An unforgettable breakfast
If this blog stirs your hunger and raises your craving for food, it is definitely claimed by the author as that is the single purpose of the blog :P.
Anything before 10 am on Sunday, is strictly considered unimportant for me unless it’s food. I have been to Namma Bengaluru for a couple of times and cherished its legendary breakfast outlets quite often. So what’s so special about this Sunday? After stepping outside the Majestic Railway Station, I took a BMTC bus to Urvashi talkies by 5:50 am for breakfast (midnight for many of us). I don’t know why so early and did not worry about it as well :P. Travelling sleepless all night made me so tiring that I didn’t mind dozing off in the bus (Yes, even after washing my face with ice-cold water).But inertia took an unbreakable wow to wake me up every single time the bus stops. My face was lifeless and sleepy like the early morning roads of Bengaluru that added more grumpiness to it until I stepped into the legendary ‘Mavalli Tiffin Room’ aka MTR. Reaching there by 6:15 am I was so confident that I would make the ‘Mudhal Boni’ (First bill) of the day (Google showed that it opens by 6:30 am).I have never been this punctual in my life. Once I stepped into the restaurant, my overconfidence got shattered into spoons of sugar crystals that were put in the Coffee of 150+ customers,(sugarless coffee are neglected :P ) who are already having their food inside the busy restaurant. Yes, believe me! 6:15 am and people are waiting for seats while the waiters are rushing around the kitchen, tables and cash counter. It was like a war zone. I stood literally transfixed in front of the restaurant for a minute. Amidst all the clamour, I felt a sense of silence which was further intimidated by the aroma of freshly brewed ‘Filter Coffee’. The place is neat and has a dedicated lounge near the entrance that serves just coffee. The dining area and the furniture altogether delivered a rustic ambience which I would admire all day. The place was 98% filled with customers whose day starts with a plate of Kesari Bath or 1/2 plate Idly Sambar daily (except Monday as the place is closed). As per the set tradition, I first ordered a plate of Kesari Bath. It was understandable that the serving time is a little longer than expected and the patience is worth a ton. It was so busy there and how else do you think they manage serving an average of 4000 cups of coffee daily? The serving time was well enough for me to look around the place, understand it’s heritage and the way it functions. 10 minutes later the dish arrived and without a second’s delay, I took a spoon of the perfectly consistent ‘Kesari bath’ with generously dropped cashew and dry grapes roasted in lavish amounts of pure cow ghee. That is when I decided to treat myself with all the available speciality food in the restaurant for making it to this place on time. I tell you, the day couldn’t have started anyway better. Sadly the dish was over after a couple of spoons. I then jumped from Sweetland to the Savoury Kingdom by ordering the exotic Masala Dosa.It looked like a gold plate shimmering on a porcelain base. The crackle of the crispy dosa was literally the best symphony my ears heard and for the skin, it delivered goosebumps. With the chutney made of coriander and coconut for sides, the combination was more than perfect that it demanded a WoW from me. Meanwhile, I started a conversation with the localite sitting in front of me. He proudly told that he comes here daily for the past 15 years and I went crazy after hearing that. By his words, I could witness how MTR played a major role in the day to day life of its customers. While I was enquiring him about the restaurant’s timings and specialities, my next order was served. It was a piece of large flat idly (not thatte idly) with a small utensil for few ml of ghee and a cup of sambar. Sounds normal right? but it doesn’t look that way. Here is how it made me drool. The entire cup of ghee was generously poured over the idly like monsoon drizzle in Bangalore and then the whole cup sambar was poured right on the idly. After letting the idly to sink in the pool of sambar, took a spoon of it to relish the dish. I would call the moment as Soul-stirring in absolute confidence. The normal misconception about the Karnataka sambar is that it is sweet and guess what the sambar served for tiffin is not sweet but thin and flavourful. Here is the best part after the idly, the mesmerizing Bangalore Filter Coffee. No other dish can serve justice as an end for all those earlier dishes. Personally, it is a sin for me to end a typical South Indian breakfast without a cup of piping hot filter coffee. One sip is all you want and you’ll step into space right at the moment. The food, the ambience, the work culture, the tradition of the restaurant and my enthusiasm altogether took me to a whole new level of experience this morning, thereby pushing my entire boundary of visualizing food to a whole new level. I know I could have shot some images and added in the blog then and there. But what’s the point? Imagination always stands apart right? For me, great food is something that delivers the same level of satisfaction and enthusiasm felt in the moment of tasting it the first time, whenever I think of it. Undoubtedly MTR serves great food. Such visualizations solely can satisfy the hunger for some and develop a hunger for many. I stand by the latter.
