Usually a meal following a movie is a hurried affair for a film reviewer following the first day first show (preferably not first row) timeline that one is slave to. One would either scarf a dosa at the food court or eat a sandwich at the desk while feverishly penning down thoughts on the latest reel offering. Watching a film without the reviewer’s hat on seemed a perfect opportunity to check out Sally by 1522 at Phoenix Mall of Asia.

Incidentally the “by 1522” is to indicate kinship with 1522 The Pub in Malleshwaram in Bengaluru, the first of the chain, founded and owned by Chethan Hegde. Sally has outdoor and indoor seating. We chose the outdoors as it is still inside the mall and good for weather while giving a sense of space and greenery.

The décor is ye olde Irish/British (rich, dark wood) with lashings of Americana including a Rolling Stones cover featuring Chuck Berry (go figure). The glass bottle of water on the table warms the cockles of the heart. The menu at Sally like the décor has a little bit of everything from continental and Chinese to Mediterranean and Indian.

With the weather finally turning and rain pouring down on the unseasonable sweltering heat, we decided to start with a soup. We tried the roasted pumpkin and dill soup, which was creamy with highlights of the delicate notes of dill (sabakki soppu in Kannada).

While there were all these pub standards including that potato basket that I looked at longingly, fiery chicken wings and naan bombs, after soup we decided to move straight to the main course. I am not very adventurous when it comes to food. After debating long and hard between Thai green curry and rice and mac & cheese in the meal for one section, I plumbed for the mac & cheese. With pasta, cheese, vegetables, tons of olives (I do have a weakness for them) and a crisp crust, it was comfort in a bowl.

My companion chose Kodagu mutton fry (Sally has interesting Mangalorean options) with tandoori rotis and was pleased as the slow-cooked mutton was tender wafting the tart flavour of kachampuli, the vinegar made with the fascinatingly named gummi-gutta (it has a nice ring to it) tree. For dessert we tried the phirni crème brûlée where the traditional custard is replaced with phirni or rice pudding. It looked very pretty with its little doily of caramelised sugar and tasted good though the phirni was slightly lumpy.

Sally has an extensive wine, beer and cocktail menu, which we did not try as the sun was still up. I have my eye on the house favourites — sassie Lassie with rum, espresso, hazelnut and vanilla, or a night of passion which despite its cheesy name has my favourite combination of gin and tea. The physical menu is a great happiness as one does not have to scan QR codes and stamp one’s feet in frustration because of slow wifi. Sally by 1522 is a good option for a pre or post movie/shopping meal and drinkie.

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