Friday, March 26, 2010

Foodsteps - from Devagiri to SLV Coffee Bar

I know that this post is going to get Ramesh mad again, but then here it goes ...

Sometimes, you go for something and get something else in return. Last Saturday, hustled up a quick visit to Devagiri, a Venkateswara temple on a small hillock immersed in the surrounding cityscape in Banashankari after el Niño's tennis class. One treat about going to a Perumal Kovil is the prasadam. 'el Niño' loves the theertham given at temples. It is always multiple helpings for him and showing his cupped hand and gulping the water down with a slurp. Loves the fragrance and taste that the theertham has, with the Tulasi leaves, camphor et al. Seeing Perumaal or Pillayaar is secondary. Theertham is divinity, for him and the running around in the prakaaram. :-)

The prasadam at the counter there is laddoo and vadé. The vadé is 'milagu vadai' (pepper vadai) which is hard (almost teeth breaking) and disc shaped, but tremendously tasty once it starts to melt in the mouth. The heat of the pepper hits your senses. And add to it, the puliyogaré (puliyodharai) there. One thing I have seen in Karnataka temples, almost without exception, is the amount of free prasadam that they give there. No shooing of people or giving small helpings. It _is_ generous and the temples are usually very clean. Both Niño and Niña got their helpings, took some of ours, all of which were in our hands, stood outside the temple, with Niño eating off our cupped hands and finishing it _fast_ (if only eating at home could be as quick!). Perumal Kovil puliyogaré tastes ethereal wherever you go. [Govindaa Govinda]

As we walked down, remembered that there is another 'Brahmins Coffee Bar' [BCB] type place nearby. Trundled down there, which is across the park there (close to the BDA shopping complex), to see a milling crowd outside a small eatery. And we had arrived at the Sri Lakshmi Venkateshwara Coffee Bar. Idly and Vadé again after wading through humanity. The chutney was a tad hot, but the idly and vadé were yum-o-yum, very similar to the ones at BCB. No sambar here as well, but chutney is limitless. This place is different than the BCB in that you get a larger variety to eat, like dosé and rava idly. el Niño, fickle to eat at joints like this, asked Señora to get him the dosé with aloo and vegetables inside (masala dosai), that he had tasted for first time at a friend's birthday party sometime back. Sat on the platform for a tree on the footpath, finished it off in no time.

What started off as a short and quick temple visit ended up with a trip to SLV coffee bar. Thanks to all the little eateries that make up the little joys of life !!!

The milagu vadé pack-of-5 from the temple survived only for a day more before its extinction. If you visit Devagiri on a Saturday, you can treat yourself to the mouth-watering temple prasadam, gorge at SLV Coffee Bar nearby and wind it up with a glass of fresh and hygienically pressed sugarcane juice at "cane-o-la" in the Banashankari BDA complex, all within 3 minutes of each other by walk.

Have a great weekend.

27 comments:

ambulisamma said...

A complete foodie post!!!
I would love that milagu vadai and puliyodarai!

G3 said...

//oves the fragrance and taste that the theertham has, with the Tulasi leaves, camphor et al. Seeing Perumaal or Pillayaar is secondary.//

//Perumal Kovil puliyogaré tastes ethereal wherever you go. [Govindaa Govinda]//

Seniorum juniorum rommmmmmmmmmbavae theliva irukkeenga ;)))))

G3 said...

//little joys of life !!!//

:))))))))))))))))

G3 said...

//Have a great weekend.//

Thank U :)) Aana idhukkaaga karnataka varamudiyaadhu.. me going nellai.. anga poi nellaiyappar paathuttu iruttu kadai alva vena try pannittu varen :P

Happy weekend to u too :)))

Swaram said...

Sigh! Y do u do this to me when I am hopelessly missing Bengaluru already :( :(
My work place ws very close to Banashankari BDA and it ws our adda :P
Btw, the paranthas @ InSwing there r too gud .. nt sure if it still exists ;)

Anonymous said...

parathas at swing...perumal koil melagu vadai :((((((((((((( avvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv......oru kozhandha nadu rathiri kannu muzhichi..browse pannuthu..che..vela paakthu.. ipo ithelaam remind panniturukeengalay :((((((

Anonymous said...

??en kament enga poachu :(

Appu said...

enna description enna description pramadham bash bash :)

avangala class ku kootitu poren pervali nu sollitu enna ellam panringa

BTW also heard that ur blog has been blocked for obese people and highly recommended for people who have low apetite.

Anonymous said...

SIghhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In Mysore, it does not matter how much my kids have eaten before and how much they will eat after they go home, they HAVE to stop by the Yoga Narasimha temple on Kalidasa Road and get the prasada in the donne.

All the places you have mentioned in this write-up are in Banshankari also?? They are all in the Gandhi Bazaar area. Right on and off Bull Temple Road. Not sure which Srinivasa Temple is on Bull Temple Road but the Big Bull Temple is gorgeous.

Anyway, I am very happy to even read about all the various food places. A couple of pictures thrown in will be of great consolation to us poor things who live nowhere close to BCB.

Have you been to Srinivasa Brahmin Bakery. I like their puffs the best.

I always encourage Vijay to write about more important things like food and places to eat. But recently he has gone very esoteric and writes wonly about politics :-(

My3

Ramesh said...

I'll forgive you , for this post is simply superbly written. Rare to find a foodie post so great to read. Drool, Drool Drool .........

Milagu vade melt in the mouth ?? Really ?? Must try this .....

chennaigirl said...

Very nicely written. Just for the melagu vadai sake P would ask us to saathify vadamalai for anjaneyar. And not to mention abt the curd rice and the ven pongal - hmm yummy...

RamNarayanS said...

@ambulisamma-I am not a real foodie. These are some random instances of insanity, which sometimes are not random. :)

@G3-cha cha. idhellaam maybe fleeting instances. :) I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

Neenga Nellaiyaa? Andha side innum thalaiyaey vaikkala. Tiruchendur, long time back oru trip adichchaen. Otherwise, Madurai is my southern most lived place.

Nellaiyapparukku en saarbaa oru kumbidu pottuttu vaanga. :)

RamNarayanS said...

@Swaram-:-) Think of this as an enticement (and a second reason) for you to come to Bengaluru regularly. :-)

@gils-Night 9:30kku ennaanga vaelai, adhuvum weekendla. :-) unga comment angayey thaan irukku.

RamNarayanS said...

@zeno-Ha Ha Ha. It was a family trip saar. Thanksu appadi oru tag pannadhukku. Enna, enjoy those small moments of enjoyment, but in moderation. :)

@Ramesh-Thanks Sire. The milagu vadai I refer to, is very hard at the outset, once it lands in the mouth begins to melt with the kaaram of the pepper starting to hit the senses. :-) Once you are in Bengaluru, drop by, to savour it.

RamNarayanS said...

@My3-Prasadam in donne, reminds me of sweet pongal/puliyogare especially. :-) Thanks.

Devagiri and SLV are close to each other and in Banashankari only. Bull temple and Dodda Ganapati devasthana are nice places to walk by. Vijay lives close by to Devagiri is what I deduce from his posts. Basavanagudi/Gandhi Bazaar have their own specialities, Vidyaarthi Bhavan, Brahmin's Coffee Bar, Dwaraka Bhavan in adjacent N R Colony. I have been inspired into these from Vijay's posts as well and childhood and early job memories.

My parents live very close to Bull Temple and the park is a favourite haunt for me from childhood. Srinivasa Brahmin's Bakery is on DVG Road and I used to go there for the capsicum puffs and congress beeja. :-) Randomly go there these days.

I shall try to put some photos on my next foodie post. :-)

RamNarayanS said...

@chennaigirl-Thanks. :-) One more reason for me as well. Usually the saathufied vadai at Anjaneyar koils would drip with oil at times and still the taste is tremendous and the fact that we partake it as prasadam. :-) Please don't get me started on venpongal. One of my all time favourites, but now has gotten moderated. :)

A journey called Life said...

Poor appa of mine, is going to have a tough time taking me to all these places...

Yummy post RamMmm !

RamNarayanS said...

@AJCL-:-D Thanks. Surely, Appas will do all things for their daughters. :)

G3 said...

Me pakka chennai girl :)) Went to nellai for a frnd's mrg :)))

R-ambam said...

umathu bhakthi yai yaam mechinom !
:D
Nothing matches the prasadham servings.. and amma ooti vittudra ...(How I miss those days ... !!) anything :)
some instinct ...stops me from asking for such service when I feel I m grown.. damn !

perumal koil puliyavarai, milagu vadai , sundal, chakkarai pongal , panchamirtham,paanagam, thulasi theertham .. Hmm...! Divine .

RamNarayanS said...

@G3-:-D. Thought you were an 'appaavi' Nellai girl :-)

@R-ambam-:-D :-D Those are the days and they will be 'the' days. :-)

Matangi Mawley said...

Information to cherish!

Wd remember this when i visit b'lore
!

thanks! :)

RamNarayanS said...

@Matangi Mawley-You are welcome.

Swaram said...

Have an award for u on my blog :)

RamNarayanS said...

Thanks Swaram and accepted!!!

Uttara Ananthakrishnan said...

Out here in Tamilnadu, Puliyodarai is the best.Only next to the hard vadai/adai in Azhagar Koil :P

RamNarayanS said...

@Uttara-:-P, the farther you are from it, the tastier it will feel in your brain.