There is something warm and comforting about food. It nourishes and pampers; gives blissful joy and insufferable angst. Since I came to Bangalore, I have fallen in love with the fresh South Indian tiffin or breakfast items that are prepared in multiple darshinis across the cities. These functional places have both standing and seating arrangements where people tuck into yummy South Indian breakfast delights like melt-in-the-mouth soft idlis,crispy wadas, delicious dosas, crunchy uttapams, delectable rava dosa, delightful paper dosa, redolent bisi bele bhaath, and so on.
The kitchen is open, and I love watching the men (it is always men) prepare dosas, puris and plate up dishes at tremendous speeds. I never tire of watching them expertly prepare hot dosas even if I have not ordered one. They have a huge tawa which is very hot. After sprinkling water and brushing it off with a large broom, they ladle oil from a steel tumbler. Next dosa batter is spread out in a circular motion pretty quickly. The chef normally makes a batch of dosas so each one is spread in quick succession. Then it is luxuriously splattered with a fiery red chilly garlic chutney and a potato onion filling is then slathered on. Folded perfectly, your dosa is served on to a steel plate with tongue-scalding sambar and coconut chutney. It is foodie heaven for sure.
Along with the savory fare, a must order is filter coffee. Served traditionally with a tumbler for you to pour your piping hot coffee in, it is delicious. Even the way the person prepares it is mesmerizing. With utmost precision, he pours the boiling hot milk into the coffee decoction in a steel tumbler never spilling a single drop. Your frothy treat is ready to savor. We always round up our breakfast with this coffee. It is delicious and invigorating.
The boiling cauldrons of sambar and other food paraphernalia along with the buzz about these darshinis is a lot of fun to witness. Most of these darshinis open their doors early in the morning for breakfast. In addition, they are packed to the gills with people queuing up to take parcels home or to consume it with their families.
Our Saturday morning ritual is to head over to a neighborhood darshini to tuck in or pack as the mood dictates. Saturday mornings the thin traffic on Bangalore roads provides the much-needed incentive. A few hours later heading anywhere for lunch or dinner is an ordeal as one waits endlessly in the traffic that moves at snail’s pace. What do I do most such times? I order the food in. Not only is it convenient, saves me time sitting in traffic but it actually easier on the pocket with some fantastic food coupons and deals.
Most times, I can get great discounts on pizzas and even take out from the glitzy eateries around the city with these. Online coupons are a real lifesaver I tell you. I am eagerly looking forward to GOSF which will be on from 10th to 12th December.
So, do you have a favorite breakfast ritual on weekends, and do you prefer eating out or ordering food in?
I am salivating. I want vada now. There is this place here called ‘ARYAS’. I love my sunday breakfast from there. There masala dosa’s are to die for!!
I love Adigas which is close to my place. I especially love the tangy, spicy sambar. Such yummy food. 🙂
Oh yeah…eating breakfast out on Sunday mornings happens sometimes at home ! I prefer going there to eat as it saves me time on clearing it up also 😀
Of course, filter coffee is a great way to end such yummy eating sessions. Though I don’t drink coffee anymore, that coffee smell is sure to make me smile – love it !
And staying next door to Adyar Ananda Bhavan is a bonus for me 😀 😀
Oh, I love coffee especially filter coffee. Now when I go anywhere North, the South Indian food can never match up to what we get in Bangalore. My younger son is an idli freak. He wanted idlis in Agra. 😛
Hmmm…I always feel that Chennai hasn’t got so many good restaurants like Bengaluru. Even the small restaurants/hotels in Bengaluru are clean and the food is always tasty. Here, we have to go to selected, reputed hotels which are mostly crowded.
Idli saambaar, Chutney is the morning ritual on Sundays. Yesterday, we went to ‘Little Italy ‘, a vegetarian restaurant and had ‘different’ type of food which was very good. I have started tasting pasta also after we started going to this restaurant. Otherwise it was mostly ‘Sampoorna’ or ‘Saravan Bhavan’.
The way you have narrated about the food makes me feel like coming to Bengaluru and taste it at Darshini!
Saturday morning breakfast at my place has to be idlis, dosas and wadas. At other times, I eat and cook all kinds of cuisines. I love the hygiene and efficiency of these Udupi style eateries.
OMG rachna
today it is too lazy ,,, and with monday blues hovering on me I need a trip to food court now atleast for a filter coffee
Mouth watering post. Thanks for letting me know abt deals. My weekend ritual is also almost same and I too love the fact that unlike hyd here tiffin centres open pretty fast 🙂
I also feel a craving for filter coffee now. Somehow, I can never replicate it the way they make it outside. Yes, it is wonderful that they open their doors so early. I have had hot breakfast even at 6.30 am. Deals, I must tell you are great money savers. Even my kids say mummy see if any good Domino’s coupons are there. 😛 Thanks for reading!
A ship can sail in my mouth right now. 🙂 Especially the filter coffee tumbler. 🙂
Unfortunately, we don’t have such nice outlets here in Delhi. It’s either street food or expensive restaurants. Or may be it’s just the problem with the place we live in.
Yep, nothing like this in Delhi, I think. It is a very South Indian phenomenon. I just adore these darshinis. And they do brisk business, so they are really popular with all of us. Cheap, hygienic, piping hot food — what more can we ask? Thanks for reading, Rekha. 🙂
Yeah – nothing like good South Indian food to start a Saturday morning.
Oh absolutely!
Our national breakfast is Paranthas! But I love South Indian breakfast dishes. Masala Dosa is my all time fav and I can have it anytime and daily too!
Yes, me too. I’ve had masala dosa for dinner as well. And I just love rava masala dosa.
You got me craving for a typical south indian breakfast now -the hot crispy dosa and the vadas and the coconut chutney …..
I had breakfast in such a place when I went for a trip to Vizag and also once in chennai …
Oh yummy. You must get it soon. 🙂
Hmm… now I want some Dosa and fiter coffee!! 🙂
You should get some. You are in Bangalore. 🙂
I love eating out and I love Sunday brunches ! The only thing is I am not too fond of South Indian Food. But the filter coffee is so tempting !
I think you would like it better when you taste the stuff here. I wasn’t too fond of South Indian food before I came to Bangalore. 🙂
I’m so hungry now… I think you know my answer Rachna 😀 I like eating out and ordering in, if possible, since home delivery hasn’t started in Hosa Road 🙁 as much as I would have wanted to…
Oh, I hope home delivery starts soon. I hate getting stranded in traffic especially over weekends.
South India breakfast is OK for a change.
For standard breakfast it’s typical Paranthas
We also have it once or twice a week but the same applies to parathas for us as well. 🙂
NOW, you have made me salivate 🙂
😀
I am now starving!!! Loved your yummy post 🙂
Except for rare occasions we prefer food prepared at home…Since I am with mom right now, it’s always ‘ma ke hath ka khana’ which is unparalleled by any restaurant 😉
Thanks Deepa. Oh, nothing matches maa ke haath ka khana. 🙂
Our Sunday breakfast is always Idlis from a local dhaba type place, packed and brought home to enjoy sitting in our veranda! Perfect way to start the Sunday, I say! I enjoy South Indian food too, and other than idlis, I like Rava dosa and a well-cooked onion uthapam. And before I forget, just this morning I had the best home made Rava Idlis, thanks to my hubby’s cooking skills 🙂 So some weekdays also see perfect idli breakfast. I am not complaining 🙂
I made rava idlis for breakfast today. 🙂 I also love rava dosa and onion uthappam. Though, I love preparing home food, these darshinis make me relish their food by offering hygienic, fresh and tasty food.
Looks so yummy !!! The filter coffee is tempting 🙂
Ooh it is. Thank you, Somali.
Your description is making me miss the filter coffee… and vada dipped in sambar. It used to be my breakfast on most days at office.
That sounds like a great breakfast ritual to have.
You just made me so hungry Rachna 😉
🙂
A simple and yummy post, Rachna 🙂 Heading to the nearby Adigas now 😀
Ah, we are fellow Adigas lovers. You must go quickly. 🙂
I just had dinner a short while ago & now I am hungry 🙂
I love the breakfast & can have the items for lunch & dinner too 🙂
Have you tried the MTR, Rachna?
Really yummy!
Oh yes, Anita, but only for lunch. The breakfast queues scare me. I have heard a lot about their masala dosas. 🙂 Thanks for reading!
I was drooling as I read your post. Like you, I love watching these men at work. How effortlessly they flip and toss that has come from years of expertise. Nothing more satisfying and hearty than an Indian breakfast.
Yes, it is mesmerizing watching them at work. So expertly they handle everything. You must have a South Indian breakfast in the South, Purba. Nothing matches it except kulchas and chhole in Amritsar. 🙂
That’s the best part in India. Yummy hot breakfast whenever you want and anywhere you want. More than the ritual, your description of food was delicious 🙂 I make idli, dosa all the time at home. so, our breakfast ritual for the weekend is pan cakes. Weekdays, as such it is cereal. Dinners would be idli, dosa, roti, rice etc…so the only day set for pan cakes is weekend 🙂
Yes, I make idli, dosa at home as well, but we do love having it at the darshini with filter coffee. The taste there is different from ghar ka stuff. 🙂
I just loveeeeeeeee South Indian food! and a good SI breakfast makes my day!!!
Me too. Thanks for reading, Ankita. 🙂
My mouth is watering!! Love South Indian breakfast and make them regularly at home too.
Me too. 🙂
we had the same ritual on Sunday mornings – walk to the nearest and current favorite Darshini and tuck into my favorite breakfast!
Here, its the same, but somehow pancakes and waffles, though delicious in their own right do not come close to hot masala dosas and filter coffee! 🙂
I understand what you are saying, Pixie. Even though I love making idlis and dosas at home, I do enjoy my outing to the nearby darshini. It must be the ambience, food and the entire experience, I guess. 🙂