An eatery with history

An eatery with history
The Hindu

New Krishna Bhavan belongs to a different era, where the cook who's been there for 25 years dishes out amazing dosas, pongal, kadubus and more
FOR PALATE AND POCKET Meals at New Krishna Bhavan are served between 11 a.m. and 3.30 p.m. You can go in for the plate meals or the ragi meals

They were one of the first in the city to introduce lunch for a rupee. At one point 3,000 mill workers landed here every morning for breakfast.

The New Krishna Bhavan, on Sampige Road, Malleswaram, is a household name today. The joint, started in 1954, has fed eager and hungry customers for over five decades.

Founded by Ramakrishna Prabhu, it is now run by his son Gopinath Prabhu. Initially this was a self-service joint. In 1969, the idlis here came at 10 paise, vadas for 15 paise, while the masala dosa was priced at 30 paise each. It was a time when the Raja Mill was located near New Krishna Bhavan and 3,000 employees from the mill flocked this eatery for breakfast every morning!

Even to this day the Bhavan still draws hundreds of old timers, who keep coming back for that familiar flavour.

The hotel offers such a wide range that it is simply a foodie's paradise. One can endlessly eat special button idlis floating in a huge bowl of sambar. Then there is the rava pongal, a rarity in hotels these days. Cooked with green gram dal, sooji, cashewnut and served with cucumber raita — this is one must have dish. These items are served from 7 a.m. onwards.

The menu also distinguishes the wide range with a section of NKB Unusuals, served from noon. Then there are the weekend specials like kotte kadubu served with chutney and coconut milk. In this section you can choose either the shavige bhath, gojju avalakki, khara bhath or the sambar vada.

Another must-try is the kulipaniyaram or the gundpongal — it is a traditional delicacy made from rice dough, onions, green chillies, coriander cooked in a tray that has several hollow bowls. The fried rice dough balls are served with chutney.

The dosas too come in a wide range like masala, butter masala, ragi, neer, rava, sagu masala and capsicum. The menu also offers idiyappams, akki roti and fluffy akki chappati, also a rare item these days. These can be savoured with chutney or the vegetable korma.

Meals are served between 11 a.m. and 3.30 p.m. where you can go in for the plate meals or the ragi meals. The latter comes with ragi balls or the traditional ragi muddey, served with a greens gravy, sprouted grams, salads, rice and butter milk for just Rs. 26. Some of the hot dishes are the green masala idli. They are mini idlis shallow fried in palak paste. Udupi buns are also popular here.

Those with a smaller appetite can choose the light meal that comes at Rs.20.

The food is prepared by a cook who has been with hotel for the last 25 years. In fact, the food here is so popular the hotel's clientele includes politicians and film stars, who get their favourite dishes parcelled from here on order.

A surprise package at the New Krishna Bhavan is the Gopika, the air-conditioned restaurant that serves north Indian and Chinese platters from noon to 3.30 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. These items are prepared by another specialist, says the management.

Simla mirch masala, baby corn manchurian, Punjabi dal, paneer gutchi and kaju mutter are some of the items that are a hit with the customers. The rice platter here offers Kashmiri palav, jeera rice, ghee rice and the all-time favourite — vegetable biriyani.

This restaurant can seat 64 people at a go and a meal for two costs Rs.150 upwards.

New Krishna Bhavan can be contacted on 23443940.

Ambience: Old-world charm

Service: Good

Specialty: Rava pongal, masala dosa

Wallet factor: An absolute delight to one's pocket