Hotels dish out Appu's favourites in tribute to actor

A poster has been put up at Empire as a tribute to Puneeth Rajkumar.

Hotel Aditya in Mahalakshmipuram has curated a menu card of Puneeth, fondly called as Appu's, favourite dishes.

Over 100 restaurants across the city are paying tribute to Puneeth Rajkumar the foodie by hosting 'Flavours of Gandhada Gudi', a special food festival, during his death anniversary.

The festival also urges his fans to hit the theatres to watch the late actor's last movie – Gandhada Gudi.

"Appu was a foodie and would frequent restaurants in the city. He also had a cordial relationship with owners and chefs. Puneeth's fans approached us with the concept and we thought it was the best way to pay tribute to the love he bestowed on us," said P C Rao, president of Bruhat Bengaluru Hoteliers Association (BBHA).

While many restaurants held a two-day show over the last weekend owing to the response from Appu’s fans, some eateries have extended the fest and special offers are set to go on till November 5.

Radisson Blu on the Outer Ring Road is paying a culinary tribute to Powerstar Puneeth Rajkumar. Their south Indian chef Cheluvanarayan, a native of Melkote, has carefully curated Puneeth's all-time favourite dishes like Donne Biryani, Akki Rotti, Hurida Meenu, Nalli Mule, Thatte Idli, Hookosu Palya, Tharkari Fry, Masala Uddin Vade and Mallige Jamun.

Many other restaurants also offered special dishes, including a list of the late actor's favourites from mutton biryani to sabbakki payasa. "While a few restaurants carried their usual menu as the Powerstar loved it, a few others introduced new items to add to his favourite dishes," Rao said.

Apart from a special menu, cutouts of Puneeth Rajkumar, photo booths and discounts have attracted crowds at most restaurants. Ashok Pai, owner of the Basaveshwar Khanavali in Jayanagar, told DH, "We have put up posters and cutouts of Puneeth Rajkumar. Many come over just to take a picture with the cutout and the response has been overwhelming."

Puneeth's fans are thronging the eateries. Raghu Poojary from Ragoo's Kitchen in Mahalakshmi Layout said he has served at least 1,000 biryanis a day over the last week and hopes the business will pick up in the next few days. "For the last one week, we have served more than 8,000 biryanis. The enthusiasm among people is high," Raghu said.

Ragoo's Kitchen is also offering one free biryani for every customer.

Puneeth's family have also visited a few restaurants in the city to savour the delicacies.