When one thinks of Thai or Vietnamese food, a handful of classics come to mind: the familiar fares of red and green curries, saucy Pad Thais and flavourful phos to name a few. But at Flavours of Modern Orient (FOMO), the latest Oriental restaurant to hit Bengaluru, these dishes are nowhere to be found. And that’s precisely the intention behind the space.
Right from the beginning, the team behind the establishment, Sanket Reddy and Chef Prashanth Puttaswamy, were clear that they were not interested in the mainstream. Instead, they wanted to turn their attention to the kind of food you won’t see at the regular Asian haunts: preparations that are regional and tucked away in pockets of Northern Thailand and Vietnam.
With a professional journey spanning real estate, architecture, and interior design, Sanket had always been a food-lover and a great cook. Joining him on a journey across Southeast Asia and the new chapter thereafter was Prashanth, the virtuoso known for his culinary delights at The Fatty Bao, Lupa, and The Olive Group among others.
As the two feasted their way through the neon-lit streets, spice-laden markets, and smoke-filled roadside kitchens of the two countries, the air thick with chilli, lemongrass, and fish oil; they came back with a very different idea of what an Asian restaurant could look like.
And it wasn’t just the food that stayed with them. It was everything around it – the way seasons shaped ingredients, to how techniques repeated across regions. Back in Bengaluru, the duo carried that larger vision to launch FOMO, a space that serves lesser-known Asian creations which are honest, balanced, and straight from the heart.
Dinner begins with a playful amuse-bouche, a crisp rose cookie glazed with lime, sesame and scallions, setting the tone for a meal that constantly balances texture and contrast. Across the courses, familiar ingredients are paired in unexpected ways: creamy burrata against sharp pomelo and marinated snake fruit; smoky grilled eggplant that turns almost meaty in texture, and delicate and crunchy tempura betel leaves topped with perfectly spiced accompaniments such as tofu/chicken mince, peanuts and sweet-spicy chilli condiment.
Some dishes comfort instantly, like the claypot glass noodles and the deeply savoury bo luc lac, while others surprise with their textures and layering, particularly the banh beo, a revelation, with its soft, starchy congee-like rice base and savoury toppings of mung bean paste, tender scallions and shredded pork or raw jackfruit with sauces, meant to be poured over and gently mixed, bringing the dish together in layered, silky bites. The Vietnamese shaking beef is a wok-tossed regional speciality where tender cubes of marinated beef are “shaken” over high heat to achieve a beautifully seared exterior while staying juicy within.
Dessert, a light Vietnamese tiramisu with coffee milk hidden beneath a mascarpone dome, ends things on a gentle, bittersweet note.
The beverage menu, though limited, stays in step with the food with house kombuchas in ginger, mango and lime alongside a small but thoughtful coffee selection.
The interiors, designed by Cadence Architects, the Bengaluru-based studio behind many innovative and sensorial residential, commercial, and institutional projects, feels like a quiet shift away from the expected. There are no loud colours, lanterns, dragons or predictable Asian restaurant décor staples. Instead, everything is minimal and restrained, with muted tones, clean lines and soft lighting that let the food remain the focus.
The walls have a rich, earthy tone, and wrap you in a cosy space that feels worlds away from the chaos of the bustling 100 Feet Road right outside. The Mantis serves as the brand’s core motif, its sense of precision and stillness reflected across the space and philosophy alike.
Frosted glass windows on one side reveal Prashanth and his team in the kitchen, while wooden panels on the other carry playful artistic impressions from the duo’s travels, with the Mantis weaving its way through each illustration.
The menu is a real adventure and pulls out gems from small, often overlooked regions. And although these are dishes that you may not be familiar with, they are ones that you would want to return to, again and again. The tiny vials of condiments placed on the table deserve just as much attention as the dishes themselves — especially the scallion and Timur pepper salt, which adds a subtle citrusy heat to almost everything it touches. The bilimbi hot sauce too quietly steals the show, bringing a sharp, fruity punch that keeps you reaching for more.
Address:
FOMO – 295, 100 Feet Road, Stage 1, Indiranagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560038
Hours: 12 pm – 3.30 pm (Lunch) | 7 pm – 11 pm (Dinner)
Price for Two: ₹2500++
Contact: 8147938808
Instagram: @fomoblr
