Breakfast in Malleshwaram, Lunch at Mylapore and Dinner at Matunga - Part 2

(Continued from Part 1 ...)

8:50 AM: Bangalore Airport.

Flight to Chennai Delayed by 40 minutes – Thanks to the screwed up traffic at Bangalore airport and an air traffic congestion at delhi from where the aircraft was coming. Ticketing and security check took me 30 minutes (By Bangalore Standards you can consider yourself lucky if you spend anything less than an hour at the security check in). After standing in that insanely crowded airport, the enthusiasm and energy I had after the divine tasting mysore masala dosa and coffee vanished in no time. (Even the good old dusty town bus stand in tanjaavur is a much better place than Bangalore airport).

As I sluggishly entered the flight, a whole bunch of women and men who look like woman (looking like the gay icon ranbir kapoor) scared me with a loud greeting and I moved away as far as I can from those men.

“Good Morning! Welcome Again Sir! How are you?”, greeted a lady with a very friendly smile.

“Shit! Looks like she had seen me before this. Have I begun traveling a bit too much?”, I thought. Quickly trying to avoid an embarrassment, I replied with my usual scary trademark smile, “Thanks! I am good!”.

I quickly began looking for her name badge and in the process embarrassed her further (if you understood what I meant) and continued, “How are you doing Lipika?”

“Good Sir! Not seen you in this sector for long”, she said reassuring me that I am not traveling all that often.

I dragged myself to some non-reclining seat, the buffoon in the counter offered me, quoting lame excuses like, “Sorry Sir! You are late and this is all we have”. I crashed into my seat and quickly dozed off. Half way through the sleep, I had this weird feeling of some one trying to wake me up. I had the shock of my life when I decided to open my eyes. That ‘Ranbir Kapoor’ chap was shaking my shoulders in an attempt to wake me up very romantically for the breakfast. I very politely asked him to move away and my “stay away” look said it all. I saw to that he was gone and was nowhere in the vicinity and then continued to sleep in an attempt to get back to dream of doing an item number with aishwarya Rai, in the middle of which I was woken up by this monkey (hope the Australians don’t call me racist)

11:00 AM – Chennai Airport

One of the better airports across the country, It was the usual Chennai temperature of 36 Celsius. The city has perennially been so used to temperatures like 35-40 Celsius, that you can find people wearing mufflers and monkey-caps to escape the December temperature of a very cold 25 Celsius.

I was looking around for the driver and there was this Placard which read, “Hindustan Unilever – Joirum Krishna”. Holy Christ! I have no clue how people can consistently screw up my name. I was quite puzzled at how people arrived at a name which looks like a classic mix of Bengali Rasagula Dipped in Spicy Pepper Rasam. “If a driver in Chennai cannot get my name right, I should avoid going to Bihar or Punjab where my name might get mutilated beyond recognition”, I muttered.

11:30 AM – Mylapore – Consumer Research.



This went on for a couple of hours after which I was really hungry and the team wanted me to take them out to a nice restaurant for lunch.

3:30 PM – Saravana Bhavan, Mylapore.

We a little too late into the day and the meals which saravana bhavan is always known for was over. However, I was not in a mood for a full meal. We decided to relish some Ittili and Dhosai in the chennai ishtyle. Saravana Bhavan is kinda a ‘Destination’ Place for me and none of my Chennai trips are complete without murdering a plate of mini sambhar idly (a dish where there is more ghee on the plate than the sambhar). Its damn Yumm and the plate was empty in no time. Yeh Dil Maange More !! I looked at my collegue in the other side of the table and signaled for another dish. “Dude! I am hungry. We shall order something more”, she said fiddling her spoon into a bowl of sambhar vada. I called the waiter and said, “Anne! Rendu Masala Dosai” [Two Masala Dosa Brother]. “Noouuuu! I waannnntt Raaoooovvaaaooo Dooosshhhaaaiii”, She said trying chewing on to the vada soaked in steaming sambhar. I looked at the Waiter and he smiled and shook his head. “Stunning one, lady! Looks like he understood you. But, wait till he gets the food.”, the optimist in me said watching the waiter disappear into the kitchen..

4:30 PM – Home Sweet Home

6:30 was the flight back to Mumbai and there was not a lot of time left, but still home is just too good to forgo. Mom makes the best of filter coffees and its way better than the coffee at the best of the restaurants. There is nothing like a nice long conversation with mom over a cup of coffee. This time around, I was n a rush and grabbed a quick cuppa coffee at my home and rush to the airport.

8:20 PM - Back in Mumbai Airport.

Back in the busiest of all places, I was wondering what to do? I had called up a friend of mine and asked him to turn up at Matunga. Matunga is a complete south Indian place in Mumbai and you get the best idlys, dosa and more than everything else, a nice tasting udupi speciality kannadiga meal. I fixed up a deal with this guy and landed up in Ramnaik – A nice udupi restaurant where they serve the best udupi delicacies.

9:10 PM – Ramnaik @ Matunga

Chappati, Channa Masala, Capsicum Sambhar, Tomato Rasam, Ladies Finger Poriyal, Mix Veg Kootu, Curd, Lemon Pickle …. coupled with hot carrot halwa. What else can you ask for in life?

10:00 PM – Back in my room

I sleepishly entered the room after having had a long but very memorable day. I not just did things that I love doing, but also enjoyed doing them. There is nothing like getting the best of the things and looking back on what you did with a satisfied smile. That was a great day being in 3 different places I love within a span of 20 hours, traveling thousands of miles, Eating stuffs that you love and being with people who bring you a great deal of comfort.

Breakfast in Malleshwaram, Lunch at Mylapore and Dinner at Matunga – what more can I ask for?

Breakfast in Malleshwaram, Lunch at Mylapore and Dinner at Matunga – Part 1

Traveling gives me an instant high and it’s rather been my only goal/ambition which has not undergone changes as I grew up. But, I have been traveling far too frequently these days and I have begun to feel the heat. The overcrowded Bangalore Airport which has no place to even stand, getting stuck in Bangalore’s Airport Road for hours, rickety ride in the black and yellow taxi from Santa Cruz to Wadala, are not just plain and simple experiences. It prepares you for the worst in life!! So does a refugee camp. But how far is too far is a question that I never knew the answer of.

Living in the moment has been the only escape for me. Tough Schedules are always scary, but moving on in life with it not all that a bad idea. Not a long ago, one of those really hectic days at work turned out to be a very memorable day which I didn’t want to end.

In the mid of December 2008 (I am not able place the exact date), I woke up in my hotel room in Bangalore.

5 AM: Hotel Room – Bangalore:

I was in no mood to wake up from a well deserved sleep after a hectic previous day’s work. My alarm began snoozing away to glory from 4:30 AM. I had no clue why I placed alarm at 4:30 AM for catching a flight to Chennai at 8 AM. Laziness is a virtue and I love being lazy. Nothing can beat the feeling of putting the alarm on snooze repeatedly till the battery gets discharged.

I woke up very early by my standards and my mobile showed 5:15 AM. Unlike every other day when I literally drag myself outta bed, I was feeling really fresh. I still had more than 3 hours for the flight and was clueless of what to do till then. I hate the very sight of Bangalore Airport and had no intentions of being there before 7:45 AM. I had also done a web check-in being a jet gold member (thanks to my mindless travels these days).

5:45 AM: Sampige Road – Bangalore:

I quickly got into my Reebok and was out on the road in a couple of minutes. Thanks to my fundoo schedule, I was adding a happy 2 Kgs per month to my frame. Getting a chance to jog itself has become so rare these days, which I decided to make the most out of it. I began running like nuts in and around Malleshwaram. While you are in Rome, Do the Romans (Such corny status messages made my forget the actual phrase). While in Karnataka, I decided to listen to Kannada Songs. Fast Paced ‘Kuthu’ songs of Chennai 28 in my MP3 Player had given way to some damn nice mellifluous numbers from ‘Mungaru Malle’.

Thanks to the slow songs, I found myself walking unable to match the pace of the lovely song with a jog. The lovely sight of the sampige road with the orangey morning sun illuminating the otherwise dark road shaded with trees lines up at every available inch across both sides of the road. As I walked past, the pleasant smelling sampige flowers slowly drop past you with utmost grace and the mildly chill breeze of winter morning making you feel like in heaven. Oh Boy! It was one of the best morning walks I have had. The best part was that it did not end there ….

6:45 AM – Shanti Sagar

How can a South Indian’s morning be complete without the mother of all drinks – Filter Coffee? Bangalore known for it “By-2 Coffee” culture (indulging yourself in a half cup of steaming frothy coffee which gives one a 360 degree experience). The color of the coffee, at its appetizing best woos you in as you begin getting closer to the cup. Before the colour grows disappear from your radar. the mild addictive aroma begins hitting you as you close in towards the rim of the cup. The Best part is the quick intake of a quantity which is neither a sip nor a gulp, but sufficient enough to give you an instant high while the tip of you tongue makes contact with the steaming heavenly potion.

Once you have done this, trust me you will not put down the cup before emptying it. You suddenly feel like the king of the world. You grip the glass close to your lips, take one deep breath of the oxygen soaked in smell of caffeine, take in a shot, close your eyes and let the magic sink in.

As I was getting done with my coffee, I was reminded of the yucky breakfast serve on flight. Temptation to murder one masala dosa has already drowned me despite knowing that I am getting late for my flight. “Kano! Ondhu mysore masala dosa! Dosa holagade chutney solpa kadumai maadi”[Get me one Mysore masala dosa with less chutney spread inside], I told one of the hotel boys with a very proud smile of managing one full sentence in Kannada.

How can one have a just a spicy masala dosa? The spicy taste of the chutney spread inside the dosa would make coffee taste even better. “By 2 Coffee Solpa Jaldi Beku”, went yet another instruction. Looking at my watch, I realized having spent more time in the restaurant than during my jog.

I got out of Shanti Sagar with just 40 minutes for my flight. “Yo Man ! This is Life … This is worth everything that you can give”, I said to myself. I wanted to stand on the center of the road and cry out loud – “I am loving it! I am so happy today”.

( to be Continued .... )