For the last three decades, Al-Bilal Bakery on Arabic College Road has been the source of many baked goodies, traditional and exotic alike. Hailing from a family from Kolar, with three generations of bakers, the proprietor Mohammad Khasim and his sons have produced quality baked items at affordable prices. Some of their specialties are local favourites — the ‘khova naan’, a closed pie stuffed with sweetened khova, is best eaten as fresh out of the oven as possible, with every bite followed by a burst of molten khova.
The rusks also fly off the shelves here, and the buns — all of the 800 baked every day — are simple and soft, and the ‘bun-butter-jam’ combination is a staple for the bakery’s regular customers.
Al-Bilal Bakery also makes 25 kinds of sweets and 10 types of mixture. Open from noon to midnight on all days of the week, the bakery even supplies its items to bakeries in other areas including Fraser Town, but the proprietor ensures that the best quality goods are sold only at his counter.