Mangaluru/Mysuru: Karnataka has its own diverse range of lip-smacking delicacies. In an deserving identification, two tiny hotels from Karnataka have bagged place in five tiny restaurants of India, listed out by none other BBC in its report. While fish connoisseurs’ paradise Giri Manja’s makes it to the list, the famous Mylari Hotel, renowned for its hot and yummy dosas too is in the list.
Giri Manja’s
Giri Manja’s, the name itself tickles the taste buds of foodies and its specialty is fish fry cooked specifically in the GSB style of cooking. The variety of fish marinated in fiery masalas are served as ‘masala fry’, ‘tawa’ fry of simply as ‘naked fry’ and the fish lovers simply cannot resist going gaga over the same.
BBC’s Vikas Pandey writes the following: Giri Manjas has established itself as an institution in the southern coastal city of Mangaluru. It’s a small eatery and people have to often wait patiently for their turn to eat its signature fish fry. Seating only 25 people at a time, Giri Manjas serves around 200-300 portions of fried fish to its customers every day from 11am to 9pm.
Manjunath Pai, the founder of the hotel was a lively young man who used to personally supervise each and every aspect of this eatery. Visiting tables and striking conversation with the customers, Pai, fondly called ‘Manjanna’ passed away couple of months ago due to cardiac arrest.
After his sad demise, it is his wife Nandini Pai, naive home-maker has ably carried forward Manjanna’s legacy. Like her husband, Nandini is always there at the counter looking after the day to day affair at the hotel, which runs in a small Mangalorean styled house and she feels that she has learnt the trade secret from her husband and the secret lies in the freshness of the food served and the affection with which it is made and served. She proudly says that there are cooks who have remained with the brand ‘Giri Manja’s’ over the last 40 years. The kitchen secret is to bring in best and fresh fish and spices,” says Nandini.
Plans of expansion after so much of popularity- Well, Nandini says-‘NO’
Mylari styled Dosas
Second from the state to make it to the list of five tiny hotels of India by BBC is Mylari hotel famous for its dosas. Well, the round pancakes made out of rice and urad dal can be found in each and every lane of Karnataka, but when it comes to Mylari Hotel, the story is completely different.
Over the last 80 years, the hotel has not just pacified the crave for dosas, but through its journey it has built a solid fan following for itself, which includes common man to top politicians, film stars and celebrities.
Most of the politicians in Karnataka including present Chief Minister Siddaramaiah likes dosa which is prepared at Mylari Hotel located in Nazarbad. Talk of film stars-thespian Rajkumar and his sons Shivaraj Kumar and Puneeth Raj Kumar, Ambareesh, Vishnuvardhan are huge fans of this hotel.
Though the hotel is officially called Vinayaka Mylari Hotel, the people simply call it ‘Mylari hotel’. What remains constant and unchanged is not just the love of the people, a look at the menu will show that the second generation that is running the hotel has never intended to change or diversify the menu.
“We have no plans of changing or modifying anything in the menu. This is the menu that brought us this name and fame, why should we alter it,” questions Chandrashekar whose father Mahalingaswamy founded the hotel 80 years back.
Chandrashekar says that over 400 people relish the yummy dosas in the hotel everyday. Masala dosa and set dosas are the hot favourites of the dosa lovers. During weekends the number stretches nearly 700 to 800. Most of the people prefer to take parcel and one of such persons taking way parcel for himself is Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Former Chief Ministers BS Yeddyurappa, SM Krishna and other senior leaders including Eshwarappa too likes dosas prepared from this hotel.
The coconut-based chutney that accompanies the dosa also has a unique taste. Daily it will be opened between 6.30am and 1.30pm and 3pm to 8.30pm.
The other three hotels featured in the list are Hariram Samosa of Allahabad, Biryani from Babu Bawarchi hotel in New Delhi, and Bund Gosht supplied at Alam Gir, Lucknow.
