July 24,2016
(Reader discretion advised – not for the faint of Heart … or the Lily Livered)
‘Spare’ Time ? Let us Part’y !!!
Have an Offal’y good morning on the ‘Spare Parts’ trail with Bengaluru by Foot (BFF) as they take you on a foodie adventure that promises you the Inside scoop, literally ;-), as you visit specialty eating places that serve Organ meats and other lesser known parts !!!
BFF, the group that urges you to ‘Go take a Walk’, shepherds us on yet another of its adventures, this time through the gullies of Shivajinagar, one of Bangalore’s oldest areas. With its bustling streets and thronging crowds, there is never a dull moment here, be it a weekday or even a Sunday. The locality is perpetually abuzz with activity and the congested and not too clean ambience seems to deter none of those who come to shop at the meat or vegetable markets or at the numerous stores selling kitchen ware and household articles or even those looking for a Hearty meal … a phrase that takes on a very literal meaning on this trail !!!
Mansoor Ali and Ameen Ahmed, the Brains behind this venture, invited me as their guest on this occasion, along with Zac O’Yeah (Zachary of Sweden) who will be featuring this session in the Nat Geo Traveller’s Indian edition !!!
Our itinerary began with a visit to The New Hilal restaurant, opposite the ancient and sadly, badly maintained Beef and Pet market. Remember to go upstairs and sit in the quieter and cleaner section of the restaurant, if you go there. Since Hilal is famous for its Head meat, we naturally went aHead and ordered the Sira dry … yes Sira means head, you Muttonhead 😛
While I was apprehensive, having eaten this only in my childhood and having lost all desire for it thence, I took the plunge with a Que Sira Sira on my lips and discovered this lip smacking preparation with all the edible parts of the head, including the eyes, cooked in a deliciously spicy, dry masala. Zac and Eye … er I, made sure to offer each other an eye, just to pose for a picture that I wanted to caption – An eye for an eye 😀
The brain however, is not a part of this dish and I assume that it is because it is too delicate to withstand being cooked along with the other bony parts. Well that is a No Brainer isnt it ? We also had fresh, hot Kerala parotas with the gravy version of the head, which was thick, spicy and flavorful and what added to our delight was the huge potential for apt captions, as Zac’Curry and Curry’line went quite berserk punning over Head curry !!!
Hilal does have all the other parts too but we were taken from one end to the other (of the goat I mean), as we made our way to the Taj Hotel to sample the Trotters. Sadly they were out of the Trotter or Paya soup, since this item gets over really early everyday. So we settled for their famous Egg pudding which is a Caramel custard of sorts. I did not taste this, since I do not eat egg (yeah yeah, no civilized foods for me 😀 ) but I think that the others were not overly impressed with it either.
Saqlain Kabab Center was our next stop and we were served a Marrow soup that again I had eaten only when I was a child. This was quite a treat with the marrow already scooped out and easily accessible in the flavorful broth. Well suited for lazy Bones like me, who find it too much trouble to do the honors myself. There are some places which serve the soup with the entire bone, so if you are like me, you would do well to ask beforehand … or you will certainly have a Bone to Pick !!! (terribly sorry for the pun overdose but these are just begging to be made).
Fried liver and Kidneys roasted on the grill came next, de’livered by a rather grumpy server. The liver was very good and again reminiscent of what I had eaten as a child but the kidneys though tasty, were a tad chewy, probably due to the grilling.
Our final stop was the well known Hamza Hotel, which is currently undergoing some sort of renovation of the façade. But our guides were savvy and we were taken to the AC section on the first floor, away from the dust and noise. This is where we finally got to have our Brain fry and the succulent and large pieces of carefully handled and fried brain, were the highlight of the day. The Irani paratha here, was also a first for me and the soft, layered bread dipped in its accompanying dal and gravy, had everyone going for seconds, despite being pretty full by then.
Mansoor had also bought what he called a Sheermal Naan from Bilal bakery, which was to be had with the gravy but we forgot all about it until we were done !!! We did photograph it though because it made such a pretty picture.
BFF conducts various walks such as culture, heritage, temple, food etc and their information is on their website http://www.bengalurubyfoot.com. Their food walks cover all sorts of street foods including vegetarian options. But if you are game for unusual foods like what we experienced, do contact them and they will arrange one for you. I can assure you that it will be well Organ’ized !!!
For more pictures please see My Facebook – Bengaluru by Foot – Shivajinagar walk
Jul 24th,2016
