It is during such solo trips that we completely transform and connect with our inner self.Some applaud me for following my heart whereas some give me lecture. But I take everything with a pinch of salt.My mother was the first to criticize me. Even today she recalls and asks me how I arrived kerala ancestral home solo at early morning 4am. Many of you may think what's the big deal. It's not one from where I come from. As i live in a developed city. But In states and village in India sleep by 10. How i took a taxi to come home at time.Only i knew of that ordeal. I sat for three hours at the railway station to until finally a good old uncle agreed to leave me home. He didn't take any fare but God I did get back one bag of scolding from. Because it's unsafe to sit there in a railway station. But when I told him it was not my mistake. He agreed.The process of knowing new people is the best part of solo traveling.While travelling solo Freedom is felt.We get to know our likes and dislikes while traveling alone.We get to make new friends.I prefer walking, using public transportation ,trains to save costs.This is how I took a sudden decision to take up a job post of senior art director with a renowned world famous Advertising Direct Marketing firm in Bangalore. While residing there i went to meet some of my old college friends too on my gut feeling.
It’s a bright Saturday afternoon and no office ,the kind a retreating feel the rainy chill Bangalore has on you.For a moment i thought the Sun sympathized with me & wondered “God has a good sense of humor”.It was drizzling and a cold, wet breeze blew some of the rain onto the table we were seated on. The view kept my nose glued to the window...As i joined my group of friends for that noon lunch, looking out of the window i remembered those moments of eating out in Delhi, in the by-lanes of Sadar Bazaar,Karol Bagh,Bengali Market,Dilli Haat,Modern Bazaar in Basant Lok & Chandni Chowk's paranthe wale gali to name some. Delhi is a place where you can taste the India’s best street food.Do you know Delhi’s best street food? Well, it’s Chaat and Gol Guppe. The name is same in all the cities but the ingredients are different.Remembering those moments of devouring the gol guppe,tikki and chaat with your group of friends.The Old Delhi is the place where you’ll find the best chaats in the city.You can also have the taste of various desi food available at every nook and corner of the city.
It’s a bright Saturday afternoon and no office ,the kind a retreating feel the rainy chill Bangalore has on you.For a moment i thought the Sun sympathized with me & wondered “God has a good sense of humor”.It was drizzling and a cold, wet breeze blew some of the rain onto the table we were seated on. The view kept my nose glued to the window...As i joined my group of friends for that noon lunch, looking out of the window i remembered those moments of eating out in Delhi, in the by-lanes of Sadar Bazaar,Karol Bagh,Bengali Market,Dilli Haat,Modern Bazaar in Basant Lok & Chandni Chowk's paranthe wale gali to name some. Delhi is a place where you can taste the India’s best street food.Do you know Delhi’s best street food? Well, it’s Chaat and Gol Guppe. The name is same in all the cities but the ingredients are different.Remembering those moments of devouring the gol guppe,tikki and chaat with your group of friends.The Old Delhi is the place where you’ll find the best chaats in the city.You can also have the taste of various desi food available at every nook and corner of the city.
This goes without saying that I missed Delhi for a lot many things. Anyways I was in for new venture. Food is just fine in Bangalore, but I sorely missed Delhi and it's cost friendly & delicious street food.Every restaurant there serves yummy piping hot South Indian coffee, idli,crispy dosa,Vada,upma, chutney,sambaar and rice. That is easily accessible and available there in every nook and cook of Bangalore.And my all time favourite for pure indulgence of enjoying the eating experience at Delhi was Karim’s for Mughalai ,Khan Chacha Restaurant famous for their kababs, best seekh rolls and rumaali roti at Khan Market,Claridges of North Indian & Chinese food and Pindi Restaurant at Pandara Road, NCR-Delhi.The Claridges Dhaba - North Indian highway cuisine and Jade, serving authentic Chinese cuisine from Mainland China,is a real treat for the senses.Their mouth-watering food comes at reasonable prices, making the deal utterly irresistible.Yes,Whether it is karims ,Claridges, Pindi or anywhere in Delhi,for a food lover it’s an indulgence, but it’s worth it.Such is the magic of NewDelhi’s food.
It had been a while since I had gone hanging out in Bangalore.The first few weeks has been quite exciting for me.I went looking high n low to get a good house hunting, met interesting people, went shopping,discovered new places, took hundreds of pictures and enjoyed nice cups of coffee.House hunting was very exhausting. It took me time to adjust to bangalore's conjusted lanes and rental homes. I stayed in ulsoor,Richmond Town,Cox town, Frazier town,Whitefield, Old Airport Road. Which are all posh areas. Since I come from Delhi. Everyone knows Delhi is a spacious place. Even the homes are big and spacious. I changed 4 houses. Until I found a P. G according to my liking. It was private and spacious. It had everything from WiFi to TV to washing machine to gas stove to gaeser. Plus a good jovial decent owner who eventually became a good friend of mine. LAnd being the rave like any new comer I was for checking out new places, it was my colleauge who ended up taking me to every place I had on my request list.She has been living in bangalore for some 8 years now.So we planned it out with our colleauges.Well, for a person like me, who is freaked out about crowded places, especially when I want to chill out for a while, the likes of a crowded Garuda Mall ,Bangalore Central and Forum are not of much interest.It's all ok uptill if you are in shopping mood.These places were far too crowded even to see your own hand.To try out new places in a new place was indeed a serious adventure.I can't recollect when inbetween I acquired this relentless passion for chasing good tasty food.But,I went on a serious trip of unearthing Bangalore's all and even offbeat eating joints, which were high on pretension and low on value for money.There’s nothing better than a feel-good snack to satisfy your midnight craving or afternoon fetish!
For starters,Is there a better way to start or end the day than with steaming hot idlis & Dosas served with steaming hot sambar and chutney?They are available anywhere & everywhere in Bangalore in any fast food restaurant.Though being a south indian myself,I never had so much of idli and dosa's to eat in my life as my stay in Bangalore.I presume they will remain a monopoly of Bangalore for quite some time to come. Then comes the next haunt Nandini - Small in budget and great in taste, the Chicken Biryani at Nandini has never disappointed me. Branches of Nandini are scatterred all over Bangalore.For some reason, I hate it when I get those pieces of cinnamon ,jeera & other whole spices when I eat, and the Andhra food is full of that...
Visited so many places for North Indian food...but lastly came to a conclusion Bobby's Dhaba near my house next to Gurudwara,Ulsoor was the best.See i didn't forget the cheesy & oily name either... :P.Then there is Naachiyars at Haudin Road adjacent to Ulsoor lake again at walkable distance from my house.This is an unpretentious little eatery that one might miss while driving by.A place where you can go for a long drive or a good breezy evening walk along the lake after having the lunch.Awesome food!Very small place though but the Chettinad cusine food holds a special place for food lovers.
Our office is in Prestige Centre Point Building,Cunnigham Road.And everyone from office used to frequent Banjara Restaurant.Which is in the ground floor of the same buliding.It is a crowd favorite. South Indies at infantry road is one of my another eat outs in Bangalore.I have been to this restaurant thrice in the past.You cannot visit it daily as its expensive.Fine for once in a month visit.If you are hunting for Continental food then you must visit the Aromas of China at Richmond Circle known for its lip smacking chinese food.And Chung Chinese Corner at Cunningham Road for which their Steam momos and chicken lollypops are really good & famous.For fullfilling your STEAKS & SIZZLERS temptation then there is no place better than Kobe at Garuda Shopping Mall Magrath Road.I chose a Mint Tea and we enjoyed it.You will also find a lot of players from our good old indian cricket team always dining at Kobe.Somehow,I didnt like the Food Court of Garuda Mall.The experience was horrible and disappointing.All 7 days of the weeks fully crowded.Dont ask me about food...it was also diappointing.A very congested mall of Bangalore and getting there is a bit of a nightmare.The Mall is nice though.My friends and I went next door to KFC to remove the horrible taste from our mouth! Nothing like a good ol KFC & Dominoes!Later on went to dig in the Donuts.The same applies to Adiga's.Food is just ok but very spicy.There is utter confusion in seating arrangement. This is a self service joint. No menu cards are available on the tables. You have to view the menu on the painted list near the Cash counter and purchase the coupons. Then you should proceed to the food counter & stand in big que. The food counter is at the other end of the hall to present the coupons for getting the food items. In the meanwhile some one should take care of your seat. Literally you have to play the game of musical chair. By the time you settle down to eat, you lose the appetite & its already time to be bac in the office. If you need any further item you should repeat the game.First suggestion is that the Management should think of better service if they want the tourists & customers to return to the place again.
We were a group of colleagues trying to figure out how far we can get out of this noisy city for lunch! This was my 5th visit to Benjarong restaurant in Ulsoor road,Thai food in Bangalore...... always the same high quality of food and service. Satisfies my Thai cravings to the fullest! Went there with a media friend the last time. This place was recommended by another colleague of mine.She and her husband were a regular there.If you are a foodie... a place you must try... you will go back!The price is little on the higher side but you wont mind this since the quality of food is so amazing.What to say, after a long time we felt our cullinary taste buds was satiated with the right food, ambience and service combo. And the struggle for good food in Bangalore continued.
Bangalore is rather slick, and the crowd is nice ,trendy,hep & happening ,young, so though I do sound snarky about it but still lacks that energy of night life.Only disadvantage is that it does not barhop,nor does it club or party.For some apparent reason, they have been assumed to be the most happening places.The city has the highest number of pubs in India,and sadly they are open before noon and closed early by 11:30 pm.Whereas Night life in Delhi is another addition to the new lifestyle being embraced by the people of Delhi. Night clubs in the city open till late night and you can eat, drink along with enjoying dance on the floor.Though i am not much of a party an pub person.Still have attended some official and personally organised party's by my friends at some of these happening clubs.Since i am normally a person who's in bed by 11 pm,clubbing & going to pubs isn't my idea of a perfect night-out.I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Pebbles with it's rocking dance floor.Pebbles near Palace Grounds is a nightclub specially known for its delightful Persian and Indian cuisines.The best hideout place from the buzz of the city.It's different from the those usually cramped, stuffy, smoky, shiny-disco-ball kind of place that leaves you with a severe head/neck/back/throat ache and a diminished bank balance.A little bit of Goa in the heart of Bangalore!
Apart from pebbles,some other most happening nice joint's i visited,liked & recommend are Sherlock Holmes at Fraser Town is the first i visited (a family style restaurant cum bar,a place to enjoy a food,drink and soft music),Maya (There is 70's Disco nights every Saturday),Blue Bar at Taj West End,The Lounge,The Retro with a disc,Fusion lounge (A comfortable lounge bar with easy atmosphere to watch live sports on giant screens with Live DJ),Bacchus (F & B) ,TGI Friday (an all American pub with old posters signboards etc).Then there is Kosmo - A peaceful place away from the noise of the main road,near my office in cunnigham road.Serving continental and Fusion dishes.One cannot imagine something like a Kosmo lounge and bar existing there in the middle of so much of activity.Definitely a touch of sophistication in the Bangalore nightlife.
There's nothing quite like creating your own holiday, at your own pace. To play tourist in your own backyard. Which is what i did in Bangalore.Shopping in Bangalore can prove to be a wonderful experience for shopping freaks.Namma Bengaluru is definitely worth a visit...especially for a change, considering the extremely convenient location for fun.Despite all these things,I think Bangalore still suffers from a "fine dining" experience.What’s missing is the wow factor.You’ll eat here and enjoy it but the food’s not really the kind that will make you pine for it.I like Delhi for its People and its space.People residing here come from all parts of the country,which makes the city very cosmopolitan in mature and there is unity among the citizens from all caste and creed.You will find the same vigor and bliss among people from different communities.Which is also present in food here.Anyway,coming back to food talk,I usually disregard the diet factor when eating out.For me,If I am spending my time and money, taste & quality certainly takes top priority. However, the food in Bangalore or how much developed this silicon valley is,It is no way near authentic Delhi and its food.And thats why I also like Delhi.You don't have to look for a restaurant all the time to have something for your appetite because there are many "take away" eateries in that are equally good in quality.Which is never possible in Bangalore as every shop and eatery shuts down its shutters by 9:30.Sad part if by chance you had not had your dinner in time....you will have to sleep empty stomach. Such a hungry nightmare.
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