This came out of the blue didn’t it?

Well after Rupin pass and it’s many adventures I had to mull about this, whether I should write about this or not. Finally I succumbed to sharing this blog with you. But wait, I make an exception here!

So instead of a series of blogs I give you the only one with loads of pics!

A pending official meeting  lead me and my partner Srini heading to Bangalore. It was only one meeting but an important one that would lead to sealing the deal. That deal would also mean us finally exiting out of our dream called Truffles. And it would be  a tough arduous task of getting away from it, more mentally and emotionally than anything else.

Why do I call this a One Stop Guide to everything nice? Because that’s what Bangalore is to me since my childhood. I have seen it being a calm serene city full of greenery and lush parks in my childhood to living there briefly when the IT boom had just started to going back again and again to a fast paced one and making friends for life.

So whether you are a Banglorean or an out of towner like me, you are bound to fall in love with it and if you grumble about the bad traffic here, can you blame it?? With more and more people migrating to this awesome city from all over the country, what can one do?

And if you are like me, a visitor, trust me, take an auto, metro or even an A/C bus and enjoy the journey, then traffic won’t matter anymore. You will have a smile, a grin because you know you don’t have to rush anywhere, you are here to enjoy and how!

Yummy breakfasts like Sagu Masala Dosa, Kesari bath, Single Idli and Vada along with strong Filter Coffee at Vidyarthi Bhavan at Basavanagudi and Masala Dosa heaped with ghee and chutney at the Original Mavalli Tiffin room(MTR) near Lalbagh is a must try. It’s not just the food but if you want to revisit an old Bangalore culture, these are the ones. I remember walking along the flower market after breakfast at Vidyarthi Bhavan enjoying the sights and smells.

If you want to relish Manglorean food then it’s SEA ROCK at Sivananda Circle, near Race Course road. I remember my partner Srini driving like a mad man to reach there by 3 pm and us running to the place as it closes by 3.30 pm. Two hungry souls driving all the way from Hyderabad and the first thing was LUNCH here at any cost! Seer fish Tawa fry and Manglorean Prawns ghee roast with Ghee rice washed down with Beer 🙂

Hanging out with friends and loved ones is always special isn’t it? So Antara, Bhim and Kamakshi it was. From waiting at TOIT for an hour and told we had to wait for another hour, my fellow Gemini Antara took us to this place Hangover which played good old Rock Music that made me wonder why doesn’t Hyderabad play this anymore and why the shitty Trance EDM whatnot crappy ones ?? Yeah right, the only place that played these numbers was Truffles!

Chugging beers to everything junk food with a sober Bhim and his fresh lime sodas, we rattled on and laughed out loud as Srini tried to demonstrate his chopsticks skills and trying to pick up a lighter with it 🙂

Bhim being the gentleman he is insisted on dropping Antara to her place and from there we went to our hotel room where we laughed out loud at Srini’s one man comedy show. Well Bhim and I got high and naturally we rolled on the floor as Srini went about  his comic series part I, II, III from his family to his friends to Truffles and all the ‘chooths’ (sorry can’t translate this 🙂 he knows!

The next day was beers at Brewmeister followed by lunch at Meghana foods, Jayanagar. I give full credit to my friend Bharat who took me there 3 years ago and we had an Andhra Chicken Biryani- boneless with Double masala ( he emphasized and I follow this religiously). It was love at first sight with this delicious melting in the mouth biryani, the kind you know will be a permanent love affair!

To be frank we had enough of breweries and all it’s hoopla for nothing. Big crowds, all that noise and the need to be there because it was the ‘in’ thing. Bangalore crowd has one of the best crowds in the country and yet we knew we were missing something good. The good ole watering holes of Bangalore, the ole ones where you had none of the fancy cocktails but you knew where to go for a nice sit down with your favourite drinks and great snacks.

After buying books at Blossoms(where else?) we headed to Guzzler’s inn Pub and the moment we stepped in, we felt we were home. Nothing like a good pub with booths, drinks and great music. Sipping my mojito to Srini having his whiskey, we chatted minus the din that’s usually heard in breweries and we realized this is where we are gonna hang out from next time. The people around us were Bangloreans, the regulars after work who just wanted to wind down here.

The next day early morning , I set out on my own to Lalbagh gardens. It was 8 years ago that my dear friend Dinesh showed me the African Baobab tree, considered the mother tree and worshipped by the Africans.

I haven’t been there since my mum passed away in 2012. I clearly remember April 2012 just a month after she passed away and D as I call him and I went there and I sat there and cried hugging her, he was there with me quietly giving me strength.

It’s strange how the mind remembers everything. I thought after 6 years I would forget the location and yet I could see myself just following the path.. My heart was filled with joy seeing her finally. She was the same as ever. I could sit in her lap(yes right in the tree!) and it was like time stood still. Lalbagh is something else, you can find your peace, silence and yet enjoy people watching.

Later that day, the meeting was at Hebbal, out of the city and as Srini went off for that, I hung out in The Druid Garden, Sahakara Nagar. I was astonished to see a fab place like this one, out of the city limits!

For Christ’s sake, even the posh Jubilee Hills places couldn’t hold a candle to this one! Hyderabadis cared about brands, cars, real estate and to be seen and see others and yup most of the pubs/clubs catered to only this crowd in my home city.

A late meeting meant we couldn’t risk a drive back to Hyderabad at that time so instead we went to a retreat a couple of hours outside Bangalore. Away from the noise, the people, we came to a complete calm and peace as I met my dear friend Vaneeta and Suresh.

We hung out that evening at the portico of her beautiful house playing with the dogs and chilling to the quietness of the place. It was completely quiet as we turned in for the night, what a beautiful contrast it was.

We had to make an early start to the morning as we had a long drive back to Hyderabad.

I still can’t believe we packed in so much in so little time! Eating good food to meeting good people of which I have in abundance in Bangalore to meeting a dear old friend after a long time.

Sometimes awesome things happen in two days, ain’t it? 🙂