The Thippasandra and Jeevan Bima Nagar areas of Bangalore share a unique symbiotic relationship — the Jeevan Bima Nagar main road houses the best food joints, while the Thippasandra main road is the heart of household shopping in the vicinity.
The plurality in cuisine available in the area has seen a steady improvement over the years, with food outlets offering items representative of various States, to satisfy varied palates and wallets.
Many food outlets here serve good food but a few have carved a niche for themselves.
Making a meal of it Swaad the Punjabi kitchen
Until about a decade ago, residents of the area had to travel far for authentic Punjabi food. Swaad, the Punjabi Kitchen, was among the first to serve soft rotis and phulkas, along with a range of typically north Indian accompaniments.
Started in 1999 by Karam Singh, a retired electrical engineer, and his wife Kamaljit Kaur, this modest establishment is best known for its nutritious vegetarian meal of rotis, rice, dal, two types of sabji and curds.
The food is only vegetarian and a lifeline for many who miss the taste of home. The quality of food can hardly be questioned, as Karam Singh believes in providing his customers food cooked from the same ingredients he uses in his house.
Besides the thali, items such as baingan ka bhartha, rajma and kabuli chole, and the stuffed parathas are hot favourites. Desserts such as kheer, gulab jamun and lassi are all offered with a smile.
The most expensive item is priced at Rs. 55.
The restaurant is housed in the same lane as the J.B. Nagar government school.
Delicious hole in the wall
There are many outlets in Thippasandra serving the famous Kerala parottas, idlis and dosas. But, arguably the best ones are available at Seethu Rama Swami’s hole-in-the-wall joint in 5th cross, off Thippasandra main road. Don’t go looking for a board that bears this name, because there isn’t one.
The idlis and dosas are the bestsellers here, especially the dosa that comes with a twist: the egg dosa. The items are served with three types of chutneys and a vegetable kurma, whose recipe is the pride of the owner, a retired army man.
His skills don’t stop there — Swami’s famous double egg omelette will leave anyone wishing they could make an omelette so fine.
The parotta and omelette combination, available between 6.30 p.m. and 10.30 p.m. is an obvious choice.
Hot and inviting from Kolkata
The first of its kind in the area, Calcutta Vactorian Chaats is dedicated to providing authentic Kolkata-style chaats.
There is a frenzy here after 6 p.m. every evening. The pani puri or phuchka basket goes from a thousand to just five or six pieces remaining in a matter of hours.
With the weather getting colder, the steaming pav bhaji and the piping hot jalebis are especially inviting. The pav bhajis are prepared with a generous dollop of butter, while the jalebis are made on the spot with pure ghee.
Breakfast is a good time to visit the place; the channa batura is their best item then.
Quality and taste has barely changed here for the past 12 years, and prices are competitive.
The place is located on Jeevan Bima Nagar main road opposite the Bank of India.
Because once isn’t enough
Talking about food in Thippasandra without mentioning L.V. Iyengar bakery would be both incomplete and unfair.
The bakery on the Thippasandra main road is a regular haunt for many residents, some of whom visit it more than once a day.
From the beautifully soft bread and other baked goodies to the incredibly tasty puffs, spicy stuffed buns and toast, it is hard to find an item here that is not up to the mark.
Its proprietor M. Swami picked up the tricks of the trade from his stint at the famous Jayanagar Iyengar bakery and has been churning out quality baked items for well over a decade now.
The cream bun stands out from others in the city; shaped like a large pie, the bun used is softer than one can imagine, smattered with generous amounts of cream.
Selling more than 300 egg puffs, 30 kg of rusk and 350 loaves of bread a day, this place gets the popular vote, if nothing else.
