A taste of its own

If you ever wish to visit the 80-year-old Shivaji Military Hotel, in 8th block Jayanagar, for lunch, then plan in advance. For the eatery is jam-packed with people queuing up from 12 noon. The place is owned and managed by brother-duo L Lokesh and L Rajeev, who believe in doing everything on their own, including cooking. They have developed a home-grown taste which has become their USP.

At this eatery, the chicken takes different forms, the mutton comes in unique flavours and the ‘biryani’ is just one-of-its-kind. Shivaji Military Hotel was started by S Mannaji Rao in 1935 in a small space and soon the taste caught up with people and the word began to spread. “Our grandfather S Mannaji Rao made sure he cooked all the dishes himself. It is the recipe that he brought from his home town. He introduced this as an experiment but it turned out pretty well in the City. Our cooking is mainly ‘Maratha’ style where the flavours are strong. You will feel them lingering on,” explains Rajeev.

It is undoubtedly the uncompromising quality and the fact that they haven’t gone commercial
that has brought them so far. “We have our loyal customer base and that includes the present generation as well,” says Lokesh.  The eatery is popular for ‘kal soup’, ‘mutton liver’, ‘dosa’, ‘biryani’ and has its varieties in chicken. “We use only home ground ingredients and ‘natti’ ginger, garlic and curry leaves in all the dishes but refrain from using the hybrid variety,” he adds.

The owners also make sure they use disposable plates. “It’s expensive to use these plates, but based on the feedback we got from people, we decided to use them. This ensures that hygiene is maintained. We have assistants but my brother and I make sure,  we do most of the cooking,” adds Rajeev.

The eatery is open between 8 am and 3.30pm and closed on Mondays. It is located on No 718, 1st C Main, 45th Cross, Jayanagar 8th Block. For details, contact 9845149217.