OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: CENTRAL TIFFIN ROOM (CTR)

 OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: CENTRAL TIFFIN ROOM (CTR) 

It's not often that one gets an opportunity to eat at a restaurant that is over 100 years old! The reason is simple- there are not many of them! One of Namma Bengaluru's favourite eating places - which we visit from time to time- does qualify for this honour. 

Central Tiffin Room in Malleshwaram - known far and wide simply as CTR- was established way back in 1920 which makes it 105 years old as I write this post. It has been in its current location at 7th Cross Road, Malleshwaram since 1952. 

For most patrons- CTR means Benne Masala Dosa- the South Indian dosa/ crepe which is roasted with a liberal amount of butter ( called Benne in Kannada). It is crisp and has a filling of potato palya within it. 

Their website informs us that they make and serve over 7500 Benne Masala Dosa per day!! 

We naturally had the Benne Masala Dosa- the most talked off dish in CTR.

We love this dosa- each time we visit here the taste remains as delicious as always!! 

Naturally, the restaurant exudes a quaint, old world charm. Try to get a place upstairs when you visit there. It is less crowded than the downstairs area and has so much nostalgia hovering over the place. 

We particularly loved the Essence of Teachings from the Bhagawat Gita. 

 We also had idli and vada- two other popular South Indian breakfast items. These were of course served with the traditional accompaniments of sambar and chutney. 

When you are done with eating and feeling satiated with the delicious food, you must have another favourite of mine- the South Indian filter coffee. 

A word of advice for those of you who are new to town and have been recommended a visit to CTR.  Since there is so much demand, the service tends to be brisk. You will be well advised to be ready with your order. Asking the waiter doesn't help much as he will rattle off so many items that you may find it difficult to comprehend. Instead, have a good look at the decidedly old world menu board! You will note with interest that CTR dates back to 1920 and they have no holidays!!! 

They won't hustle you out while you eat your food, but please note that CTR is not a modern coffee shop where you can sit - with or without your laptop - for hours over a coffee or two.

If you visit Bengaluru and haven't been to CTR yet, I would strongly recommend a visit. Definitely worth it!! 

OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: KHANDANI RAJDHANI AT ORION MALL, BENGALURU

 OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: KHANDANI RAJDHANI AT ORION MALL, BENGALURU

If, like me, you enjoy Rajasthani food, I would urge you to try the thali at Khandani Rajdhani at the Orion Mall in Bengaluru. They have several restaurants in different parts of Namma Bengaluru. At Orion Mall, you can't miss Khandani Rajdhani as this is the first restaurant you see when you go up to the Food Court in the second level. They offer lunch ( from 12 noon to 3.30 pm) and dinner ( from 7.30 to 10.30 pm). 

Last month, I went to this restaurant with my family. There is something about Rajasthani food that I love so we chose this restaurant. Here, I am told, the most popular offering is the Rajasthani Thali though they have Gujarati Thalis too. 

We also enjoyed the jal jeera and mango lassi along with the thali, though this does not come as part of the deal. 

It is recommended that you reserve a table because it can get quite crowded especially on Friday 

evenings and on Saturday and Sunday. When you reach your table, you are first offered warm water  to wash your hands in a basin. Then the colourfully attired waiters start the service with their customary efficiency. 

Instead of having too much of one particular dish, here the focus is on giving the diner small portions of many dishes. We loved the Rajasthani Thali.  Rotis or rice, you can have as much as you want enjoying the delicious dishes that are served with it. As expected,  I loved my favourite Rajdhani Special Dal Baati Churma, without which no Rajasthani meal is complete. 

In brief, the thali is made up of 2 starters ( I particularly liked the Rajwadi Samosa), 4 veg dishes: Paneer Butter Masala, Sarson ka Saag; Aloo Lasooniya and Jaisalmeri Chana. I must admit that some of the dishes are really not of Rajasthani origin! We also had  Cholar Dal, and Kadhi. These dishes were had with Indian breads such as phulka, puris, and rotlas. The rice offerings were Peas Pulao, Rajputana Khichdi and Anardana Curd Rice (curd rice with pomegranates). The accompaniments were green mint chutney, garlic chutney ( which was lip smacking!), masala chaas (buttermilk), and roasted papads.  

In the desserts, I particularly liked the Malpuas with rabdi (which is made by condensing milk on low heat for a long time). The other desserts were Fruit Shrikhand and Gajar Halwa. 

Interestingly, if yours is an all-women's group, you can choose to eat here on Wednesdays when they offer a special price for their Women's Wednesday Thali!!  If you live far away from their restaurants, don't be discouraged, you can order food from Khandani Rajdhani using the Zomato App. 

OUR DINING EXPERIENCE : GO NATIVE

OUR DINING EXPERIENCE : GO NATIVE

A couple of days back we had a wonderful lunch at Go Native in 5th Block, Jayanagar in our city of Bengaluru. As you can see from their website they have a boutique there but our main focus today is on the restaurant at the same premises.  We had read positive reviews for this restaurant at Zomato and decided it was worth checking out. Believe me, it most certainly was!

It was a week day and there wasn't too much of a crowd but there were a fair number of diners when we got there. We were led up the stairs to the balcony restaurant from where one gets a view of greenery which is becoming increasingly in short supply in Bengaluru. It was nice to see this restaurant was located in a lovely nook in a relatively uncrowded part of bustling Jayanagar.

We were delighted with the food. All the items were very tasty and we got our money's worth. The service was impeccable and Sooraj the guy who looked after us was knowledgeable in helping us navigate the menu which was full of dishes we hadn't come across before. The focus is on providing customers with seasonal products so we saw that many dishes had jackfruit in them. A few weeks earlier perhaps it would have been mangoes.

We started with the Mushroom Chilli Potato Soup which was simply superb!! If you like a spicy soup you can't find anything better. It was a splendid start to our meal.

There were many items on offer- all of them vegetarian, by the way- and we decided to opt for Harabhara Sabudana Kababs served with two types of chutneys. Sabudana, as you know is tapioca.

While we ate this we sipped at the Jackfruit and Coconut Milk Shake. It was surprisingly light given the ingredients and very refreshing.

The next item in our order was Cheesy Maddur Vada. As you would have guessed by now, this was not the conventional Maddur Vada as it had a light stuffing of cheese in it. The accompanying coconut chutney was delicious as were the crisp Maddur Vadas.

We hesitated between the Kathal (Jackfruit) Biryani and the Masala Banana Flower Rotis. We already had some jackfruit so we opted for the rotis. This was served with a spicy green peas gravy and a dry salad of healthy sprouts, groundnuts and the like.  The combination was great with the spicy peas curry paired with the relatively bland rotis and kosambari.

For dessert there were many items of offer. We chose the Lemon Cheesecake Tarts with Jackfruit Compote. This again was something very different from what we had tasted before and the freshly baked tarts were accentuated with the dahi and jackfruit compote. Lip smacking indeed!!

Over all we liked the ambience, the decor and the service. With all this we had a delicious meal with dishes we had never tasted before in this form. What more can one ask for??

In conclusion, this restaurant is highly recommended, if you like something different from the ordinary.

OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: CENTRAL JAIL RESTAURANT

OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: CENTRAL JAIL RESTAURANT

Some months ago, friends of ours had visited this restaurant in Jayanagar 4th Block  in South Bengaluru called Central Jail. They had posted a few pictures of it and we were somewhat intrigued by the decor and outfits worn by the staff. This restaurant, as the name suggests, has the theme of being designed like a jail!!The theme, at least for us, was most certainly unique. I am not adding pictures relating to the theme as you must experience it for yourself.

A few days back we happened to be in the area around lunch time and decided to give it a try. We had no reservations but since it was just after 1.00 p.m. we got space quite easily, not in the Main Jail where the dining places are like cells with bars etc but in our more preferred space outside which is more airy, bright, and well ventilated! This restaurant is open from 12 noon to 3.00 p.m. and from 6.30 p.m. to 11 p.m.

In no time the place filled up and by the time we finished our lunch, virtually all the tables were full and we saw a number of people waiting for their turn to get a table.  In retrospect, it may be a good idea to book a table in advance especially on a weekend.

Like most restaurants they offer a wide variety of cuisine ranging from the popular Andhra style to North Indian, Seafood and Chinese. The menu is quite impressive in its spread. There is a lot to choose from by way of beverages, starters, soups, main course, dessert etc in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian, though I suspect this is better known for its non-vegetarian food. Since we were here for the first time, we didn't want to be too adventurous and decided to select the more common dishes which we thought would be good.

We started with Paneer Tikkas . I liked the presentation of the dish and they were as yummy ( to beat to death that old cliche) as they looked especially with the mint chutney. For a tikka to be perfect they need to be well- marinated. The ones we got were excellent.

For the next course, we opted for the Chef's Choice of Jail Special Chicken Biryani, described as being their signature dish. This was served with the customary salan and raita. We don't like bland biryanis so this was quite enjoyable as it had just the required amount of spice.

Since we are fond of prawns, we ordered the Prawn Chilli done in the Indian Chinese style which was outstanding. For this dish, as indeed for everything else the quantity was more than adequate.

We were quite full so we skipped the desserts though they had intriguing names such as " Inmate's Special ", "Hijack", "Shootout " etc. May be we should have this the next time. And, of course there will be a next time as we really liked the food.

The service was also very good as was the overall hygiene and we had no complaints whatsoever about our brief sojourn in the Central Jail!!