We were spending the day with family and were three kids and three adults for lunch that day. Since three of them were vegetarian for the day, we decided that now would be the best time to strike off one more from the list - Imli in Indiranagar. Traffic was miserable getting there for some reason and we were all starving. While Sudhakar went off in search of parking, we found ourselves ushered upstairs to an airy, seating space on top. Nice and rustic looking with tables spaced well apart. Cursory glance around done, we dove straight into the menus.
It was one of those strange mornings where the temperatures were really high for a supposedly winter day. We chose to drink a Shikanji, Lemon juice, Imli ka Panna and a Kairee Pudina ka Sharbet. A complete imli fan, I couldn't have asked for me from my drink. All the remaining drinks too went down very well. And now when there are chaats on the menu... several of them for that matter, can you resist?
Shikanji, Lemon juice, Imli ka Panna, Kairee Pudina ka Sharbet
At this point, I have to mention Srinivasan who was handling our table. Smart chap, whose people skills are just what the restaurant business needs. He exuded confidence in his menu and was genuinely proud of it. And the kitchen did not let him down in the least. No overselling here with him and he advised us to go easy on the chaats, if we were going to go for main courses and order the mains only after we were done with the chaats. His advice, we took.
From the chaats we ordered a bhelpuri for the kids, aloo tikki masala for Sudhakar, aloo tikki dahi for me and a karare aloo ki chaat for N. For N and I, the chaats hit it spot on. Chatpata, not too spicy and very nice. While Sudhakar's aloo masala was nice, we all felt it was missing something - but what it was we couldn't say. I felt it could do with being a little more spicy. As for the bhelpuri... if it could get my little one to eat the way you see in the picture, you know it was great. In fact she even made us order another round.
Bhelpuri
Aloo Tikki Masala
Aloo Tikki Dahi
Karare Aloo ki Chaat
Mains we were definitely doing. We ordered a paneer stuffed naan for diehard fan S. The little girls wrapped lunch up with the bhel. We went with the sabziyon ka milan and the maa ki daal. While we waited, the mustard based pickle and the pickled onions made good company.
Mustard based pickle
Missi Roti and paneer stuffed paratha
We ordered the plain missi roti and I made a mental note not to do that the next time. The paneer stuffed paratha was demolished as soon as it arrived and so there you have it. We all loved the sabziyon ka milan, because the base was light and all the veggies still had their crunch. You just cannot get that in most places. The maa ki daal could have done with a bit more makhan for me, but then there is such a thing as over-indulgence.
Sabizion ki Milan
Maa ki dal
As we wrapped up, our minds went straight to desserts. Sure we were full, but can you really skip desserts after a meal like this. So a malpua found its way to the table. At this point Srinivasan made a very strong case for Imli's masala chai. "No where around here can you get something like this" he said. Now can you not order when someone says something like that? And so N and I split one. The chai was really nice, complete with masala and all. But while it was really nice, we wouldn't go with it being exclusively so. But the malpua... yummmy!!! many times over.
Masala Chai
Interiors
Malpua
This was one meal we all thoroughly enjoyed. The portions were great, the ambiance perfect for a weekend and with someone like Srinivasan to attend to us we couldn't have asked for more. The meal came to Rs 1600. The loo could do with some sprucing up.
Address: 204, 5th Main, 7th cross, 1st phase, Indiranagar.
Phone: 40949464
Cuisine: Vegetarian Indian
Wallet factor: Rs 1000 for two (for a really lavish meal)
Wallet factor: Rs 1000 for two (for a really lavish meal)
Accepts Cards: Yes
Parking: Nothing exclusive
