The next time you are on M G Road in Bangalore and you feel those nasty pangs of hunger take hold of you, hold yourself together and haul yourself to Oriental Circle (now rechristened Anil Kumble Circle - nice spin to that name !). A bright yellow sign board directs you to New Arya Bhavan Sweets. How can a sweetmeet shop help contain the pangs of hunger, you may well ask. Well, this shop serves much more than sweets - they serve chaats - and what a range of chaat !
The narrow and unassuming entrance opens into a hall with 5-6 tables lined up next to the display counters containing the sweets. A glance at the single sheet menu tells you that this place is not a run-of-the mill chaat shop. Of course, they have Pani Puri and Dahi Puri, but they also have Tomato Pakoras, Simla Mirch Pakoras, Raj Kachoris, etc. Try the Simla Mirch Pakoras for starters; you will surely ask for a second plate. Or try the Paneer ones - they are to kill for. The masala powders that they use here make a vast difference to the taste. If you have a sweet tooth, ask for hot jamoons or the Rasmalai. Then order another chaat ! Wash all this down with hot masala tea or cold badaam milk (the original stuff).
A 4 course meal (!) for 4-5 people should not set you back by more than Rs. 200.
A board above the cashier says ’’Curd rice also served here’’. I intend to try that on my next visit.