Crash your Diet! NOT Crash diet

Vidyarthi Bhavan - One of the iconic restaurants in Bangalore/Bengalooru makes me feel elated every visit there. If you are in and around Gandhi Bazaar area, then this is one place you need to hop into, for the very reason of gulping in a hot cuppa filter coffee while munching away a calorie-rich-ghee-roasted Masala Dosa. This restaurant, with the interiors backing to the age it opened with [Started in 1943], is a mark of old Bangalore/Bengalooru . Breakfast or an evening snack - this is the right place to be. Its a small crowded place and people flock here all hours in the day till the doors close. Diet! - Forget the routine for one day to enjoy this restaurant's special masala dosa. Bid a bye to your calorie conscious soul while you relish the crisp crepes[Dosas] accompanied with coconut chatni and lentil sambhar.


You need to wait for atleast 15-20 minutes to occupy a table. A common scene one would come across here is that people stand next to you when you are eating, as they wait to occupy your seat once you're done. Having placed the order please dont forget to have a glance at the surroundings. Its a very old authentic rusty atmosphere in there, check the walls for black and white portraits. By now you will notice a guy carrying several plates dosas stacked up in one hand while the other hand busy serving them.

My dad has been treating me with this beautiful experience once in a while. [Thats enough for the calories I put on :). I don't mind being a little shameless, to enjoy these yummy dosas]. Though the quality has not deteriorated that bad, still there is some authenticity missing - I would like to bring this to their notice. However the masala rava vada here is delicious and makes you run to them over and over again.

Next time around that area, please check this place out. Don't miss!

These old time special attractions in Bangalore/Bengalooru are a list to be made. Dad gives out the best 2 names in the household since the 1950's:
1) Brahmin's Cafe @ Shankarpuram - For the best idli vada ever.
2) Central tiffin room @ Malleshwaram - For Dosas. If you are around Malleshwaram area then this is the place to be.

I have a click of the guy carrying the stack of dosa plates.

Here is the picture I am talking about!






17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yummy!!

Very true, I also enjoy some of these authentic places in Pune. One is Irani joint on Deccan - "Goodluck cafe" famous for omlet, Bun-Maska (Bun with lot of butter), and tea. Narayanmurthy and Sudha murthy used to meet up there before marriage (and she used to pay).

There is one more similar one near Pune station - "Vahuman Cafe". It is also owned by an Irani and famous for similar stuff like Goodluck cafe. But the best part is the owner, all kids in the world would like to have such a sweet grandfather. When you are paying cash, he will talk in one-two sentences and that will make your day.

--
Mahesh.

Kavita Saharia said...

Sounds like a great place .How sweet of your dad .You look fit in your picture so enjoy the food don't bother about calories.I want to have a Dosa too :)

Sujatha Sathya said...

CTR! yay! lived in d area for 3 years n always think of CTR & Hallimane as "nam hotlu"
btw, CTR has undergone a face-lift
ya Ashwini who cares for diet? hot dosa with so much thuppa.....ummmm

Rachna said...

Mouthwatering! Oh yes, I have heard about Vidyarthi Bhavan but have never been to that area till now :). Yummy, I want that masala dosa with piping hot sambar and chutney.

ಅಶ್ವಿನಿ/ Ashwini said...

@ Mahesh: Pune was my home for a year as that is the place I started my career and yes I remember the Bun-Maska pretty much.

I also miss having the yummy Dabeli on the road side near Nigdi.
Getting a bit Nostalgic now..

Thanks for sharing the details.

@Kavita: hmmm working out everyday to keep away those extra calories.:) I cant resisit myself from these yummy stuff. Please do visit down south and I will make some dosas for you or rather why not drive you down to Vidyarthi bhavan?

@ Sujatha: Yes CTR, Hallimane , Food camp - famous spots in Malleshwaram. I enjoy food especially typical south Indian snacks - so these are frequented spots on weekends.

@ Rachna: Hit it sometime soon. You should have those wonderful dosas once..

Irfanuddin said...

hhmmmm...next time whenever there will certainly try to go there and the pic....i was just counting the plates being carried by that man.

Pradeepa said...

Oh wow, look at the way that guy is carrying the plates. Amazing.

Sahana Rao said...

Ashwini! I have stayed in Gandhibazaar for 23 years!! Vidyaarthibhavan has lost the quality it had before.
Next time when you are in that area, dont forget to try in Upahaara Darshini (Famously known as UD), Dwarka (Set dose)

Calorie conscious.. Indian food? Difficult dear.. We love using ghee, butter you see.. ;)

hamaarethoughts.com said...

interesting wud love to eat those lovely crispy crepes ,,love-it!
amazing talent India has..look at the art of carrying plates...and they don't need trolleys or carts...lovely!
thanks for sharing it!

ಅಶ್ವಿನಿ/ Ashwini said...

@Irfan : Sure, do give it a try. And as you read few more options are popping up from blogger friends. They are quite interesting places to pay a visit.

@Pradeepa: Yep an art brought down a few decades!

@Spicy sweet: I Agree with you Sahana, we need to let them know about the quality, I dont mind paying a few bucks more but I need those yummy tasting dosas. UD - another hop stop. I love their paddus[for people who are wondering what dish this is - its a form of dumplings made using the idli batter served with coconu chatni].

@Harman: Yep the men there carrying these stacks are awesome - a delicate talented art. Thank you for dropping by.

Jeevan said...

Great balance at plates of Dosa! This post remind me my favorite Woodlands drive-in here in Chennai, which I miss badly now due to its shutdown in 2008 to develop into a garden. It’s one of the landmarks of Chennai for very long time and there the crispy Dosa was such delicious.

Nice knowing about this place, seems to be my kind of one :) was around Bangalore lately for first time, will try if next time.

Insignia said...

Awwww why?? why? I am tempted now. Bangalore has few good old places to much on.

I also liked the Janta hotel(Malleshwaram) dosas back then. The size and the quality have suffered a bit now

I am feeling like eating a crispy masala dosa now

Amrit said...

Oh My God. So many dosas together. Nice shot you captured there.

ಅಶ್ವಿನಿ/ Ashwini said...

@ Jeevan:
Yep Authentic places shutting down causes so much to miss for the generations to come. Hope some good hop-stops to hog remain forever. Do try visiting some of the places mentioned by blogger friends as well. They are good too.

@ Insignia:hmmmm !! Those dosas make me crave for more..Janatha hotel - Yes thats another one Dad mentions.

@ A: Welcome back! hope you had a wonderful cruise expedition. Thank you. I wish I could capture the smell through photography. The aroma of fresh ghee atop a white rice batter, the crispy feel and melting soft dosas - Perfect! Nothing can beat it.

Rama Ananth said...

Our uncle and aunt live near that area, and there was a time, years ago when we used to visit them often, they would always treat us to those lovely dosas of Vidyarthi Bhavan. Even in those days, one would have to wait for a long time to get a place to sit and eat, so we always packed and came home to enjoy the yummy dosas before it became cold.
I know it must be tasting very good if one had the patience to find a place and sit down to eat it.
The Bangalore traffic has become too much to handle and we hardly ever go that side, and our uncle also used to say the quality has gone down.
So many such hotels are there in Bangalore and even Mysore.
There is another very famous place which sells authentic Kalli dosas. But having moved to Whitefield, going to such far off places has become impossible.
The picture is really good.
I am glad at least you are able to visit these joints once in a while, lucky you.

the.orchestra.of.life said...

I want all in the pic for myself :P

ಅಶ್ವಿನಿ/ Ashwini said...

@Rama : Welcome here to my space and thanks for sharing your experience @ Vidyarthi Bhavan. I can understand what you are saying about the traffic - I do travel from whitefield area to Vijayanagar every day (close to 35 km one way). Weekends are those days I prefer to stay back home but sometimes I hop into hogging stops :)

@ the.orchestra.of.life : Why don't you come down to Bangalore? I'll take you out for a treat:)

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