I've never tasted an idli, as soft, and as melt in the mouth as that!
Mmmh!
Having feasted on that Idli Vada and Khara Bath, I can't wait to tuck into this Kesari Bath.
I'm in Shankarapura, South Bengaluru, and I'm here to breakfast at a legendary institution.
Serving only four or five items on its menu since its inception in the sixties...
... Brahmins' Coffee Bar is hugely popular 
 as you can tell.
... at Brahmins' Coffee Bar.
So, I'm excited to say the least, about this 
 particular tiffin meal.
Let's go in and check out what a breakfast at Brahmins' Coffee Bar is all about. Let's go!
Idli Vada, Upitu, Kesari Bath.
Only four items always.
Only four items always?
So, packed, though the place may be...
... ordering here at Brahmins' Coffee Bar is 
 a simple process.
You queue up at the counter, select from the only four items that they have here...
... take your token, and go to the kitchen 
 and place your order.
The kitchen is a beehive of activity.
Oh, thank you.
So, there you have it, I have my Idli and the Vada and like most traditional places in Namma Bengaluru...
...  it is served only with the chutney.
It's soft. There's almost no effort as I break into this Idli!
Mmmh!
This idli just melts in your mouth!
Wow!
I just placed the idli and the chutney in my mouth...
... and it just melted away. It's as soft, it's as soft as that!
In all the many years that I've tasted an idli...
... I've never tasted an idli, as soft, and as melt in the mouth as that!
Mmmh!
I just want to taste the idli, just by itself, 
 without the chutney.
You have that slightly, slightly sour edge
 from the fermentation.
The idli is soft, pillowy.
I'm going to taste the Vada next...
... with as little of the chutney as possible.
I want to get a taste of the vada just by itself.
Mmmh!
You have that crunch of the vada.
And inside the vada, the texture is almost 
 cloud-like. It's soft.
So, as you bite into the vada, you have the 
 crunch of the vada.
And as you bite into it, you also bite into those little flecks, those little...
... pieces of coconut which kind of...
... takes it to a whole new level.
And I think there's some herbs in there, there's some, I think there's some curry leaf in there.
I'm going to taste the vada now with the chutney.
Mmmh.
This vada is scrumptious.
I'm going to take all the chutney and 
 literally drown the vada.
Mmmh.
The chutney has a minty sort of a flavour to it.
So you have the spice of the chutney and you have the scrumptious crunch of the vada.
And the vada is porous enough to absorb all that chutney. So as you bite into it...
... you're tasting the flavour of the chutney, 
 you're tasting the mint...
... and you're tasting those flecks of coconut that you're also eating.
This is a delicious, delicious, Idli Vada breakfast!
Go back for the idli.
Mmmh!
So good! I'm going to get some extra chutney now.
The chutney here is so popular that they have a counter and a dedicated person...
... just to serve up extra chutney, and that's what I'm going to...
... take now for my, for the remnant of my Idli Vada.
As you can see, my idli is almost 
 dissolving into that chutney.
You know, that's how soft this idli is.
Mmmh.
My last piece of idli, I'm going to use all the chutney that I have here...
... to apply on the idli.
The last piece of my vada.
The vada still retains its crunch...
... even to the last bite.
There you go, I have my Khara Bath served with a generous side of chutney.
So my Khara Bath, or Upitu, or Upma as it is called.
Also I can see some carrot. There's 
 definitely the curry leaf.
The Khara Bath is glistening. I suspect there's also a copious amount of ghee that is used here.
I can see some...
... uddina bele (urad dal). I see some fried lentils that have also probably gone into this...
... semolina or rava dish.
And again, this is as soft as it can get!
It is served traditionally with the chutney.
There is one chutney that they use here at Brahmins' Coffee Bar which is served with the Idli, the Vada...
... and the Khara Bath.
I'm going to first taste the Khara Bath, just by itself, without the chutney.
The Khara Bath is nice and hot.
Just the sort of thing you want in a nice, 
 happy breakfast.
Nothing like hot food. Even the Idli Vada was served absolutely hot. It was steaming hot.
Mmmh.
The Khara Bath is almost buttery in its texture.
It literally dissolves in your mouth.
And all that it leaves behind is the flavour 
 of the various...
...ingredients that have gone into the Khara Bath. So you can taste a bit of the...
... curry leaf, you have the crunch of that fried lentil.
You taste a bit of that carrot that's gone into it.
Mellow on its own, this Khara Bath 
 assumes a spicy personality...
... when you taste it with the chutney.
It packs a robust, spicy punch.
I love the peas that have gone into this Khara Bath.
It gives it that pop, when you're tasting the lush softness of the Khara Bath.
... and now it's time to bring out the Kesari Bath.
So it's all self-service here.
I love these 'thattes' (small plates) that they serve the food in.
Simple, unassuming. You feel like you're eating in somebody's home.
That's the charm of Brahmins' Coffee Bar.
It's a busy establishment, and of course, it's a commercial establishment.
But there's a certain homeliness that permeates the atmosphere here.
Having feasted on that Idli Vada and Khara Bath I can't wait to tuck into this Kesari Bath.
A delicious mouthful. I've got some nut, I 
 think that's a cashew.
I've got some pineapple I think...
... in this mouthful of the Kesari Bath.
You know, I've tasted four dishes here.
And each time I put the first spoonful of that dish into my mouth...
... it's just been so flavourful and just feels so right...
... and so perfect and delicious on the palate!
And this Kesari Bath is just that.
It's not overly sweet. It's not drowning in ghee.
You have the right amount of sweetness. You have the right amount of ghee that's gone into it.
You have the right amount of gentle 
 spicing of the cloves...
... that just leaves that lingering flavour of 
 the clove in your mouth.
And you have those tiny pieces of cashew, pineapple...
... that just helps break the sweetness on your palate.
This is so good!
There you go, I have my perfect bite here 
 of the Kesari Bath.
You've got all the components of this Kesari Bath.
Mmmh!
You have that gentle sweetness of the Kesari Bath...
... broken only by that mild acidity of the pineapple.
And then the toasty cashewnut.
The raisin adds that pop of sugar.
And then you have the cloves. The sharp, astringent flavour of the cloves...
... that just cuts through all the flavours on your palate...
And there you have it. The fourth of my empty "thattes" here at Brahmins' Coffee Bar.
This has been so good!
So, the only way to end your meal here at Brahmins' Coffee Bar, is with that coffee.
After all, it is a coffee bar.
So, also this place is so popular that Mr. Radhakrishna Adiga, who is the owner here...
... has also taken it upon himself, because there are so many people who come here...
... to educate the public as well. So for instance there's this 10 rupee coin.
And a few years ago, there was this WhatsApp that was circulated that 10 Rupee coins are not legal tender.
But they are, and Mr. Radhakrishna Adiga is taking it upon himself...
... to educate the public.
Because there's so many people that come in through Brahmins' Coffee Bar.
And I'm sure that if he's able to succeed in getting a message out to those people...
... I'm sure it'll go a long way.
So Brahmins' Coffee Bar is not just a tiffin room where you come and you have your Idli, Vada...
... Kesari Bath, Khara Bath and coffee.
But it's also serving as a beacon to the society here in South Bengaluru.
Thank you sir!
So I'm in line for my cup of coffee.
The only way to end your meal here at Brahmins' Coffee Bar, is with a cup of coffee.
When you watch the decoction being poured...
... when you watch that milk being poured 
 onto the decoction...
... it just whets your palate for that cup of coffee and you want it right then and there.
So I'm here with Mr. Radhakrishna Adiga and he was just telling me that...
... making the perfect cup of coffee here is an art.
Of course this is Brahmins' Coffee Bar so I wouldn't expect the coffee to be any less.
Percentage of plantation A and B combination.
Okay.
They clean it, blend it, and the roasted seeds are 
 powdered here itself.
And then it is made, the coffee decoction.
Aah! And even the mixing is an art.
Over a period of time, they'll get it.
I'll make them make one or two coffees everyday.
Then 10 coffees, then 100 coffees.
Then they will be the master of it.
So how long has he been making coffee here?
Wow!
He's been making this cup of coffee for 
 the last 20 years!
Fantastic!
It is strong, it is thick, and just the sort of 
 fix that you need...
1965, January 27th, my parents started it.
My father, K.V. Nagesh Rao, he is no more. He is the late K.V. Nagesh Rao.
Started his career as a cook in some other houses.
Okay.
Then he started a small canteen in the City Institute. Bangalore City Institute.
Okay.
There for some time, he was not successful.
Then started some more small, small hotels.
Then in 1965, this was his last resort.
A car garage.
A car garage!
Only a car garage.
And he started in this.
My mother is the reason behind this.
She makes the good chutney, and the Idli combination and the Khara Bath also.
So, my eldest brother, Shankar Narayana Adiga...
... he still takes care of the kitchen.
My mother also supervises everything. She is 88.
Wow!
That's a fascinating story of an 
 establishment being born...
... in a garage, as a last resort! And today 
 it stands as a pillar...
... in Bengaluru's culinary landscape. 
 That's truly commendable!
There are four items.
Two reasons to expand and make more on the menu.
When you are happy with the customers and satisfied with supplying the same kind of food...
... you don't feel like expanding to other items.
See, for example, if at all you make dosa, people will have to wait for that. Because it takes time for making it.
Correct.
And people are (used to)
 standing and eating...
... and only four items.
If at all, I think of other items...
... I have a strong stigma saying that we may 
 lose our goodwill.
Correct.
It takes commitment and resolve to hold steadfast to...
... not just your values but the same dishes that you started over 50 years ago.
And I think that's what makes the Brahmins' Coffee Bar experience so special.
5:59 am we open. Not 6 o'clock.
And the first customer is, since 38 years...
... he comes first. After giving him the first token only, we are starting the business.
So the first customer, is the same customer who's been arriving for the last 38 years?
Wow!
You know, as I sip on my coffee at the end 
 of this tiffin meal here...
... I wonder why I didn't visit Brahmins' 
Coffee Bar earlier.
I think what's special about Brahmins' Coffee Bar is the fact that you have three generations of the family...
.. that have been committed and focused 
 on this one enterprise...
... over the last 5 decades, or over the last half a century.
Right from the mother, who gets up at  
 three in the morning...
... to prepare the batter for the idlis...
... to her sons who run the kitchens, and who interact with the customers out here.
I think in this day and age when everybody talks about scaling up, everybody talks about adding on to things...
... here is one establishment that has held steadfast...
... not just to its menu, not just to its four dishes...
... but to its values...
... over the last half a century.
And I think that's what makes a meal at 
 Brahmins' Coffee Bar so special.
And this institution a must-visit, if you're 
 here in Namma Bengaluru.
Until the next episode of Gourmet On The Road, stay safe and happy eating!
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