Breakfast at MTR, Metro Ride, and Meeting a friend at the Hospital -- Eventful Day

It has been a while since we had breakfast together as a family though we live in the same Apartment complex. So, when the Arien suggested we all meet up for breakfast outside, all of us agreed. The Taurean wanted to eat at MTR, Indiranagar, and thats where we went.

We started on time, around 8 am. We were surprised to find that we had to wait to be seated. Anyway, we went in and the Arien asked the waiter for the menu. They do not maintain any. The waiter instead, rattled - "Idli, Dosa, Masala Dosa, Neer Dosa,...". The Arien interrupted him with "Do you have any Rice Bath?" The answer was No. Before he could repeat his menu, the Arien asked "Do you have Poori?" The answer was No again. Arien asked "Do you have pongal?" The answer was No again. I asked for Onion Oothappam and received yet another NO. I have been here before but not for breakfast. I did not know that they did not serve some of the breakfast options. So, instead of wasting time, we ordered masala dosas and Idlis. The masala dosas arrived quickly enough with a small Katori of Ghee. As we ate, we noticed giant Mangalore Bajjis which looked like pooris from a distance. We realized that we had interrupted the waiter so many times that he forgot to tell us about the bhajjis. Anyway, the Masala dosas were crispy and yummy, the green chutney was pretty good - white chutney not so much, ghee seemed excessive. No opinion on the Idlis. But, the Neer Dosa was  pretty good too. Tea or Chai was good. Usually, most places serve great coffee but Tea is supect but I liked the Tea here. It was served hot with no sugar. The Arien and self shared a cuppa. The Arien was a tad bugged with MTR because he wanted to eat 'Rice Palav' or 'Pongal' or 'Poori' none of which they served - I never eat Masala Dosas but I ordered it here. I liked it.

On our return, we took the Metro. You can read 'bout that here.

As soon as we reached home, I tried to put Kuku to sleep. With all the excitement, he fell asleep almost immediately which surprised me a lot but I was glad. I was planning to visit a colleague whose son is sick, at the hospital. Four of us were supposed to go together but we left separately and two of us came back together. The visit was upsetting and I hope and pray that God gives her the strength to continue to be strong.   

Breakfast at Chutneys -- Restaurant Review

This photo of St. Mary's Church is courtesy of TripAdvisor. 

Sunday morning had us (self, Arien and MIL) rushing to the famous St Mary's Basilica at Secunderabad. We were not too sure of the route but the Arien used google maps to the best possible advantage and though we left our home at 8:25 am, we were at the church at 9 am. After staying for the English mass which began at 9:30 am, the next most important item on everyone's mind was "BREAKFAST" (yes - in capital letters).

As we were driving back home, the Arien chanced upon Chutney's and we stopped right away. It was close to 11:15 when we walked in and asked to be escorted to a table for four. (Restaurants usually never have a table for three) Anyway, we were asked to go to the first floor- which we did. We ended up occupying a table for 8, because none of the other tables were empty.

The Arien was full of enthu. Lots of folks at his office had spoken of this place and he was waiting to try it. As soon as MIL had taken her medicines, we asked for the menu. Both the Arien and self wanted to eat Pongal but it was after 11 and so we were asked to choose something else. Both of us chose
Guntur Idly and ordered Steamed Dosa for MIL. I was not sure it would be sufficient and asked the Arien to order for an Upma as well. First, the famous chutneys arrived. There were 4 different types: Thengai (Coconut), Pottukadalai (RoastedGram),Varekadalai (Groundnut), and another chutney which I cannot recall. It looked yumm... and then the dishes arrived. Sambhar was served from glass dispensers into small Kinnams after which they left us to eat in peace.

The Guntur Idly was not as spicy as expected because it was coated with ghee. But, it was yummy all the same. To me, it was like eating idly, molagapodi and ghee. The Arien loved it. He was busy trying out the various chutneys. The Steamed dosa did not have a drop of oil and my MIL did not like it all that much. She likes a generous dose of oil in her dosa. She is not a beeg fan of chutneys either and so I don't think she liked it all that much. The upma was full of ghee as well. I liked the Sambhar though it was sweet. It tasted vaguely like north Karnataka sambhar which usually has sugar or jaggery. I wanted something spicy to finish it up but apart from some paneer dish (which we did not try) and Guntur Idly (which we tried and did not classify as spicy) - none of the items were actually spicy. Isn't that quite surprising to hear considering I was at Hyderabad known to be famous for its spicy food? Egzactly my thoughts! Anyway, the Arien and MIL finished up their late breakfast with a cup  of coffee (by two) which they were unable to finish. Coffee was good but the quantity was much more than expected.

The food reminded me vaguely of the food served at Adyar Ananda Bhavan. A2B also includes a lot of ghee and zero spice in all their dishes. Of course, A2B does not have the ambience or shtyle that Chutney's has.

Would I ask someone to try it? Yes, I will. It is a nice place and for people who are wary of eating spicy food or prefer to eat only at a vegetarian place - this is a great option. It is a bit on the pricey side. We paid more than 300/- for the dishes that we ordered. It was a nice experience.