MTR : A Historic Resturant
Bangalore the garden city is also known as a foodie’s paradise. There is so much to choose from, so many concept restaurants, lounge bars, pubs, cozy snack places, fast food joints, theme cafes, and fine dining places.
MTR or Mavali Tiffin Room is one such most popular haunt for authentic South Indian food. Breakfast menu comprises Rawa idli, Khara bhath, Idli, Vada- sambar, Poori- saagu, Dahi vada ( South Indianstyle ) and sweets such as Gulab jamun, halwa, barfi and kesari bath .MTR serves more than twenty five different varieties of food in its famous lunch/dinner package ( Thali ). Apart from its lunch/dinner packages, Sweets, Sandwiches, Coffee & Tea also available.
Long time residents of Bangalore, however, will tell you that MTR is a small but famous hotel which serves authentic South Indian food. A lot of senior Bangaloreans would consider their morning walk at Lalbagh incomplete without having breakfast or at least a cup of coffee here. MTR has a long and interesting history.
Started way back in 1924 by Yadunarayana Maiya near Minerva Circle, they shifted to their current premises at Lalbagh Road in 1956. Mavalli Tiffin Rooms is one of the oldest restaurants in Bangalore.It is situated near Lalbagh, right next to Urvashi Cinema. You find the old and the young, the families and the young groups loitering in and out of MTR. The place has a huge waiting room that gives you a clear idea of the kind of crowd that this place draws. There are many secrets here and according to some, Many of the visitors, and even the staff members, are unable to explain the odd attraction that they have for this place .
MTR is a favorite to many famous politicians, leaders and other celebrities. I myself have enjoyed a love & hate relation with MTR, love for the finger licking good food and hate for the big queues.
As soon as we enter this resturant , we need to register our name and number of seats in the waiting list, then we need to wait in the waiting room.It ll take about twenty to thirty minutes. While waiting, one can go through a number of old framed photographs adorning the walls that showcases many celebrities eating away to glory a long time ago…It is a measure of MTR’s confidence in its high standards that it chooses to retain its old-fashioned décor.
This is Incredible, in an age when people have no time even to wait patiently without honking at traffic signals, a daily sight is the huge queue all day long at MTR’s. Customers consider it worthwhile to wait for their turn for breakfast, lunch, evening snacks, and dinner.
MTR is famous for its mouth watering masala dosa’s served with a side of ghee Idli that melts right in your mouth Not to mention the sambar and chutney which truly are out of the world And if there is one thing you would keep asking for more is the aromatic coffee served in silver glasses.
MTR has maintained cleanliness in every small thing.They wash all the plates and vessels with hot water to avoid communicable diseases.You are free to visit their kitchen to view their cleanliness. However MTR was known to serve food in silver plates and tumblers in late sixties, this is missing now.
Some people are of the opinion that, No visit to Bangalore is complete without a stop over at MTR. This epic eatery has been on the city’s food map for as long as one can remember. Pioneers in the idli-dosa business.
Dear friends, Since long time I had not visited this lovely place.Last week we all friends decided to have a dinner at MTR after our College Alumni meet.This is the place we use to have our breakfast before entering our college.Our Al - Ameen college is between MTR & Lalbagh.We felt very bad when we did not find the the quality & taste that we had during our college days, In the early ninetees.
Let me forget the past glory of this historic resturant for some time & think on the present scenerio.Food is big business today going by the restaurants mushrooming in many cities.Banking on the Past glory is not enough to keep the customers happy.Maintaining the quality is more important.
The restaurant has to stand on its own strength of quality management. If not One will be damaging it if it is hyped and expectations are not commensurate, Initially people may come to eat because of the publicity & past glory, but finally it is the quality of food which matters. Repeat customers come because of the food
I allways like to eat good food in a good ambience . It’s an experience one should enjoy. Whenever I visit new places, I feel good when I visit a good restaurant. There’s nice music, good quality sound and tasty food. One can compare it with cinema. One goes to a film to enjoy.
Inspite of change in the quality, I take a chance & Still suggest, you to visit MTR once, if you have still not visited .