Monday was the last day i had in Bangalore and in hindsight, i took on a itinerary of a much younger and fitter me. The morning began with Dwarka, an old Bangalore restaurant which moved location sometime ago.
My lovely sister in law blublu happens to live in Bangalore and one of her good friends Madven was the owners grand son. So we were lucky to have a Virgil to our Dante as he accompanied us for most of the morning.
Dwarka is a smallish place with a seating and standing area, which i think is a smart move, SIndian restaurants have quick turn around times and standing and eating is not a bad idea.
The Aloo Palya was good but the Vegetable Saagu was fantastic, highly recommend this be checked out as it was perfect.
The masala dosa was not bad, crispy but very different tasting to the other ones, perhaps it was the butter, two dollops inside and since we were there with the owner two dollops on top. The coffee was top notch, not too and had been given ample time to roast flavors.
All in all, they have been around for ages and it shows why, like other old timers they have their specialties and inspire fierce loyalties.
Dwarka:15, Katte Balaga Raod, NR Colony, Basavanagudi, Bangalore
Pacing ourselves, knowing full well what was on the cards, we proceeded to find our way towards the one place that was meant to be the highlight Vidyarthi Bhavan. It had been highly recommended by my friends and frequent dining companions Slash & Samant Saheb, including frequent requests to fly in some dosas on our return leg.
Vidyarthi Bhavan is older than India and is near legendary for its Masala Dosa, these are usually piled above each other by waiters as they are served. The space is quite large, larger than i expected but fairly basic.
The Dosa was just under whelming, despite the build up it was nowhere near good enough to be considered in the same league as CTR, in fact it was not one i would consider better than Dwarka either. A massive disappointment considering i had been looking forward to this all trip.
Vidyarthi Bhavan: 32, Gandhi Bazar Main Rd, Basavangudi, Bangalore.
From here we headed on to South Thindies, a place Madven insisted we checkout, if for nothing than for its buttermilk. South Thindies is according to Madven the new breed of traditional restaurants opening up across Bangalore.
Sexed up ambiance, multiple locations but traditional dishes, places akin to South Thindies have mushroomed up in Bangalore and are giving stiff competition to the old timers.
Limited menus, competitive pricing and self service with quick turn around is what sets ST apart.
The butter milk was brilliant, what all butter milk should be, a little spiced, freshly made, oh if they only had some ice, it would have been heaven sent. After the morning i had, i still went through two glasses.
I ordered a Rava Idli for the hell of it, just to see what the place was like, unfortunately it was a little disappointing. The idli itself was nothing special, neither were the chutneys or the sag, the red garlic chutney was not bad and the sambar was alright too.
All in all, not bad but not great.
South Thindies :Kanakapura Road, Near Balaji Medicals, Basavanagudi, Bangalore
Overall, Bangalore was all i expected it to be, a good, varied array of restaurants offering something for everyone in the South. I did pay the price for my excesses with an upset stomach, all that freshly churned butter completely destroyed my system and i did not eat anything until the next morning at breakfast.
While you get plenty of accompaniments and the ambiance and space is modern and comfy, the food itself has a long way to go, which is why i think the old timers have little to fear from the young turks.. for now. The biggest drawback i think with old timers is their unwillingness to change to a better service model, their lack of expansion and their resistance to change.
Yet, this is what sets them apart and is part of their charm. More power to them.
My lovely sister in law blublu happens to live in Bangalore and one of her good friends Madven was the owners grand son. So we were lucky to have a Virgil to our Dante as he accompanied us for most of the morning.
The Dahi Vada was not bad, decent the khara bhat was pretty good, enjoyable.
All in all, they have been around for ages and it shows why, like other old timers they have their specialties and inspire fierce loyalties.
Dwarka:15, Katte Balaga Raod, NR Colony, Basavanagudi, Bangalore
Pacing ourselves, knowing full well what was on the cards, we proceeded to find our way towards the one place that was meant to be the highlight Vidyarthi Bhavan. It had been highly recommended by my friends and frequent dining companions Slash & Samant Saheb, including frequent requests to fly in some dosas on our return leg.
We ordered a khara bath which was average, nothing to write home about.
The Dosa was just under whelming, despite the build up it was nowhere near good enough to be considered in the same league as CTR, in fact it was not one i would consider better than Dwarka either. A massive disappointment considering i had been looking forward to this all trip.
The coffee certainly was not bad, fairly decent.
Vidyarthi Bhavan: 32, Gandhi Bazar Main Rd, Basavangudi, Bangalore.
From here we headed on to South Thindies, a place Madven insisted we checkout, if for nothing than for its buttermilk. South Thindies is according to Madven the new breed of traditional restaurants opening up across Bangalore.
Sexed up ambiance, multiple locations but traditional dishes, places akin to South Thindies have mushroomed up in Bangalore and are giving stiff competition to the old timers.
All in all, not bad but not great.
South Thindies :Kanakapura Road, Near Balaji Medicals, Basavanagudi, Bangalore
Overall, Bangalore was all i expected it to be, a good, varied array of restaurants offering something for everyone in the South. I did pay the price for my excesses with an upset stomach, all that freshly churned butter completely destroyed my system and i did not eat anything until the next morning at breakfast.
While you get plenty of accompaniments and the ambiance and space is modern and comfy, the food itself has a long way to go, which is why i think the old timers have little to fear from the young turks.. for now. The biggest drawback i think with old timers is their unwillingness to change to a better service model, their lack of expansion and their resistance to change.
Yet, this is what sets them apart and is part of their charm. More power to them.
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