Based On A True Story is one of its kind Bistro in the ever so growing Kalyan Nagar area in Bangalore. I found this Bistro while searching for new cafes in Bangalore.  Started only 2-1/2 months back and its won many hearts.  I had my initial apprehensions of visiting this place and then finally visited the place on a weekend.  When I entered inside, I could understand the reason for keeping the name.  Let me share my experience.

Theme

Opening a café seems to have become more of a fashion among young and dynamic couple, who want to do something on their own.  But then it is necessary to give a different customer experience and be different from the other popular cafes.  The complete interior has been themed around Hollywood movies.

They seem to have a collection of nearly around 150 movie posters that have been framed in an A4 format.  Some of the movie posters include – Terminator 2, Inception, Ben Hur, 127 Hours, Die Hart, The Exorcist, Rocky, Ocean’s Eleven, Fight Club, One Flew Over Cuckoo’s Nest, MIB, Shawshank Redemption, Harry Potter and many more.

I am personally a fan of Hollywood movie.  So, I went out looking for all the posters and identified the ones I have watched and made notes of the ones I have not watched.

Few more things in café themed on movie characters include – Toys & masks for super-hero(s), Pillows covers, Mugs with superhero images.  Other interesting thing in the café – Old camera with Tripod stand, Camera action cut, Modern arts, Hammock, Foosball table (small), Film Roll, Black Pearl model, Novels and many more.

They have named the entrance of kitchen as ‘Production House’ which is quite apt.

Ambiance

The place is good compared to many of the cafes as they are based on a theme.  It lets guests visiting take more pictures.

There are sofas, community tables with hi-rise chairs and normal tables with chairs as well.  The place can accommodate close to 25-30 guests.  The place does get crowded on a weekend due to limited seating.

Place is quite compact but looks cosy.  Would have personally loved it to be a little more spacious.  They do have fans around the café but I felt the need for exhaust, to clear the air when cooking meat and fried items.

Food

The most important factor that makes a restaurant popular among the people is the quality of the food served.  They serve various items– Breakfast, Starters, Mains, Sandwiches, Pasta, Pancakes and Burgers.

Unique Names

Keeping up the movie theme, the name of the food items & drink have movie name associated with them. To give a few example – Sandwich: Fight Club, Eggs Men, Hamlet, Men in White, The Godfather club; Pasta: Foodie Fellas, Pasta Unchained; Burgers : Top Bun, Beauty And The Beef, Casino Royale, The Terminator; Breakfast  – Toaster Busters, Point Breakfast; Mains : One Flew Over The Casserole, Blue Velvet, Life of Pie; Salads – Cold Finger, The Nugget, The Hills Have Fries.

Each of the name mentioned above also have the description which is helpful while ordering.

Complimentary Popcorn

Soon after placing the order across the counter, the guests are served fresh-popcorns.  This surely is quite unique compared to any other café.  And for those of us who thought, popcorns can only be eaten in movie theatres, this is a surprise.

Sandwich

Fight Club (Veg)

This Sandwich had loads of Cheese, Veggies, Paneer and probably some of the spices.  The taste was quite good as it seems to have some homemade sauces and lots of veggies.  It was served with French fries and salad.  The portion size was quite good and filing.  Sandwich was presented on a wooden flat-plate which resembles the table-tennis bad.  Serving food on wooden flat plate has become in the recent times across Cafes & Italian Restaurants.

I would have wanted is a little more cream on the salad and reduced spice level in the fries.

Drinks

The drinks are not listed in the menu but hand-written on the black board below the counter.  I looked at the list and ordered a drink that had a fancy name.

The Lord of the Oreo

A wonderful milkshake that had good amount of Oreo, Milk, Ice-cream and probably some cream shaken well.  It was topped with Oreo biscuits and served in a Mason Jar.  Full marks to presentation and taste.  I specially recommend this drink to everyone.

Overall Experience

This was one of the best evening spent at a café after long time.  During my visit, I also spoke to the owner who was quite enthusiastic in sharing the journey behind the outlet.  The place does attract good young crowd who are generally fascinated by movies and are looking out to hangout.  The approach road is narrow but the colourful interiors will make anyone happy and relaxed.  I plan to visit this place more often and try many more of their items.

My rating for the current experience is 4.0/5.

Rating in other departments.
Food – 4.0/5
Service – 4.0/5
Ambiance – 4.0/5
Drinks – 4.0/5
Food for 2 at this place will come up to anywhere between INR 600-1000.

Based On A True Story- Bistro
Address
#19, 4th Cross Rd Subbanapalya 7th Main Road,
Kammanahalli, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560043
Hours
11AM–10PM
Phone
+91-98864 64151

Photo with Prashant Nair – Owner of the Bistro.