From Oota to Khana

Jayanagar based restaurant Maiya's main crowd puller is their Udupi style Oota (meals).

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.

Maiya’s
No.459/30, 30th Cross, 4th Block, Jayanagar, Landmark: Opp. Ganesha temple.
Ph: 080-43414400
Timings:
Breakfast – 7.00 to 11.00 AM
Lunch – 12.00 to 2.00 PM
Snack – 3.30 to 7.30 PM
Dinner – 8.00 to 10.00 PM

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.   ⊕

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Similar Story

‘Banni Nodi’: How a place-making project is keeping history alive in modern Bengaluru

The Banni Nodi wayfaring project has put KR market metro station at the heart of a showcase to the city's 500-year urban history.

KR market metro station is more than a transit hub in Bengaluru today, as it stands at the heart of a project that showcases the city's 500-year urban history. The Banni Nodi (come, see) series, a wayfinding and place-making project, set up in the metro station and at the Old Fort district, depicts the history of the Fort as well as the city's spatial-cultural evolution. The project has been designed and executed by Sensing Local and Native Place, and supported by the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) and Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL).  Archival paintings, maps and texts,…

Similar Story

Wounds of cyber abuse can be deep, get expert help: Cyber psychologist

Cyber psychologist Nirali Bhatia says that parents, friends and relatives of sufferers must not be reactive; they should be good listeners.

As technology has advanced, cyber abuse and crime has also increased. Women and children are particularly vulnerable, as we have seen in our earlier reports on deepfake videos and image-based abuse. In an interview with Citizen Matters, cyber psychologist, Nirali Bhatia, talks about the psychological impact on people who have been deceived on the internet and the support system they need. Excerpts from the conversation: What should a person do, if and when they have fallen prey to a deep fake scam or image abuse? We need to understand and tell ourselves it is fake; that itself should help us…