Special menus cater to mango fever in B’luru

Dishes like palak aamras chaat and mango kadubu have become popular

Restaurants in Bengaluru have introduced special menus and dishes that champion the seasonal fruit.

Aam twist

The banana leaf meal at Hallimane in Malleswaram includes aam panna (raw mango drink), mango rasmalai, mango kosambari, mango kadubu, and mango rasayana. Staples like masala dosa are paired with raw mango chutney. Mango chitranna is another dish in the meal, which is priced at Rs 320.

“On weekdays, people wait for about an hour to get a table. On weekends, the waiting time can go up to two hours. On election day, most offices were closed, so we had a large number of customers,” says Vivek M, the manager of the restaurant.

Unlike last May when they ran the promotion for a week, this time it is available throughout the month.

A more balanced option is the Khandani Rajdhani mango festival, which has a thali featuring five to six dishes made with the fruit. The thali includes dishes like palak aamras chaat, mango sabudana kheer, mango pulao, mango malpua and mango jalebi. Priced at Rs 625 plus taxes, it is available until the end of May.

On a roll

Rajasthani joint NH 8’s rotational thali features mango-based delicacies. Priced at Rs 499 plus taxes, the platter comprises 23-24 elements, and the aamras and amarkhand (sweet mango yoghurt) are the highlights, says Prakash Singh Shekhawat, the manager of the restaurant in Sahakarnagar. “The mango dishes were introduced two weeks ago, and we will probably keep them on until May-end,” he shares.

The food counter at Miraj Cinemas on Magadi Main Road has also introduced snacks made with alphonso and kesari mangoes. There’s nachos with mango salsa and aam panna, a mango tangy roll, which is like a kaati roll with mango, and a mango popcorn shake. These are priced between Rs 150 and Rs 200. The menu was initially planned only for April but has now been extended till mid-May because of public demand, says Lalit Bajaj, the head of food and beverage.