Shantaraj Lad and his wife Hemavathi Bai cooked mutton liver fry, mutton kaima, rasam, mutton curry, ragi balls and rice at home, they then brought this in an auto and sold it on Queen’s Road.
A mutton meal cost a mere Rs 2 then. Seeing their business bloom, they bought a land on Queen’s Road and constructed a shop there, this is how Maratha Darshan started. Today, it is still on Queen’s Road but has come a long way since the couple sold the meal from an auto. However, Hemavathi Bai cooks for her customers even today.
The place is filled with people from all walks of life. From a street vendor to a politician, Maratha Darshan has a staunch clientele.
The best part about this place is that the food tastes like home-made, the spices for the dishes are prepared by Hemavathi herself and she does not like to buy any masala from outside. Hence, the food prepared here has a personal touch.
The place is famous for mutton and naati chicken dishes. Meat ball curry,
mutton chops, mutton biryani, ragi balls, mutton liver fry and naati chicken curry are some of the preparations which get sold within minutes.
Gunashekhar R, one of the customers, says, “I come here for lunch almost everyday. I simply love the food here and it tastes very good. If I am not able to come here before two then I call up and ask them to keep some food for me. Such is the love I have for the food here. I don’t feel nice, if I don’t eat here.” The place provides only lunch and there is no food on the menu for the vegetarians.
Hemavathi Bai and her team of five start cooking from seven in the morning and they are ready by 12 noon to serve the yummy hot food for their customers. By 2 in the afternoon, most of the dishes are over.
Darshan S says, “I have been coming here from the time I have been 9. My father used to bring me here almost every Sunday. Therefore, my bond with this place has been there for a long time. I love the mutton liver fry and mutton biryani cooked here. It is very tasty, even my mom can’t cook this well. This place is my all time favourite.”
The place is full and people stand outside waiting for a chance to grab a seat.
Due to the heavy crowd, the place is divided into two sections — one where people can sit and eat and in the other section, the customers stand and relish their meal.
The sit and eat section has only four tables where the early birds have the luxury of waiters serving food to them.
As one waits for his or her turn, the yummy smell from the kitchen permeates the air and one can sniff the aroma of the tasty food that can be partaken after a few minutes of wait.
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