The Very Best of Bangalore's Eat Out's
It's time for my favorite post. It's been a while since I've been wanting to write this post. This will be the first of a series of posts on my ventures in finding the very best "Eateries", hotels , restaurants and snack shops in Bangalore. My view will slightly be biased by my good friend Sudheer. But all in all you guys can trust out tongues (if not our judgement). We consider ourselves to be connoisseurs in fine cuisine.
I think it is fitting to start off with one of Bangalore's oldest and most loved joints. I remember my grandfather used to come to Vidyarthi Bhavan for his evening coffee. The common parlance is , "Baaro coffeege hoogonna" should never be translated into "Come (guy) let us go for coffee. In our kannadigas terminology (which is complex) coffee simply means idly, vada , dosa, khara bath and only then a cup of coffee. So keep yourself light, always when you go out for a cup of coffee.
Coming to Vidharthi bhavan, the orders here are implicit. No one dare ask for a menu card, nor unknowingly ask for a cup of sambar, for instead of a cup of sambar one receives glares from the surrounding pairs of eyes to only confirm their suspicions that the guy in jeans in indeed a novice. Here Chutney is poured, not served, in a huge saucepan. Coming to the point, Vidhyarthi is knowing for it's hot-hot steaming tasty ghee masala dosas, which in my opinion ranks the finest in Bangalore. Vidharthi is located at Gandhi Circle in Gandhi Bazaar. There is a lot of history to that place and even today some of Bangalore's well known often frequent Vidhyarthi. Coming back to the dosas, the toast is just perfect , neither too soft nor overly crisp. The fumes of heaven that emanate from these dosas water ones mouth even on remembering the smell. One can come to vidharthi if one has a shortage of ghee at home. Simply order a dosa and wring off the ghee into your take away plastic container. I am sure it will last you for a month. Not for the diet conscious or the plugged heart for sure. The dosas take 10-15 minutes on a usual day. Every day, every hour is the same here, with people packed to the hilt. There is no concept of private table or waiting room. The waiting room is right next to you, every morsel careful watched and expedited by the every so hungry anticipating onlookers. In short you eat, pay and scram. Oh yeah, and get to enjoy the best dosas too.
The place is recently renovated and looks fresh, clean and airy as compared to the previously cramped and stuffy vidhyarthi which was badly in need of a makeover to accommodate new connoisseurs along with the old gangs. The sketches of noted kannadigas add to the flavor and overall appeal of the place, which stamps itself as a kannadiga joint.
Back to the food. While waiting for the dosa, i generally loose patience and order for the in-between snack - vada. This vada is very different from the one ones you guys generally know, the doughnut one. Nah ha.. this is the rave vada or made from sooji. The taste just rocks for short. Again served with a flowing stream of tasty chutney, it makes a great and light makeshift filler until the not so big brown dosa arrives. The dosa should be eaten quick and the fingers licked absolutely clean, for if not , the dogs outside will chase you for miles thanks to the lingering aroma of the dosa. The khara bath - kesari baath are good, but I've had better. More about the best in other posts. Keep watching. Coffee is top class. makes coffee day looks like baby juice. If you want coffee - south indian style- Strong, dark, hot, aromatic and with that punch, which is badly needed on the colder days, go to vidhyarthi. People say the coffee here is the best, i argue with this.. More.. Later.
Once you are done, you are done. Quickly clear space for the eagerly waiting people and carry the small slip of paper to the counter. The manger is ever so warm and friendly enough for a chat, even on the busiest of days. You can chat up with him on the establishment of vidhyarthi, while you consciously notice the phone mounted next to him, succinctly mounted on steel bellows which is the stamp of yesteryears, or you might just notice Kailash Parvat, serene as ever , hanging beside the dining area.
Vidharthi is Vidhyarthi. Go there and experience the experience of experiencing good tasty dosa's and lots more.
The place is recently renovated and looks fresh, clean and airy as compared to the previously cramped and stuffy vidhyarthi which was badly in need of a makeover to accommodate new connoisseurs along with the old gangs. The sketches of noted kannadigas add to the flavor and overall appeal of the place, which stamps itself as a kannadiga joint.
Back to the food. While waiting for the dosa, i generally loose patience and order for the in-between snack - vada. This vada is very different from the one ones you guys generally know, the doughnut one. Nah ha.. this is the rave vada or made from sooji. The taste just rocks for short. Again served with a flowing stream of tasty chutney, it makes a great and light makeshift filler until the not so big brown dosa arrives. The dosa should be eaten quick and the fingers licked absolutely clean, for if not , the dogs outside will chase you for miles thanks to the lingering aroma of the dosa. The khara bath - kesari baath are good, but I've had better. More about the best in other posts. Keep watching. Coffee is top class. makes coffee day looks like baby juice. If you want coffee - south indian style- Strong, dark, hot, aromatic and with that punch, which is badly needed on the colder days, go to vidhyarthi. People say the coffee here is the best, i argue with this.. More.. Later.
Once you are done, you are done. Quickly clear space for the eagerly waiting people and carry the small slip of paper to the counter. The manger is ever so warm and friendly enough for a chat, even on the busiest of days. You can chat up with him on the establishment of vidhyarthi, while you consciously notice the phone mounted next to him, succinctly mounted on steel bellows which is the stamp of yesteryears, or you might just notice Kailash Parvat, serene as ever , hanging beside the dining area.
Vidharthi is Vidhyarthi. Go there and experience the experience of experiencing good tasty dosa's and lots more.
1 comments:
so tempting!!!
wait till i come back...
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