‘Hola’ is the Spanish word for ‘Hello’. Spanish being the second most commonly spoken language of the world, the term ‘Hola’ is kind of a popular universal greeting and conversation starter.
Keeping in tune with the friendly and universal characteristics of the word ‘Hola’, Hola – the multicuisine cafe lounge & restaurant, situated in the same lane as Tolly Tales and The Wall, has been christened with the same name.
Based on the first floor and spread across an area of 3,000 square feet, Hola is a 92 seater swank and upscale diner that comprises of – a bar, a cafe cum lounge area, a dining area, private dining cubicles and an elevated platform for performances.
Mostly hued in ebony, brown and black, the decor at Hola is a fine example of class and efficient compartmentalization in a confined space.
The seating arrangements comprise of high stools and comfortable couches. Multiple charging spots ensure unpurturbed usage of mobiles and laptops to the diners.
The diner is fully air conditioned and equipped with loo facility and LED TVs. Each private dining cubicle has it’s own LED TV and remote.
An installation of a bicycle at the entrance wall makes for a nice selfie spot.
Apart from both veg and non-veg food items, Hola serves a fine collection of liquors and beverages. However, currently they serve liquors only on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
My vegetarian food tasting comprised of the following items –
– Mocktail & Cocktail –
– Thump Your Feet (Rs. 325/-): Served in a tall glass, the beautiful red hued Hola Signature Cocktail came inserted with a heart shaped slice of watermelon and a sprig of leaves, around the rim.
It was served with a straw and a stirrer and enough ice cubes.
The concoction comprised of – vodka, watermelon, mango and fresh basil. It tasted revitalising and excellent.
– Cucumber Sparkler (Rs. 175/-): Served in a wide rimmed and medium height glass, the light green color hued mocktail was served with a stirrer and some ice.
A toothpick inserted in some wild bush like carving of a slice of cucumber was placed on the glass rim for decor. A couple of long and thin cucumber slices were placed inside the mocktail for flavor and visual appeal.
Primarily made of cucumber, sweet and sour sauce and sparkling water, the cocktail was soothing to look at and tasted good.
– Soup & Starters –
– Veg Manchow Soup (Rs. 175/-): A big glass cup of Manchow Soup with a solitary floating Veg Steamed Momo was served along with a miniature frier (metallic mesh basket with handle) filled with Fried Noodles, which were placed atop a white paper.
Filled with finely minced vegetables and balanced seasonings, the Soup tasted quite good. Presence of the floating Momo was an amusing quirk. The Momo also tasted nice. The Fried Noodles were crispy and well complimented the Soup.
– 4 Style Mushroom Teriyaki Bao (Rs. 375/-): Placed on a customized thick wooden plank, 2 pices of mushroom stuffed buns were served.
The buns were steamed, open and made of lotus stem flour instead of usual flour. The 4 types of mushrooms that made up the filling were – straw, fungus, shiitake and button mushrooms. They were tossed in teriyaki sauce. Additionally, each bun came stuffed with fresh lettuce and garnished with salad juliennes and some flavored mayonnaise.
It was the best Bao that I had tasted till date.
Later I was informed that, it is one of the signature dishes of Hola.
– Melting Mushrooms (Rs. 275/-): A rectangular white ceramic plate with uneven surface came laden with 5 pieces of cheddar cheese topped juicy mushrooms, along with some in-house made Salsa and a side Salad.
The Melting Mushrooms were stuffed with garlic, mushroom, onion, processed cheese etc. They made for fine finger food. The accompanying Salsa was a revelation.Concocted out of some secret recipe, it was sweet and tangy. It tasted excellent and addictive.
– Ebony Ivory Veg Balls (Rs. 275/-): Served on a rectangular black ceramic plate with uneven surface, inserted into skewers, the Veg Balls were a melody of Manchurian Balls stuffed with cheese, coated with bread crumbs, fried and finally coated with three variations of Mayonnaise – Honey Lime, Sriracha and Mustard.
The dish comprised of 2 afore mentioned skewers. Each skewer consisted of 3 Veg Balls, wherein each of them was coated with a different variation of Mayonnaise.
The dish looked attractive and tasted good.
– Magic Potato Croquettes (Rs. 225/-): On a similar black ceramic plate as explained above, 5 pieces of Croquettes, made of fork mashed potatoes mixed with herbs, spinach, cheese and spices, deep fried in panko crumb batter, were served. They came accompanied with a Tabasco infused Mayonnaise Dip and some decorative Salad juliennes.
The dish and the dip tasted good and filling.
– Seasonal Vegetables Mandarin Dumplings (Rs. 295/-): 5 pieces of beautifully green hued Dumplings were served in a circular and lidded cane basket.
Shaped like miniature lidded bowls, these Dumplings were gluten free, as their outer sheath was not made of flour but potato starch. They were stuffed with assorted seasonal vegetables and garnished with a couple of coriander leaves and a blob of mayonnaise.
They were soft, delectable and tasted excellent.
– Main Course –
The entire main course was served in 2 Tasting Platters – Indian and Oriental. Thus, limited portions of individual dishes were served in a decorative manner.
– The Indian Platter was served in a linear pattern on a long and slender thin wooden tray. It comprised of – Masala Kulcha, Paneer Methi Malai, Dal Makhani, Mixed Pickle, Onion Ringlets, Green Chilli, Lime and a cone shaped Roasted Papad.
All the items were well cooked and tasted excellent. Though the tasting portion was small, but it was quite filling, perhaps due to the presence of enough butter and cream.
– The Oriental Platter comprised of two elements – Veg Toban Fried Rice and Cottage Cheese In Kam Heong Sauce. It was served in a set of black ceramic dinner plate and bowl with some cheese and leaf decor on the sides.
Toban is the term for red bean sauce. This variation of Fried Rice was new to me. It was mildly flavored, well cooked with some finely chopped beans and tasted nice. The Cottage Cheese preparation was Oriental style flavorsome, infused with colored bell peppers and garnished with spring onions. It tasted good.
– Dessert –
– Chocolate Brownie (Rs. 200/-): Served on a green ceramic plate, it was the usual popular serving of a big scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream atop a thick piece of Chocolate Brownie, further topped with some Chocolate Sauce.
The art herein was sprinkling of cocoa powder on the empty portion of the plate, in such a designer pattern, that the non sprinkled portion looked like a pair of spoon and fork.
The dessert was freshly prepared and tasted excellent.
– Chocolate Mousse (Rs. 200/-): In a similar shaped, hued and decored dish as the one described above, a martini glass came filled with a big swirl of Chocolate Mousse. It was garnished with some Chocolate Sauce and a sprig of Mint.
It tasted foamy and good.
To keep the customer’s dining experience interesting, Hola plans to partially revamp it’s menu, every couple of months. Their next menu is scheduled to be launched within a couple of weeks.
All in all, it was a wonderful tasting session, comprising of authentic food, beautiful platings and warm hospitality.
Pocket Pinch: Rs. 1,100/- for two people.
Vegetarian Food And Reviews 