There are a few cuisines that are so endemic to India that they get projected on the World scene whenever we talk about Indian cuisine. Thankfully, India being a melting pot of cultures, tastes and culinary skills, there is no single cuisine that can claim to represent India completely. If it is Indian, then it is Chettinad, Andhra, Hyderbadi, Mangalorean, Malabar, Coorgi, Dharwad, Maharashtrian, Goan, Odiya, Bengali, Manipuri, Rajasthani, Gujarathi, Marwari, Punjabi, Kashmiri, Mughlai and I know I have missed quite a few in that list. So many dynasties that came and ruled India, so many empires and countries that came and colonised Indian Territory, so many cultures that came to India and interacted with the local communities - everything contributed to what we know today as the Indian Cuisine. These cuisines are widely different at times and somewhat similar at other. Regardless of the similarities and differences, each of them surely are a subject to themselves.

Restaurants that serve specialised fare and therefore claim to be authentic restaurants of a chosen cuisine have to justify themselves being called a cuisine restaurant. If it is a Gujarathi restaurant, they should know to serve authentic Thali stuff, and things like that. Many who claim to specialise in a certain cuisine barely match up to the levels expected. However, there are those who not only match but set standards for others to match. Such restaurants become places that celebrate the essence of a cuisine.

Bangalore is one place where you can treat yourselves to a range of cuisines. It is a true hearted foodie’s haven! If it is MTR for authentic South Indian food and Mainland China or Bamboo Shoots for authentic Chinese and Oriental fare, then we can surely say “Roomali With A View” is for Marwari, Awadhi, Kashmiri and Rajasthani Cuisine.
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I wonder who I should hold more responsible for this post :

a) Kanth for egging me on with his post earlier today ( or )

b) Anita, Bangalore Kaptaan…er, Captain who has ingeniously concocted a way to prod the rest of us cohorts (& latent foodies!) into posting what with her ‘theme based posts’ device. Hmmmm..I wonder what my chances are of getting a reimbursement of this bill from her. Hey Sean, you listenin’?

Anyway, here’s my take on “Annachi, Truly Chettinad” on the 100 ft Road, Indiranagar, just above Cafe Coffee Day.
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Bangalore is full of surprises. And many times, it pays to try out a new place all by yourself, and not go by popular opinion.

One such place that we discovered was Infinitea on Cunningham Road. If you are a tea lover, this is the place for you. Actually it’s pretty strange. I know lots of people who know this place. But for every person who knows about it, there are ten who don’t!

Infinitea has it all. Friendly staff, lively ambience. Cozy corners. Low sofas with sparkling glass-topped tables. And a menu with a dazzling variety of teas! And of course, tempting eats to go with the tea!
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If you have one of those lucky tongues which has tasted the yummy Chettinad-style food and are longing for it during your stay in Bangalore, this is the place to go!

Ponnuswamy.

How to get there: 80 ft road, Kormangala.

Before getting in: I recommend getting yourself a couple of beers at “The Legends of Rock” bang opposite to Ponnuswamy. Good music @ TLoR will set the mood too.

When there: Don’t miss Kaadai and Chicken (any flavor) for sure. If you are more adventurous I would recommend rabbit roast or pigeon roast. Eat all this along with Muttai Dosai, Piping hot Idlis or Idiyappam. I generally avoid eating rice items as you kinda feel filled up too much, after a drink. But “Country Chicken Biryani” is a good bet ;-)

After coming out: There is a pan shop just outside the restaurant. Relish a sweet pan there!

Next day: Post your comment on this blog!

Well, the ubiquitous Idly that is sold in every darshini hotel and every other restaurant in town just got a speciality twist. If you thought Idly is only white in color, you have to visit Om Murugan Idly Kadai (shop in Tamil) to realise that it can be prepared in a range of colors!

Talking about Idly, I have a selection of places where I love to sink my teeth into soft, hot Idlies. Om Murugan Idly Shop @ Indiranagar and Suswad @ CHM Road.
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Its possible you have not heard of Fanoos ONLY if haven’t heard / been to places such as the Fatima’s Bakery, Johnson Market, Bangalore Military School, the old Elgin Flour Mills but the latter has long been consigned to the dustbin of history unfortunately and so, lets not even venture into that lane for now. A surprise is coming up on Sunday, though. Keep your ears tuned! Anyway, you’ll be familiar with the above places if you enter into Hosur Road from the Richmond Road side or as a continuation from the end of Brigade Road.

Fanoos has been around since a long, long time. I’d reckon about 25 years at the least. What’s so special about the place, you ask? Man, the best sheek kababs & rolls in chicken, mutton & holy cow, even beef - are available here.

Its a popular place in this part of town what with school kids, college students, bacherlors, moony-eyed lovers, down & out/ “end-of-the-month,what-to-do” employees frequenting the place. Sometime ago, it was a seedy place. Nowadays, its much better…thoda sa semblance of order and some neatness is evident.
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On a quiet, residential street in a quiet corner of Indiranagar off of CMH Road is a modest restaurant housed in the ground floor of a nondecrepit building. But at Herbs and Spice, there is nothing modest about the food.

If you are in the mood for good, reasonably priced Continental cuisine and are looking for cozy place to enjoy it in, Herbs and Spice is the place to be. From the furniture to the layout to the decorations, everything reads simple and utilitarian (even the menu is written out on a big blackboard spanning one entire wall of the restaurant), but the ambience will surely make you comfortable. When we visited the restaurant, most of the patrons seemed like they frequented the place - they were familiar with the menu and with the owners (as were the owners with them).

The restaurant serves all the usual fare you would expect to find in an Italian restaurant - the pastas, the pizzas, the salads and the soups, but the dishes are made flavorfully. Each one of the five of us was happy with whatever we ordered - the steak, the roasted tomato and red pepper soup, the yummy salad with green apples and walnuts, the spaghetti with the pesto sauce, and penne with marinara sauce. The restaurant also serves quiches which I haven’t found in many other Italian restaurants in Bangalore.

But if you go to Herbs and Spice, and even if you don’t eat anything else, you must eat the desserts and the one that I heartily recommend is the Walnut Meringue. In fact, make a trip to Herbs and Spice just to enjoy the succulent richness that is the meringue because you will need an empty stomach to appreciate it and once you eat the meringue, you will not have the space or the appetite to eat anything else any way.

Address: 221, 7th Cross, 1st Stage, Indiranagar (off of CMH Road).

Phone: 98450 44549

Whether I am feeling bored or stressed or sad or just want to energise my system, I just take a drive to the nursery and the lake inside the Lalbagh Botanical Garden and when I come back I can’t remember ever having been unhappy.

The nursery is always well stocked with blooming plants of various hues - roses, hollyhocks, dahlias, chrysanthemums and marigolds. Apart from the cool air redolent with the smell of the plants and flowers, they play soothing music all through the day. And some of the tress in the nursery are really old and on a bright sunny day you look up and watch the leaves quiver in the breeze like tiny sheets of gold Iit has to be seen to be appreciated. well there are parts of the nursery where you will smell cowdung and other manure but if you are a earthy person like me you’d love that too! And the nursery caters to all your horticultural requirements - the pesticides, fertilisers, pots, moss sticks and what not apart from the plants and what’s best, everything is priced so reasonably.

After the delightful experience of the sights, smells and sounds in the nursery, head toward the lake which is to the left of the Glass house. or just ask anyone where the lake is. There are benches on the path bordering the lake where you could sit and watch the placid water or some birds swooping down on the trees in the island or watch ducklings swim behind the mother duck like a bunch of obedient kids. Tune your ears to the bird calls or just to hear the wind rustle against the leaves. When you decide it is time to leave, take a walk on the bridge just for the fun of it and the head towards any other part of the garden. A word of warning though. If you plan to eat something there, you will attract beggars, sometimes a naughty monkey and the crows.

A sure and simple way to work all the stress out of your system and on your drive back you will surprise yourself by humming your favorite tune.

A friend sent me a fun questionaire designed to know her friends better and one of the questions was “When and with whom did you dine out last?” “That’s easy”, I said and then I started thinking. Then I thought some more until it dawned on me that I had not dined out in recent memory, that is , in the last 4 years. I am quite content with the occasional treats at the cafe de la liberte at the Alliance francaise campus.
You ask anyone who has been there what they love about the place and the inevitable answer will have to be “Rajan!” who runs the place. Even on the busiest of days, and he gets really busy on weekends when there is a performance in the auditorium, he never forgets to smile at everyone. He anticipates the crowd and stocks up on samosas, pastries, croissants, mini pizzas, pastas, doughnuts etc but if you are not early you may not get any. He is always sold out by 6 p.m and sometimes even earlier. You also get a choice of beverages and milkshakes and juices which are really good.The food is nothing extra ordinary but the ambiance makes up for it. You could sit in the lovely cool garden with specially designed bamboo seats arranged in clusters. Believe me this place can make you forget all the stress you may be under. And it is even better when there is a gentle spray of rain.
The cafe is located in the lobby of the building which has a nice seating arrangement too ( check Anita’s post on the alliance francaise which has the pictures of this place). My idea of unwinding is to sit there in a quiet corner sipping tea watching the so many different types of people who come there, or sit with a book in the garden , or with friends sipping endless cups of tea and snacking on some hot samosas or doughnuts either in the lobby or the atrium- anywhich way it makes me feel contented and peaceful just being there. There are so many quiet corners in this place and it is amazing how each one gives you a different experience. Every corner breathes a life of its own and has a unique character.
Entry is restricted to students, members of the mediatheque and the vistors to the shows at the auditorium. So when you are there next for a show please take some time to look around the place. For me it was love at first sight and the affair continues unabated. Tell me what you think.

I bet you’ve never heard of this place. In fact, when Aqua (again!) gave me directions to Popsies, I completely missed the place (their neon sign was not on) and landed at the end of the lane and then had to backtrack. So do note: it’s an easy place to miss!

And it’s in Koramangala.

Once there, I was quite surprised at the size of the restaurant (I was expecting something small & dingy!). On the contrary, it’s spacious. The music for some reason was really loud! But other than that, it had a cosy feel to it. The seats are all made of bamboo giving it a rather North East Indian feel and therefore it gave me a feeling of being at home :)

The garlic steamed momos were so good that we could not resist ordering another plate of ginger steamed momos. Actually, there are many different kinds of momos on order. But in practicality, they’re all the same, dunked generously in different sauces! Try whatever you want, though the garlic ones were rather good.

We also tried the noodles and a chicken gravy dish, which was not very different from what you get at any other Chinese place. Again, like Taste of Tibet, the thupkas are worth a try.

So if you’re looking for momos, this is one place you can head in Koramangala.

Directions: From the Raheja Arcade Road, pass HDFC Bank (and it should be on your right). Take that turn to the right just after the bank (if you’re walking). It’s a one way in the opposite direction, so you will have to come around if you’re driving. Just after you see Chung Wah to your left, on the right is this little galli. It’s the first place on the right on this galli. It has a neon sign that you might miss if you’re not paying attention!

Bon Appetit, folks!!

If you know any other nice momo places, do leave it in the comments box so we can sample it on future culinary outings.