Hello there!
After an eventful morning on the second day of Mysore (Here’s the morning bit if you’re interested), we headed for a delicious lunch to a hotel that has been serving Andhra cuisine since the last 50 odd years.
Hotel RRR
Located in the heart of the city, this place truly held its old world charm. The interior was revamped recently but the taste of the food has been constant since the beginning. We immediately got a table to sit at and the surprising bit? They don’t have menus. Our tables were cleaned, and fresh banana leaves were placed (FYI, they are used as plates in various parts of India). Although they have a limited menu, we had checked and subsequently ordered the online recommendations- The Mutton Biryani and Chicken 64.
The biryani itself had a rich flavor coming through in each bite and the meat was extremely tender. It was served with a spicy gravy and a bit of raita (yogurt mix made for biryani), and a mix of everything elevated the flavors to another level. The chicken 64 was made very well too with the right mix of spice and tang, and the hit of curry leaves, it was truly a crispy flavor bomb.
We also ordered a plate of their Mutton Fry which is lamb stir fried in spices. While this wasn’t spot on, it was still decent. Unfortunately, we did not get pictures of it. Once we were done with the restaurant, we headed to another legendary dessert spot in Mysore.
The iconic Indian sweet called Mysore Park originated at this place, and we HAD TO check it out.
Guru Sweet Mart
Back in the early 1900, the then King of Mysore who had a sweet tooth ordered for a special sweet. The cook of the palace went on to mix sugar, ghee and gram flour and roasted the concoction till smooth and rich, which went on to be known as Mysore Pak (Pak means “sweet” in Kannada language). The cook then set up a small sweet mart in the corner of the market to sell this to the public. Fast forward to today, this shop still runs in its original spot and a new shop has been opened right next to the old one, which speaks volumes regarding the demand for it. The new shop is now run by the fourth generation of the family where they still follow the same recipe to make this sweet along with other variations of Mysore Pak, and some other sweets and savory snacks.
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We picked the OG Mysore Pak, Almond Mysore Pak and Milk Mysore Pak to eat since we were extremely full- from the biryani we just had- and only could manage to squeeze in a little dessert.
We were not a huge fan of the OG Mysore Pak since we felt it was a bit grainy. However, we were used to eating the Milk version of the Mysore Pak from our childhood and enjoyed that variant a lot more. Moving on to the Almond Mysore Pak, this was an instant hit. It was new to us, and the almond flavor came through despite all the other rich flavors and is now our new favorite.
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After satisfying our sweet tooth, we took two boxes to bring it back with us to Bangalore. The Almond and the Milk Mysore Pak were a winner, and we got to enjoy them for a few days after coming back from the trip!
After the lunch and dessert, we prepared ourselves to head to a garden which was located 20 KM (12.5 miles) away from the city, after a short nap at the hotel of course!
Brindavana Gardens
This was a beautiful garden built adjoining the famous KSR Dam of Karnataka. It was planned in the year 1927 and completed in the year 1932. It was possible to build this garden since the dam was constructed and the water was redirected, using it wisely for the nearby districts. (If you’re interested in reading more about the dam, here’s a useful article for it).
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We entered the garden and as per the map at the entrance, there are two parts of the garden- the southern side and the northern side. Since we entered the northern side, we decided to get on a battery-operated golf cart buggy. This cost us 100 INR (1.17 USD) per person and was a 15-to-20-minute ride. The cart would take us around the entire northern garden, thus showing off the lush garden and the edge of the Dam. After the fun buggy ride, we strolled leisurely in the garden before moving towards the southern part.
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We walked towards the southern part of the garden since the boat to the other side would open post 6 PM and we had 10 minutes to spare. On the way to the southern garden, we walked along the massive dam and a small man-made waterfall.
We strolled around the southern park, saw a few beautiful flowers and fountains. We then took off our shoes and enjoyed walking bare foot on the damp green grass. Earthing/grounding sounds like a wellness sham but it instantly elevates moods and relieves tired feet and made us wish we had easy access to this lush grass back home.
When we planned to head back using the boat option, the boat operator mentioned that there is a Light and Sound show which would take place in 10-15 minutes. We headed to the spot and grabbed a seat before it got too crowded. The water works began and we enjoyed it for a while, before we decided to head back since we would have to travel back to the city as well as visit a few more places.
Once we reached back to the city, we headed to another must try spot in Mysore for some evening snacks.
Usman Dry Gobi
Gobi Manchurian is a popular Indo-Chinese dish where bit of cauliflower is deep fried in a mix of a batter and then tossed in a spicy red sauce. When this dish was introduced in Mysore, the people of Mysore were a bit hesitant to try it since there were rumors of it being unhealthy.
Usman saw an opportunity and decided to modify this dish to better suit the Mysore crowd. Mr. Usman took the cauliflower and mixed it in a batter, deep fried it and served it dry along with some mint chutney making it a great snack, and cutting down on the additional calories piled on by the sauces.
We reached the spot, and the place was packed with customers waiting for their order to be served. Upon reaching the front, I was greeted with a smile from Mr. Usman himself. We placed an ordered and he acknowledged it with another smile. The place had maintained great hygiene, the oil was so clean, it was gleaming golden, and each batch was fried with love by Mr. Usman.
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We had a bite of the hot cauliflower floret and fell in love instantly! The batter coated floret was crispy on the outside and soft and well-cooked on the inside. It was a great carrier for all the added spices and was one of the best snacks we’ve had till date.
After a great snack, we decided to head for dinner and went to a well-known café spot in Mysore.
White Teak Coffee Roasters
Located in the Yoga centric side of Mysore, this place had great aesthetic. The place was almost packed with outdoor an indoor seating option. We opted for the indoors option, since the place had air conditioning, and we had had a long and tiring day.
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As per the online recommendations, we were advised to try the cakes and coffees. However, since we were looking for dinner, we could not settle for the cake and coffee and chose to have the food. We later marked this place as a letdown in comparison to the whole day of fun experiences. The staff was inattentive, and at one point, were even fighting with each other right in front of the seated customers.
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We ordered the Iced Tea, which was great and was made in house.
As a main course, we went with the chicken pesto pasta which was subpar since the pesto was not fresh and the pasta was fully cooked and not al dente. We decided to head back to the hotel without trying anything else, since this place put a slight damper on the mood! We did raid the mini fridge at the hotel though and picked out an amazing lemon soda and some chips. We also fished out the Danish we had saved for later, and this was an instant pick-me-up.
We watched reruns of The Big Bang Theory for a while, before the tiredness kicked in and we drifted off to dreamland. The next day was checkout from the hotel, and we did not have a lot planned, so we just got some vegan breakfast and then head to the station for the next train to Bangalore.
All in all, this was a great weekend getaway, and we really promised each other to plan these mini-trips more often.
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