A surprising find…MTR 1924, JP Nagar Mini Forest

 

Waiting in line on a Sunday morning at MTR has been a tradition for hundreds of thousands of Bangaloreans for the past 85 odd years. The smell of the ghee on the Masala Dosa, the tomato on top of the kharabath on those cracked and stained white plates are not images that can easily be erased. The taste stayed more or less constant, as did the waiters over the years. I’m totally convinced that the guy who, when I was a kid scolded me for standing on the seat is the head waiter who still yells at kids standing on the seats. But this post is not about the old MTR, but its about the re-branded, trying to be 2.0 entity, adding fancy lettering and a number (1924) next to the name.

MTR 1924 has been introduced as an annexe of the main place with the same tastes of the original. As far as I know there is on on St Mark’s road and this is the second, newer one. I chanced upon as I walked across to another establishment (lets leave out the name for now) near the Shoppers’ Stop building on Bannerghata road around lunch time. Located on the 5th floor of a building across from the JP Nagar mini forest, this gives the hungry hordes of south Bangalore yet another spot to eat. The restaurant is on the terrace with a high tiled roof and khus-khus curtains hanging down providing shelter from the elements. The seating was quite simple with black granite topped tables and wooden chairs, with the tables along the wall having comfortable sofas.   We were also told that there is an air-conditioned section which opens for dinner

Lots of sunlight

Spacious and airy

Having landed at an odd time – not quite lunch time and not quite tiffin time meant that we had to order something light, and our choice turned out to be kharabath and bisibelebath  both of which have been captured below. The kharabath as expected had a smooth velvety texture and the richness of the ghee was very very apparent. Nobody does kharabath like MTR. In most darshinis, the kharabath is  either dry, or there is too much coconut or the rava is too coarse causing it all to crumble right on the plate. But here, like the original, it was just perfect. The tanginess of the chutney was the perfect complement to the kharabath and I have absolutely no regrets taking on those extra calories.
 
Coming to the bisibelebath… @radha_ ordered this and this too was perfection. Now, I am not a huge fan of kokum and usually, darshinis overdo it and I’m completely put off by it. However this was just right. The generous combination of cashews and veggies ensured that it was a meal in itself and was served with a small side of raita. Oh yeah.. how can I forget the tablespoon full of ghee that had to be sent back, not because it was bad, but because it was simply sinful!
 
The need for getting back to work hit me hard and I had to get a cup of coffee which I normally do to drink. But this was good and a light coffee gave me a much needed caffeine shot which helped me get through the rest of the day. The total damage to the wallet was about Rs 90 for a meal that was pretty light on the stomach, and heavy on the arteries.

This is most definitely not a comprehensive review, since we did not order too much food. The menu seems to be complete, (not printed.. only verbal ) with the usual suspects like rava idly and dosa being available, along with full meals and mini-meals for lunch, which includes poori, subji, rice and a sweet based on what the waiter told us. In the evenings, tiffin is served till 7.30 and from that time onwards, the dinner service begins.
On the first floor of the same building, they have started selling sweets and coffee and have a few tables set out. At the time this review was written, the restaurant had been open just for 10 days and a lot of work had to be done on the lower floor.
The verdict? This is a place to watch out for. Usually, extensions of popular restaurants are unable to live up to the hype and fall by the way side. MTR, with its rich history and high expectations of its clientele should be able to do well. The competition in this part of town is quite fierce, and this new addition should see places like Maiyas, Kamath and Pai being given a good run for the money. Will I go there again? Most definitely.