Legend tells of a legendary tiny restaurant at the heart of Lalbagh Road whose Rava Idli's were the stuff of legend.
Mavalli Tiffin Room - popularly known as MTR and remembered mostly(and sadly) by Gen X only for the ready to eat mixes lined up at department stores - is one of the oldest food joints in Bangalore and, perhaps, one of the handful of pure Karnataka cuisine restaurants left in the city. The place holds the world record for being the first to serve 21000 customers in 7 hours.
So what is it about MTR that has attracted famous personalities and top dignitaries during its 75 year history? Surely, you might say, no restaurant can maintain the same level of quality and taste over such a long period. Well, I beg...no... I plead to differ. Cz quality and hygiene are the very principles on which this iconic eatery was started. If a state of nation wide Emergency could not have the owners compromise on these principles, nothing really can.
As I mentioned, MTR offers a traditional Udupi Brahmin cuisine. The breakfast menu comprises of Rava Idli, Dosa, Khara Bhath and the extremely popular coffee, served in the typical MTR style - the guy comes in with 2 steel glasses, one filled with steaming hot coffee...places the 2 glasses on the table and divides the coffee into 2. The rava idli is out of the world - and understatement considering the fact that this dish was invented by MTR! The chatni itself is very unique and tastes wonderful when has with the crisp dosa cooked in butter. The dosa too, has an MTR touch to it, with an inner lining of some very tasty paste.
The restaurant offers a lunch meal as well, which equals a 4-5 course meal in terms of quantity. Not many people would enjoy the traditional Udupi taste, so I would recommend those foodies to try out the breakfast or the tiffin which is served at around 4 in the evening. DO NOT leave without having the coffee.
So drag yourselves out of bed on a Saturday or Sunday morning and head for MTR. You might have to wait in a queue for sometime unless you land up there by 7 but, trust me, it is worth the wait. In fact, you can spend you waiting time having a look at the blackboard menu for the day, or 20 year old photographs of famous personalities who visited and the founders, displayed along the old staircase. And for all you hygiene freaks out there...you have nothing to worry about coz the cleanliness prevalent in the kitchens of this restaurant can possibly challenge even the best of hotels in the city.
TRIVIA - The one person to thank for the invention of the Rava Idli is Indira Gandhi. Surprised? Well, it was during the state of emergency that MTR was compelled to use Rava (Semolina) for making Idlis instead of rice, which was scarce at the time.
Mavalli Tiffin Room
Lalbagh Road (Nr Main Gate)
Bangalore
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Indiana - Fattening food at the best prices!
Every food item has a 'core' ingredient which makes that it special....And then there are the condiments, veggies, spices etc. The mistake that most food joints make is to stuff it with the latter just to increase the volume - basically taking away that very essence. How many times have you had a burger stuffed with tomatoes and ketchup or a pepperoni pizza with hardly any toppings or cheese?! Well for once, I got to taste the real thing inside that Chicken burger! Recommended by my bro, I paid a visit to this insignificant looking place at the corner of residency road - brigade road junction - Indiana. Just ordered a Chicken Burger meal which included Coke, fries and the burger itself. At Rs. 65, I dint expect anything more than a snack. The snack turned out to be a full fledged meal which I couldn't finish by myself. The burger was huge and - here's the best part - all it had was a neat slice of lettuce, one slice of tomato, some of the best mayonnaise I've tasted and a huge Chicken burger patty. No extra veggies...no useless tomato ketchup dripping from below when you take a bite. Such small pleasures are worth every penny you spend...
Anyways...enuf of the drama. Bottom line - Drop in at Indiana on a Saturday/Sunday afternoon after a round of shopping with friend's at Bangalore's Central Business District and enjoy the burgers melt in your mouth. Don't make it a habit though - it IS after all fatty food!
Indiana
Residency Road (Nr the Brigade - Residency Rd junction)
Bangalore
Anyways...enuf of the drama. Bottom line - Drop in at Indiana on a Saturday/Sunday afternoon after a round of shopping with friend's at Bangalore's Central Business District and enjoy the burgers melt in your mouth. Don't make it a habit though - it IS after all fatty food!
Indiana
Residency Road (Nr the Brigade - Residency Rd junction)
Bangalore
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Golkonda Chimney ...don't know what to say
Sometimes you need to eat at a place like Golkonda Chimney to truly appreciate the restaurants which are actually good. My brother and I had no choice...it was a weekend..the cook was on leave and we just wanted to order something different for dinner - and Golkonda Chimney was near enough to deliver. Actually, the only reason why I think this joint is doing so well is because of it's location - not many Indian cuisine restaurants in and around Whitefield. After experiencing the food...I would suggest Adaa (near Marathalli bridge) or the Dhaba over this for people staying in the area.
We ordered our favorites - Dal Makhani, Butter Chicken and the breads (Naan, Roti). The Dal was just okay...nothing exceptional and it was grey in colour instead of having a reddish tint..a big turn off! Don't get me started on the Butter Chicken (BC for future posts)...it pains me to see a respected restaurant calling a completely different dish by that name. Who puts oodles of Ginger shreds, spoonfuls of red chilli and a dryish gravy with lots of semi cooked onions and capsicum in BUTTER CHICKEN!?!
The only positive point I found was that the place offers Roti's made of wheat..something for the health freaks out there. Apart from that...the taste and quantity served does not justify the high priced menu. Of course, there might be some items worth trying...but I get a little sentimental about BC and would not hesitate to form my opinion on the entire menu based on this one awesome dish.
We ordered our favorites - Dal Makhani, Butter Chicken and the breads (Naan, Roti). The Dal was just okay...nothing exceptional and it was grey in colour instead of having a reddish tint..a big turn off! Don't get me started on the Butter Chicken (BC for future posts)...it pains me to see a respected restaurant calling a completely different dish by that name. Who puts oodles of Ginger shreds, spoonfuls of red chilli and a dryish gravy with lots of semi cooked onions and capsicum in BUTTER CHICKEN!?!
The only positive point I found was that the place offers Roti's made of wheat..something for the health freaks out there. Apart from that...the taste and quantity served does not justify the high priced menu. Of course, there might be some items worth trying...but I get a little sentimental about BC and would not hesitate to form my opinion on the entire menu based on this one awesome dish.
China Pearl - Authentic Indian Chinese :)
Yup you heard it...authentic 'Indian' Chinese food...where the chefs are not trying too hard to create funny named dishes and calling it authentic but simply adding tonnes of ginger and pepper. China Pearl has kept it simple...from the interiors (which reminded me of Goenchin in Goa) to the American Chopsuey, Sweet Corn soup and Hakka noodles - it was all there waiting to be had!
The Chicken Momos are totally worth a try as are the soups. We went in for Lung Fung soup...which did not have lots of ginger (FYI I'm not too much of a ginger fan) and went perfectly with the Momos.
China Pearl gives good portions, so if you have had soup and starters...go in for one dish for every 2 persons. Apart from the Chopsuey, there are a couple of dishes with boiled noodles and gravy, for those who do not want to go for a sweet sauce. We ordered the Lat Lo Chowmein (one of such dishes) which had a spicy soya and oyster based sauce and goes well with the thin boiled noodles.
Despite not having had breakfast, I could not digest any more of this awesome food so this post is limited to these dishes. The dessert menu is nothing exceptional...the usual ice creams and chocolate mousse that one finds in most restaurants.
Visit the China Pearl for a family outing or if you want to have some traditional Indian Chinese food - Value for money!
The restaurant is located in Koramangala 5th block, on the same road as Oye Amritsar and Chung Wah.
China Pearl
53/1, 5th Cross
6th Block, Kormangala
Bangalore
080 41105060
The Chicken Momos are totally worth a try as are the soups. We went in for Lung Fung soup...which did not have lots of ginger (FYI I'm not too much of a ginger fan) and went perfectly with the Momos.
China Pearl gives good portions, so if you have had soup and starters...go in for one dish for every 2 persons. Apart from the Chopsuey, there are a couple of dishes with boiled noodles and gravy, for those who do not want to go for a sweet sauce. We ordered the Lat Lo Chowmein (one of such dishes) which had a spicy soya and oyster based sauce and goes well with the thin boiled noodles.
Despite not having had breakfast, I could not digest any more of this awesome food so this post is limited to these dishes. The dessert menu is nothing exceptional...the usual ice creams and chocolate mousse that one finds in most restaurants.
Visit the China Pearl for a family outing or if you want to have some traditional Indian Chinese food - Value for money!
The restaurant is located in Koramangala 5th block, on the same road as Oye Amritsar and Chung Wah.
China Pearl
53/1, 5th Cross
6th Block, Kormangala
Bangalore
080 41105060
Chilli's
If you're looking for a lively place to hang out with friends ...this is it. Chilli's is a franchisee of the popular American fast food joint and has, thankfully, not yet Indianized it's menu. Located on Airport Road (just next to Total mall), the restaurant has a warm and cheerful feel to it...with good music and a pleasant staff and no dingy or 'smokey' look despite having a bar.
The menu, as I said, is pure continental...ranging from burgers and sandwiches to Fajitas and Steaks. A large part comprises of Mexican cuisine. The starters section of the menu is pretty tempting and, looking at the descriptions...extremely fattening :) which is why we went straight for them! The Hot Spinach and Corn cheese Dip served with tortilla chips was out of the world. Not just the taste, the quantity was enough for 3 people...considering the think layer of cheese in it. A must have!
The Fajitas are a house specialty (as told to us by the staff) and are offered in a variety of flavors. We ordered the Classic Grilled Chicken fajita...served on a sizzling hot plate along with veggies & condiments and, of course, tortillas. The end product was truly wonderful...I'm not just saying it...it was...and here are the reasons why:
- A dish like Fajita...which is usually had with tortillas as a wrap..is essentially dry in nature, and that makes it all the more difficult for the cook - you can't make it too saucy coz it will drip..and neither can it be too dry (in fact no dish should be so dry anyway!). The particular dish in question was a beautiful balance of the 2
- Second, the chicken pieces were marinated to perfection...and aptly complimented with the slightly crispy onions and bell peppers
- And third and of critical importance but often ignored..it was served sizzling hot.
Having said that, a little more spice would have been good, considering the condiments (cheese, finely chopped cold veggies) and tortillas are bland.
Overall, a great experience. The quantity and taste definitely justify the prices. A bar is available too with a good collection of cocktails and mocktails and blends well with the rest of the setting. A cool place to go a birthday party or soccer night!
The menu, as I said, is pure continental...ranging from burgers and sandwiches to Fajitas and Steaks. A large part comprises of Mexican cuisine. The starters section of the menu is pretty tempting and, looking at the descriptions...extremely fattening :) which is why we went straight for them! The Hot Spinach and Corn cheese Dip served with tortilla chips was out of the world. Not just the taste, the quantity was enough for 3 people...considering the think layer of cheese in it. A must have!
The Fajitas are a house specialty (as told to us by the staff) and are offered in a variety of flavors. We ordered the Classic Grilled Chicken fajita...served on a sizzling hot plate along with veggies & condiments and, of course, tortillas. The end product was truly wonderful...I'm not just saying it...it was...and here are the reasons why:
- A dish like Fajita...which is usually had with tortillas as a wrap..is essentially dry in nature, and that makes it all the more difficult for the cook - you can't make it too saucy coz it will drip..and neither can it be too dry (in fact no dish should be so dry anyway!). The particular dish in question was a beautiful balance of the 2
- Second, the chicken pieces were marinated to perfection...and aptly complimented with the slightly crispy onions and bell peppers
- And third and of critical importance but often ignored..it was served sizzling hot.
Having said that, a little more spice would have been good, considering the condiments (cheese, finely chopped cold veggies) and tortillas are bland.
Overall, a great experience. The quantity and taste definitely justify the prices. A bar is available too with a good collection of cocktails and mocktails and blends well with the rest of the setting. A cool place to go a birthday party or soccer night!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Punjabi tadka at Oye Amritsar
Now, before I say anything, you should know that its rare to find an authentic North Indian cuisine restaurant in Bangalore, add to that a typical Punjabi ambiance...well Oye Amritsar is one of them. The branch I'm referring to here is the one at Koramangala. The ambience is really good - they have an open air section as well, which is just perfect for a city like Bangalore. The restaurant serves a buffet too but we went in for a-la-carte.
I have recently taken a strong decision to control my diet, given the fact that I have just begun exercising and I have greed for food in my blood. So we decided to keep it small, simple and pure veg - 1 dal makhani and 1 Aloo ki sabzi with some Naan and Kulcha. Ofcourse, I didn't need to control THAT much, so we threw in an appetizer - Bhutta Pakodis (translate to Corn Cutlets). The portion seemed quite small (8 small pieces) given the price, though the taste was quite good. Seeing the qty, we had almost made up our minds to order something more for the main course when the waiters began to serve...and what a serving that was! Both dishes were sufficient for 4 people and we were only 2. The nice and hot Dal was absolutely delicious but the Aloo sabzi was quite a disappointment, as was the rock hard fake Kulcha.
I will surely make another visit for the non - veg spread (a day when I shall probably skip all other meals) so watch this thread for the next update. The place also offers Thalis which, Ive heard, are pretty sumptuous. A panwala sits on the ground floor giving you the perfect end to a lovely meal.
Definitely worth a visit with a gang of friends...prices are not abnormally high looking at the qty served with an average veg dish being about 150 bucks and music is not too loud either. The non - veg menu is definitely more elaborate. If you still don't want a big hole in you pockets, the restaurant allows you to order 'half plates' - typical dhaba style.
I have recently taken a strong decision to control my diet, given the fact that I have just begun exercising and I have greed for food in my blood. So we decided to keep it small, simple and pure veg - 1 dal makhani and 1 Aloo ki sabzi with some Naan and Kulcha. Ofcourse, I didn't need to control THAT much, so we threw in an appetizer - Bhutta Pakodis (translate to Corn Cutlets). The portion seemed quite small (8 small pieces) given the price, though the taste was quite good. Seeing the qty, we had almost made up our minds to order something more for the main course when the waiters began to serve...and what a serving that was! Both dishes were sufficient for 4 people and we were only 2. The nice and hot Dal was absolutely delicious but the Aloo sabzi was quite a disappointment, as was the rock hard fake Kulcha.
I will surely make another visit for the non - veg spread (a day when I shall probably skip all other meals) so watch this thread for the next update. The place also offers Thalis which, Ive heard, are pretty sumptuous. A panwala sits on the ground floor giving you the perfect end to a lovely meal.
Definitely worth a visit with a gang of friends...prices are not abnormally high looking at the qty served with an average veg dish being about 150 bucks and music is not too loud either. The non - veg menu is definitely more elaborate. If you still don't want a big hole in you pockets, the restaurant allows you to order 'half plates' - typical dhaba style.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Ninja Food
Went to Shiro, Bangalore at UB City last weekend with family. I'm not too much of a Japanese/Korean food fan but in India, probably, few restaurants offer that kind of authenticity, much to my pleasure. Thankfully, we had booked a table in advance (and ofcourse arriving there at 7 30 pm helped), coz despite the reasonably high priced menu, the restaurant was packed with people by 8 30.
Since we had arrived early, we indulged ourselves in snacks. As always, my family prefers to try something 'different' - a policy I rarely follow coz, as you might have guessed by now, I do not like to be disappointed in these matters. Anyways, the starters we did enjoy were the Korean barbecue pork and chilli prawns. My Thai The 'different' items included 'Crispy Aromatic Duck', served with 3 supposedly special sauces and a plate of assorted Sushi for my bro. The first, I would not recommend for a person who likes something 'solid' on their plates. It was a well presented dish, a set of wraps with duck pieces and veggies (including cucumber) rolled in rice paper. The 3 sauce dips would have tasted great if the wraps would have been a lil more....again, solid :) The qty, too, was a let down for this one.
We kept the main course simple - Chicken Hot Pot with shitake mushrooms, Domburi with Udon noodles (thick,flat) and Hibachi Rice. Udon noodles were really good, just simple stir fried noodles with a good tangy tomato based sauce which was thankfully not sweet. Although the other 2 dishes were fairly good and in decent qty, there din't seem anything Japanese about them, but what do we know...will find out only when I visit Japan.
The desert menu is a fourth of a page...nothing really to look forward to.
All in all, a good experience. For me, the shortfalls in the food were overshadowed with the great pleasant ambiance this restaurant has - an unbelievably high roof, equally tall curtains, an amazing view from the lounge, huge statues of South East Asian goddesses/princesses (in line with the name Shiro - meaning 'castle') and really good & fast service. There is also an open air lounge.
Recommended for a quiet, once in a few months, outing with family or for any special occasion when you don't mind shelling out a few grand (with drinks).
Since we had arrived early, we indulged ourselves in snacks. As always, my family prefers to try something 'different' - a policy I rarely follow coz, as you might have guessed by now, I do not like to be disappointed in these matters. Anyways, the starters we did enjoy were the Korean barbecue pork and chilli prawns. My Thai The 'different' items included 'Crispy Aromatic Duck', served with 3 supposedly special sauces and a plate of assorted Sushi for my bro. The first, I would not recommend for a person who likes something 'solid' on their plates. It was a well presented dish, a set of wraps with duck pieces and veggies (including cucumber) rolled in rice paper. The 3 sauce dips would have tasted great if the wraps would have been a lil more....again, solid :) The qty, too, was a let down for this one.
We kept the main course simple - Chicken Hot Pot with shitake mushrooms, Domburi with Udon noodles (thick,flat) and Hibachi Rice. Udon noodles were really good, just simple stir fried noodles with a good tangy tomato based sauce which was thankfully not sweet. Although the other 2 dishes were fairly good and in decent qty, there din't seem anything Japanese about them, but what do we know...will find out only when I visit Japan.
The desert menu is a fourth of a page...nothing really to look forward to.
All in all, a good experience. For me, the shortfalls in the food were overshadowed with the great pleasant ambiance this restaurant has - an unbelievably high roof, equally tall curtains, an amazing view from the lounge, huge statues of South East Asian goddesses/princesses (in line with the name Shiro - meaning 'castle') and really good & fast service. There is also an open air lounge.
Recommended for a quiet, once in a few months, outing with family or for any special occasion when you don't mind shelling out a few grand (with drinks).
Monday, October 26, 2009
A Note before we start
Fellow foodies and everyone else,
It took me quite some time to get down to starting my own blog. Frankly, I am hardly what one would call a versatile writer and I am definitely the last person to blabber about the philosophies of life. But if the President of the US of A finds time to write one, what the heck.
So I setup this blog with the one topic I CAN go on and on about...and that's FOOD. Since my chubby toddler days, this is the one thing that can give me immense happiness when I'm low and something to look forward to towards the end of a long hard day.
A word of caution: The posts on this blog are strictly my own opinions and suggestions and that of my family and friends. If you are looking for professional reviews, this is not the place.
Here's to my latest venture! Hope you all enjoy the read. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.
It took me quite some time to get down to starting my own blog. Frankly, I am hardly what one would call a versatile writer and I am definitely the last person to blabber about the philosophies of life. But if the President of the US of A finds time to write one, what the heck.
So I setup this blog with the one topic I CAN go on and on about...and that's FOOD. Since my chubby toddler days, this is the one thing that can give me immense happiness when I'm low and something to look forward to towards the end of a long hard day.
A word of caution: The posts on this blog are strictly my own opinions and suggestions and that of my family and friends. If you are looking for professional reviews, this is not the place.
Here's to my latest venture! Hope you all enjoy the read. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.
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