Madurai and the refreshing jil jil jigarthanda

Posted on April 13, 2013 by Gans

When my friends used to go to Ooty and other places for summer vacation, I always ended up at the one place where you can really beat Summer. Madurai . But in all those years, I have never had a glass of jigarthanda ever. That small problem was taken care of in my recent trip.

But of course, the trip was not just about the jigarthanda. It was about Temples, Spirituality and Sex (it is getting really tough to separate these 2 in our temples however hard we might like to) The ‘enlightened eye’ helps here as well. As a child, we were not allowed to ask unnecessary questions about statues. We just had to close our eyes and pray. Maybe our parents knew about the dangers if we opened our eyes There were the usual sculptures of busty women, men and mythical creatures with their privates out for all to see but this time I saw an especially weird image etched onto a stone pillar. This was at a temple in Thirupparankundram. Tell me what you think of it.

If you think “Eurrgh”, see the next picture

Convoluted sex?

Having said all this, you really should make a trip to Madurai for all the wonderful temples. Whatever sanitized version of religion you might be hearing from your parents, you will see for yourself that our folks in the past really had that naughty edge to them Go and marvel at the intricate workmanship.

We had been to Meenakshi Amman temple, Thirupparankundram, and Azhagar malai. Both Thirupparankundram and Azhagar malai house 2 temples of the Arupadai veedu of Murugan. I have been there before but this time, I also managed to see the sickle of Karuppanna Swamy, a border God for just 54 Rupees. I felt this was a brilliant business idea. You can’t see the weapon of God. Not unless you shell out 54 bucks. Yaay!! Azhagar malai is full of monkeys. So be careful with the food you are carrying. Unless you want to do a rock bottom to the monkey.

Temple Chariot

Prostration for Dummies

Ladies night out

Heels over Head

The rope to pull the chariot

Work horse

Madurai is also about great food and any person will tell you that Madurai is the place where you get piping hot idlis with 5 different chutneys all 24 hours. It is also the place where you get hardcore non vegetarian food. Go to Amma’s mess and Simmakkal Konar Kadai for that. Apparently, the mutton kari dosa at Konar Kadai and the bone marrow omelette from Amma’s mess are brilliant. Sadly, I couldn’t sample it this time.

For a great Vegetarian meal, please visit Sriram mess near the railway junction. Totally loved the food. Do keep in mind that most of the places which serve meals will do so on a plantain leaf. If you don’t like that, visit other places. Here you will have to scoop food from a leaf. You can’t be forking here You get a 4 course meal at Sriram mess. That just means you get sambhar, kozhambu, rasam and curd with rice. Unlimited, of course. You also get unlimited helpings of a poriyal, koottu, pickle and a single helping of appalam (papad), masala vadai and moar milagai / sundakkai. The food is pretty basic fare but incredibly tasty. Especially the sambar. Do have it with extra paruppu and nei (Dal and ghee). The cost is Rs 70 per meal and is great value for money. For 30 Rs more, you get a chapathi and AC. A waste, if you ask me.

Meals Unlimited

And now the jigarthanda, a drink very popular in Madurai but not known outside. I loved the drink. It tasted like a milk shake version of basundhi but lighter. Smelled great too. The texture of one component, made from badam (Badam paste) was a bit squishy. The drink is brilliant. It is made by mixing different items: Thickened milk, Sherbet / sugar solution, badam paste and icecream (Khova flavour) and is made in just a minute. A piece of advice would be to get 2 scoops of icecream rather than 1. One drink will set you back by 25 / 35 INR depending on single / double scoop of ice cream.

Jil Jil….

All in all, a good trip. I tasted the jigarthanda, had a couple of awesome lunches at Sriram mess and was witness to some grotesque imagery. Konar Kadai and Amma’s mess will be on the radar next time I visit the place.

Recently came across a wonderful article in Kafila about our ancient <a href=”http://kafila.org/2013/03/24/when-the-vishwa-hindu-parishad-went-time-travelling-ilija-

Cafe Flamenco

Posted on October 8, 2012 by Gans

Loads of cafes are opening up in Bangalore; Be it the chain of Cafe Pascuccis or the excellent Cafe Thulp in Koramangala, cafes are springing up in Bangalore like mushrooms. Cafe Flamenco in Jayanagar is one such place. It serves Continental food, both veg and non veg

This is a pretty small place which can house some 15 people max. When we went in, there was no one but a bored looking man at the counter. After he confirmed that the place was open, we occupied a table. Now first impressions, the place is really cozy with a lot of advertisements occupying the wall. We went around looking at the different ads, especially that of Royal Enfield, Harley Davidson. There are also games and books you can go through. A yellow vespa decorates the entrance.

Ambiance

Left wall of Flamenco

Bullet ahoy!!

Things you need for a good life: Barley and Harley

Rajdoot and Legs: Who woulda thunk!!

But then we went there for the food, and here goes

Cardinal Sin: It really is pathetic if they cant serve water as soon as you sit down. And the general assumption you make is that they want you to buy soft drinks. No Brownie points there

We ordered Bbq wings for starters. They looked pretty good. The dish starts off sweet but picks up spice at an alarming (albeit in a positive manner) rate. What was bad though was the chicken. It wasnt fresh at all and there were no accompanying dips. Thulp gives an awesome bbq wings dish with a mayo dip. +1 for the sauce, -2 for the chicken!!

Wings!!

For the mains, we had the ‘recommended dish’, the classic chicken steak with mushroom sauce and rice and the second dish was spaghetti meatballs. Now the steak wasn’t bad even though the chicken was not fresh. The mushroom sauce was good and so were the accompanying (but measly) veggies. But when it is a recommended dish by the establishment, you expect sparklers. But zilch, nada, none.

Chicken Steak

The moment I saw the meatballs, I knew it was Venky’s meatballs at play here. A bite and I confirmed the same. Now for a dish costing Rs 240, it really is sad if they cannot prepare meatballs. For that price, I expect to see freshly done stuff… Not Venky’s balls!! And the lesser said about the sauce, the better. Again, not an impressive dish

Monkey Dish with Venky balls!!

We couldn’t see a dessert section on the menu, and frankly we just wanted out. Now here’s the clincher. When you do not accept cards, you *Announce* upfront that you don’t accept them. You don’t tell us after we give you a card that you don’t accept them. That’s unforgivable!!!!

Overall a great disappointment. The bill came to 640, and it was one of the few times I thought I had wasted money on food.

In a nutshell

Taste: 4

Ambiance: 8

Service: 2

Value for Money: 3

Recommendation: I wouldnt recommend the place. You are free to go there though. Couples who just want to hold hands can go here. There is no good food to hold!!

Location:

From Cool Joint, go straight on crossing the Bus Terminus and the Jain Temple and you will reach Maiyas. Immediately after Maiyas there will be 2 rights, one a diagonal one and the other, well not a diagonal one of course. Take the not diagonal right and you will reach this place after Amma’s Pastries

Jayanagar Bajji Shop

Posted on September 10, 2012 by Gans

This place has been my favourite haunt when I stayed at Shanti Park Apartments, Jayanagar 9th block. More so whenever it rained Bajjis, rain and tea are the best combo (no tea available here though). This is a very tiny place and has no name also (The name in the title is just for namesake ). But this place is almost always crowded in the evenings. Service is pretty fast though and the people are very efficient in handing out your orders.

The place serves chilly and raw banana bajjis, aloo bonda, masala vadas and jalebis. A 3 course meal, I say. Now though they serve the plain varieties, people always go for the masala varieties and I say, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Once you ask for the masala bajji/ bonda, the person will slice it open, sprinkle some masala powder and stuff it with corriander and onions and pass it across to you. All in like 30 seconds. The
bajjis are hot and spicy. A perfect accompaniment for the chilly Bangalore evenings. Now if you dont want the masala, you can have them plain or have the masala vadas. But I would recommend the masala bajjis and bondas anytime

Once you have had your fill of the savoury stuff, turn your attention to the jalebis. They are sweet but not cloyingly so and will make a great ending to the meal.

Masala Bajjis

Jalebis!!

The Peoples!!

The place is cheap. I had 2 masala bajjis and a jalebi and it came to Rs. 15. What do you think?

Contact Details
Well, this place is tucked in a corner in Jaya Nagar 9th Block. Take the lane opposite Bangalore Central and beside Big Bazaar in Jayanagar 9th block. Keep going straight and you will cross one more junction. Keep going and you will then pass a Temple and some Bank ATM where KSRTC is also housed. The shop is just after the bank. But if you dont find it I just hope the smell of bajjis and the crowd will guide you straight to the shop

In a Nutshell
Taste: 8
Service: 9
Ambiance: 3
Value for Money: 8

Go as a group to this place

Brahmin’s Coffee Bar

Posted on September 2, 2012 by Gans

Finally, after planning and failing a number of times to go to one of the best places for breakfasts, I managed to go there this Saturday morning. The place is open only in the mornings and evenings (Zomato mentions it is from 6 AM to 12 PM and 3 PM to 7 PM)

What do I say about this place? This place is an institution and functional from 1965 onwards. They have expanded the place recently but there is no seating area. You have to get your order and stand outside with your friends. Fortunately the service is super fast and you can have your food, stand back in queue and have your next round. I did that thrice

The place serves Khara Bath, Kesari Bath, Idlis, Vadas, coffee and tea. If you need dosas or pooris, you will have to go to the other excellent place in that area, Vidyarthi Bhavan but that is another story.

Since we were 3 in number, we got all the dishes. I hate idlis normally but had a bite just the same. Very very soft idlis with a chutney neither too runny, nor too thick and the right amount of spice. Do note that the place serves only chutney. No Sambar and the person serving chutney at the counter will give you a dirty glance if you ask for sambar. I had 2 helpings of Khara Bath and Vada, Kesari Bath and coffee. Lot of my friends think uppittu and khara bath are the same. I don’t think so. Even if I am wrong, what do I care? As far as I am concerned, khara bath at MTR and Brahmin’s coffee bar is the best. The vada was crispy. Kesari bath, served with a lot of cashews was not overtly sweet as is served at many other places, is very good. As is the custom, cloves are added to the kesari bath which lends a slightly spicy taste at some points.

If you are feeling adventurous, have khara bath and kesari bath together and enjoy the hot and sweet flavours.

Tea, as told by my friend, was mild but good. I love the coffee there. If you are lucky, you get the coffee with the right amount of froth. It is pretty strong and according to me, a hot, strong coffee is a perfect ending to any meal, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner A meal for 2 will come to around 100

Khara Bath and Vada

Kesari Bath

Kaappi Tea

Location

Ze map

Ranga Rao Road, Near Shankar Math, Shankarpuram, Basavanagudi Area, Bangalore

In a nutshell

Taste: 8

Ambiance: 8

Service: 10

Value for Money: 9

Work up your appetite first (Lal Bagh is nearby ) and then get going at Brahmin’s.

Tasty Bites – J P Nagar

Posted on August 8, 2012 by Gans

There are times when you need a good meal with dessert but you just don’t want to dish out the moolah for various reasons. During those times, as I figured out, Tasty Bites in JP Nagar is a great place to have your lunch. The place is owned by an elderly duo and except for the husband, it is totally an all woman staff for cooking and serving.

The shop doesn’t boast of a great ambience. In fact there is nothing there save for a couple of tables and chairs. A water can lies to the side of the basin and serves as the hand wash as the basin’s tap is broken. The place where they cook is very clean and the food is also served in clean plates. If you find the surroundings uncomfortable or you have a large group with you, a take away is the best option. Not sure if they do a delivery. Dont think they have the manpower (pun unintended) for that.

The food (totally vegetarian) is good and service is also fast. You have a choice of phulkas, rice, dal and other gravies like palak panneer, koftas, etc. The items are decently priced (Please refer to the menu card for prices and the items). During my recent visit there, I had phulkas, 2 half portions of panneer and kofta gravy and kheer. I don’t remember the exact amount but it was around 90. Not sure about you but that is great value for money for me. Just as a footnote though, the day I had the kheer, it was pretty watery but I have had better days

In a nutshell

Taste: 7

Ambiance: 2

Service: 8

Value for Money: 8

Recommendation: Good food at better prices Go for it

Map:

Map for Tasty Bites

Menu Card:

Tasty Bites Menu

Dishes I ordered:

Phulkas and gravies

Another perspective

The Hungry Young Man

Of Masala Dosas and Steaks and everything in between!!