Udupi Restaurants (Brenda Barnes)

If you ever passed by an udupi restaurant chances are that you’ll be tempted to have a bite of mysore masala dosa or onion utappa. These restaurants, while may not have the decor and ambiance of a Taj or Gaylord’s, still have the power to attract a large crowd any given time of the day.

They are not located in posh areas but conveniently positioned near stations, bus stops, etc where they can feed a large crowd at minimal prices. The love of Mumbai with these restaurants is due to common culture and heritage.

Udupi restaurants, as the name suggests, are set up by migrants Kannadiga families from Udupi, a town in Karnataka. The delicious taste of idlis, upmas and dosas that only they can serve, giving you a taste of South India can be attributed to handing down of traditional recipes by word of mouth and informal lessons to the cooks by those before them. Not only food, but the service too is exceptional. Importance is laid on cleanliness and hygiene. Food is cooked in clean vessels and even cleaner kitchen; even the tables are kept clean. This is typical south India, where cooking does not start until the kitchen is scrubbed clean and a pray is offered to God.

The restaurants are run by a close knit community of Kannadigas. Waiters, cook, and small boys employed, belong to Karnataka. All are provided permanent shelter; most staying in the premise itself, and permanent jobs. Since most have left their villages to live here, they form a bond with regulars and new comers alike. This is where they spend more than half their lives, occasionally visiting their families back home.

Early kannadiga settlers came and set up their business in Matunga hence this place boasts of a plethora of udupi restaurants; the oldest and famous ones being A. Rama Nayak’s Udupi Shri Krishna Boarding, Idli House, Mani’s Lunch Home, Cafe Mysore, Sarada Bhavan, Anand Bhavan, Ram Ashray, Amba Bhavan. Some of these are more than 50 years old with the same unique taste in the south Indian fare.

Earlier the customers would usually be a south Indian but with evolving times the tyope of customers have changed nd with it the menu. Most restaurants will now offer apart from the usual fare of idlis and dosas, mughlai, chinese, Indian Chinese, Bhelpuri, and other chaats.

Here is an overview of the food you will get in one of the coolest and oldest udupi restaurants in Mumbai

• Rama Nayak’s Udipi Shri Krishna Boarding (1st Floor, L.B.S. Market Building, Matunga (C.Rly); 10:30am-3pm, 7-10pm )

Two cups of rice, three puris or two chappatis, one curry, one raita, one pulse dish, pappad, buttermilk, sambar, rasam, dal, pickle and cur.it will be served either in thali(plate) or in a banana leaf.take your pick.

• Idli House (Next to Vasant Breezy Chamber, King Circle, Matunga (E))

The menu has a variety of 16 idlis with coffee and other accompaniments like sambar, rasam and coconut chutney, khotto served in cups of jackfruit leaves and mudho. Try it with some mulaga podi (dried spicy chutney), coconut chutney and sambar.

Rava idli to the sweet, tangy cucumber idli to the spicy masala idli are available .

• Modern Hindu Hotel (12 Wallace Street, Apeejay Chambers, 4th floor, Behind Excelsior Theatre, Fort. Lunch: 12-2:30pm; Dinner: 7:15-9-pm)

lunch meal consists of bhaji, sambar, dal, rasam (different everyday), pickle and gulab jamun to wrap it up. The specialty here is that their rice is cooked in copper vessels to add that extra zing to your serving.

 

• Mani’s Lunch Home (153-C, Mhaskar Building Matunga (C.Rly); +91 (0) 98 2412 7188; 6:30am-9pm, Monday is a holiday.)

Idli, medu wada, potato wada, upma, sheera, pongal, in the morning session and in addition kela bajji, vegetable bonda, dal wada, rasam wada, dahi wada, onion pakoda, Mysore bonda, in the evening session and vast varieties of crisp dosawith limitless accompaniments of chutney and spicy delicious Madras onion sambar. In addition, during the afternoon session varieties of rice such as curd rice, bisibellabath, tomato rice, lemon rice and tamarind are served. On Sundays, Mani’s prepares a special southern dosa called adai

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References:

1. iguide.travel/Mumbai/Eating/Udupi_restaurants

2. www.cnngo.com/mumbai/eat/simply-southilicious