The snack's hardcore, Bangalore

The snack's hardcore, Bangalore



Bengaluru has had vada pav's equivalent in bun nippat for 12 years now. If only Chetty's Corner in Kumara Park West considered franchising, this literally 'hard core' burger could well become the official snack of state. And when that happens, we hope the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike won't make it an instrument of state politics like the Shiv Sena has with the vada pav.
Going back to 1997, brothers Vinod Kumar PK and Anil Kumar PK, opened their small corner with the hope of making it big with their soon-to-be iconic innovation simply called the bun nippat. All it took was slipping the traditional crispy fried nippat onto a layer of sweet and green chutney, over a bed of onions, grated cheese/butter, held together by a bun slit through its stomach. And then they discovered its perfect partner – masala Coke, the regular soft drink melded with special spice.
While this is what draws students from Mount Carmel, Sri Bhagawan Mahaveer Jain College, the nearby Seshadripuram College, the working population from nearby offices, this is just one of their other 20 bun specialities – from the basic bun masala to bun butter nut (your average peanut-butter bun) to the latest veggies-filled bun. "The chutneys we use are all made in-house; both of them use exactly seven masalas each," he reveals.
After the success of bun nippat, another improvisation was in the offing when Vinod and his brother tried another — rather outlandish —recipe. This time, they paired gulqand (the sweet rose preserve) with butter and nippat. "It's simply mind blowing," he promises whether you are inclined to believe him or not. Another USP of this place is a herbal drink called Nannari, a potent herbal coolant, one glass of which is equivalent to three tender coconuts. "Making it is a time consuming process; it's made from roots sourced from Andhra Pradesh to which is added Sarsaparilla, all boiled for seven hours, sugared and reduced to a concentrate," says Vinod. Where else would you find a junk food joint that doubles up as a health drink parlour; soon you will find at Chetty's Corner other natural drinks like Shikanji (lemonade), Jeera sharbat and another herbal drink called Nerale.
What was till recently a small and busy outlet adjacent Gullu's Chat, right opposite the park — where you had to fight to get your nippat — has now expanded to fit its scale of operations. Everyday, an average of 300 people visit his shop, that's open between 10 am to 10 pm.
Address: #2, Serpentine Road, Kumara Park West. Call: 9945908751.
Average price for two: Rs60.