The Bayleaf Chennai in Gopalapuram is a Mughlai and Bengali restaurant. I was a little surprised and intrigued by this combination of cuisines. I wonder if it started off as a Bengali speciality restaurant and didn't find a large enough clientele and therefore expanded to incorporate Mughlai too? Or if it actually began as a kathi roll stop and then expanded to include other food from Kolkata? I'm tempted to believe the latter, if the exciting roll menu and very positive reviews of it are anything to go by.
We decided to dine in, this time around, and save those famous paratha rolls filled with spicy stuffings for another day.
When I think of Kerala food, I think of appams and stew. Seasonal vegetables simmered in a spiced coconut milk based sauce, eaten with thin lacy pancakes made of fermented rice flour. Now imagine eating traditional Keralan food in a quiet restaurant decorated in the traditional way, served by staff in traditional attire. If you can’t be in Kerala, be in Vembanad, Bangalore.
CTR Bangalore is synonymous with benne masala dosa, or butter masala dosa. If you haven't been to Bangalore or Bengaluru as it's now called, you're probably wondering what all the fuss around a masala dosa is, given every second food joint in the city serves these. You're not alone. I first heard of CTR on Instagram, when a friend shared a happy picture from his trip to Bangalore. It instantly found its way onto my wish list for my trip, and on my third day in the city, my parents, husband and I set out on the long drive from Yelahanka to Malleswaram, to sample the famous dosa at CTR Bangalore.
In all these years of visiting new countries, I've never been warned about the food. But it happened before we left for Cuba. Not once, not twice, but at least four times by different people. Our friends, in fact, having heard a few worrying stories about food in Cuba, came armed with peri peri sauce and ready-meal packets! All in vain though, because it was great. Maybe not everywhere and maybe not everything, but I had more than just a few very tasty meals.
My mum-in-law is a great cook and so when we visit each year, I'm in for quite a treat! My husband has a few favourite things on his request list for her, and one of them is kozhukattai payasam. I watched her as she cooked this up this year, and participated in the fun bits too! I have to say, it took a while but was well worth the effort. Here's her kozhukattai payasam recipe.
