The janta's favourite

The janta's favourite

Who can resist the tantalising smell and the crisp look of the masala dosas at Janata Hotel?
The Hindu

LIP SMACKIN' FARE Even the generation sold on burgers can't resist these dosas

If film stars and politicians will risk being mobbed just to get a bite of masala dosa or vada, then it surely speaks for the restaurant's ability to seduce you with a taste that leaves you craving for more.

Yes, Janatha Hotel on Malleswaram 8th Cross has seen actors Shivaraj Kumar and Aravind, director Bhagwan, former chief ministers S.M. Krishna and S. Bangarappa and former minister H. Vishwanath coming here for those crisp masala dosas and crisp uddina vadas.

Delicious fare

The hotel, which was set up in 1971, remains a hot favourite among youngsters and old alike, tickling the taste buds of even those who swear by their burgers. Nothing beats the joy of dunking a piece of hot crispy vada in steaming sambar, allowing the vada to soak in all the elements of the sambar and finally biting into the juicy final product!

Being situated bang in the middle of the Malleswaram market area, it's not unusual to see entire families come in and make a dinner of dosas and vadas after a bout of shopping. In a way, it's the MTR of North Bangalore — people stand in queues and endure long waits just for that bite.

But what makes Janatha Hotel so special? Of course it's the telling taste that is the USP. But some credit should also go to that signature reddish brown tinge that the dosas and vadas sport. It's also that smearing of chutney and curry in the dosa and the lip-smacking bisi-bisi sambaar. In totality, the way the dish is presented and served with spicy coconut and mint chutney tempts the customers into indulgence.

What is even more remarkable is that this taste is uniform across the restaurant's two other establishments — at V.V. Puram (set up in 1965) and on K.G. Road (set up in 1975).

Sudhindra, who oversees the restaurant's running, personally supervises the process, while the kitchen is managed by three specialist chefs. From the proportions of the ingredients, the grinding, the fermentation, the tawa's heat level, its thickness, just every detail is standardised across the three branches. So much so that even a regular visitor to any one of the restaurants won't be able to tell the difference.

Another specialty at the restaurant is that the dosa is flipped on both sides before the blob of red chutney is applied, curry filled and the dosa two-fold wrapped.

The vada is another favourite at the restaurant. It's uniform crispness is unique and the sweetish sambar that accompanies it is more often than not had to the exclusion of the vada itself. The restaurant, hence, charges Re.1 for extra sambar.

H. Seetharam, who founded the restaurant, was only carrying on a family business with two of his brothers, handed down to them by their grandfather H. Veerabhadra Upadhye, who used to be a cook at Koteshwar near Udupi.

Uapdhaye's rasam is said to have been of legendary fame. Seetharam himself used to run a canteen at the Linganamakki Dam project site where he used to cook meals and snacks. Once the project was completed, he moved to Bangalore and the rest, as they say, is history.

Desserts

A word of caution: don't get overawed by the dosa. You get other regular South Indian fare as well, which are also worth savouring. The restaurant's popular sweets include jamoon, coconut halwa, Mysore pak and badam puri.

Pick any day other than Wednesday, which is when they are closed. The hotel is open from 7 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and then again from 3.30 p.m. to 8 p.m. A filling snack, rounded off with steaming strong filter coffee, will not set you back by about Rs. 55.

Janata Hotel is at No. 27, 8th Cross, Malleswaram. Phone: 23345609.