Situated right in the middle of Cunningham Road, the wavy structure of Sigma Mall does get its vote as one of the hangout hotspots in Bangalore. This is a follow-up to my write up on Cunningham Road that I had posted earlier. Anyway, I decided to write about Sigma Mall separately, because there is much that can be said about it, that you should know as you dig for new and exciting hangouts.

Initially when I saw it from outside, it did look like any other mall. The McDonald’s (which needs no introduction – as the most popular place for Burgers and Fries) occupies a chunk of the front portion. Being a weekend, I went in prepared to face the crowd thronging the place, as is the case with any of the more popular in Bangalore such as Garuda Mall and Forum. But to my surprise, it was quite empty and the perfect atmosphere for relaxing on a Saturday afternoon while doing some shopping or sipping some coffee.

Its pretty big on the inside with 4 levels, and with one look I was sure that it had almost what every other mall has, probably on a slightly smaller scale. But it’s the kind of place that works for me. I decided to take a walk around the place and found shops where people of all ages and various interests can kill time.

At the Ground Level, as soon as you enter, Bread Bazaar on your left treats you to a number of bakery stuff to munch on. Go further in and you’ve got a nice setup by Cafe Coffee Day. Its not enclosed, giving you the feeling of being a part of the happenings at the Mall. But if you are looking for some privacy, check out the Food Court at Level 3. You’ve got Louis Philippe, Reebok, Nike, Levi’s, Pepe, Provogue, etc. to check out the latest trends in apparels. You can also find other outlets of Swarovski, Oyzterbay, Blue Sky (great collection of cooling glasses – slightly expensive range) and Solitaire (check out this place for its diamonds). There are also some shops exclusively for women.

Level 1 is fully occupied by a Pantaloons showroom having a great range of clothes.

At Level 2, for people into photography, there is an exclusive showroom called G.K. Vale which I believe has pretty much everything you’ll ever look for. Next to that is a Chinese Restaurant called Nan King, which I wasn’t able to check out on the inside, but it looked decent from the outside, but I cannot vouch for the food that you get there. If any of you have tried it, please enlighten us with your experience. There is electronics gadgets store called t-base that sells laptops, computers and various other tech accessories.

Level 3 is where you can hog at the Food Court, which has outlets of a number of restaurants. I liked the ambiance of the place, probably because of the relaxing lighting. That coupled with a variety of food to choose from makes the perfect solution for a quick date. You’ve also got Food Bazaar (a supermarket) to buy out your needs without needing to go elsewhere.

And finally, Fun Cinemas is coming up. I’m not sure as to how many screens they are going to put up, but I’m sure Sigma Mall is well on its way to becoming a regular hangout to many. So if you happen to be in Bangalore, don’t miss out on this great place which houses literally everything under one roof.

I was at Bangalore for the weekend to attend an interview on Sunday. But it had been a while since I had gone hanging out in Bangalore. And being the rave I am for checking out new places, it was my cousin with whom I was staying, who ended up taking me to every place I had on my request list.

I, like any other visitor to Bangalore wanted to go to the ever popular Forum and Garuda Malls. For some apparent reason, they have been assumed to be the happening places. Anyway, my cousin played down my ignorance and decided to take me to Cunningham Road. I was mad at him for a while, but I slowly realized that I was in for a pleasant surprise and finally ended up thanking him for his wise decision.

Well, for a person like me, who is freaked out about crowded places, especially when I want to chill out for a while, the likes of a crowded Garuda Mall and Forum are not of much interest. We first entered Sigma Mall which you can find to your right on Cunningham Road (Its One Way). I was very happy to see a pretty much empty mall with lots of nice shops and eateries to check out. I really liked the place, and it has got everything that you would need, when you need to take a few hours away from your routine.

We then walked out to check out the other hangouts on Cunningham Road. Though I was not able to check out each place fully, I can give you an overview of the kind of places that you can find there.

As soon as you enter the Cunningham Road, you will find Café Coffee Day on your right and a little further and you have Barista to your left. A few more meters and you can find a building on the right side called Prestige Centre Point which houses Pizza Hut, Sweet Chariot Café and Aura (which is a restaurant cum bar). Keep moving and you will find Sigma Mall on your right. Directly opposite to Sigma Mall, you can find a Tea bar called Infinitea. Next to Infinitea, i.e. on the Left Side you will find a weird looking restaurant called Shezan. It said Indian, Continental and Chinese on the Door, but check it out at your own risk, and not when you are terribly hungry. And finally, after crossing Sigma Mall, you will find a Dominos Pizza outlet on your left.

I will be reviewing Sigma Mall in a separate post, as there is quite a bit to say about it. I really liked the place. So, look forward to that post. I would like to add a few words about Aura I talked about earlier. I only got to check it out from outside due to some time constraints. Its quite upscale and hugely expensive, so don’t go there unless you have a fat wallet. Also I heard it has a dance floor, but if I get a chance to review that place, will go into full detail. Anyway, the point being, it is a place worth checking out, especially on a evening when you are loaded with money and have lots of time to burn.

That’s about everything there is on Cunningham Road, but I would like to share one other place with you all. It’s this Chinese Restaurant called Chung’s. To find it, keep going straight from Sigma Mall, and take the first right. As soon as you’ve made the turn, you’ll find Chung’s on your left. I haven’t been there myself, but I’ve been told that the food is delicious and that too at very affordable prices.

Phew! That’s been quite a recollection I’ve had to make from memory. I’ve talked about Cunningham Road on the whole, but if anyone can review the places separately, it would be great to have those posts (especially reviews of Aura and Infinitea).