STRICTLY FOR FOOD DARSHAN

STRICTLY FOR FOOD DARSHAN
Darshinis — the desi answer to McDonald’s and KFC — have become an integral part of the Bangalore experience
SHASHWATHI BHANUKUMAR


When it comes to reasonably priced tasty food nothing can replace the Darshinis of Bangalore. Despite their combo offers and fancy menus McDonald’s and KFC outlets are no match for these veg fast food restaurants. Nothing can beat the idlis, dosas and the hot filter coffee served by Darshinis. The low-cost and “on the go” breakfast and lunch served by these restaurants are a big hit across age groups.
STAND & EAT? WOKAY!
For the uninitiated here’s an introduction to a Darshini. Enter the Darshini, buy a coupon for what you want to eat, go to the food counter, exchange your coupon for food, and then stand and eat. Yes, stand and eat. For some, the standing and eating is what makes the Darshini experience such a joy. Piyush Saraf, a college student, says, “I sometimes feel like having South Indian food and the best place to have it are the Darshinis. The fun is to stand and eat it.”
LIVE FOOD SHOW
The chance of watching your food getting prepared (and maybe pick up a recipe or two) over the counter makes Darshinis attractive for foodies.
“It is so very exciting to see the dish being prepared in front of us and where else can we see it than in a Darshini. In normal hotels, you need to sit in a place and wait for your food,” says Leena Rotti, a techie.
DOSA IS KING
Hot crispy dosas seem to score over idlis in Darshinis. Ask any hard core Bangalorean who eats at Darshinis
regularly and most would say that dosas are what they order the most. “At home you cannot prepare dosas of different varieties as that consumes a lot of time. You cannot get so many
(dosa) varieties in other restaurants. We can get it only in Darshinis,” says Sheela Kallapur, a HR professional.
But idlis are not far behind. In Adigas at Jayanagar, around 450 rava idlis are sold on an average daily. And the secret to their sale has always been the sambar. “I have been coming here for the past five years and the taste of the sambar has always been the same. There has not been even a slight change in the taste,” says Pradeep Kumar, the owner of a jewellery store.
YOUNG & HUNGRY
Gone are the days when Darshinis were meant only for the old and the middle aged. Nowadays, young Bangaloreans who long for some pure South Indian food look no further than a Darshini. Besides, a dosa seems much more filling and tasty than a pizza or a burger. “I used to come to the Darshinis with my father before. Even now, whenever I long for South Indian food I come to the Darshinis only. I prefer a Darshini to a McDonald’s any day,” says Ahmed Khan, a student of Christ College.
DARSHINI EXPERIENCE
For some it looks like a visit to Bangalore is incomplete without eating at a Darshini. Basalingamma, from Gulbarga, says she prefers Darshinis over restaurants. She says, “Nothing can beat the Darshinis, not even the Kamats (restaurants) I feel. The taste and quality of food in Darshinis is something very different and I always wait to come to a Darshini when I visit Bangalore.”
DARSHINI HISTORY
The Darshini trend was introduced in Bangalore by R Prabhakar in 1983. Inspired by the fast food chains abroad, he started the first Darshini called ‘Cafe Darshini’ in Jayanagar. Its success led to the sprouting of several darshinis with many existing coffee bars renaming themselves into some Darshini.Today his Darshini is called Ganesh Darshan.