Malleswaram on a Platter - P2

This is the second part of the series that brings to you the best eateries in and around Malleswaram, Bangalore.

Check here for Part 1.

6) Halli Mane: Opened in 2003 in 3rd cross on Sampige Road in the same place where the legendary Planters’ Coffee Home once stood. The ancient restaurant closed down soon after Amrith Café opened across the street. A couple of years later, Halli Mane (meaning Rural Restaurant) opened with all its marketing paraphernalia and in a few months brought Amrith to it’s knees. This place is best known for some classic Karnataka delicacies like akki roti, raagi roti and raagi mudhe. The bonda soup started out very promisingly but has dropped down a couple of notches in recent times. But you really want to go here only for one thing: coffee. That’s it.

7) Juice Kade at IISC Gymkhana: Extremely popular with the folks inside IISc, obviously. It is located at the foot of the yellow overhead bridge on the road connecting Malleswaram to Yeshwantpur, inside the IISc compound. Entry is through any of the IISc gates. Every single juice is shockingly tasty and is prepared under hygienic conditions. The milk shakes are a bit disappointing though. But the low prices of the stuff here is worth making the trip for. Here’s what you do: get a glass of juice and climb the steps of the yellow bridge. Walk up to the middle of the connecting platform. Look below as the buses, cars and tempos zip by beneath your feet and freak yourself out.

8) Iyengar’s Bakery: While ‘Iyengar’s Bakery’ need not necessarily refer to any one particular bakery, the place of interest here is the one adjacent to Asha Food Camp on 11th Cross Malleswaram. It’s not uncommon to see a string of Iyengar's Bakeries around the city and this often leads the newcomer into believing that a certain ambitious entrepreneur with a second name ‘Iyengar’ started a franchise business of bakeries around Bangalore. That’s not quite true. The Iyengar's bakery in Malleswaram may be completely unrelated to the one in Basavangudi or to the one in Banaswadi.

Coming back to our place on 11th cross, there’s whole lot of things the guys excels at making- dilpasand, khara bun, honey cake and benne biscuit to name a few. But your trip to the bakery has been futile if you didn’t add rusk to your basket. 250 grams, 25 bucks: that’s all it takes to rock-n-roll. Plus filter coffee from Cothas for the rusk to bathe in.

9) Cothas Coffee: Located on Sampige Road opposite to the bus stand on 10th Cross is the headquarters of Cothas Coffee, the authentic and original south Indian coffee. Other coffee brands can take a shower. You want to ask the shop keeper for the Home Blend variety. If I’m not wrong, it’s 20% chicory.

10) Bhagyalakshmi Ghulkand: (Credit: Narayanaswamy). One-of-a-kind store that sells all the varities of ghulkand. Ghulkand is a sweet item made from extracts of rose petals and is eaten with butter. Yum! This little store is located at Malleswaram circle at the junction of the underpass (what was earlier the traffic signal, for those of you who haven’t been here in some time). Ask for the dry fruits with ice cream version of gulkand. Good stuff. And then, pack some for home because you’ll need it.

(to be continued)