JOIN USStanding the test of time, for 17 years now, ‘Cool Joint’ is a landmark that is hard to miss in Jayanagar. It is bustling with people, very often with college-goers for whom the large grilled sandwiches here have become a habit.
Started by G Srinivas Rao, chairman of Mayura Group, this humble outlet was opened in 1998 with its concept designed by R Prabhakar. With an open kitchen, a few tables, a juice and ice-cream corner, and a cash counter; the place almost ends as you enter. But their specialities keep rolling on the menu — fresh fruit juice, milkshake, energy milk shake, fruit salad, chocolate fudge, softy, sundaes and the sought-after sandwiches. “We served ‘chaats’, soup and ‘badam’ milk too. But this was discontinued after a while as the other items delighted the crowd more. That became our forte,” says Sudarshan, one of the directors of the outlet.
The European sandwiches find an Indian twist here, and have become a sought-after South Indian snack. Paneer, chilli, capsicum, ‘aloo’, tomato — each ingredient is sandwiched between extra large bread slices, greased with butter and green ‘chutney’, and grilled to perfection with cheese oozing from the inside. What adds to the wholesome experience is the huge size of the sandwiches and their pocket-friendly prices. “We have old-timers who have been coming here from the time of its inception, and the drifting college crowd as our regular customers,” he says.
While the weekdays see a steady flowing crowd, the weekends are a feast here. However, he says, “We see more crowd that comes in for evening snacks during the weekends. But our specialities, which include ‘aloo masala sandwich’, ‘paneer masala sandwich’ and ‘aloo capsicum masala sandwich’, are prepared only on the first three days of the week.” Apart from the sandwiches, this place is also popular for its rich energy kick milkshakes, which include dry fruit, ‘anjur’, ‘kesar pista’, almond and fruit punch. The fresh fruit salads with ice cream and the popular softies are a hit with kids.
On asking if this place faces threat from the newbies mushrooming around the area, he confidently answers, “No, not at all. People come here for quality and quantity and we never compromise on these two things. We also follow the home recipes and they never fail to excite our customers.”
With another outlet in Commercial Street, this place is known to have brought taste in affordable prices.
Cool Joint is located on 30th Cross, 11th Main, 4th Block Jayanagar. For details, call 41210004.