Travel for Food - Escape from Bangalore for a Quick Lunch in Mysuru

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Been nearly a year since I posted on this blog and getting back to it, I start with travelling to another city for lunch. Travel experiences is something I've always wanted to share and this time around I start by combining 2 thing I love the most - Travel for Food. 

Travel to Mysuru makes for a perfect lunch plan. You can do a roadtrip and explore the food at various hole in the wall and legendary outlets or simply take the train if you simply want to get to #Mysore hassle free for a quick yet delicious lunch. 

Depending on how much time you have and how you want to make the best of it, you can also add on a few things to do in Mysore and extend your Itinerary to make it a fun day trip.

What I did this time was - 

8 AM - Boarded train 16536 Gol Gombaz Express from Bangalore City Railway station.

11 AM - Arrived at Mysore Junction and headed out for a meeting.

12:30 PM - Wrap up the meeting and headed straight to Hotel RRR for a wonderful Andhra style meals, Chicken Biryani and some starters to go along. 

1:45 PM - Headed back to the railway station at Mysore which is a 10 minute drive from RRR.

2:15 PM - Boarded 12008 Shatabdi Express for Bangalore. 

4:30 PM - Arrived back at BLR railway station.

What are you waiting for? Go ahead and book your ticket for a quick lunch at Mysore via the IRCTC Website.

Tips:

- Auto is a convenient means of commute.

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Travel Diaries - Breakfast @ Hot Breads, Pondicherry

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Back in the days as a kid, I'd visit my grandma who lives in Coimbatore. In the heart of R.S Puram; there was this lovely bakery dishing out some delicious breads, savoury eats and pastries. Not sure if it even exists now, the memories this place lingered in the back of my mind. On my first visit to Pondicherry, I was sure that my very first meal there had to be a french meal that'd involve crossaints, pastries and coffee to wish for the least.

Passing through canal road, Hot Breads was a random find that brought back old memories to the forefront. Since this visit,  it's been a regular joint that I visit on arriving at Pondicherry. This might be an understatement because in reality; the first place of visit on arriving in Pondicherry for this hungry soul is always Hot Breads.

It's an a-la-carte cafe cum bakery. They serve up some delicious eggs made to order, gourmet breads to accompany, croissants - both classic and with a twist, danish, coffees, desserts and a lot more. One can choose to dine in here or take food to go. The place is nothing fancy without any thrills from frills. The food here too is soul satisfying.

While there might be better places in Pondicherry for breakfast; in its segment it's hard to not fall in love with Hot Breads. It's got good food freshly baked as replenished, nice service, centrally located and is pocket friendly and worth every penny. Over numerous visits, I've eaten a lot and still love going back there for more. Here's what been relished over the course of various visits to this place:

Any day Breakfast - Omelette, Toast & Orange Juice

Croissants

Chocolate Danish

Spanish Omelette

Cuppa to kick start the day

Hint of added sweetness

The Pastry Counter

Travel Diaries: Things to do in Lugano, Switzerland

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Lugano situated to the south of Switzerland is the 9th largest city of Switzerland and is located on the northern edge of lake Lugano - A beautiful setting indeed surrounded by mountains. Wonderful climatic conditions coupled with an even interesting geographical layout, Lugano has over the years there has been a lot of tourism and visits from prominent celebrities.

For those looking to head to Milan; Lugano is a stone's throw away (well, not literally). This post is not about where to go from Lugano but about what you can do while you are in Lugano:

1. Mounte San Salvatore:

You've got to be up there in person to sense and experience the panoramic views and the greatness of being on Top of Europe. The summit is accessible by a funicular railway which operates every half an hour. The journey to the top or to the base is about 10 minutes.

Alternatively, for those who love hiking can also opt for this more to reach the summit. At the summit there is a museum, a restaurant and spots to get a 360° panoramic view of the Ticino region.

Open around the year, it is best to buy a return fare ticket of the funicular railway (unless of course you have other plans) as the deal works really better. For a year round timetable, please visit here.

2. Swiss Miniature, Melide:

Get a glimpse of all the goodness Switzerland has to offer at one place and in a miniature form. Swiss Miniature is a special attraction covering 14000 sq mtrs of land and houses replicas of the best of Switzerland like famous buildings, mountains, castles and cathedrals, and has over 3500 mts of rail network, funiculars and cable cars in motion.

Miniature is at a distance of 7 minutes by train from Lugano to Melide. However, holding a Swiss Travel Pass for a week, we decided to ride the waves. Boat was our mode of transport to the Swiss miniature.

3. Promenade:

Lugano has a beautiful and a long winding promenade. Walk along the path and soak in the views and elegance of the city. With the temperatures being great through out the year, this experience can be enhanced by walking the promenade with a Gelato in hand.

4. Shopping:

Lugano offers the very best in shopping. Via Nassa is the historical street with sophisticated stores and brands offering the best they have. The street is about 270 meters long and houses jewellery, clothes, antiques, perfumes, liquor, pastry shop and a lot more.

5. The Alprose Chocolate Museum:

Got a sweet tooth? Love chocolates? Then a visit to Alprose Chocolate museum is worth it all. Sample as many varieties of chocolates as you like, learn the history of Swiss chocolate and witness the making of the chocolate end to end. Not enough? Buy chocolates for dear ones at home and may be also some to go with a nice Single Malt or Scotch whisky! Cheers!

Here's more information on the visiting hours, fees and hot to get there.

For the adventurous ones and those who love outdoors, Lugano is a paradise for hiking and cycling trails. What are your options? Will be up in a later post.

Additional Information:

Temperatures - Yearly average low of ~9°C to a high of ~17°C

#TravelDiaries - Places to Stay in Pondicherry

In the past two years a holiday destination that I've frequented the most is Pondicherry. The count stands at 5 visits. Why not? It's a quaint little place to experience cultural diversity, easily accessible from Bangalore for a weekend and has the needed ingredients for a perfect weekend get away for either family, friends, couples and the likes.

Have you been to Pondy (affectionately called so)? If no, it's a destination that i'd highly recommend for a weekend or may be even a long weekend. It's just not coincidence I've been here pretty much every quarter (if I may exaggerate). A prime factor that decides how you spend your weekend in Pondy and the memories you carry back is the kind of stay you choose. You may either choose to stay in the city, or away from it.

My 5 visits have had me check-in to a different property with each offering diverse or different experiences. What remains common among the 5 stays is that each one was a good experience. This post is my recommendation of where to stay in Pondicherry and what you can experience and expect from it.

1. Dunes Eco Village & Spa

Our very first visit had Puja and me stay at Dunes Eco Resort. It was a long weekend and we were booked here for a 2 night and 3 day stay. The resort as the name suggests was an eco resort and was spread on an expansive land with access to the beach. The words 'expansive land' might come to suggest the fact that the resort was located far away (about 16 kilometers) from the city on the Pondicherry - Chennai ECR.

Various room types are available depending on how close you want to be in contact with nature. A plush 4 star property offers various activities like wellness therapies, yoga, spa, and many other forms of indoor and outdoor activities. A stay at such resorts usually spell 'relax and rejuvinate' and are meant to cut you off partially if not completely from what you can do when you stay in the heart of Pondicherry. Even with a two wheeler on hand (available on rent), commuting between the resort and the city itself seemed like a task.

Stay here for a relaxed and lazy holiday away from the city in a world of its own. If you are looking to explore and live in the city, this clearly is not a place. Auroville is the closest popular attraction.

2. Anantha Heritage Hotel

Located to the west of the canal, as the name spells, this is an 18th century heritage Franco-Tamil villa property with just 7 rooms. A stay here in true sense does justice to the tagline of Pondicherry Tourism - 'Give time a break'. Prime attractions of the city are all within a 2 kilometer radius and the railway station and bus stop are under 3 kilometers away.

Welcoming you to the property is a wonderful courtyard where you can spend time playing a game of chess or two and listening to the traditional music being played in the background. If you were to believe in the tagline of Pondicherry Tourism - 'Give time a break' this is one place to stay. In no time does it successfully manage to make you travel back in time to the 18 - 19th century.

The staff is warm, courteous and attentive. A stay here includes complimentary breakfast which is a soul satisfying mix of south Indian classics and continental dishes all made fresh to order. The best way to explore or move around is by renting a two wheeler.

Stay here to experience the calm, elegance and comfort of living in an ancient 18th Century heritage villa. You are conveniently cut off from the city when in the villa at the same time also conveniently placed in the vicinity of the popular attractions and places of interest.

3. Laila's County Hotel

A hotel property located at the north end of the canal road. Not the best location in terms of the street lighting and cleanliness, the hotel is otherwise located in the very heart of Pondicherry with Promenade beach just a stone's throw away from here. The rooms and bathrooms are ambient with modern upholstery and fittings needed to elevate the experience by a notch. Prime attractions of the city are all within a kilometer radius and so it the railway station. The bus stop is quite accessible too and is around 3 kilometers away.

The hotel houses a coffee shop and also has a roof top restaurant and bar. Breakfast is complimentary and the hospitality is warm and comforting. A nice hotel indeed for a night's stay.

Stay here if your focus is to extensively stay outdoors and explore the city and end your day in a room that offers modern room fittings and basic hotel amenities. Of course proximity is the key.

4. Hotel Sunway GRT Grand

Coming from the famous GRT group; Sunway GRT Grand is a part of hotels and resorts from GRT Hotel Group. This hotel is a 4 star property located 3 kilometers south of the railway station and away from the prime attractions of the city of Pondicherry. Ideal for a families with kids as the property is vast and has amenities that cane enjoyed best by both adults and children. 

Promenade beach and other attractions are at a distance of around 5 kilometres from this hotel. The comforts and the luxury at this hotel makes for a pleasant stay. 

Stay here if your family includes children and you want to enjoy being in the city of Pondicherry with relatively easy access to popular attractions of the city.

5. Richmond Hotel

Our most recent stay was closer to promenade and in the historical and quaint white town of Pondy. Primarily a French colony historically, this part of town is picturesque and perfect for the early morning and evening strolls. Beautiful French architecture, restored heritage properties and the grid like streets can have you mesmerized enough to forget the upcoming Monday blues.

The hotel has quaint rooms on the first floor and the ground floor houses more larger and spacious rooms. Richmond hotel is entered around the Promenade beach, restaurants and cafes of the White Town making it an ideal location for those wanting to live in white town and explore what this french segment of Pondy has to offer.

Stay here if you'd like to explore the White Town in depth and soak in the french culture, architecture, food and history.

Do visit the wonderful city of Pondy - 'Give time a Break'

New Menu @Dakshin, ITC Windsor, Bangalore

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What pulls me back to a restaurant is either I loved the dining experience or an introduction of a new menu. What makes it really exciting is when both the criteria's are met. Such has been the case recently with Dakshin; the south Indian specialty restaurant at ITC Windsor. After a rendezvous with the colorful flavors of Chettinad; I was back here a couple of weeks ago to try out new dishes introduced to the menu at Dakshin.

With Chef Shankarnath taking charge of the kitchen at Dakshin; there are new and delicious inclusions to the Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala sections of the menu. If I have to showcase or experience South India on a plate, Dakshin is that one place which provides the much needed diversity all under one roof.

Our meal for this evening started with the signature and traditional beverage called Muneer. Muneer is a bright green drink made of jaggery, coconut water, honey, sandal syrup and Khus syrup providing the color. Its sweet, an instant cooler and tunes the palate to welcome an upcoming scrumptious meal.

Traditional in its approach, we looked forward to the customary start that begin with assorted papads, fries, mini banana uthappam and a variety of chutneys to munch on. Off all this, it is the mini banana uthappam that I looked forward to for it's distinctly sweet marriage with the assortment of the chutneys. It's called Dakshin Vishesha and gets dished out from the famous Iyer's trolly.

I absolutely loved the non-vegetarian starters that were dished out. One was the Kozhi Roast which is nothing but the famous chicken roast. Marinated and cooked in chef's special masala, the slow cooked chicken was succulent, fresh and well balanced in flavor. Enjoy it is with a side of raw onions and a glass of chilled beer; Perfect!

Chapa Vepudu was a classic pan seared king fish preparation in a marinade of red chilis. The fish was easily the freshest catch I've eaten here in Bangalore. It's easy to over cook a fish and drain it off its moisture content and here's where the skills of the chef come to a test. The fish was perfectly cooked, lovely flavors and really smooth to savor.

In mains, it was the fabulous 'Veg Stew' exuding the rich texture and flavor of coconut milk with vegetables simmered in it and the tomato pappu - a traditional Andhra delicacy which tasted good but was too dense in texture for my liking. 

On the non-vegetarian plate, there was also 'Veinchina Mamsam' and 'Royala Vepudu'. 'Veinchina Mamsam' was a delicious preparation of boneless lamb morsels in a rich gravy of brown onions, coriander and spices. 'Royala Vepudu' was succulent, fresh and perfectly cooked prawns tossed with brown onion, ginger and green chilis. This preparation had a nice crunch to it and tasted relish in every bite. 

The main courses were best enjoyed in the company of idiappam, appam and Malabar paratha. The appam was nice and fluffy in the centre and around it was a fabulous layer of crunch or crisp appam. I loved the sweetness exuded by the appam. No points for guessing, the appam and stew tasted heavenly and I could make a meal from it. The Malabar paratha was light, flaky and involved the use of minimal oil for it's making. 

Desserts are usually considered to complete a meal but for me even before we head there; a biryani is mandatory. So came from the kitchen a freshly prepared Andhra kodi chicken biryani. It was succulent chicken cooked in a spicy fragrant rice the perfect blend that makes for a delightful Andhra Chicken Biryani.

Moving on to the desserts was really a task but picking what to have; was the easiest it can ever get. We asked for the Dakshin classic; rather their signature - Elaneer Payasam. It was light, thin, rich in coconut and cardamom flavor. To me, this surely was the perfect end to a lovely meal.

An experience for two at Dakshin can be enjoyed at an average of Rs. 3500 plus taxes. I use the work 'experience' considering the overall package of:
 - A lovely and fragrant welcome at ITC Windsor's plush and rich lobby
 - A sophisticated yet traditional setting at Dakshin
 - Top notch service standards
 - Really high standards of quality of ingredients, meats, seafood, etc
 - Needless to say the flavors and portions too

Address: Dakshin, ITC Windsor, 25 Windsor Square, Golf Course Road, Near Sankey Road, Bangalore

Phone Number: +91 80 2226 9898

#TravelDiaries - A wonderful evening @RockBarBali

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Think of wonderful sunset, brilliant cocktails, bar snacks and everything exotic about a destination and Rock Bar Bali stands right up in the list. Set up on a rock with the ocean below, Rock Bar is housed in Ayana Resort situated South of Denpasar International Airport. It is the perfect place to bring in the evening, watch the sun go down in the serene oceanic views or party hard in an ambiance filled with energy and vibrance.

To get to Rock Bar, you are required to take a cable car of sorts from Ayana mainland to the bar set up on a rock below. You are not required to be a resident guest at Ayana to get access to Rock Bar; but if you are, you certainly get privileges you most certainly will be happy to receive.

A famous spot to watch the sunset before you can kick in the night, as a non-resident guest of Ayana; here are a couple of pointers you should take seriously to enjoy an awesome sunset experience from Rock Bar Bali - 

 - Reservations at Rock Bar are a complete no-no. Entry and seating here is on a first come basis.

 - Not being a resident at Ayana, remember that the residents get priority access to Rock Bar.

 - For a post 6 PM sunset, you are required to be at the Rock Bar not later than 3:30 PM in order to avoid disappointment from either 'not the best table available' or even 'no access to Rock Bar for sunset'.

You're on time! With access to Rock Bar, the best seating options are either by the main bar or the circular sofa bed with canopy which come with a rider of IDR 600,000 (~ Rs. 3,000 or USD 50) or bill amount, whichever is higher. Considering you will be spending a good 3 - 4 hours it's a great deal and an experience that leaves you with wonderful memories.

You are late! and you do not get access to the Rock Bar? Well, once the sun sets you will be allowed to get down there and enjoy a night party instead. Meanwhile, the lawn alongside plays a wonderful host allowing you to experience the very same wonderful sunset in company of some great drinks, food and people from world over who could not make it to Rock Bar in time. ;)

Be there on time & soak in the wonderful sunset across the shores of Jimbaran.

RockBarBali on Map:

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Happy & Safe Travels!