Mitra Samaj, Udupi

I am back after a long time, hoping to pour some words in the form of food review. In this write up let me take you guys to the coastal town of Karnataka which is famous for the temple dedicated to Lord Krishna, the prasadam available in the temple as well the distinct cuisine of that region. By now, you guys would be knowing that I will be speaking about Udupi.

Ratha beedi or the car street of Udupi where Krishna matha is located is mainly surrounded by the 8 mathas which is headed by 8 different seers & these seers are the one who worship lord Krishna. Apart from these mathas, the ratha beedi is also having plenty of options for the authentic vegetarian restaurants which serves the satvik food. Don't get confused with the Jain food. Here satvik food is the one which resembles the taste of temple prasadam or the food available in the Bramhins house!

I was very fortunate to visit one such resturant which is an iconic restaurant namely Mitra Samaj. Popular among the devotees as well as the localities, one can witness the crowd here in the resturant where the customers savouring the iconic dishes in their menu.

Days before I visited here, I was fortunate to view the Vlog of Sri Kripal Amanna in the gourmet on the road. The menu was fixed & the only thing was to travel to Udupi & savour these food. Towards the end of November i did a small trip to the western coast of Karnataka & visited few temples as well as savoured some delicious food.

2nd day of my trip I arrived Udupi at 5 am & checked in, freshened up and proceeded towards the matha to get darshana of the Paramathma, Lord Krishna. Matha was closed at that time & i decided to visit other temples in the ratha beedi. Though I was hungry, I was not in a mode of having my breakfast before the darshanam. So headed towards Mitra Samaj to have the first dose of coffee for that day! Coffee was really good & it made me to forget the hunger. 

Fast forward to evening, after a qualitative sightseeing in Udupi I finally arrived to ratha beedi once again to savour the iconic dishes available in Mitra Samaj. I was told to have the masale dosé, button idli, Goli baje & buns.

I started the test match called savouring from the button idli, which is also known as bullet idli. These small sized idly which was too cute to see was dipped in the sambar and it felt as if the idlies were too high as it had drunk the Sambar or in other words it had absorbed the Sambar. The idlies were too soft & if you forget to bite the idly will just gulp down to the stomach through the food pipe unknowingly. On the other hand, sambar was too delicious not too watery in terms of consistency. Mildly spiced, yet well balanced in terms of the taste.

This was like the opening bowler in the cricket match.

Next comes the second opening bowler called masale dosé. Crispy dosé stuffed with potato curry served along with coconut chutney & Sambar. While having this dosé, I also came to know that this resturant is being run since 1950s & they are one of the first ones to create masale dosé. So, you can tell they are one of the OGs. Savouring the masalé dosé I ordered a Goli baje, which was the next celebrity. Words will fail to describe the taste of masalé dosé. Coconut chutney on the other hand was not too spicy, well balanced taste & it had a watery consistency.

Now comes the Goli baje, which is made out of the batter which has maida flour mixed with curd & fermented for 6 to 8 hours (for the best results). It also has some chopped green chillies, chopped coconuts & also some curry leaves. This batter is finally purified (deep fried) in the bath of hot coconut oil. This is also served with coconut chutney. 

One thing about this restaurant is Goli baje is not stocked like most of the restaurants, yet they are freshly fried as they get the order. No customer will be disappointed, but they might end up in ordering an extra plate of Goli baje. 

Crunchy on the outer layer but equally soft inside the goli baje, also traces of chillies that you accidentally or purposeful bite will give you a punch of spiciness & chopped coconut will come to rescue & reduce that spiciness in your mouth.

Post, Goli baje I was not in a state of having anything but some beverage. Now, I once again ordered a cup of coffee to flush out the excess oil in the throat due to the golibaje 🤣.

Time to give the report card

Taste - 9

Service -8 pretty quick

Ambience - 7.5

Value for money - 8, very economical..

Eating circles

Hello all, I am back after a long time with a brand new write-up. Today I am reporting about a restaurant which is located in Alwarpet,Chennai.

It was in the month of March, I was recovering from the hairline fracture of my left ankle. I got a phone call from my Close friend Manikandan, who is a hard core Malleswara guy & always loves to have a traditional yet qualitative food.

"Rajanna, what's your plan? Let's meet in Eating Circle. Vishwa is also joining." The third human in this write-up is Vishwanath, a hard-core Chennai guy who was waiting for the D-Day to taste the Bengaluru style dosé & other popular snacks of Karnataka.

Atlast we reached the restaurant, Vishwanath & myself ordered Bengaluru Masale dosé & our Manikandan wanted to taste the Mysore Masale dosé. We waited for nearly 12 minutes, in the mean time we had a great chat.

We got our order, I had Bengaluru Masale dosé along with coconut chutney, another which was groundnut chutney & Bengaluru styled sweet sambar with traces of onions, tomatoes & a sweetening agent called Jaggery. Vishwanath too had same except the sambar, he had the Tamilnadu styled sambar which is comparatively spicier than Bengaluru sambar. 

Manikandan had Mysore Masale dosé along with 2 chutney and Bengaluru sambar. 

Now let me explain how Bengaluru Masale was, words fail to explain the taste & the texture. The colour itself tempts anyone & it is topped with some good amount of butter, which starts melting when the dosé is served. The masalé which is generously spread on the dosé & the generous amount of oil & then comes the Potato curry, which are the key ingredients of Masalé dosé. The first bite was taken with the potato curry, then dunked with the coconut chutney & proceeded towards my mouth. The first bite was way too crunchy the coconut flavour was filling in my mouth, then came the masalé flavour which had some traces of garlic, then the potato curry's flavour.

2nd bite was with The special chutney which was groundnut chutney & the roasted groundnut flavour started dominating over the potato curry. The 3rd bite was with Bengaluru sambar, aha! The sweet & spicy combination just started to hit my taste buds which took me to my childhood where I celebrated eating masalé dosé in the darshinis of Bengaluru. The crispiness of Masalé dosé was maintained till the last bite. In the mean time I ordered an extra cup of Sambar.

                  Bengaluru Masale dosé

Coming to Mysore Masale dosé, mint chutney was spread on the dosé & onion curry was filled instead of Potato curry. According to many this is the speciality of Mysore Masale dosé. Manikandan loved the dosé except the onion curry that was replacing the potato curry. I could see the sadness in him, it was as if he is missing one.

I ordered a plate of Mangalore buns, & they had vada dipped in Sambar. Mangalore buns is a very popular dish which is usually consumed as a breakfast as well as snack. Coconut chutney & sambar usually goes well with Mangalore buns.

I had a very shocking moment when they served with a hot cup of Tovve (Dal), which was totally out of syllabus for me & I dared to eat this latest combination. It did taste well but buns along with chutney is always 😋

Vada sambar was not topped with raw chopped onions, but it was dipped in a bowl of hot Bengaluru sambar. The aroma made me revisit Bengaluru for some time.

Regarding this restaurant, the price seems to be bit high but it's worth paying for the quality of the food & before coming out of this restaurant do try the rose milk, which has traces of rose petals. It is mildly sweet & ah! What a nice way to end your weekend dinner!!

Regarding the price

Masalé dosé costs about ₹130/- per plate

Mangalore buns costs around ₹47/- per plate

Sambar vada costs around ₹43/- per plate 

Rose milk costs around ₹71/-

Time to present a report card to this restaurant

Taste - 8

Ambience- 9

Service - quick so I would award 9.5

Value for money - 8 even though the prices look fancy but you can pay for the quality when you are away from hometown & the restaurant which serves & makes you revisit your hometown through the food they serve.

Overall our weekend dinner was sorted & we sang just like Tom & it's friends in one of the famous Tom and Jerry episodes, "we hate to say goodbye, we hate to say goodbye" & then we had some ice cream.

Ahh! What ice-cream after dosé batting? Ruko zara sabhar karo, that will be in a different episode. I too hate to say goodbye, but I have to upload this write-up now..

Puneri Misal at Chinchwad

Aha!! 

After a long time I finally back, thanks to covid 19 for restricting me to go out & crave outside food. Untill November 2020, I was literally stuffed with home made food. November 2020, I went to Pune to meet my relatives. Finally I visited this city which adored the name "Punya Nagari", after 3 years. 

I was excited to taste some Vada pav, few Gujarat as well as Rajasthani snacks in this city along with my cousin who just turned 18. He told me that "Bhai! Let's go to this legendary eatery point which serves one of the best Misal pav." 

I was too excited, my uncle warned me that it would be Very spicy, but I love these spicy food like hell & I told him "Don't worry! Apun ko spicy food se dushmani hona mushkil hi nahin, na mumkin hain!" 🤣

Trust me, at 8 AM, me being a authentic south indian who eats Idly, Dosé, upma, or dishes made of beaten rice. I was about to have a food that is never considered as breakfast in South India. My cousin started his bike, Pulsar 150. One of the dangerous bikes I have ever driven.

In 10 minutes after some crazy bike riding, we reached one of the gully in Chinchwad gaon. 

Newale Misal, which was written on the board.

There was none when we entered this small yet compact eatery point. We ordered each one plate of Misal pav for us. My cousin was really unsure about my love towards spicy food & he requested the waiter for medium spiced version. My cousin  told me "bhai! If it's too spicy don't worry, we will go to other place." 

"Ruko Zara sabhar karo!" I replied.

Within 3 minutes we got our share of Misal. I took the first bite, my stomach was expecting it would receive something sweets, Alas! Misal pav came out of the syllabus & I coughed. My cousin asked "kya bhai? Maza aaya?"

Don't worry kiddo, this is just the first bite. Wait & watch!!

Let me tell you Misal pav is the step brother of Pav bhaji. Here pav bun is the only common factor, instead of bhaji made of various vegetables. You guys get a spicy gravy of sprouts, with abundant amount of spices, topped with onions and Farsan along with a slice of lemon. For a first timer who is tasting Misal don't dare to ask the tarri, which is a spicy yet oily sauce which is poured to the Misal, the tarri is the spiciness enhancer.

Price for a plate of Misal pav is 80 Rs & you can take extra pav by paying 8 Rs for 2 Pav.

Overall, this experience of having the spiciest breakfast in Chinchwad, the suburb of Pune was in the next level. I must thank my cousin for taking me to this wonderful place. 

Before leaving, I had a glass of Solkadhi. A very popular drink of the Konkan belt of Maharashtra.

Report card:

Taste - 9

Ambience- 7 

Service- very quick I will give 9.5

Value for money - 9

Dakshin Bharath breakfast at Dakshin Café

I aaaaam back & I am really hungryyyyyy..

In this post I will be reviewing a hotel which is located in the Southern Bangalore.

Few months back, I had been to Bangalore. I was craving for some authentic south Indian breakfast.

Usually I stalk Zomato & swiggy instead of stalking random girl's profile in Instagram 😂.

Because food is my bae ♥️.

After continuous stalking in Zomato, I got this restaurant namely Dakshin café. 

I took my bike key, and after few kicks my bike started to roar in its full voice..

After 15 minutes I reached Dakshin café, and I was wondering what to order..

Menu had some authentic karnataka food like gojju avalakki, Akki rotti, ragi rotti, shavige bath which can be termed as something very rare dishes in Bangalore's restaurants..

As I ordered my first dish that is avalakki oggarne which is known as lemon avalakki in this hotel, actually avalakki oggarne is the distant cousin of chitranna (lemon rice) 😅.

Preparation is 90% similar to that of chitranna, yet you find avalakki (beaten rice/aval/poha). Sorry I can't give further translation of avalakki in other languages. It was served with a cup of coconut chutney, to be honest avalakki oggarne was somewhat great when tasted with chutney.

One could really taste the sourness of lemon in this, mildly spiced, tempered with mustard,jeera, urad Dal. You must eat this when it's  really hot..

Nextly, I am a huge fan of dosé (dosa/dosai not preferable).

I tried this varient of dosé called pudi masale dosé, which is something different than other varients of masale dosé which you get in the streets of Mumbai..

Pudi masale dosé was way too simple dish, a masale dosé on which a special powder namely chutney pudi ( guys don't call some nimi nimi pudi and all, already that Nimi nimi pudi has become a controversial term) has been smeared whole heartedly & some good amount of oil.

Point to be noted, sambhar is strictly not served with pudi masale dosé in this restaurant. 

Masale dosé was literally delicious, spicy due to the pudi & the crispiness can not be compared to dosai which I get here in Chennai.

Next dish which I tried was Mangalore buns, a sweet yet deep fried snack which is very famous in the coastal city of Karnataka, Mangalore. 

Buns was not bad, but the saagu which was the combination for Mangalore buns, was something which you must try..

Dakshin café is one such hotel which is pocket friendly, prices of food is not too high, quality is really good and most importantly you have to serve yourself..

I was about to start my bike & I realised I have committed a sin..

The sin which I committed was not having a cup of coffee (kaapi as said by bangaloreans).. 

Bangalore was being blessed with good amount of rains & the weather was super cool..

Can anyone tell no to a cup of coffee, being a South Indian ??

Idly shop which serves Tamil Nadu Saapadu

I aaaaammmmm baaaaacckkkkkkk.....
I aaaaammmmm hungryyyyyyyyy...

After a long time I am writing a post which may be too short or not too lengthy.

I had to stay in a place which is near to Chennai international airport, so on the very first day, I had to fill my tummy which was craving for lunch, as I had pongal( which I really don't like ) for the Breakfast.

So, I Searched for a restaurant which can serve an authentic Tamil Nadu Saapadu (meals)..

Murugan idly shop came to rescue.
Lunch at idly shop, what the fish bro!!!!

You guys may be wondering how can I get a lunch at an idly shop, but trust me this restaurant is famous for idly, which I will be posting in the upcoming posts..

So the lunch was a very simple, yet delicious..

Usually here at Chennai, you don't find any steel plate or something similar to that, but the Chennai people are really eco-friendly guys that the lunch was served on the plantain leaf which localities term it as elai Saapadu..

Simple menu for that day kootu, poriyal, avial, kaara kozhambu, sambaar, Dal, rice, a dessert & a papad & curd..

Kootu was superb which had bhindi or lady's finger as the main ingredient, bit spicy and not too tangy.

Avial was just delicious & pumpkin as well as coconut milk was the prime ingredients. Tastes well with hot & steamy rice topped with 2 to 3 spoons of ghee.

No words about poriyal, raw banana or plantain being the main ingredient & regarding taste nothing, taste was well balanced. Not too spicy & was a wonderful combo with sambar.

Initially, I was served Parappu or dal, topped with ghee & an papad as an accompanying artist. Once the dal & rice is done, it is like you have officially begun the art called eating. Kaara kozhambu was something spicy yet very sour was another star attraction in the ele Saapadu, it had traces of sambaar onion, brinjal, Tomato & some garlic. For this if you have to pour some gingelly oil & mix it well. Now start enjoying just the way you enjoy your favourite song.

Sambaar was having a total different taste for me being a guy from Karnataka. The base ingredients are quite different than the one which we get in Karnataka. Absolutely no trace of jaggery & coconut. Abundant usage of tamarind & pepper makes the sambar tastes spicy as well as too tangy.

Next was rasam, which is an authentic Tamil Nadu Rasam. Never compare it with the saaru available in Karnataka. I was so lucky that i was served the mizagu rasam or the pepper rasam or menasina saaru!

Dessert was a payasam which didn't had the traces of sugar but sweetening agent of payasam was Jaggery along with some dry fruits, which makes me utter Payasam me mudam dehi!

That was the Saapadu I had at Murugan idly shop..Okay guys it's time to sign off from the post.

Wait how can I even sign off from the post without even  mentioning the tayir saadam or curd rice, south Indians won't spare me if I don't mention their favourite part of the lunch..

Or in simple words, you can't complete a movie without a climax..

Or if you are a cricket freak, ICC world cup can't be a successful event without a match between India and Pakistan..

Sorry guys, I am really deviating from the main topic, tayir saadam which is an essential food for Chennai citizens to tackle the peak summer here. No words to express about tayir saadam, or mosaranna. Which cools down our body for few minutes.

For ₹100/- in 2019, was the most Economical yet delicious lunch you could get in Chennai.

That's it guys for this post, yeah now this the actual ending, & just by seeing the previous ending please don't close the tab..

Untill then bye guys .

Kattabomman hotel, Port Blair

I aaaaaaaaam baaaaaaaackkk I aaaaaaaaam hungryyyyyyyyyy..
In this write up, I will be reviewing a hotel located in the city of Port Blair in Andaman and nicobar Islands, which really saved me from craving for an authentic veggie meals..

Very recently, I had been to the archipelago of Andaman and nicobar, which is termed to be the heaven for sea food lovers..
But, in my case I am that type of foodie who coined a term "vegetarian foodie"..

Even though first 3 days went very smoothly, due to the pure veggie restaurant at radhanagar beach(Havelock Island), tender coconuts, bananas,& other snacks which I took from my home, that was not sufficient for my tongue..

Upon enquiring our driver, he suggested one of the older yet famous restaurant namely kattabomman hotel..

Situated in the busy one way traffic road of the Aberdeen bazar of Port Blair, this hotel has been the one stop destination for many veggies like me..

A very small restaurant, yet they serve a homely food for their customers..
As it was the  lunch Time I ordered south Indian thali..
South Indian thali at kattabomman is slightly different from that I taste here in Bengaluru, here you won't get chapathi or poori along with the thali..

Main players in the thali are coconut chutney, dry curry of potato(changes every day), bhindi(lady's finger) curry, rasam, sambar, vettal kozhambu, spinach curry, curd, a dessert,& last but not the least the support roles namely papad & mor mizhagai which is also known as balkad mensinkai in Kannada.

Regarding the taste, only one word that comes from my mouth is just awesome .

Hotel may be very small in terms of carpet area, but the area of the staff's heart is too large, very friendly staffs they treat their customers as their family members..

In the beginning even though the quantity of rice would be very less, but if you're in need of rice they will refill your plate..even in the case of other  items likecurries, rasam, etc.

Regarding the price, believe it or not a plate of South Indian unlimited thali costs about ₹100/- only, for refilling of rice & other items they won't charge even a single paisa.

Other items that are available in this restaurant are lemon rice, curd rice, puliyogare, hot yet crispy dosai that is pocket friendly..

Veggie friends those who are reading this write up,this is the only vegetarian cheap eats that serves quality food at Port Blair.

How to reach Kattabomman hotel:
100 meters from the city police station, few yards from police gurudwara & less than a kilometre from Abardeen bazar clock tower.

Time to give a report card
Taste- 8
Ambiance - 7
Quality - 7
Service - very quicker than the expected, so I would like to give 9
Value for money - 9.5, to be honest there is no other restaurant which provides a full meals at ₹100/-..

That's all for this write up, will meet you in the next post.

Evening snack of Hubballi

I aaaaaaaaam baaaaackkkk, I aaaaaaaaam hungryyyyyyyyyy.. I am writing a review after a long time, due to personal commitments.

Today let's travel to mini Mumbai of Karnataka alias Hubballi. Here I will be introducing you guys few authentic Hubballi evening snacks.

During the recent visit to Hubballi, along with my cousins (who enjoys food but they are not connoisseur like me 😂) I went to have the famous snack namely girmit.
Girmit is a distant cousin of Bhel Puri , but girmit is way too spicy than it's cousin..

Mainly girmit consists of puffed rice, onions, tomatoes, a special chutney made exclusively for the girmit, traces of jaggery & a handful yet heartful amount of sev..
Even though I used to eat here in Bengaluru, but the taste of  girmit is superb at Hubballi..

Along with it please, I repeat please try the mirchi bhaji or chilly pakoda.
Mirchi bhaji is bit spicy when compared to girmit..
Please be careful while you are having an extra mirchi bhaji..

Girmit & mirchi bhaji combination that is something irreplaceable at Hubballi..

But picture abhi Baki hai mere dost, because you haven't consumed kadak cha or chai..

Whatever may be the weather condition at Hubballi, if it's extreme summer people want chai, if it's raining heavily people want chai, if it's too cold outside they need chai, tensed or happy or sad or succeeded or failed they need chai that's it..
Hubballi people & kadak cha's love story is better than Twilight Saga..

If you are at Hubballi, please try the combination of girmit, mirchi bhaji & kadak cha. I am damn sure you will fall in love with this combo, & then you guys will thank me for introducing this wonderful yet delicious combo.

Time for the report card-
Taste - 9/10
Ambiance- 7/10
Service - too quick so I would give a 10
Quality- 9/10
Value for money- too economical, 10/10..
Not a bad report card to be honest.

Will meet you in the next post, untill then eat wisely, eat healthy and live healthy.
So, that's all folks!!!!!