This new dining hall in Bengaluru is all about hearty Karnataka fare

Mysore Dining Hall in Sahakara Nagar feels nostalgic. The stark white walls and the wooden windows are reminiscent of a time gone by. The expansive hall fills up quickly at lunch time with people from all walks of life.

I am at the newest restaurant by the Byg Ventures hospitality group, and this one is very different compared to their other offerings, that include Yaakay and Bob’s Bar. The simplicity is reflected in the menu, which is etched on a chalkboard as you enter. With simple hearty food that fills your soul, the restaurant focusses on Karnataka’s traditional fare, the kind you may find in a military hotel. It opens in the morning with breakfast, then there is lunch, evening snacks and wraps up with dinner specials.

The special thali
| Photo Credit:
Anagha Maareesha

There is ample parking space behind the restraurant, a boon on the busy road. We take a seat near one the windows, as a mirror looks down on us. The full menu is accessible through a QR code, something I am not a fan of, but the staff is warm and helpful enough to guide us through.

Dining hall combos include thatte idlis, dosas, shavige (vermicelli), nool parottas, ragi mudde and pooris. You can select the curries you want with these. They include naati koli saaru, mutton kaima gojju, avare kalu gojju, and chicken kaima unde curry.

Bun cutlet
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

I go for the super thali, hoping to try a little bit of everything. Served in a steel plate, the thali has more than ten dishes. Rice and ragi mudde are the main stars of the meal. For the appetiser, there is baby corn pepper fry, crunchy and delicious. A small portion of pulav is also served. The mutton curry is light and flavouful, with a hint of spice. The usual accoutrements like curd, papad, a gulab jamun and buttermilk round off the thali.

We wrap up the meal with a serving of dessert. They offer pheni, ragi manni (a ragi barfi like sweet) and badam halva. We try the pheni, delicate strands of vermicelli are doused in hot milk and shaved almonds. The traditional sweet is comforting.

Head to Mysore Dining Hall if you are in the area and really craving Karnataka-style oota.

₹400 for two. At Sahakar Nagar, Bengaluru. From 7 AM – 11.30 PM. For more details, call 7338521542