Prashanth - The Gowda Delight

For all those who dig there teeth in flesh and still cant get enough and also for all those who swear about quitting meat while u are tearing that chicken meat away to glory, this is the local version of Empires.

Not for the faint hearted and vegetarian, Prashanth is located on Gandhi Bazaar main road. You need to be careful of the imitations and the original prashanth is in the corner of the road, just before roti ghar and its entrance is in a side alley, right next to a shady bar. Now this joint is not a place where you can land up with your girl. This is a strict guys only place and the ambiance is not much to talk about, though basic cleanliness is ensured.

This place is famous for its Mudde (ragi balls) and chicken and mutton curries and kebabs. Mouth watering and done it true Gowda style, these place is a great delight for any non fussy non vegetarian foodie, whose only concern is food. After some ragi balls, mutton chops and some rice and curry, at the end of the meal you are served with rasam (a south indian curry), unlike other places where they serve dessert. This is a hot drink, which helps in digestion. If you are a newcomer to the place, do check the bill once before paying. Not that they cheat, but its good to be careful.

Also be careful of duplication as there are quite a few of other prashanth hotels, but ask for the original. Most of the people you find here are regulars and localites who have known the place for a long time now. And if you are a veggie, im afraid, you are in the wrong place. You belong to the minorities over here.

So calling all ye carnivores, the strong hearted and the food obsessed , pay a visit and its worth every kebab the adventure.

Hotel Dwaraka - Little known wonder

My latest find has been this little joint tucked away in the southern part of original bengaluru. This place is near NR colony and one would definitely mistake it for just another regular self service hotel (where u stand and eat) if they have not heard about its legend. I also did not know anything about this hotel, though I have stayed most of my life in south Bangalore and hardly 2-3 kms away, until one of my friend took me to this place.

Even as far as the ambiance and the look of the place is considered, its just like any other darshini hotel. There is a distinct Blue board that stands out, but that is when compared to the mundane shops around. But still, one closer look and you will see something different about this hotel. The times that i have been into this hotel, which i do, atleast 4-5 times in a week, the cashier has been very polite. As a matter of fact, he keeps coaxing you to buy coffee/tea after you buy your Dosa or idli.

The specialty of this place is its khali dosa served with unlimited chutney. 2 bucks extra can fetch you some butter and another 2 bucks, potato sabzi. The khali dosa comes hot and soft and really tasty. Even the other snacks here have a authentic South Indian touch with a distinct flavor to it. Also you feel like this place has a history to it, as they have lot of regular customers and certain unspoken way of how things are done here. For ex. the guy serving the food at the counter always refers to people who are ordering again with their first order. Fancy this "ondu Khali dosa, Khara bath tagondavarige".

On certain probing with my friend who took me their and certain other online blogs, i found out this place was with its own history and interesting anecdotes surrounding it. For beginners it was in Bull temple road and then was shifted here and the reason for its shifting has many stories around it.

Whatever the stories are, I would not mind listening to them as long as they are with the Khali dosa served their. Takers anyone?