New Momo Kiosks in Bangalore

Enterprise is never about big money or big names..often the most innovative ones start really small. In the last 6 months I've noticed a bunch of these mushroom all over a particular area of Bangalore. The target is the ever growing batches of students from the N East India who miss out on their home fare and good quality Momos( which Bangalore was never famous for)

I went up and talked to one of these guys, College students themselves, they said it was just echoing their own feelings ( we want good Momos) that let them to set this up. You'll see these stalls manned by 2-3 people( students) all they have is a table, the steamer for the Momos, some paper plates, spoons & a chair for the guy to sit on. They are usually open around 5 PM to 6..by which time every single Momo is sold out.

Quiet & well behaved, is how their service can be described...Way to go I think & a welcome break for all those who love their Momos.

Mangalore Pearl

( Pork Pepper Fry)

If you are a Costal food freak & looking at eating some fish, try out 'Mangalore Pearl'. Situated in 3 Coles Road, Cleveland Town, Frazer town, Bangalore with a rather nondescript sign board. This place goes by word of mouth and is quite in the heart of the city. Nothing very fancy, but good old world ambiance.

I'm not a Bengali who drools every time you mention 'Fish', but the place is nice, food included. Plus I'm a sucker for Graphiti & the walls are interesting to say the least. The wooden bench type seats add to the charm. A place for a family get-together or buddies from office.

'Mangalore Pearl' serves, Sardines, Pomfret, Squid, Prawns and a host of other sea food. They have Mangalore delicacies, prawns in coconut curry, Masala fish fries, etc. It is recommended that you try out the Mangalorean way and have a Sanna ( A kind of Idly) along with the fish. If you want to have something different try their Squid Butter Garlic or Cocoom Juice, made from a coastal fruit. I found the prices slightly on the higher side. A single serving of fish ( 1 piece of Pomfret & about 2 pieces of Sardines) is anything starting from Rs 250-300. Overall a good experience.

Sleepy on the roads?

Saw this on my rather late morning walk today..the sign close by says 'Scholars hub' indeed..while the so called guard slept happily dreaming & nodding away on the papers I couldn't help chuckle..who needs malls..there s so much to see if U look well

Some 'Tea please' ?

If you are a tea lover in 'Kapi' land and are disappointed by 'Shanti Sagar' s and the 'Sukh Sagar' s then head over to Tea land! For lovers of tea and all that smells( as well as tastes nice) try out 'Infinitea' at Cunningham Road in Bangalore. Situated close to the Kingfisher's office, you can hardly miss it. 'Infinitea', like the name suggests to all the lovers of the language, is a lovely and delightful place where the love of words comes together with exquisite blend of tea from all over the world.

Very tastefully done up with High stools and a little lounge up stairs that go up on a cute winding stair case, the place is abuzz with tea lovers..but hey it also serves great snacks, while you chose a corner to huddle into and read a book.

The walls of 'Infinitea' are a delight to peer over..on the walls are little quotes from 'Alice in wonderland' in the form of photographs or little inscriptions on the walls. Some one actually took the pain to find out all the places in 'Alice in wonderland' that mention tea and put it up in cute lines there! They even have a image of a ' owner of out Moroccan tea point' - A Mr M

The ceiling is high, with long fans, as in the olden days, cool lighting and comfortable seating arrangement. Whether you are spending a lazy afternoon or meeting up with friends ( as I was) the place is perfect for no loud music..no screams kind of ambiance, check it out

Koti Linga ( Near Kolar Gold mines)

Interestingly pooja is performed for a section of the Lingas everyday( the ones shown in the pic- some 100 of them) at 6:00 A.M. and 6:00 P.M. by 10 Priests with drums and music. The count of lingas start even before the actual temple entrance ( we started counting from there) Devotees offer their prayers to Lord by installing Lingas in various sizes. Some even have names of those who have placed the Lingas.

Tired of the Bangalore malls, on a whim we drove to the Kolar Gold mines on the weekend. Though the mines were closed, discovered a rather interesting temple called Kotilinga temple, which is situated in the village of Kammasandra, near the Kolar Gold fields. Legend takes the origins of the Koti linga back to the days of the Ramayana, which as the name suggests supposedly has a 1 crore Lingas. The main & the largest Linga is actually quite unimpressive..it looks rather like a Sintex water tank ( just bigger) but the temple as a whole is quite interesting with more Lingas than people ( for a change)

Counting one's blessings

As I took my evening walk yesterday, I saw this old person, sitting on the pavement take out a small pouch tulked preciously into his waist..little coins were studiously kept in neat little stacks, while he counted them again and again..I sat with him and asked what he was doing. He said he was counting his days earnings rather matter of factly...without any expectations. I asked him if he would allow me to add a note to his collection, which I kept beneath his coins..wordlessly he nodded his head, not looking at me. As I was leaving, he gave me a smile, that stayed long after...disturbed evenings..hopefully better mornings.

Crazy Shoppe

Liked this tie..its full of skeleton images!

Some very hip badges and funky art that's sure to be a hit with college goers

That's the shop signboard..it's called MISFITS, situated near Kamnahali ( Kalyan Nagar, near Sukh Sagar- 1st floor)..personally didn't find anything a misfit..just fun

I think I'll reserve my comments for this..:))) but eye catching is all I'll say

These are some of the masks they sell..fun & quirky

Ok so this is a skull mask..You see lots of associated stuff there too to complete the junkie look & scare the hell out of any of your friends

Loads of fun wigs there..depending on what you want to be on your chosen day, a brunette, a blonde..etc, they have it all...Wish I had tried these one but then thought better of it..am quirky enough I guess :))

The entrance to this shop has a skeleton & a cloth banner with a Bob Marley Picture on it..How cool can it get..was Maha khush