Mangalore

Care to answer these 4 questions? … And no, you are not going to win anything by doing so.
I was going through last week’s list of search queries that brought visitors onto this page, and came upon these 4 questions that I had no clear answers to. Hence I thought I would post them here so someone could answer and help out the guys who are searching for these. I’ve added my comments in italics.

1. mangalore easy snacks (easy on the stomach or easy to make? Eitherways, there are many… Care to comment or write a full blown post here, anyone?)
2. best restaurant for fish curry in mangalore city (Hmmm… Again, a tough one. I have found the silver fish curries pretty good in many restaurants.)
3. mangalore best area to live (‘Outside of!’ would be the pun reply, but that would be mean and a lie. So, my vote goes to Mannagudda)
4. list of top mangalore chefs (My wife…. Oops, that was a reflex reponse. Years of marriage has conditioned me to respond to certain questions in certain ways, you see. Seriously, I am totally blank on this one. I have never really cared to find out who makes the dishes at restaurants I’ve gone to - Can’t focus on too many things once the plate’s filled up - thats a problem I’ve had since childhood)

Here’s the rest of last week’s search terms - just for the records:

• where is cherry square in mangalore
• mangalore fine dine restaurant
• Blueberry hills in Mangalore
• deepa comforts, mangalore
• mangalore food
• mangalore +best places
• someshwara Nisargadama
• LIFE IN MANGALORE
• dinoos mangalore
• royal darbar mangalore
• shetty’s kori rotti
• amazon fine dine mangalore
• Hotel Ayodhya+PVS+Mangalore
• taj manjarun food menu
• mangala water park in mangalore
• mangalore food items list
• salsa mangalore
• pilikula nisargadama
• mangala aquatic club
• coconut grove mangalore
• MANGALORE MADHUVAN THE VILLAGE HOTEL
• ’smokies’ ‘mangalore’
• coorg to mangalore road map
• the maharaja, mangalore, near mangalore railway station
• how to have fun in mangalore -bangalore

[This piece finds itself under the 'Mangalore' blog due to Coorg's proximity to Mangalore, and the fact that it is a favorite  holiday destination for Mangaloreans]

It’d been a while since we went on a vacation, and we hence decided to take a short one this week to make use of the Diwali holidays. We decided on a 3 day trip to Coorg. (again! the fifth time I am visiting this place). Coorg is an ideal getaway for Mangaloreans who wish to enjoy a hill station atmosphere without going too far. In our last few visits to this place, we’ve seen everything the Coorg has to offer - the Tibetan settlement near Kushalnagar, Cauvery Nisargadhama, Harangi Dam, Talacauvery (origin of river Cauvery), Bhagamandala and Abbey falls. So this time, we planned for a relaxed trip, primarily to enjoy some peace and quiet. The drive from Mangalore to Madikeri (Capital of Coorg) took us close to 3.5 hours. The roads (mainly in and around Sulliya) were not in a great shape, peppered with potholes, and small cars could find the going difficult. We reached Madikeri by around 1.30 PM, and stopped at Hotel East End (in the city) for a quick lunch before proceeding to our place of accomodation - Coorg international. The hotel is located close to the city, and is an ideal mid range accomodation option (standard rooms starting at Rs 4000). In our earlier visits, we’d stayed at Orange County and Club Mahindra (the high end options, with rooms starting at around Rs 7500). There are quite a few Home Stays that offer great accommodation too.

We did a bit of sight seeing in the evening, visiting Abbey falls and then a stroll around Raja Seat. They’ve added a small train ride near Raja Seat now, which is very enjoyable.

The last few times I visited Coorg, I have always missed visiting the Dubare elephant camp, and this time I sure didn’t want to (miss it). So, after checking with the hotel travel desk about the timings, we started out the next day by around 9.30 AM to Dubare, confident that this time we would be able to see the elephants being fed and bathed. But alas, by the time we reached there, the park was almost closing for the afternoon. I’d once again goofed up with the timings! So, I have included a picture of the timings board, in case any of you are interested (And a reminder for me for the next time). The rest of the day, we spent visiting Nisargadama and shopping in the city. On the way back to Mangalore, we stopped at a small stream by the side of the road. This proved to be a great stop - with a mini waterfall, and greenery all round. All in all, a very relaxed trip.

(Note: To get to Madikeri from Mangalore, take the Bangalore route at Pumpwell circle, and take the Puttur > Sullya road)

Here’s a trivia for a change. Guess the location (within Mangalore city) shown in picture below.

Well, here’s a T-Shirt for anyone who loves Mangalore. If you liked the design, and would like to buy this, please click on the T-Shirt picture, and it will take you to a page where you can order online.

It’s been a real celebration here at Mangalore. Dussera has never been so colorful, with the main streets of Mangalore well illuminated with celebration lights for a whole week. Here’s a view from near where I live: (MG road, near Empire Mall)

The nine days of fun and celebrations came to an end yesterday, with the grand Dussera procession. Unfortunately, I couldn’t catch the whole celebrations, but managed to sneak in a few shots. (Below).

Here’s a slice of Mangalore from wikimapia - Pretty well marked up. (if it doesnt load, try refreshing).

This time, the monsoons haven’t been great. Its been dry mostly, and the characteristic downpour that one associates with Mangalore monsoons is missing. Not using this as an excuse for not putting up any monsoon pics as promised. (I was out of station last week). Anyways, we (gang-o-friends here) have planned for the annual ‘rain walk’ in July - Trekking up to some God forbidden place in the rains. Lets see if the monsoons hold up. Leeches - Your annual feast coming right up.

I have included 2 new service channels here, specially designed for Mangalore. I was looking for cheap options to advertise some of our job openings, and my used stuff for sale. Couldn’t find many, and hence thought of putting these up myself here. So, here’s ‘Job Board‘ and ‘Classifieds‘ .

Both these are easy to use, and very straight forward - Just basic, easy to use forms.

a) Job Listing: This you can see on the sidebar. You can see job listings from Karnataka, and specifically Mangalore. You could also advertise for open positions.

b) Classifieds: Very basic classifieds page where you could sell your used stuff, mobiles, list services you can offer, search for jobs etc.

Go ahead, use these. And do let me know your comments.

Note: for the technically inclined, job listing is a widget you could find <here>, and classifieds is another widget you could find <here>. Thanks to those folks who developed these, putting it up is a piece of cake.

Technorati Tags: Mangalore, job openings, used stuff, Job Board, Classifieds, Job Listing

Here’s a list of things for timepass inside Mangalore. If you have any well kept secrets, please share

1. Get to the beaches: Panambur, Someswar, Thannirbhavi etc. Make it more exciting by taking a boat from Sultan Battery which takes you to Thannirbhavi. Try it. Caution: Get ready for wobbly boats, and to get your feet wet. When did you last play Frisbee at the beach? Thats another thing to try.
2. If you are looking for peace and quiet, (and a mock zoo, and lotsa marble), Kudroli temple.
3. Parks: Khadri park (May still have the train that takes you around the park). Gandhi park.
4. Ofcourse check out the malls (Bharat, Empire, Saibeen etc)
5. If you are a ‘feels good to have the wind thru your hair’ sorta person, get on a bike - ride around blueberry hills, airport road, Mangalore university road, or someswar. Now, with the highway construction, this may not be as enjoyable though
6. Water Park, Boating: Manasa waterpark, and pilikula nisargadama
7. Walk thru car street - Try the small shops that sell hot local snacks.

Technorati Tags: Sultan Battery, Kudroli temple, blueberry hills, someswar, Manasa waterpark, pilikula nisargadama, car street

As an avid foodie, I have got around to most of the restaurants in Mangalore (Dont be surprised by this. Mangalore is a small place). Here are my thoughts on those restaurants. Please note: There are more restaurants in Mangalore than those listed here. The ones below are where I have gone, and comments are purely based on my experience. Now, since I am a non-vegetarian, my comments could be more useful for my fellow meat eaters.

Fine Dining

The 3 best restaurants for fine dining, and where you could feel safe taking your hard-to-please customers for lunch or dinner would be:

- Pallkhi - Near Jyothi Cirle. Fantastic food. Place is not very spacious though. Service is good, but may slow down on busy days. Great for north Indian and local delicacies

- Taj Manjarun – Bandar. Quite unlike the usual Tajs though. They do have various theme buffets

- Gold Finch – Very new to Mangalore. I found the food a bit heavy. Corporates have started preferring this one over Taj for their employees stop over, given its new-ness, location, and the air being a lot more vegetarian friendly (ok, I have to explain this one. The air around Taj smells of fish since it is located very close to the waters and market. One of our vegetarian clients complained to us that he couldn’t stand the smell of fish)

The next best ones, where it would be good for you to test before you take your customers include:

- Royal Treat – Kankanady. One of my favourites. Great Moghul food. Very consistent on taste. Limited but well thought out menu.

- Madhuvan Village – Yeyyadi. Rustic setup, complete with a small waterfall and lake. Local and sea food tastes great.

- Madhuvan @ Moti Mahal – Falnir. The place has live music during dinner time, and has serves good local delicacies. Ambience is average, but ideal for people who like to take it slow.

- Abhiman – Bunts circle. Food is good. But place is not very spacious.

- Amazon – Empire mall, PVS Circle. Ambience and food average.

- Viceroy – Kadri. Good to sit outdoors. Beware of mosquitoes. Ask for a coil.

- Pegasus – On the NH to Kerala. Ambience is good. Food is average.

- Trishna – Airport road. Ambience is good, but that’s where I would stop. Food disappointed me

- Coconut Grove – I’ve gone there only once, and nothing there makes me want to go again. Found the food a bit too oily.

The next 3 serve good food, but I wouldn’t suggest taking your would be inlaws here if you want to impress them. Ambience is set more for a friends dinner party.

- Surabhi – Near KSRTC Bus stand. Food is good. Try Andhra Chicken only if you have a bag of sugar handy with you. Not for the weak or normal hearted. (I dig spicy stuff, but I wasn’t ready for this one)

- Maharaja – Near Jyothi Circle. Sea food is great. Good for fun with friends.

- Kavitha Residency – I go here when I feel like eating a plate of regular fried rice and butter chicken. If you want a room, try Kavitha. Rooms are clean and well priced, I hear

- Hao Ming - Balmatta. Undoubtedly the best Chinese restaurant in Mangalore. Or for that matter, the best I have gone to in South India.

Quick Eats

Here’s the list of places I like for quick eats (a burger, fish n chips etc)

- Diesel Café: Part of Prestige Hotel (I hear actor Suneil Shetty owns this place). Small, but has good continental menu

- Chefs: I love the burgers here, esp the chicken supreme.

- Cherry Square: Lovely little place. Great sandwiches.

- Pop Tates, Juice Junction: Try the Rotisserie chicken and Shawarma rolls. Lip smacking.

- Sizzler: Near Mangala Stadium: As the name suggests, specializes on sizzlers. I found them very average though.

Good Food. Period.

Following are places I go for just good food. No bells and whistles.

- Narayana’s: Bandar. A very small place near the Taj Manjarun that specializes in fried fish. People flock there to eat fish. As soon as you seat yourself, they serve you a plate of rice with couple of side dishes and fish curry. Then the waiters come around with a large platter of various types of fried fishes from which you could choose yours. I heard due to the success of Narayana’s, Diesel Café has included a ‘Narayana style fish fry’ in their menu.

-Woodlands: Bunts Circle. Regular Brahmin style lunch and dinner. One meal costs Rs 30, and includes poori or chappathi, rice and dishes. You will feel satisfied after having the meal. Guaranteed.

- Janatha Deluxe: KS Rao road. I love their breakfast and thalis here.

- Ayodhya: Near PVS Circle. Famous for authentic Mangalore food.

Now, I still have a few places I want to get to. Those include Hotel Taj Mahal (heard coffee is great here), Shetty’s Kori Rotti, Kudla, Temperature Biriyani place, Dinoos. And now, there’s a new hotel that has come up -Deepa Comfort, right near the place i live. Should try that once. Will keep you posted.

Technorati Tags: restaurants in Mangalore, Pallkhi, Taj Manjarun, Gold Finch, Royal Treat, Madhuvan Village, Hao Ming, Woodlands, Deepa Comfort