TheGlitz Reviews Shiro and Candices Gourmet Sandwiches

Pre-festive weekends in Bangalore have a way of pulling you toward good food, and this one handed me two completely different experiences at Shiro and Candice’s Gourmet Sandwiches. Shiro and Candice’s couldn’t be more different if they tried – one lined into tree-lined Indiranagar serving New York inspired sandwiches, the other commanding attention at UB City’s polished stone with pan-Asian plates and a towering stone figure.

Tucked into Chinita’s cosy place, Candice’s Gourmet Sandwiches felt like visiting a friend who happens to cook brilliantly, all baguettes and easy charm. Whereas the Sunday brunch at Shiro felt like an event you need to dress up for. Both fed me well, but in ways that couldn’t be more different. What interests me isn’t just the food that lands on your plate, but how you feel sitting there with your fork mid-air, deciding if this place deserves another visit. Here’s what happened when I showed up hungry at both.

Candice’s Gourmet Sandwiches at Chinita

The trees gave it away before the sign did. Indiranagar’s leafy streets have this way of hiding good things in plain sight, and Candice’s sandwiches have found their home inside Chinita’s space. Candice lived in New York for eleven years, studied at the Institute of Culinary Education, and came back with ideas that taste like the city she left behind. First came Chinita, her Mexican spot. Now this – an homage to New York’s gorgeous cultural chaos, all packed between bread.

The grilled chicken and cheese sandwich came first, still warm, with Emmental melting into impossibly tender chicken. Pickled onions cut through the richness while that house creamy cheese dressing held everything together without making a fuss. You don’t get chicken this soft by accident. Someone in that kitchen is paying close attention.

Then the Thai Crunch Salad, which could have been virtuous and boring but wasn’t. Lettuce and red cabbage, sure, but also pickled carrots and radish that snapped with tang, roasted peanuts adding crunch, those thin crispy rice sticks breaking between your teeth. Fresh herbs scattered on top like an afterthought that clearly wasn’t. The Thai peanut dressing knew exactly when to speak up and when to step back. I cleaned the bowl.

The Banh Mi with tofu followed. Fresh greens slicked with scallion oil, sriracha waiting to burn if you wanted it, house mayo smoothing out the edges. You choose your bread here – sourdough baguette or French. We went with the baguette, crusty and proper, cracking in all the right places. The tofu held its own, which is more than I can say for most tofu I’ve met.

We tried both margaritas, the tamarind and the virgin. The tamarind came out swinging with that sharp tang, bold and welcoming. The virgin played it safer but still tasted like someone paid attention about making it right. For dessert, churros coated in cinnamon sugar with thick chocolate sauce for dipping. Simple pleasure, with due respect.

What struck me most was how the menu works for everyone. Real vegan options, not just sad substitutions. Prices that make sense for what you’re getting. You could bring friends, colleagues, your pickiest eater. The wallet stays happy, the stomach happier. That’s rare.

Shiro, UB City

Sunday brunch at Shiro means arriving precisely or scrambling for a table. We walked in on time to find the place already humming with that particular energy of people who know they’re somewhere well. The Buddha at the entrance towers over you like a promise, and inside, every corner whispers that someone spent real money making this place look exactly right.

They seated us indoors, which turned out to be the smart call. Outside looked lively in that way that usually means too loud, too smoky, too much. Inside had music running higher than I’d prefer for conversation, but something about it worked anyway. Shiro’s been doing pan-Asian in Bangalore for over a decade now. That’s a lifetime in restaurant years. By day it’s a restaurant, by evening it turns into a lounge. The food carries all those years of experience.

We started with chilli lemon soup, sharp and warming with shiitake mushrooms adding depth. Not trying to fill you up, just wake up your palate. Then came the edamame poppers, creamy filling wrapped in golden crisp shells. The Mahtani chicken followed – Korean spice running through every bite, house specialty for good reason. Prawn tempura after that, with batter that knew its place and fresh prawns fried just right. Everything we started with earned its spot on the table.

Skipping sushi at Shiro would be criminal. The platter came decorated with red snapper, tuna, prawn, Scottish salmon, and spicy tuna. Fish this fresh doesn’t need theatrics. Skilled hands shaped it, we ate it, and that was enough.

The Tofu Gua Bao scored high with that Vietnamese dip and chillies, though it leaned a bit dry for my taste. The chicken bao made up for it completely – served hot, cooked through, everyone reaching for seconds. For mains we had Thai green curry, fragrant and comforting, and black pepper chicken that tasted like the kitchen’s been perfecting it for years. Because they have. Experience shows up on the plate.

Dessert was a chocolate volcano, sweet enough to make you wince but generous enough to share. The Asian cheesecake played it cooler and smarter. I preferred that one.

Ten years and Shiro’s still packing in weekday/Sunday crowds. The space works whether you want a relaxed brunch or Saturday night energy. They figured out the formula early – good food matters, but so does everything else. The music, the lighting, how you feel sitting there. Shiro understands that. Always has.

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