile seating. We munched on deep fried Baby Corn and Crackling Spinach both peppered with white sesame seeds. Not something to attract my attention, these were at best lite bite accompaniments over generic banter.
This was followed by plates of Gulshan ki Paneer, Multani Fish and mushroom on skewers. While the mushroom was forgettable the Paneer and Fish caught my fancy so much so that I generously gorged on them through the evening until the Prawn Tempuras and Potli Chicken made an appearance.
The thin fluffy batter of the tempura and the potli did not overpower the taste of the juicy prawns or the chicken and thumbs up to that. With one potli of chicken which is more of a fried dumpling safely tucked away in my stomach, I gravitated towards the paneer and fish both of which added that special touch to the evening. 
Gulshan ki Paneer was like a creamy sandwich of thin slices of Paneer layered with mint and coriander paste and cheese. It was as delicate and fragrant like a flower true to its name that I did not have the heart to slice it through rather gobbled a piece only to be overwhelmed by its creamy goodness and burst of flavors.
Multani Fish was soft, flaky succulent chunks of tandoori fish which had the tang of the amchoor intact while the ginger, chilly, cumin and carom (ajwain) ensured it all got digested between sips of the hot sweet Guava Chilly mocktail. 
The burp of satisfaction from a generous dose of Fish had to be postponed at the sight of the spiced Lamb Chops. The lamb was well cooked, spiced and falling off the bone so much so that a couple of them were demolished in no time. Wish that bed of mint dip was devoid of sweetened mayo.
After a sumptuous treat of lamb, I passed over the Focaccia Bread Sandwiches seeking refuge in Pesto and Basil infused Fusilli Pasta and the Mixed Noodles. Both the noodles and pasta appealed to the senses but I would still be heavily swayed towards the Paneer, Fish and Prawn that will definitely figure on my repeats. We parted on a sweet note with the soft squishy Cheese Cake.
Recommendation:
- This is my perfect place for a rain soaked afternoon with a travel book munching on paneer, fish, prawns and sipping on a tabasco spiced mocktail.
- Perfect date night over wine or beer, candle light and some great food. Friday nights can be noisy with live music and crowd but is invigorating as well.
- Order the Paneer, Prawn and Fish off their menu without thinking twice; they just get it right every time.