Most connoisseurs of food opine that the true variety of a particular region’s cuisine is best seen in the lunch menu offered at a wedding in that region. A meal at Maiya’s is probably the closest one can get to an Udupi style Madhuve Oota (lunch at a wedding).

At a time when Udupi style restaurants can be found in every nook and corner of Bangalore, what sets Maiya’s apart from the rest of the pack is the fact that they offer something for everyone. The variety ranges from Idli-Vada-Dosa type breakfast to North Indian fine dining cuisine. The reason why Maiya’s have become a hit in such a short period time is that all these cuisines have one thing in common – they’re simply delicious!

Khara Bhath. Pic: Shivashankar

This Jayanagar based restaurant’s main crowd puller is their Udupi style Oota (meals). The demand for this, during the weekends, is so much that people wait by the dozens on the streets outside Maiya’s to get a table – some even pay a quick visit to the nearby Ganesha Temple.

Meanwhile, reservations for a table are made by enrolling your name and the table size that you’d require, in a list held by a representative from the restaurant. This results in people constantly crowding around this gentleman, repeatedly nagging him about the status of their request on the “waiting list”. This misery is further compounded by the fact that there are barely any waiting chairs available. All this chaos could be easily avoided if a token based system (as used in banks) were employed here.

The waiting issues aside, this South Indian meal is about as exhaustive a meal as you could possibly imagine. The meal starts with tomato soup which, truth be told, has nothing to do with the Udupi cuisine, and ends with a Beeda (a.k.a Paan). In between these items, we are served Kosambri (Salad made using pulses and coconut), Pachadi (Salad made up of grated or mashed vegetables), Pooris, Bisi Bele Bath (rice and lentils cooked with tamarind and spices), Chutney, Sambar, Rasam, Sagu (vegetable stew), a variety of Palya (a.k.a Subzi), Papad, Chips, Curd etc. Masala Majjige (Spicy Buttermilk) and Grape juice are the drinks offered. Sweets include Payasam (a.k.a Kheer), one other sweet such as Jalebi and Fruit Salad with Ice cream. This sumptuous meal, priced at Rs 130 per head, is certainly excellent value for money.

On the third floor, they have “Swarna Mandir”, which is the fine dining hall for South Indian food.  The atmosphere is a lot quieter and hence gives us the luxury of savouring our meal better. The décor is quite chic and the cutlery is completely made of solid silver. The waiters are better dressed and the service is both quick and courteous. For lunch and dinner, only a set menu is offered here. This is an executive meal consisting of around 40 dishes. In addition to most of the items that are offered in the Oota section, the menu consists of special items such as Hagalkayi Gojju (Chutney made using Bitter gourd), Cashew Pakoda, Bele Holige (Sweet Chapathi made using Dal), more varieties in Sambar and Rasam, and lastly a Hot Chocolate Fudge to wrap up a sumptuous meal. All this comes at a price, to be precise – Rs 350 per head.

This floor also houses their breakfast buffet, which contains almost every breakfast item present in their à la carte menu. The lip-smacking Masala Dosa, smeared with green chutney (instead of the usual red garlic based chutney), and the crispy Medu Vada are highly recommended. The coffee served in silver cups is a nice touch, but results in the cup becoming too hot and the coffee cooling down very quickly.

On the fifth floor they have "Dancing Kadai", where North Indian food is served. The set menu, priced at Rs 275 per head, consists of a variety of soups, gravy items, breads, desserts and much more. This is a subset of their North Indian à la carte menu. If all this weren’t enough, on the ground floor, we have "Gobble" – Maiyas’ very own sweet shop.

So head over to Maiya’s to experience the scrumptious Udupi Oota or the glamorous North Indian Khana.   ⊕