JOIN USGo for a 'thali'of your choice
Hotel Chandrika, which specialises in pure vegetarian dishes, has had loyal customers for over two decades now.
The dim lights, the pale marble flooring and the gentle sound of the age-old fans in the restaurant take one back in time.
Besides, these also provide the perfect ambience for friends to catch up after long or for colleagues to come out on team lunch or dinner. No wonder, people of all ages, office goers in particular, form the regular customer base of the hotel.
Says P K Shetty, the Executive Director of the restaurant, “It was started in 1986 by my wife’s sister’s husband, Harishchandra Shetty, who is the current MD of the restaurant. I joined the business in 1990.” He informs that the restaurant has always maintained a good relation with its customers. “Most of our regular customers are from upper middle class families, with a majority of them being office employees,” he says. He feels that the USP of the restaurant lies in its taste and hygiene. “Since there are many restaurants in our surroundings, we have to put in our best to fight the competition,” says P K Shetty.
If you go there between 1.15 pm and 2.30 pm on a weekday, chances are that you may have to wait for a while before getting a place. It’s because that is the time when the office crowd comes in for lunch. Government officials from the Vidhana Soudha also form the hotel’s regular customer base.
An array of mouth-watering dishes await you at the hotel as you can choose from rice preparations, soups, salads, raithas, tandoori and Chinese items.
Besides, there are desserts which include Indian sweets like malai sandwich’ and gulab jamun; sundaes and fruit salads.
But the best-selling items on the menu are definitely the thalis — North Indian, available during the nights and South Indian, available during the afternoons.
An evening visit to the restaurant would be incomplete without the delicious chaats and South Indian snacks like the crispy vada with soft idli and hot sambar, or the scrumptious masala dosa. Gulp that with a beverage of your choice like tea, coffee or a fruit juice.
All these are in the price range of Rs nine to Rs 70, with the most expensive item on the menu being, Chandrika Delux Meal which costs Rs 100. “This meal mainly comprises a soup, three curries, choice of roti, curd, a Bengali sweet, pulav, plain rice and fruit salad with ice cream,” informs Prakash Shetty, brother of P K Shetty, and in-charge of the restaurant. Keerthi, a businessman, has been coming to the hotel for the past two months after shifting his office to Cunningham Road.
“I come here for brunch and late evening meals. The location of this hotel is very good, with a minimalised menu which is a good thing as one doesn’t have to waste time deciding on what to choose from,” he says.