In an era that’s far, far away, in a city that basked langurously in its wonderful weather, beautiful people and British colonial environs, there were but a few places for locals to eat a good, hearty, crisp benne-full masala dosa, rava idli and sip on a delicious filter coffee the way only South Indians make it. Among those gems is Samrat Chalukya, which had its humble beginnings in 1977, thanks to old timer M.L. Shanbhag who has ensured that Samrat is ensconced in the city’s fabric and history books as an icon.
After 40 years of dosaing out the best South Indian, his son Santosh Maruthi Shanbhag who took the reins with the same attention to ingredient and hands-on kitchen supervision as his father, is opening a quick-service counter which should be fully functional by July end. Because, quite like the Bengaluru peak hour traffic, Samrat’s peak hour can be atleast a half-an-hour wait, for a crisp manna from the kitchen to make way to your table. But the story behind such iconic landmarks goes beyond mere feeding. His father was from Manki, a village in Uttara Karnataka, who worked his way up (as cleaner, server, supervisor) in Hubli before he started Geetha Restaurant in the late 70s in Basavanagudi.
A regular guest was Chinnaswamy Raju, the owner of Chalukya Hotel who loved the bennes and idlis so much he offered Shanbhag a space to open a restaurant at Hotel Chalukya in 1975. Today, it’s the place for ‘full on’ thindi for bureaucrats, politicos, lawyers and old timers. Sophia and Mount Carmel students also descend in droves for a taste of those famed dosas and green chutney in this part of town.
Santosh learned on the job from his father, recalling, “When we started, the neighbourhood was were like a jungle, not a safe place. My father, M.L. Shanbhag started Samrat, and in no time, it was the favourite. He would stay in the kitchen overseeing everything, and I also have learned that.” His father passed away in 2005, but Samrat Chalukya is the go-to for a good masala dosa, filter coffee, rava idli and uddin vada, poori sagu, etc. The place is dowdy, and retains its old world simplicity if you aren’t sitting in the hustle of the downstairs dining area. The dimly-lit air conditioned space upstairs is brimming with people; Santosh informed us that they sell over 800 masala dosas on an average every day. We ordered the benne masala dosa with red chutney, that even today, is crisp and ghee-fied to crunch perfection, very oily, and has a homecooked potato palya that is perfect in taste and flavour. The famed thick green chutney (unlike the watered versions elsewhere, has a hint of pudina, coriander (we thi
nk) and some other herb that is delicious. We also had the vada sambhar, which was alright, though cold. The sambhar here too has distinct Uttara Karnataka specs, slightly sweeter than normal. The rava idli was plump, steaming fresh and delectable, a nice ting of ghee — just what the Monsoon ordered! Santosh takes great pride in the food, saying, “We use fresh ingredients. Our coffee is made without chicory, which is the norm everywhere else. We monitor everything personally, and don’t depend on anyone. Infact, some people always come in here for a coffee before an important deal, saying it’s lucky for them,” he says.
The food has retained its taste and flavour for over 40 years, and with the addition of North Indian favourites to the menu means twice as many takers. The pulav, paneer butter masala, Manchurian, sholay paneer, pepper fried rice et all, also gets many takers. The badam halva and the gulab jamoon are good too, freshly made, though not-so-quickly-serve upstairs (in the ac space). Parking might be a hassle, so get that olden day valet parking fellow to help, or ola it, saves time! The buzz is of simple on-the-move oota, that his father and his mother Prema Maruthi Shanbhag has inspired. Today, of the three siblings, Santosh runs it with strict precision, with the support of his brother and his sister. For the old Bengalurean who came from a simpler time, the food is what matters. And here it’s on cue, where tradition pipes modernity delectably!
The food has retained its taste and flavour for over 40 years.
Samrat Chalukya: 44, Race Course Road, Basaveshwara Circle, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560001
Open 7:30AM–10:30PM
Phone: 9449033221, 9483854321
Meal for two: Rs 300 onwards
Must-haves: Benne Masala Dosa, rava idli, vada sambhar, poori saagu, khaara bhath, badam halva and gulab jamoon.
The quick service express counter is being launched in July end, and there is also home delivery option available.
