Bangalore, the IT capital of India

Bangalore used to be called the Garden City of India and a haven for people who retired from work. Not anymore. It is now a dynamic, happening city with constantly clogged roads that make it difficult to travel from point A to point B.

Today, Bangalore is known as the IT capital of India, and is also known as the pub city since there appears to be a pub around every corner! The city has maintained its charm, and you can see glimpses of it. Visit Lalbagh, where there is a beautiful nursery, or Cubbon Park, located in the center of the city. Bangalore is filled with great little cafés and restaurants that offer a wide range of food, from Indian to Chinese, Italian, Mexican, etc.

Drive around the city to see how new campuses are springing up, IT campuses that is. You can see the Dell, Intel, and Microsoft offices on Ring Road, and if you go to Whitefield, you can see the other IT companies.

Bangalore is also a great city for shopping. Brigade and Commercial Roads have some good stores, and then there is the Bombay Store on MG Road. If you have time, go down to the latest shopping destination, Forum Mall, where you can find a veritable food court and a bunch of nice shops.

Quick Tips:

Try the explocity website for some tips. There are a couple of handy publications on shopping and exploring in Bangalore. You can find these in stores or restaurants, and they are free.

Best Way To Get Around:

Rent a car from a travel agency with a chauffer, or order a cab from any number of cab companies. I use Geo Travels when I visit Bangalore and get a car for an entire day. This works fine since the chauffeurs have a pretty good idea of all the places I want to visit. If you are feeling bold and brave, do try an auto-rickshaw ride.

The Leela is one of my favorite hotels in India. It epitomizes Southern warmth and hospitality. This hotel is a welcome oasis in this otherwise perpetually traffic-clogged road.

As soon as we went up the short drive to Leela Palace Hotel, we found ourselves enveloped in warm hospitality. As we stepped from our car into the foyer, our bags were efficiently handled and taken indoors. We stepped into the high-ceilinger foyer and into the lobby, where we were quickly assigned our rooms, and our request for a room on a higher floor was accommodated without any fuss.

Since the hotel is modeled after the Mysore Palace, most of the furniture and artifacts reflect the royal lifestyle of the Maharajas of Mysore. The hotel just stops short of being opulent in a fussy sort of way.

Our room was located on the fourth floor and overlooked the pool. The room had beautifully appointed furniture and paintings. As soon as you walk into the room, the fridge and the coffee counter are on the left, and on the right is the bathroom. The best part of the room is the bathroom, which is a separate room with traditional shuttered double doors. The bathroom is neatly sectioned: the toilet with its own door, a glass-encased shower cubicle, and a bathtub. two bedside tables. There was a sofa and a writing table with Internet connectivity. Watch out--the Internet connectivity does not come cheap! It costs a bomb at about $25 for a day!

We delved into the complimentary fruits and fresh-baked cookies. Since it was still summer, we got a nice collection of mangoes, oranges, and pomegranates. We called housekeeping and got a kettle with an array of complimentary tea sachets.

Our stay came with complimentary breakfast at Citrus. The breakfast spread at Citrus is mind-boggling! You can get your choice of Western or traditional Indian breakfast. I always ask for my coffee to be done a special way: cappuccino with a shot of espresso. If you are averse to cinnamon, let them know, and they should hold it.

At close to $300 per day, you should definitely take advantage of your stay at the Leela. The hotel comes with a beautiful pool, gym, and a shopping galleria.

After having eaten at Leela and other five-star places, we decided to venture to 100 Feet Road in Indra Nagar. This strip, I was assured by my sister, is one of the best places to go. Try Annacni, she recommended. The friends I was hanging out with also recommended Annachi, so a bunch of us decided to give this restaurant a shot. We arrived there on a Saturday night at about 10pm (people tend to eat late in India) and found the place packed, so we had to wait to be seated. I was ready to bolt, but my friend persuaded me to wait and try the food.

Annachi specializes in Chettinand cuisine from the state of Tamil Nadu. The hallmark of Chettinad cuisine is the spiciness of the food, which is comprised of tamarind, green chillies, peppercorns, and ginger.

My friends helped me decipher the menu, as did the inputs from the waiter. We found that Annachi has a pretty extensive menu of vegetarian, meat, and seafood entrées. Their specialty is Chettinad chicken, Chettinad prawns, crab curry, and vathakozumbhu. Vathakozhumhu is a pungent soup made out of tamarind pulp that is tempered with mustard, onion, garlic, and other spices. The soup is mixed with rice, and it can be a pretty potent mixture if you are not used to eating spicy food, so watch out! If you fancy eating shark, that is also available on the menu.

You can either order á la carte or from their set menu referred to as thali and comprised of chappati (Indian tortillas), a serving of rice, sambhar, rasam (the original precursor to the now-famous British soup popularly called Mullagatawny), vegetables, dessert, and papad.

Choosing the right dish might prove to be a bewildering experience, as we discovered. We wanted to be adventurous, but at the same time, eat a dish that appealed to our taste buds. So, we decided to take the safe route the first time we were at this restaurant. We elected to go we went with their vegetable biryani, chicken biryani, raita, and dessert. Both the biryanis were flavorful and spicy, but not hot. The dessert, which was another Chettinad specialty, was a huge disappointment.

The second time we went, we ordered the thali and an order of Chettinad chicken. The thali was very good, and the chicken was very well marinated and cooked. It was an instant hit with our group.

The place is constantly packed, and getting a table during lunch or dinner can mean a wait of 15 to 50 minutes. The staff is very efficient and helpful and can answer any questions you might have about their menu. The first time, we had to wait for about 20 minutes before our order made it to our table.

Try this place out if you want to eat something different that is tasty and spicy.

Whenever we happen to be in Bangalore, we make it a point to go to Jamavar. This is largely to fulfill our craving for well-prepared Indian food, and it is seldom that we are disappointed with our experience at this restaurant. The restaurant has both outdoor and indoor seating.

This time around, the restaurant was celebrating the cuisine of Coorg. Coorg is a hilly region of Karnataka that is well-known for its warrior-class people and cuisine.

We first elected to sit outside in the patio to take advantage of the nice summer breeze, but we quickly had to migrate inside since the heavens decide to open their doors!

We lucked out in our choice of food since the staff helped us select our menu. The senior sous chef, Shyam Sundar, helped us out with our selection of food once he discovered our food preferences. Boy, were we glad that we had him help us out, as the meal that we had was absolutely a delightful culinary experience.

Our gastronomical journey began with an appetizer and ended with the main course; we simply had no room for desserts. We had a combination of vegetarian, chicken, and fish dishes. We started with a lentil-based vada (somewhat like a salty doughnut, a dumpling of sorts), and a spice-smeared fish fillet. Both the appetizers were amazing! The vada was spiked with spinach, and that gave this dish its special edge.

For the main course, we had traditional Coorgi chicken cooked in a blend of spices, lentils, greens, and a bit of coconut; a dish of mixed vegetable kootu; and a bitter gourd dish. We started off with akki roti (a rice-based bread) and then polished off the rest of our dish the traditional Indian way: rice! No South Indian meal is complete unless you eat rice. We rounded off our dinner with yogurt rice spiked with curry leaves, mustard, and onion. The yogurt rice cooled off all the spicy food we had eaten.

After such a delicious meal, we had no room for dessert and decided to skip it. Instead, we opted for a nice hot cup of South Indian filter coffee. If you are ever in the southern part of India, do not pass out an opportunity to have a great cup of south Indian filter kappe.

The whole meal cost us about $60, and it was worth every delectable morsel we ate.

The Library Bar reminds you of the colonial days with its dark furniture and plush sofas and chairs. It has appearance of a well-heeled person's library.

Besides spirits of various kinds, the bar also stocks an extensive collection of cigars that you can smoke. If you are a nonsmoker, you are probably better off sitting outside, as the smoke can get overpowering at times.

This bar is a popular watering hole for the techies of the city.

Feeling a bit adventurous, we decided not to stick to the tried-and-true cocktails and instead have the bartender concoct something for us. Our bartender was a helpful soul, and we gave him the carte blanche to surprise us with cocktails of his choice. The menu had the usual list of cocktails and a huge wine list.

Remind me to never give any bartender carte blanch ever again! We got a vodka-based drink that was a concoction of different fruit juices. I did not like mine, which consisted of vodka, bitters, and ginger. It was too citrusy and tart for my taste. I switched my drink and had a cocktail that consisted of vodka, lychee, and cranberry. The cocktail’s taste was marred by the lychee concentrate that left a strong aftertaste that was not very pleasant. The bartender was willing to fix us a new round, but we decided against it, mainly because we did not want to crush his enthusiasm and eagerness. Killing somebody’s enthusiasm is the worst thing you can do!

To go with the cocktails, we had bowls of chips (Lays, I guess), peanuts, and garlic-stuffed olives that were simply out of this world.

The bar opens at 11am and gets pretty crowded on the weekends. Don’t be surprised if you see people sipping their drinks while they are furiously working away on their laptops. This is a very common site and a constant reminder that you are in the heartland of technology—Bangalore.

A couple of days ago, I stopped by Little Italy on an impulse, since I had skipped lunch. A few months ago, I had gone to the restaurant for dinner and enjoyed the food.

Sad to say, this time around, both the food and the ambience were sub-par. First, let me deal with the ambience. The entire restaurant has been styled in different shades of green pleasing to the eye, but it is the smoking that kills your appetite. I was shown to a little lounge that was filled with smoke. Smoking is not banned in India.

After much deliberation, I ordered a pasta dish with vegetables. The waiter assured me that B-24 has the most vegetables and is quite light. I opted for this, since all the other dishes had heavy sauces and cheese.

When the dish arrived, there was disappointment written all over my face. It was a wheat penne dish with an appetizing, creamy tomato sauce, and I had to really fish for the few pieces of stray vegetables that were thrown in to complete the dish. There were pieces of green olives, carrots, peas, and capers. Altogether there must have been a tablespoon or so of veggies.

After pushing the penne around for a while, I decided to give up the pretense and leave. I shelled out about Rs. 220 ($5) for this dish.

My suggestion is to stick with the pizzas and risottos (which were very rich), but do not expect a nice veggie pasta dish like the ones you find in California. I guess my taste buds have been spoilt by the California-inspired Italian dishes.

Mavalli Tiffin Room, or MTR, has been a fixture of Bangalore for 80 years, and obviously, over the years, this eating joint has developed its list of loyal customers.

And, of course, there are lots of hand-me-down gastronomical tales that have made the rounds within the city and beyond. MTR is a brand that most people recognize.

But, in recent years, I had heard murmurs that the quality of the food had declined and the food was not the same. I dismissed these murmurings and thought to myself that this cannot be the case. So, today, when I happen to be driving past Lalbaugh Road and my stomach made loud grumblings, reminding me that I had missed my lunch, I decided to take the plunge and have a traditional Brahmin meal or lunch at this venerable eating joint.

Parking the car was not an issue, but crossing the road was, and I am not kidding when I say that it is almost impossible to cross the road. The traffic just doesn't seem to let up at all! Anyway, I finally crossed the road and made it to this place. I entered a nice soothing room where, through sign language, I indicated that I wanted lunch. I forked out Rs. 75 (less than $2), climbed the stairs, and joined the orderly line of people waiting to have their lunch. The menu had about 10 dishes that seemed appetizing.

Finally, I sat down and was eager to reacquaint myself with the heavenly food from MTR's kitchen. Boy, was I disappointed. The service was bad and a bit slow. The quality and taste of the food was poor. The lunch consisted of typical South Indian dishes, like vanghibhath, sambar, rasam, yogurt rice, dumplings in yogurt, veggies, and three different desserts. The desserts were cloyingly sweet and I could taste the cook's disinterest in preparing the dish. I did not sit through the entire course of the lunch, and had to bail out towards the end.

I should have listened to my family and friends, who had warned me that the quality of the food had declined and the only thing worth visiting the place was for their morning dosa that is served at 6:30am. Dosa is similar to the French crepe, only there is no sugar, but salt, added to the batter, and it tends to be crisper.

I am giving this place a second chance and am thinking of an early morning sortie to MTR. Let us hope that this time my mission will be successful and I score an ace with the food.

Samarkhand is located in Gem Plaza, on the busy and narrow Infantry Road. Note: This is one-way street and parking is sometimes difficult to find.

Samarkhand is a largish restaurant with really dim lighting, and it takes a while for your eyes to adjust. There are waiters walking around in Northwest Frontier attire, Pathan suits with a turban, and some sport a fierce-looking moustache and beard.

The menu resembles a newspaper, and it has a little write-up on Samarkhand and the famous calf hunt. I only wish they did not have that picture and instead a picture of some building or people.

The choices are pretty vast and include kababs, tandoor, grilled meats and vegetables, and the usual suspects: nans, rotis, kulchas, and parathas.

We ordered paneer tikka. In fact, there were quite a few paneer-inspired dishes. We ordered a tandoori khumbh or marinated mushroom with kabab masala. This was okay, and not something I would order again. We had chicken makhani, which was a great hit with the group I was in and is something they would order again. The other chicken dish that was a big hit was the Desi Dum ka Murg, which had herbs and a hara masala. Clearly, the meat dishes are great hits at this place. For dessert we had kulfi, phirni, and gulab jamun. The phirni was okay, the kulfi was rich and delicious, and the gulab jamun was nothing extraordinary.

The downside of eating in this restaurant is that service can sometimes be slow, and getting your orders on time can be a challenge.

The choice of the name of the restaurant led me to believe that we would have great Northwestern Frontier food, but that was not the whole story. There were a few dishes that were good, but the rest were dishes with a dose of heavy, rich gravy. Watch out how much you order. You might want to take it easy and order less and then go from there. It's worth one visit at least.

Hosur is the main IT drag of Bangalore. It is off Hosur Road that Electronics City is located, and this is where Infosys, HP, Siemens, and other companies are located and hum with activity around the clock.

And Hosur Road is also the place where the latest must-see place in Bangalore is located--Forum Mall. Caution: Do not go there on weekends, or you will be crushed by the crowd. The crowd is seen to be believed on weekends.

This multi-storied mall has everything a non-resident Indian craves in terms of food and clothes. (NRIs are people of Indian origin who have lived outside India for a while).

The ground floor has the familiar golden arches, where you can go stop for a quick bite to eat. Remember, though, that MacDonald's has tailored its menu to match the Indian palate. Or you can to KFC for your fix of fried chicken and mashed potatoes. The 4th floor has a food court that has a Subway shop and a Mexican shop.

If you need to surf on the web, then Reliance WebWorld is the place to go. You can sit in air-conditioned environment and surf at the speed of broadband. The price for 3 hours of surfing is about Rs100 (a little over $2), and if you plan to surf for longer hours, the price drops. However, be warned that your senses will be enveloped in sounds of various kinds, from the taped music to the firing of gun shots from the online gamers who seem to live in this place. You can order a coffee or a sandwich while you are surfing.

The mall has the only Apple store in South Asia. If you want to get a Mac or an Apple product, then this is the place to go.

Westside is an upscale Indian clothing store that has a very good selection of outfits and other household items.

The mall also has a Bose and Swaroski store. If you need to get a pair of Levis or a pair of Reeboks, then this is the place to go.

There is a fantastic bookshop called Landmarks that has books, DVDs, and VCDs of every kind. I often hang out at this store for a couple of hours and stock up on new titles and DVDs.

The top two floors of the mall are devoted to a movie multiplex run by PVR group. There are 11 cinema theatres, and you can watch your latest Hollywood or Bollywood flick in plush surroundings. For about $10, you can buy tickets in the Gold Circle and have a private balcony for yourself, where a waiter will ply you with beverages--or cold drinks, as they prefer to call them here--and popcorn.

There is ample parking available, and you can be assured of parking space any time of the day.

Bangalore is a food-lovers haven that offers an extensive array of cuisines from around the world, ranging from the local to continental (which is how European food is referred to in India) to Korean and Japanese food. But, when in Bangalore, you must try the traditional local cuisine either for breakfast or lunch - you will not regret it.

If you are staying in a five-star hotel like the Leela, Taj, Oberoi, or any others, then each hotel has a really good restaurant where you can have a great meal that tends to be on the expensive side ($15 to $25 per head). For instance, the Oberoi has Rim Nam, a Thai restaurant; the Taj has Karavalli; and the Leela has Zen, which serves food from Japan, Korea, China, and Thailand.

Besides these high-end restaurants, there are many good mid-level restaurants that serve fantastic food at economical prices ($5 to $7 per head). The local south Indian ones that serve the traditional fare of idli, dosa, vada, pongal, and coffee include MTR, Vidyarthi Bhavan, and Woodlands. For a traditional South Indian lunch or dinner, you can try MTR, Woodlands, Amaravathi, Nandini, Bheema, Gonguras, or Gokul. For north Indian food, some of the good restaurants are Samarkhand, Sukh Sagar, Haveli, Palki, Biryani Merchant, and Roomali, which has a view.

After Indian food, the second most popular cuisine in Bangalore seems to be Chinese. In fact, many traditional Indian restaurants serve their own homegrown version of Chinese food, especially Gobi Manchurian. Some of the better known Chinese eating joints include Rice Bowl, Three Quarter Chinese, Aromas of China, Bamboo Shoots, Mainland China, and Chung Wah.

If you crave American fast food, there is McDonald's, Dominos, Pizza Hut, KFC, and Pizza Corner, where you can get your fix of burgers (Indian style) and Coke.

Bangalore is also well-known for its bakeries and cafés. Nilgirs is a 100-year-old store that sells some traditional English baked goods, like plum cake and sponge cake, by the slice. The ubiquitous Iyengar bakeries that you will find in various parts of Bangalore are well-known for their array of sponge cakes, chocolate cakes, etc. Ho