Launch of Banyan Tree

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'Idli Dosa Utthapam, ranna te ami uttamam' is the song most South Indian Restaurant try to shout at the top of their voice praising their dishes & authentic tastes. However they seldom get that right to the t. Sometimes the dosa is soggy, sometimes the idlis are hard. Sometimes they even mess up the sambar or coconut chutney. I being a lover of South Indian delicacies, remain super conscious whenever trying out new South Indian restaurants.

So when Sougatada of The Biryani Company called up PanchPhoron for a food tasting event at his newly opened South Indian Restaurant ' Banyan Tree' , to say the truth I was a bit skeptical. I've had their biryanis & kebabs which were undoubtedly brilliant, but can they serve equally good south Indian dishes that was to be seen.

Locating the restaurant wasn't tough, as we had been to their 'Biryani Bistro' few days back, the same building houses the 'Banyan Tree' as well. To reach the outlet, get down at the Ravindra sarovar metro / Mudiali bus-stand, ask anyone about the Mudiali Club or the PSC building, the outlet is just a few steps from there. A bright red door is the distinct feature of this outlet.

Coming to the decor, it's quite minimalist, & rather simplistic, to me perfect for south Indian meals, which I find quite light on the stomach. There are 4-5 tables which seat four persons each, pegging the maximum no. of diners to around 20. Make a prior reservation if you are planning to visit during the peak hours. The walls have some pics of various dishes they serve, but mostly they are pretty white , sticking to the simplistic theme.

As we were seated we were served glasses of masala coke garnished with a slice of lime, which was pretty refreshing. Sougatada had picked some of the star items from the menu beforehand for us, & those awaited us. A brief review of the items we had is given below:

Idli: Rs 40/-

The regular Idli served with three types of chutney. To say the truth the idlis were exceptionally soft & fluffy. Dry & hard idlis sometimes become a nightmare for me, but these were just too soft. Also quite value for money I have to say!

Ghee Podi Idli: Rs 60/-

How to make a great tasting Idli better? Serve it with Idli Podi. Well this is the first time I had Idli Podi. To the uninitiated it's a mix of urad dal, channa dal, red chilis, til, asafoetida ground to a coarse powder mix. The mix had been added to ghee & served over the regular Idli. I'll definitely recommend this one over the regular idli, since the pocket pinch again is not very high.

Medu Vada: Rs 45/-

Another very common south Indian snack, the word 'medu' literally means 'soft' in Kannada, which the interior of this dough-nut shaped snack really is. The crispy exterior was perfectly fried & overall the vada was enjoyable.

Dhaniya Masala Dosa: Rs. 70/-

What happens when you coat the inner wall of a crisp masala dosa with coriander paste? You make it better! While some restaurants I've been to serve the paste separately, or some just add a handful of chopped dhaniya leaves to the mashed potatoes, this technique in my opinion is the authentic one & surely tastes better. In fact I ended up eating the crisp dosa all by itself, & having the masala which was tasty in its own right separately.

Mysore Masala Dosa: Rs 70/-

Warning: this is not to be taken lightly, it may explode anytime since it contains gunpowder! Just kidding, people well versed with southern foodie lingo surely know what gunpowder is. However this specific item was not as hot & spicy as it was supposed to be. I'm sure they'll make it super hot by adding some more chili flakes if you ask them, but on as is condition this one was quite tasty sans the usual gunpowder kick.

Ghee Dosa: Rs 60/-

Although this costs a lil less than its other siblings, it's great to look at. Served like a conical tent used by Red Indians this is equally tasty too. The extra dose of ghee feels great, both in the nose & on the taste buds.

Lemon Rice: Rs. 70/-

Yellow pulav with generous amount of lime for both the smell & taste, cooked along with coriander leaves & cashew nuts, don't I love South Indian Food! Served with special sambar & two types of chutneys this again can be the go to food on a hot summer noon.

Mixed Utthapam: Rs 70/-

Don't know why, since childhood I've always considered this one an Indian version of pizza. I know it's nothing like a pizza but the look of it surely reminds you of one. It was well cooked with generous amount of tomatoes and onion. Liked it.

South Indian Filter Coffee: Rs 30/-

Now this deserves a special mention. I myself am a fan of filter coffee, brewing my extra strong black coffee without milk & sugar in a drip coffee machine. From the day I was introduced to organic coffee I quite despise the processed concoction called instant coffee. Filter Coffee is quite close to my heart. So when Sougatada heard about that, he served it the way I like it , & surely it was beautiful. Even one of our group members who generally drinks instant coffee with milk took a sip of the black coffee & appreciated it the way it was made. However stick to the regular version prepared with milk & sugar if you are not accustomed to black coffee.

To say the truth, my search for good south Indian Food ended at 'Banyan Tree'. Great tasting dishes , lovely hospitality is what will take me to this joint again & again. I found a hidden gem in a newly opened outlet for sure.Hopefully you'll find the same here.

Happy eating,

Cheers!

P.s: I would have rated this outlet a 4.0 . But the pocket friendly prices surely deserved an extra 0.5 .