JOIN USGrowing by the decades
The story goes back to 1977, when Bengaluru’s street didn’t have any multi-storey buildings or traffic jams; when it was clean and had lush, tall green trees all around. That was the time when Maruti Shanbhag started his restaurant ‘Samrat’ in Hotel Chalukya. Located on Race Course Road, this 38-year-old legacy has been running successfully with just 1 branch.
“After my father’s demise in 2005, I have been looking after the restaurant. Before that, I used to work as a trainee under him. When he launched the restaurant, we specialised only in South Indian breakfast meals, but slowly, with demand we expanded the menu and now serve an array of North Indian dishes, along with Mughlai, Chinese and Hyderabadi cuisines,” says Santosh Maruti Shanbhag.
Since its inception, ‘Samrat’ has been dishing some of the most delectable items to its customers, be it starters, mains or desserts. Among their elaborately prepared menu, the ‘masala dosa’ and ‘rava idli’ are favourites, along with sipping on the filter coffee. The crispy golden-brown triangular ‘masala dosa’ has always been popular. However, even their Punjabi meals, ‘Kadai Biryani’, ‘Hara Bhara Kebab’, ‘Hyderabadi Biryani’ and sizzlers are favoured. And among desserts, the ‘badam halwa’ and ‘gulab jamun’ are best-sellers.
‘Samrat’, as Santosh claims, was one among the first restaurants in the City to introduce the ‘small bowl of ghee’ concept alongside a plate of ‘rava idli’ which later became a trend. Recalling how the restaurant came into being, he says, “My father was from a small place and he worked as a cleaner and waiter before ‘Samrat’ happened to his life. While working in a restaurant in Mysuru, he realised that he wanted to do something of his own. That’s when he put in all his practical knowledge and opened a restaurant called ‘Geeta Restaurant’ in Gandhi Bazar, which became very popular those days. The owner of Hotel Chalukya, Chinnaswamy Raju, was a regular visitor and he really admired the food. He offered my father a space to open a restaurant in the hotel.”
He says that the restaurant doesn’t feel the competition even when restaurants are booming in the City. Santosh adds that they are different and nothing can come on their way of serving authentic food and how they treat their customers. ‘Samrat’ is located at 44, Race Course Road.
For details, call 9731533220.