Uncategorized Archives

Good Habits How Much Is Enough? (Is it Worth Beating Yourself Up)

Renu on April 17, 2020

Good Habits How Much Is Enough?.

People are always talking about the good habits in daily life. Be it eating healthy, waking up early, drinking plenty of water, this and that.

Though practically it takes a long time to develop any good habit, and consistently stick to it – the big question here is how much of good habits are enough.

I have picked 5 good habits which most of us are crazy about to discuss here.

Lets see how much of those good habits are enough. And lets see is it worth stressing over those habits or not.

Good Habits How Much Is Enough

For as long as I remember, I was always seeking good advice from books and people around me (now social media too) which would help my personal development to next level.

Anywhere I see an article which headline says “The only productivity tip you need to know” or something like “10 Good habits you should have mastered before age 30” I am totally hooked on to it.

These are some of the good habits I have been overdoing these years and now that I do them only in moderation.

1. Get Enough Sleep – Good or Bad habit?

While poor sleeping does harm to heart and brain function over the period, oversleeping can also increase the risk of death from heart problems by 34%, according to a health magazine.

Well, unintentionally I was sleeping for more than the required amount of 7 to 8hrs in a day for many reasons.

Now I wake up as soon as the alarm goes off, immediately grab a cup of warm water and open the garden gate for fresh air. While I do this I am also sipping a cup of hot water watching my garden and distant trees and birds as I begin the day.

While my maid and cook are busy working, I pack snacks, fruits, fill water bottles, pack my office bags and lay out clothes for the day. Also while I am doing all these things, I am warming up my body for yoga / home workouts.

I workout for about an hr on the workout days and on the non-workout days I walk usual distance of 2kms in the evenings.

I track my fitness and quality of sleep with my Amazfit watch gifted by my hubby in 2019, the best gift for my well-being ever. With this smartwatch I can track my sleep, my fitness activity, receive calls, emails and app notifications.

I am now aware of the total time I sleep, and very conscious not to overdo it.

So, quality of sleep is important than ritually sticking to 8hrs of sleep. To get the quality of sleep you desire, it is important to move your body more, get little of workout of done and also, keep a watch on mental health.

2. Exercise

I can never get more of the exercise, but for the past couple of months I am more than happy with my commitment to fitness.

I have been consistently walking daily in the park or in the gym nearby after my office hrs. And guess what, I have walked 49 kms total in the Jan 2020 alone.

And I strive hard to get 3x weekly power yoga classes in the early morning, but I don’t push too hard like I used to do before. I listen to my body and give it a rest whenever required.

Though losing fat is important, being fit is more important for me now.

Earlier, missing the workout schedule had caused me a lot of stress throughout the day.

No more stress on a strict workout regimen. Instead I move my body more, take more steps, drink lot of water and sleep enough. Happy with this progress so far.

3. Healthy Eating and Diet

The one thing I am proud of my achievements in the past couple of years is that I have acquired a great deal of knowledge about food, health and illnesses.

Naturally, as an extremist, I have taken every aspect of healthy living seriously and tried implementing everything altogether in my life. I calculated Macros and Micros in food that I eat. I weighed and cooked only the exact amount of calories needed to supplement my body and strive hard not to deviate from the schedule.

When I realized my obsessive healthy eating is putting stress on my regular life, I decided to be flexible and smart.

Rather than restricting myself only to home cooked meals, I started watching the portion size. Furthermore, I stopped being obsessive about cooking the healthy meals 3x a day, every single day. Cooking just one healthy balanced meal in day is all I do. I pack the same meal for my lunch box or carry forward to dinner with a twist.

I even hired a cook to prepare my meals on weekdays with minimum 2 veggies and a salad. On the weekends I cook our favorite meals to my heart’s content.

(Infact, I don’t even stress if the cook is on leave or stopped coming altogether for any reasons. Instead of stressing, I am good to eat out and flexi my time for cooking).

Now I don’t fret over calories but focus only on portion control. I no longer tired to go yoga or office. I have all the energy I needed for going to fitness and office.

After overcoming stress and fatigue, my mind has become free to focus more on other important things.

Like writing in my blog, reading my bucket list of books, gardening, and photography.

So don’t obsess over macros and micros. Don’t be picky on every single meal you eat.

Be more aware of what you eat and take things lights. This attitude is more important for healthy mental state which in-turn help you live a more positive life.

4. Read Books

If you like reading books, know that you don’t have to read every single book recommended by the people you admire.

For example, I personally like Bill Gates a lot. Well who doesn’t?

But I can not think of reading all the books recommended by him (I follow him on Youtube).

Also I don’t stress myself on sticking to the book if I don’t enjoy it or find it hard to grab the content.

I close the book and move on to the next one.

Here are some of self – development books to keep handy all the time. These are handpicked books worthy of your time.

5. Treat People Well

I take pride in how I treat people and how I pamper my guests. Yes I agree that treating people well, respecting them are all good characteristics of a host.

But I gotta tell you that there were times people tested my patience and gave me enough headache.

I have always been more understanding and more forgiving, but being tolerant to such people has put a stress on me over the period.

Soon, I started saying No to people who don’t respect me and my house.

Not just that, I am no longer friends with a person who dont reply to my calls and texts.

Purposefully I stay away from people who are constantly needy and always find a way to get things from me (us).

I no more see the face of people who are being arrogant with one or more of the following–

When they are consistently arrogant and making rude statements all the time. Later he/she thinks they can make up everything by giving (forcing) gifts into our hands.
How they call themselves a hero when they are nothing but a dead weight and burden to their parents and any extended family. Above all, carrying an attitude to make sure to piss off others.
Stepping into personal boundaries.
Making voluntary suggestions, sometimes forcing the decision on others. And if their voice not heard, they go on to make ‘influential groups’, just because their ego was hurt.
Never thankful for the time and money we spent for them during their stay here.
When they can’t shut their mouth about how they are born with a silver spoon inside a gutter. (But never had a penny to pay for the college fee, what a shame).
Expecting ‘royal’ treatment, because they are ‘special’.
And they are always ‘right’ and never make any mistakes.
When they have constant urge to ‘copy’ and ‘one-up’ others at the same time.

I experienced all the above situations, not just in my home but in other social gatherings as well.

Is this happening in your life too?. Then I am sure you can relate to my experiences.

You might think to give back to the people then and there. But you know the after effect?.

They take immense pleasure to bad mouth about you, which in turn would cause you lot of stress.

But we have our lives to take care, isn’t it?.

So, it is better to avoid them, instead of dipping yourself in a gutter. Because it is never ending cycle of egoistic behavior.

Sometimes you have to give back when they over stepped on you. But you can’t always go around the world teaching lessons, isn’t it?.

Read – How to Stay from a Toxic Person?.

I am Happier Now

Before I decided to do the above mentioned habits in moderation, I gave myself really a long time to think and decide on it. It was not easy changing those habits overnight. It was hard at first to learn to put myself first in relationships and unlearn the things that led me to stress.

Also, along the way, I had learnt to handle the criticism well.

Looks like I have been spending a lot of time worrying and stressing on the many things so far.

Now I do everything in moderation which helped me a great deal in anxiety.

What are the other good habits you think that we have to take it easy and do it moderation?.

The Best Grilled Sandwiches in Bangalore (Tasty and Pocket Friendly)

Renu on October 7, 2019

If you are on a hunt to eat the best grilled Sandwiches in Bangalore with pocket friendly prices, I have only 2 places to suggest (for now).

Both these brands are quite famous and has many branches across Bangalore and, they are not just pocket friendly but also serve sandwiches best in town.

The Best Grilled Sandwiches in Bangalore – Juice Junction

I work from Co-work space in Bannerghatta main road, and I would love to have some real good food joint choices in the vicinity for an easy access. It’s not that I am very particular of the distance, once myself and Rajesh traveled 50 min in Bike to taste the Instagram famous breakfast combo in Bangalore.

Thankfully, this food joint is 1 km ride from our co-work space, one of the best grilled sandwiches in Bangalore I would say.

Location – https://goo.gl/maps/Td8auZy4cXBmaYVS7

We normally would go here to eat sandwiches on our working weekends for a mid morning snack or evening snack. They also serve fruit juices, Lassies, Ragi malt (another best seller), Maggie Noodles, Chaat items, and hot beverages.

Most noteworthy of this place is they have all in one place.

Mostly, we love this street food joint for their sandwiches, one of our all time favourite is Aloo cheese sandwich. With the right amount of mint chutney spread and mayo, it literally melts in the mouth.

To go with this good sized brown bread sandwich, I order to drink Avocado juice and he orders Watermelon, always. 🙂

We almost never had their Maggie noodles or chaat items and hot beverages. Once I had their coffee and it was not bad at all.

Speaking of Maggie noodles, one very item I find it hard to give up for the sake of my good health. I am trying my best these days to avoid it. My co-work cafeteria serves one of the best noodles along with many other best sellers.

But anytime, I prefer ‘juice junction’ only for sandwiches.

best grilled sandwiches in bangalore images — Best Grilled Sandwiches in Bangalore At Juice Junction

The Next Best – Hari Super Sandwiches

If you are looking for traditional home-made style sandwiches, I would suggest Hari Super Sandwiches.

We prefer to eat here for an evening snack whenever we are on a shopping spree to Jayanagar 4th Block Bangalore. Here we had almost all the varieties of sandwich, the best one is Hari Special Sandwich. And they are also famous for their unique style roasted groundnut salad and the masala coke (chat masala flavor added to the regular coke).

When compared to the Juice Junction sandwiches, price is almost the same but the size is small for sharing.

It is one of the most crowded places on all days.

While you are waiting for your order you could try the chaat stall nearby.

Seems like the entire building is jointly owned by one person. They have burger joint, chaat shop, and other shops named “Hari”. I would suggest to try once here to experience the unique and the best grilled sandwiches in Bangalore.

Find the location – https://goo.gl/maps/7Xt25cKcLp2TtxSk8

Dont just stop there, just cross the road to experience one of the best lassi, a shop named “The Lassi Park“. It is famous for various flavours of Lassis, faloodas and what not.

Both these joints are located in the hot location, surrounded by colleges and shopping streets near Jayanagar 4th block, and quite crowded at all times.

Good Coffee to Go with the Sandwiches in Jayanagar

Once we are done with savouring the sandwiches and lassi, we then prefer going to Hatti Kaapi shop in the late evening.

Hatti Kaapi, for the very famous Mysore style coffee served in this small shop with samosas. I am not a fan of samosas here, but any time we both would love to have this much flavoured coffee.

It is located about 1 km distance from this sandwich shop in Jayanagar.

Find the location here – https://goo.gl/maps/7WmN72PbmWvHGaxQA

Hatti kaapi for the best filter coffee — Hatti kaapi in Jayanagar for the best filter coffee

Again they too have many branches across Bangalore, you could find them easily on the google maps.

Diagonally opposite to the Hatti Kaapi, is yet another famous and all time crowded food joint called, “Maiyas”. Since our all time preferance is Hatti Kaapi, we rarely prefer to go Maiyas restaurant.

If you are travelling to Mysore, this cafe serves the best coffee in town along with some really tasty brownies and sandwiches.

Sum Up – Not all “famous” shops are our favorites

We have been to many food joints in recent years either for work or for leisure.

We would like to explore new places but only after reviewing them online, and always say big No to the places that serve the super sized monster burgers or chocolate sandwiches or cheese overloaded pizzas.

If you want to eat the french toast, go to “the egg factory”, they too have many branches across the city.

We don’t prefer to eat burgers in any other food joints except our favourite burger joints McD and KFC.

And for Pizza occasional indulgence in other favourite “Chavadi” restaurant in our area. We love all the items in the menu, and it is only go to place for Pizzas. You can see here for “Chavadi restaurant” pics and where else we love to eat regularly.

When it comes to street food, more is always less.

Here is one such place famous only for street food in Bangalore, where you can stuff your face all you want.

It will be a memorable experience only when we get sufficient quantity for the price.

So, This juice junction scores all the points – chill out ambiance, cleanliness, many choices in sandwiches and juices, taste, quantity for the money, pocket friendly prices and what not. So, it is my number 1 suggestion for the best grilled sandwiches in Bangalore.

Happy eating fellas :).

The Best Cafe in Mysore City (Our All Time Favorite)

Renu on October 4, 2019

For the best cafe in Mysore city – here is the suggestion for you from our frequent road trip from Bangalore.

It is probably the only best cafe in Mysuru serving best brownies to go with your coffee. And they serve really good sandwiches too.

The name is Malgudi coffee shop and bakery – a humble cafe inside the very posh location of The Green Hotel in Mysore.

And it beats all other cafes in space and ambiance. Sure you will love it too.

The Best Cafe in Mysore City – Malgudi Coffee Shop

We are so in love with this – one of the best cafes in Mysore called Malgudi Coffee shop. We love to go back again and again for the good quality Coffee and cake. Basically the cake baking aroma drags you inside this comfortable coffee shop in The Green Hotel.

The google map location to this best cafe in Mysore is given below.

First thing you notice would be the lustrous green ambiance around the vast area of the hotel. The open dining area is a feast for the eyes, with the dazzling sun-drenched array of plants.

Second thing you would notice is the strong aroma of baking and coffee spread outside the hotel entrance. Just follow the smell to reach the coffee house fellas :).

Third thing you would notice is the quality of the brownies and breads (of course you need to taste to know’em). Must try is Lemon grass brownie we had was the best in my life. They have everything from the different varieties of breads and brownies.

You can order in or take away, it tasted the best when you order in. (We also did take away, but it was not so good comparatively).

Well, the last thing is the price for the food and coffee served, the lowest price you can ever ask for.

Guess the price?.

We paid around 50 to 60 rupees for each item in the pic shown above.

Not to mention the peaceful ambiance, a prompt service and the food for hearts.

This Coffee house has become one of our favourites next to the french coffee house in Tiruvannamalai (see this article for their pics), and the Rasta cafe in Mysore road from Bangalore.

Best Restaurant in Mysore — Best Place to hangout for dessert and coffee

How to Reach The Malgudi Coffee House

This was our first time visiting this Coffee shop in Mysore, when we were returning from 3 days car trip to Wayanad from Bangalore. We have been to Mysore couple of times before. Many times we have stayed in Mysore just to chill and spend the weekend, do nothing but rest and eat in the hotel room.

Once we stayed in Mysore before we headed to Coorg by bike on 4 days trip.

Speaking of Mysore, our another favorite thing to do on weekends is to go on one day bike trip to Srirangapatna Sri Ranganathar Temple.

(We are bike riders, we have been to many places by bike, including 11 days trip in 2017 and 12 days trip in 2018. You can explore my blog to know more).

Now I feel bad for missing this best cafe in Mysore in all our past trips.

How to reach this cafe?

It is situated in the hot location of Mysore city and not far from the another best cafe in Mysore called, Cafe Cornucopia.

You can follow the link to reach the coffee house – https://goo.gl/maps/5KTH7GCcEjtgHLox9

A contemporary coffee shop inside very authentic hotel – the best cafe in Mysore and for one of the best cakes you can ask for is the Malgudi coffee house.

Well, who doesn’t love a good cuppa coffee with sandwiches and cakes, isn’t it?

Art of Living In Bangalore Ashram (How to Visit in detail)

Renu on September 11, 2019

If you are looking for details about visiting and/or enrolling to Art of Living in Bangalore ashram, this article has detailed answers.

About Art of Living In Bangalore Ashram

Sri Sri Ravishankar Ashram in Bangalore is the headquarters of Art of Living Foundation located in more than 156 countries. The interested individuals can learn the “Art of Living” programs (scroll down to know more details) under the certified professionals all over the world, or can learn the Art of Living in Bangalore ashram directly.

It is an international center open for all the national and international participants with the in-house accommodation with food for the entire duration.

AOL Bangalore ashram is open for the visitors to explore, learn, meditate and spend time on all days.

(Note: Art of Living Ashram, Bangalore Ashram, Sri Sri Ravishankar Ashram, Art of Living International Center are all the same).

We always travel past the Sri Sri Ravishankar ashram in Bangalore on all our bike trips via Kanakapura road, but never have set foot inside. Today we decided to give a try as we trying to go past this ashram while coming after coffee from rasta cafe. Anyways we have half a day left to end the weekend.

This is the guide for someone looking to just visit or learn the courses of Art of Living In Bangalore Ashram – International Centre, Kanakapura Road.

AOL Bangalore Ashram – Location

Bangalore ashram – the International Centre is located in Kanakapura road, closer to Bannerghatta road and Banashankari.

Use this map location for navigation – https://goo.gl/maps/gUnQurDUB6oXmeX1A.

The Art of Living International Centre

21st Km Kanakapura Road

Bangalore-560082

Tel: +91-80-28427060

www.vvmvp.org

A guide to Art of Living- Entrance Fee, Parking, Help Desk and Bus tour

Paid parking facilities are available adjacent to the main gate
First of all, you need to know that AOL ashram is always crowded. And it is super crowded on the weekends and during festive seasons.
Also, no vehicles are allowed beyond the entry desk at the security
Park your vehicles, walk to the help desk for any assistance
Free entry for the visitors at all times, but prior online booking is a must for attending any events. Any kind of current bookings are not allowed
Bus tours are available at 11 to 12 and 2 to 3 pm everyday
There is a coffee shop available next to the help desk for a quick refreshmentAlso there is organic vegetable shop here
Also there is organic vegetable shop here

Note: If you are a AOL program participant you will be registering at the security gate with a valid id and an entry coupon. If you are a AOL course participant – national or international, you will be arriving one day before for the Art of Living in Bangalore ashram, for check-in and accommodation.

Vishalakshi Mandap inside Art of Living Banglore Ashram

The main attraction of Ravishankar Ashram International centre Bangalore is the weekend satsang and yoga courses on time to time basis. It is open for all the local and international participants. All the major events and evening satsang takes place in this huge thousand petal lotus mandap located about 1 mile walk from the main gate.

How to Spend a day at Sri Sri Ravishankar Ashram in Bangalore

You can walk straight to this Vishalakshi Mandap or take time to explore all other area before reaching here. Here is the list of other places you could explore in Art of Living ashram Bangalore.

Opposite to the help desk, a place called Nakshatra vanam. A bunch of trees planted corresponding to zodiac signs and the planets. A peaceful place to hangout or for a walk.
From the main gate, located in 200m is Guru Paduka Vanam / sumeru mandap. This is huge area can accommodate vast gatherings on special occasions like Navarathri Pooja, Sri Sri Ravishankar’s birthday celebration etc. A nice place to hangout with the view of ducks in the water pond in the centre.
Cafe Vishala and Children Play area – Try out some of the freshly baked breads with coffee here. You will also get good healthy satvik food for reasonable prices. We had cinnamon bread and coffee while we were there. Children play area is located right next to the cafe and also don’t miss out the organic garden view from the cafe.
Shop for adulteration free organic products and groceries in Sattva stores.
Shop in Madhurya – for all the handcrafted products, pooja items, wall hangings, cotton weaves etc.,

How to Participate in the “Art of Living” program

There are lots of programs designed for the wellness of children and adults of all ages. If you are interested to attend any of the programs, you need to register first in the following link, then book the available seats.

Visit for the Ravishankar ashram courses – https://programs.org.in/ekam/index.php/public/

Take a look at the following screenshot to understand the requirements.

If you want to know more about the courses in detail, visit this website https://bangaloreashram.org/

Also, for the national and international guests, there are good accommodation facilities with laundry services.

Walk Walk Walk

We walked about 3 kms in those 2 hrs spent looking only for the places mentioned above. For that reason, next time we are planning to take a guided bus tour to look at all the places. Because there are many places need to be explored. Like panchakarma ayurvedic centre, goshala, yagyashala with lake view, pathshala, guest accommodation facilities etc., And Sri ma annapoorna hall where more than 20000 meals served in a day. The best time to visit the bangalore ashram is around 1.30pm, take the guided tour by 2 to 3 pm, take a break at the cafe for some time before you attend an evening program in the lotus mandap.

If you want to know more about learning the Art of Living in Bangalore ashram, visit their Bangalore ashram website – https://bangaloreashram.org/

Hope you have got all the questions answere with respect to visiting the ashram and enrolling the courses.

The Only Reason We Chose Tirunelveli For Our 5 Days Road Trip from Bangalore

Renu on August 22, 2019

Last week, we went on a 5 days road trip from Bangalore. We choose this trip only for the love of Papanasam town near Tirunelveli.

We started from Bangalore on Aug 12th 2019, drove about 650 kms to reach Tirunelveli via Madurai.

This was the first time we set a new milestone of driving above 500 kms in one day by car.

We drove alternatively, smooth ride on the NH with good food choices on the Bangalore highways.

This time we had not pre-booked any accommodation in our planned destination – Tirunelveli, since we were not sure of driving 600+ kms in just one day.

We had a plan B of staying in Madurai if we were too tired to drive any further.

Thankfully, we reached the destination as planned.

This is how we spent our 5 days vacation in a road trip from Bangalore.

5 Days road trip from Bangalore for the love of Papansam

We have already been to Tirunelveli in Jan 2017, in our 3 days trip to Rameshwaram.

In this 5 days road trip from Bangalore, we have spent whole 2 days only to sight see the places around Tirunelveli.

Since one cannot miss visiting courtallam falls, we also went to nearby Thenkasi and Papanasam.

Papanasam – we immediately fell in love with the drizzling weather with the spectacular view of greenery mountains and plains.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t enjoy the picturesque small town for long as we were in a hurry to return to the Tirunelveli town for return journey.

So, this trip is all about going to Papanasam exclusively for its serene beauty, a place surrounded by mountains, reserve forests, waterfalls and dams.

Hence, we decided to stay in Tirunelveli, a buzzing small city, 60 km distance from Papanasam, well connected to other cities by roads with good accommodation and restaurant choices.

The Itinerary of Our 5 days Road Trip from Bangalore

Day 1, 12th August 2019, Monday : Drive 650 Kms From Bangalore to Tirunelveli

Day 2, 13th August 2019, Tuesday : Drive to Tiruchendur beach and temple, on the way stop at Srivaikundam temple. Evening darshan in Nellaiappar temple in Tirunelveli.

Day 3, 14th August 2019, Wednesday : Drive to Papanasam via Manimuthar forest and dam and Agasthiyar falls. And darshan Papanasam Sivan temple. Evening return Tirunelveli via Ambasamudram.

Day 4, 15th August 2019, Thursday : Drive to Madurai via Sankaran Kovil and Srivilliputhur, darshan at both the temples. Check-in Madurai, evening roam around the city.

Day 5, 16th August 2019, Friday : Return to Bangalore from Madurai, 450 kms drive via Dindigul, Karur, Namakkal and Salem.

Wanderlust to Papanasam

Here we are, at Papanasam, the place behind our desire to plan 5 days road trip from Bangalore.

Papanasam, a small town located 56 kms from Tirunelveli, adorned with mountains and trees, river and dams, we fell in love with.

After a good night’s rest from previous day’s long car ride to Tirunelveli, we started to Papanasam around noon.

We stuffed our travel bags with some snacks and water bottles, before we headed towards Papanasam.

Decided to go by Pathamadai and Manimuthar forest, just like we always preferred to ride among scenic views. We skipped going to Manjolai, since we didn’t do much research on this place and also had a time constraint.

We spent some time in the Manimuthar dam (did not go to the waterfalls), before we headed towards Papnasam.

When I say Papanasam, the end destination is Papanasam Sivan temple, this is where all the local buses stop for tourists.

A little further Papanasam Sivan temple is Agasthiyar falls, almost 10 min drive uphill.

The drive was smooth since there was no dangerous hair-pin bends to worry about, like in Yercaud hill station.

By the time we reached Agasthiyar falls, it was almost closing time, so we spent only brief period clicking pics in the falls area.

Unlike a pretty long-haul we trekked to talakona falls in Andra Pradesh, Agasthiyar falls was just 1 min walk from the parking area.

Once after reaching Agasthiyar falls, we spent some time enjoying the view and the waterfalls. We then started our car towards Papanasam Sivan temple after clicking some pics.

Returning Back to Tirunelveli

We then took Ambasamudram (ambai) route in the evening to return back to Tirunelveli.

Like we wished, we spent every single minute enjoying the ride among the agri fields and woods accompanied by a pleasant weather.

Desire fulfilled.

Overall it was an adventurous and fun-filled 5 days road trip from Bangalore. And, iIt was worth the pain and headache riding in the sun and the rains.

Drive from tirunelveli to papanasam road, drive among woods and mountains — Tirunelveli to Papansam road, scenic drive

Drive to Thamirabarani river near Manimuthar dam from tirunelveli — Thamirabarani river near Manimuthar dam, Papanasam

Manimuthar dam from tirunelveli in our 5 days road trip from bangalore — View From Top of Manimuthar dam, Towards Manimuthar Forest aand Waterfalls

2 mins walk to Agasthiyar falls from parking area, scenic view — Walk from parking towards Agasthiyar falls images

Drive to papanasam agasthiyar falls from tirunelveli in our 5 days road trip from bangalore — View of Agasthiyar falls, Papanasam

Places to Visit in Tirunelveli In One Day

Renu on August 22, 2019

We have been to Tirunelveli twice so far, including the recent road trip for 5 days from Bangalore. Tirunelveli, capital city of Tirunelveli District, a beautiful city adorned with the Thamirabarani river. Here listed are the places to visit in Tirunelveli in one day from our travel experiences.

Whether you are planning on a luxury trip with family or a holy trip, this guide will be of help to explore the tourist places in tirunelveli district.

Places to Visit in Tirunelveli In One day

There are not many places to visit inside the Tirunelveli City, except for the ancient Nellaiappar temple. The best tourist place in Tirunelveli district to spend time with family and friends, and to have fun are Manimuthar, Papanasam and Courtallam.

Sightseeing places to see in Tirunelveli districts are given below in detail.

This list is a combination of tourist places like waterfalls and dams, and famous Hindu temples.

The Ancient Nellaiappar Temple – The Most famous tourist place in Tirunelveli

The main tourist attraction in Tirunelveli is the ancient Nellaiappar temple, a famous Lord Siva temple. This temple is one of the pancha sabhai sthalam, a must visit temple for its majestic build on a 14 acres land, with the unusual large mandap for goddess parvati.

It will take a minimum of an hour to cover the entire temple, even more time on important occasions.

Must see / specialties inside this majestic temple:

The big ornamental mandap for Goddess Parvathi
Thamirachabai (Copper) mandap of Lord Natarajar
Lord Ranganatha near to the main sactum of the Lord Siva
Beautiful view of temple pond next to Goddess Parvathi mandap
Kubera Lingam
The temple Elephant

Note: You can find Iruttu Kadai halwa shop just opposite this temple’s main entrance. A small shop, open only in the evening for 2 hrs, popular for its renowned wheat halwa since 1900’s. You can only buy a maximum of 2kgs of halwa per person.

Tiruchendur Beach and Temple

Another historical places in Tirunelveli district is Tiruchendur. With the distance of 53 km towards east of Tirunelveli, Tiruchendur is famous for Lord Murugan (Subhramanya swamy) temple. Devotees take a dip in the beach before going inside the temple. You could also travel to Kanyakumari for beach and sunrise view, since this post is about places to visit in Tirunelveli, I am suggesting Tiruchendur.

Places to Visit in Tirunelveli In One Day — Srivaikundam bridge on the way to Tiruchendur

Manimuthar Dam and Waterfalls, Manjolai Hills, Kalakad Tiger reserve

With the distance of 46 kms towards west of Tirunelveli, Manimuthar dam and forest waterfalls are one of the must see places in Tirunelveli district.

You would need one whole day only to see these 3 places – Manimuthar dams and waterfalls, Majolai estate and Kalakad tiger reserve.

Here are the pics from our drive from Tirunelveli to Manimuthar dam.

Manimuthar dam - sightseeing places in Tirunelveli — Manimuthar dam

Papanasam Agasthiyar falls

Papanasam is located 60 kms west of Tirunelveli, famous for Agastiyar falls and Lord shiva temple. Agastiyar falls is just 20 mins drive uphill from Lord Shiva temple, a beautiful small waterfalls with a scenic view.

There is no entry fee at the forest check point, but only at the waterfalls checkpoint. Agasthiyar Waterfalls is open for visitors from 9am to 5pm only.

Courtallam Falls and Thenkasi

About 35 kms from Papnasam and about 75 kms from Tirunelveli Via Alwarkurichi road, Courtallam is yet another famous tourist destination in Tirunelveli district.

Usually the tourists take a dip in the holy waterfalls before going to the nearby Kutralanathar temple, a Lord Shiva temple.

Drive 6kms from Courtallam falls to reach Thenkasi, is famous for the Ulagamman temple, one of the temples with the largest Gopurams in Tamilnadu.

Tirunelveli to Courtallam road trip — Courtallam falls

Tenkasi temple pics — Tenkasi Kasi Vishwanathar temple Gopuram View

Sankaran Kovil

Sankarankovil, situated at 56 km away from Tirunelveli City. It was built by Ukkira Pandiyan AC 900. It houses the deity by the name Sankara Narayanan, which is half – Lord Shiva and the other half – Lord Vishnu. (Source – Wikipedia)

You could also visit Srivilliputhur Andal temple, one of the famous 108 divya desam temples, located 45 kms from this Sankaran Kovil.

Srivilliputhur Andal temple – Places to visit from Tirunelveli in one day

These are the top places to visit in Tirunelveli in one day, if you are planning for more than one day, you could combine with Madurai and Kanyakumari.

Where we ate – Restaurants in Tirunelveli

Best Veg Restaurants in Tirunelveli

Well, I have only 2 suggestions if you are looking for vegetarian places to eat in Tirunelveli.

For vegetarian food choices, we went to Hotel Aarya’s where we had all our breakfast during our stay in Tirunelveli. The best part is we just had to cross the road from the hotel where we stayed, and they were open until 11am with both alacote and buffet service. There were limited food choices for breakfast but variety of choices for dinner, including chinese.

Another good restaurant in Tirunelveli is Annapoorna Hotel and Sweets, with variety of organic food menus for tiffin and snacks. We liked their service and cleanliness. Food prices compared to Aarya’s was lesser but the quality was no lesser than them. Also a good place for evening snacks, tea, coffee and juices. You could even get Madurai famous jigarthanda and arabic grape puply juice.

We had snacks and tea here when we traveled to Papnasam, you can find the restaurant link below.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/z28FYBtrCchThWRT9

Read – Places to visit in Papanasam with Distances (Rivers, Waterfalls, Dams and Temples in Papanasam)

Those two are my top choices if you are roaming the tirunelveli city for one day. Feel free to comment below if you have any suggestions.

Best Non Veg Restaurants in Tirunelveli

The only restaurant we have ever been in both our trip was – Hotel Vairamaligai. It is one of the good non-veg restaurants in Tirunelveli with maximum number of reviews in google. We had dinner once here, food quality and quantity was good. We also loved their fast services. Even the parking area was huge given their location in the middle of the hot city. What we didn’t like here was the ambiance and very noisy atmosphere. Otherwise it is worth the try.

Where We Stayed in Tirunelveli

Of the 5 days road trip from Bangalore, we have stayed 3 days in Tirunelveli. We stayed in MNH Hotels, a decent stay with all the amenities in the main city. Also we were happy to get the good deal for the price way below our budget. Even though MNH hotels had inhouse restaurant with both veg and non-veg food choices, even room-services, but we preferred eating outside.

Sum- Up

Tirunelveli is well connected by roads, railways and air connecting the nearest cities. There are not many interesting places to visit in Tirunelveli in one day, so I have listed all the other famous places in Tirunelveli district. If you want to spice up your travel, you could extend your stay in Kanyakumari or Madurai, another interesting travel destinations to look around.

Note – Only in the recent times we started travelling places by Car. Otherwise we are hardcore bike riders, love to ride bike to far places.

The highest distance we traveled was 450 km from Bangalore to Kumbakonam in one day.

In the year end of 2017 and 2018, we took off from work only to ride bike for 11 days and 12 days respectively. Apart from those long bike rides, we have also been on numerous one day and two day bike trips to many places from Bangalore.

For the Love of Food – Gosh!! We Rode Bike for 50 mins to Eat Breakfast Here

Renu on August 11, 2019

On 10th August, Saturday morning, for the love of food, we rode bike for about 50 mins from our home to the Instagram famous place called “Siva Prasad Tiffin Centre”.

Is it really worth that long ride? Let’s find out.

For the Love of Food – Ride to The Best Budget Breakfast Combo In Bangalore

If you are a food lover, who loves to eat idly, dosas, vada, semiya upma (shavige bath in karnataka), poori masala etc., for breakfast then this place is just for you. If you are a food lover, am sure you may have guessed this place just by seeing the pic. And you definitely wouldn’t need an intro for this place, yes?.

Well, I am food lover too, and I get to know the best places to eat wherever we travel by following food bloggers in social media and youtube.

Any places we travel to, I plan to accommodate best reviewed restaurants in our travel itinerary.

(Here is an example of one such trip where had best mutton biryani in Vellore in our 2 days road trip).

Sometimes we plan our pit stops and take a little extra time to enjoy the local famous cuisines mentioned by the food bloggers.

So for the love of food – a good tasty food, we wouldn’t mind giving that little extra effort in our busy schedules.

That is how we went to one such place called “Siva prasad tiffin centre” famously tagged by many food lovers in Instagram. It is located in Gavipuram Extension, Kempegowda Nagar, Bengaluru.

Find the location – https://goo.gl/maps/z3MCXDfhtSFsjMiC7

About this Tiffin Centre:

A small eatery shop, no greater than any street food shops in bangalore, became famous for its quality breakfast choices, especially for this combo.

We rode bike about 50 mins to reach the destination from our home, on saturday morning around 10.30 am.

Google maps directed us to a small eatery, with a very friendly billing person on the counter, I reckon the owner of this shop.

Contrary to the much popularity on Instagram, we found only a couple of people eating near the eatery. Since no provisions to sit and eat, it was more like a street food experience.

Thankfully, the breakfast combo was available even well past their serving timings.

So, here comes the combo of veg breakfast – a good scoop of each of the following items:

Kesari bath – sweet rava kesari to begin with
Kara bath – Rava upma with lots of green chillies and coconut, kinda sweet too
Avalakki bath – Poha upma
Uthin Vada – Urad dal vada
Bisi Bele bath – Sambar Rice
Coconut chutney to go with all the above items

Since we reached late, instead of usual veg methi pulao we accepted sambar rice which was getting prepared for lunch.

The quantity was more than sufficient for 1 person and the coconut chutney makes a nice side dish for all the varieties.

I would rate 3.5 / 5 Stars for the overall taste, quality, cleanliness and presentation on a clean banana leaf.

List of Other Foods with good ratings in Siva Prasad Tiffin Centre

Not just the combo, I am giving the list of other food items which has got good ratings and reviews in social media and google.

Tatte idli with vada, chutney and sambar
Mangalore buns
Special dosas only on sundays
Poori and Sahu
Ragi mudde (ragi balls)

Conclusion – We loved the food, It was worth the ride

For a small eatery with clean ambiance, the food quality was above par. We got to taste many breakfast items in one plate for just 60 rupees. So it was worth the ride for just this one time for the love of food and temptations built by Instagram. But we would not be going back again and again that far. Just a one time experience.

If you ask me, is there any place I would travel very far again and again for the taste of food, then my answer is yes.

Yes, I will go very far, that too across the state, to taste the best vegetarian – south Indian breakfast items in a place called “Shri Krishna Inn”. This vegetarian restaurant is by far the best place to eat in Bangalore – Salem highways.

In these many years we traveled by bike and car across the Bangalore – Hosur, we never missed even once to eat here. We love all their food items, and the best quality one could ask for. Because we are not fans of much hyped – overly priced food items like Adyar Ananda Bhavan, Sree Saravana Bhavan, etc.,

And almost in all my travel articles, I mention the best places to eat, to benefit the readers.

So, Shri Krishna Bhavan – this where you can see hundreds of bikers stop at very early morning on sundays. We love their food, ambiance, nearby Mcdonald’s for coffee, gas station etc., everything.

If you are interested to see what I am talking about, click here to see clicked during our road trip to Vellore.

And our second favorite is in Bangalore – Tirupathi highways, where we went bike trip exclusively for eating the best chinese sizzlers (kolar trip link here).

Back to our breakfast story, after we finished the breakfast combo, on the we stopped at Hatti Kaapi for one of the best coffee house in Bangalore.

Finally we traveled back home with tummy full and a happy mood.

Two Day Trip From Bangalore to Vellore and Kanchipuram (Best 2 Day Trip by Car)

Renu on July 27, 2019

We went on Two day trip from Bangalore by Car to Vellore and Kanchipuram. This was our first road trip to Vellore. Otherwise, we have been to Kanchipuram once in 2017 and once in 2018.

Foremost, The ultimate destination of this trip was to go Kanchipuram for Lord Athi Varadar Darshan.

We chose to stay in Vellore because of 2 reasons. First, no good restaurants in Kancheepuram, and Second, we have never been to Vellore before.

Day 1 of Our Two Day Trip From Bangalore to Vellore and Kanchipuram

(a). Starting From Bangalore, Eating Breakfast In Soolagiri, Reaching Vellore

We were bike riders all these years. We recently started going by car to places, especially from the second quarter of 2019.

I’m loving car driving for the comfort and luxury. But it is no match for the thrill and fun in riding the motorbike.

Rajesh too feels the same.

By 5.30 AM, on 21st July, we were all set to go with packed bags and swollen eyes.

Why Krishna Inn in Bangalore Highways is Our favorite?

We stopped for breakfast in our all time favorite restaurant in Bangalore – Salem Highways. Krishna Inn, at Shoolagiri, the best South Indian Vegetarian Restaurant in Bangalore highways.

It is a bliss to eat Pongal with Udin Vada (urad dal) with freshly ground coconut chutney and freshly made sambar.

Another specialty of this restaurant is that its favorite pit-stop for all the motorbike riders.

It has become a ritual for those riders to stop here before they head on to the destination. Rajesh engaged a conversation with one of the riders to know whether they are part of some riders community group, where they are heading to. We came to know that those people are not part of any such community, its just happening for few years now. Some are super-bikes, some are thunder-birds, some are regular bikes. Most of them are individual riders with full gear on, cool to watch them parade as early as 7.30 AM, that too on sunday.

We watched them for half an hour over coffee from McDonalds.

best place to eat in bangalore salem highways, Shoolagiri Krishna Inn restaurant — Best Place to Eat in Bangalore Salem highways, Shoolagiri Krishna Inn restaurant

two day trip near bangalore, best place to eat in bangalore salem highways — The place where bikers meet in Bangalore – Salem highways to eat the best taste and quality south indian breakfast

Two day trip from bangalore by car, best place to eat in bangalore salem highways — Best Place to Eat in Bangalore Salem highways, Shoolagiri Krishna Inn restaurant menu list

bikers meet in Bangalore highways restaurant called Krishna Inn — Bikers meet in Bangalore highways restaurant called Krishna Inn

bikers meet in bangalore salem highways, at Krishna Inn restaurant — Bikers parked infront of McDonalds

Now it is my turn to drive the car. We took the Bangalore to Chennai Highway, arrived Vellore 11 AM.

Just before we stopped at Sai Sangeeth in Bangalore – Chennai highways, best place for toilet, bad choice for food and shopping.

saisangeeth restaurant in Bangalore chennai highways

We reached a little earlier than planned because it was a smooth, non-stop carefree ride in the National Highways.

(b). Visited Jalakandeswarar Temple in Vellore Fort

We went straight to Jalakandeswarar temple inside Vellore fort. Parked the vehicle (fee 20/-) nearby temple, went inside walking in the piping hot sun. Spent about 45 mins, had good darshan, spent time in the ornamental mandap right before we left the place.

The specialty of this temple is that it is built in the middle of the water tank of about 8000 sq.ft. (from wikipedia).

two day trip from bangalore to Vellore, Vellore Jalakandeswarar temple main gopuram view_travelduo images — Vellore Jalakandeswarar temple main gopuram view_travelduo images

(c). Check-in At the Hotel Khanna Fiesta

After a brief time in temple, we came to our pre-booked hotel, The Khanna Fiesta.

We took a rest for sometime, before we headed to Kanchipuram for Athi Varadar Darshan.

We knew it would be crowded from what we saw in the media, so we didn’t allow us to enjoy the luxury, but for a short period.

(d). Lord Athi Varadar Darshan In Kanchipuram

Soon after lunch from the same hotel, we reached Kanchipuram by 4pm.

Vellore to Kanchipuram distance is 70 Kms, again the road was good, lucky us.

Ater a walk of 8 kms in a slow moving que, it took us 3.5hrs to darshan Lord Athi Varadar in the sayana kolam (sleeping posture).

We returned the same evening to Vellore to our room with the rumbling stomach around 9.30pm with hardly any energy left from driving and walking alternatively. Had dinner at the hotel, thanks to the ground floor veg restaurant kept open at that time.

Day 2 at Vellore – Golden Temple, Shopping and Return to Bangalore

(a). Room Check-out, Wasting 2 hrs In Vellore Golden Temple at Sripuram

We had almost missed the complimentary breakfast sleeping in until 10 AM. Soon after breakfast we had to check-out, hit the road to return home. Since we had already planned to visit the Golden Temple, we headed straight there.

The facts you need to know about Vellore Golden temple

The temple is located at the Sripuram village, about 8kms from the centre city Vellore
You have bus and auto facilities to reach here
Things like bags, shoes, mobile phones and cameras are not allowed inside.
There is a paid counter to keep all of them safe (we kept all in the car)
After submitting all your belongings, keep the best attitude with you all the time
You enter the temple gate directly if you have 100/- ticket, otherwise go walk for 2 kms to reach this point. Abishegam tickets extra.
After personal screening at the temple gate, you will be allowed inside.
You would be walking for more than 1km from the security gate to darshan goddess Lakshmi, a small idol made of 10 kg of gold. (There are wheelchair access at this point available for disabled and elderly people). Everything is money here. I did not buy anything here, I did like anything particularly.
That’s not it. The main attraction of this place is something else. That is a very big fantasy golden mandap of goddess Sri Lakshmi Narayani which is 1500 kg gold, adorning the majestic idol of goddess.
Vsit Lord Balaji on the way back to the same gate, comparatively much shorter distance while coming out.

(b). Eating Mutton Biryani In one of the famous Non-veg hotel in Vellore

After coming out of the temple, we headed to have lunch in the same hotel Kanna fiesta. On the way we stopped for a short period in Pachayappa’s silk for some shopping experience. Not liked anything particularly. We changed our mind, had lunch in one of the most famous non-veg restaurants before we headed to Bangalore. This non-veg restaurant suggestion from one of the youtube page I follow, here is the link of the hotel review on youtube page.

And sharing some pics from our experience.

The specialty of this Hotel Jyothie is, they serve biryani with lots of pieces in it. We ordered half mutton biryani each and 1 natti chicken fry to go with it, it was sufficient for us. Biryani and fry was moderately spicy with good taste.

It is a small mess with limited seating capacity located right next to the Vellore bus stand.

Sharing the price list in the pic below.

two days trip to Vellore from Bangalore, best place to eat non veg in vellore — Mutton Briyani And Natti Koli Fry, Hotel Jyothie Vellore

two days trip to Vellore from Bangalore — Jyothie briyani menu and price, best Non veg restaurant in Vellore

(c). Best Snacks and Tea on Chennai – Bangalore Highways

Next stop after lunch was “Coffee Bistro” on Chennai Bangalore Highways.

We had no clue what a cool place it was until we stopped and tried their freshly made pakoras and bajjis.

We sat under the neem tree, had snacks with tea, enjoying the view.

I strongly suggest this place for pit-stop with clean toilet facilities in Vaniyambadi, On Chennai – Bangalore Highways. Click the link for the location.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/6bNrkptzCxDzAUSh6

This coffee shop is right next to the Vegetarian Restaurant “Sai Akshyam” , you cannot miss it.

A clean eatery with vehicle parking and a great view, the – best place I suggest.

We spent about good 45 mins before we continued our road trip.

best place to eat in bangalore chennai highways — Neem tree view in Coffee Bistro – Best Pit stop for freshly made bajji and pakoras.

Best place for snacks and tea, with toilet facility in bangalore chennai highways — Neem tree view in Coffee Bistro – Best Pit stop for freshly made bajji and pakoras.

When we have been to trekking to talakona – the highest waterfalls in Andhra Pradesh, we had no hotels around that area. Though the waterfalls and trekking made the trip cherish-able only if I exclude the trouble we had finding good eateries around Talakona.

So good food equals good trip. Always.

Clearly this was a best trip.

Overall Road trip Experience From Bangalore to Vellore

The return journey was also smooth and comfortable. We reached home around 9.30 pm, had cooked dinner at home before we retired for the day.

The highlight of this two day trip from Bangalore to Vellore is –

Lord Athi Varadar darshan in Kanchipuram, a moment of glory in our humble history
The silky smooth, non-stop, carefree drive from Bangalore to the Vellore and Kanchi city
Good food choices in the Vellore city and on the Bangalore highways.

Compared to Kanchipuram, Vellore is a sophisticated city with tall buildings, apartments, good transport and railways connectivity, and many good restaurant choices.

We fell in love with the Vellore immediately, we also planned to make a second trip in the same year soon.

Soon we will be making another Two day trip from Bangalore to Vellore.

Go Karting in Bangalore – GRIPS in Kanakapura road

Renu on July 26, 2019

If you are looking for the best place for Go Karting In Bangalore – I would suggest a place called GRIPS in Kanakapura main road. Well, we have been a couple of times before we go on for a cup of coffee in Rasta cafe.

Grips – Go Karting and Bowling is located on the Kanakapura Main road Bangalore, about 22kms distance from our home.

On any unplanned weekend, we would start from home after breakfast in best veg restaurant near me – Krishna Kuteera, have set dosa or poori or veg pulao before we head on to Kanakapura road.

After 22 kms of bike ride, around 10.30 am we will be in GRIPS – Go Karting and Bowling.

Here is the google map link of the Go karting bangalore location https://goo.gl/maps/7echDiMFFiktB5ts8

Go Karting in Bangalore – Timing and Packages

Grips is open from 10 am to 6pm on all days (You can confirm on website before you go, but it is open on weekends for sure

There is no entry fee for the visitors, but here are the charges for Go Karting

For 6 Laps:

160 cc – 250 rupees

220 cc – 350 rupees

270 cc – 500 rupees

I have always gone for 160 cc ride. Sometimes it’s fun to ride along the kids who are fearless and adventurous sport. In 2017 it was 200 rupees, now they have increased the price.

We have never been for bowling, we prefer to go Bannerughata Meenakshi mall or Gopalan mall for bowling, which are the nearest best places for us.

And for the beginners – there is always a demo you can ask for, you can sit beside the driver and see how it is done.

And even if you don’t know how to drive a car, it is not a big a deal to ride in Go Kart.

Now for a good cuppa coffee – we head on to Rasta Cafe in Bangalore – Mysore road, next to Bidadi.

Rasta Cafe – Eat, Relax, Drink and Play

A 24/7 cafe located in majestic 3 acres in Bangalore – Mysore highways. It’s the best place for one day trip in bangalore for couples or friends. Also the best hangout cafe after a long bike ride for with good parking and toilet facilities.

Find the location here https://goo.gl/maps/2LFvHz42MgzKnjyq5

We are not a big fan of any food here, and any food ordered takes a minimum of 1 hr to reach our table.

You could play the pool table until your food arrives, or simply watch the tv and relax. We just go around for a walk around the trees, around the parking area clicking some pics and have coffee before we return home.

Read – How to Make Best Black Coffee at Home

I have very few pics to share here, you could find some best pics in the internet.

Bangalore Highways - One day trip from Bangalore pics — Ride to Kanakapura Road – Bangalore Highways

Go karting Bangalore — Go karting and bowling in Kanakapura Road, Bangalore

Rasta cafe bangalore images — Rasta Cafe 24/7 best hangout place for bike riders

Rasta Cafe food menu list — Garlic bread and Nachos in Rasta Cafe, Bangalore highways

I wouldn’t say GRIPS is the best Go Karting place in Bangalore because you cannot expect any international standards like “Meco Kartopia” in Hennur – Balagur road. But it is a good choice for people looking for Go-Karting option in Kanakapura road, Bangalore.

Overall Go- Karting and coffee in Rasta cafe is a good combination if you are in game for a one day trip nearby Bangalore.

“Food Street” VV Puram (Must try Shop 2 in the List )

Renu on July 17, 2019

This is the our story of visiting Food street VV puram in Bangalore and stuffing our faces with all possible favourite street foods.

I usually don’t prefer eating any street food, usually I prepare my own snacks at home (shared couple of pics here). You know, I’m glad we went street food hunting on that day, because I gained life time experience.

Why we have decided to Visit Food Street VV Puram

It is Saturday, 06th of July 2019. We have decided to spend the Saturday at home as we have big plans for the next day.

We woke up late, after fixing a simple breakfast for us, we spent time lazing around at home, watching TV, arranging wardrobe and books in cupboard.

Weather is too good outside as we can see it is drizzling in our open garden in the noon itself.

When it is raining, when I am alone at home, sometimes I just gaze at the rain on my open garden sitting in the balcony with a cup of tea or coffee. When we are together, I immediately make pakoras with this ready mix bajji powder – which my hubby loves it any time in a day.

Or Masala Maggie, or Veg Momos whichever I feel like making, depends on the mood and availability of the resources

We then sit on the balcony, eat pakoras or bajjis savour it with fresh coconut chutney, followed by a hot cup of tea or coffee.

But today, we are in a mood to go out to eat some real flavorsome food, street food preferably.

Here are some mobile phone images of snacks made at my home. And you can see my garden pic too, will upload more pics in the future.

So, this is how we spent beautiful raining evening in nothing but eating in one of Bangalore’s famous food streets.

What We Ate in the Famous Food Street Bangalore

If you are wondering where to eat best street food in Bangalore, I would suggest VV Puram Thendi Beedi (Food Street) to stuff your faces and fulfill your cravings for the junkie. It was absolute bliss eating all our favourites at one place especially in the rainy evening in Bengaluru.

After around 35 mins of bike ride, thanks to less traffic on Saturday afternoon, we have reached 1 hr earlier than it normally would take.

As usual with the help of Google maps, we reached the destination given the address “VB bakery, Sajjan Rao Circle, VV Puram, Bangalore”

We parked in front of VB bakery at the start of the food street, that is where the actual food street starts.

Since this is not shopping street, the streets are wide, enough place for the food lovers to stride up and down the street. All 2 and 4 Wheeler too can move freely in the street.

You could reach the other end of the street in under 30 sec, but one cannot eat all the foods in just one visit. If you are going with group of friends, then it is possible to try out all the famous dishes here in this colorful food street.

So we parked our vehicle, decided that we will come back to VB bakery for hot coffee or tea as a final touch just before leaving the food street.

Stop 1 – Chaat item, Masala Maggi and Potato Twister at Bangarapet Chat Express

Next to VB bakery, there is this organic sugar cane shop. Well we don’t want glass full of juice for a starter, nor it is a good idea to fill the tummy with water when we have planned for a feat. So, skipping the sugar cane juice shop, halted at the immediate next shop with the name board “Om Sri Vinayaga – Bangarapet Chat express”.

For Bangaloreans, the “Bangarapet chat” literally translates to “yummy, mouth-watering, delicious, scrumptious paani puri and chaat items”

Like any Chaat loving Indian would start, we too started with Masala Puri, followed by Veg masala Maggie, finished it with hot n spicy, mayonnaise sprinkled Potato twister.

The best quality food one can ask for (best quality in junk food, not guilty at all 🙂 )

We skipped eating pani puri, again for the same reason – we do not want to fill our appetite with any form of liquid food 😉

(Masala puri – 40/-, Masala maggie – 35/-, Potato twister – 60/-)

Bangarpet chaat shop – Masal puri in VV puram food street

Stop 2 – Chilli Bajji, Paruppu Vada and Bonda at Shree Swami Bajji Centre

We then headed towards the other end of the street, looking for another colourful, appealing, delicious, heavenly savoury to fill the rest of the stomach and taste buds.

definitely, we were not interested in any of those chinese foods or big buffet of dosas or lemon seva. (Another famous south indian dish – spring hoppers fried with onions and chillies, flavoured with lemon juice).

We stopped at the display of variety of bajji and bonda in front of “Shree Swami Bajji Centre”.

It looked heavenly and appealing, one minute we were confused about which one to go far.

We then bought my all time favourite Chilli bajji and his all time favourite Paruppu vada /daal vada and aloo bonda. (Total price 20/-)

Chilli bajji was decorated with lemon flavoured onions and chillies, paruppu vada was fresh and authentic.
I was literally longing to eat tasty chilli bajji since the time I ate one in our Yercaud Bike trip.

Chilli bajji and bonda in Food street VV puram

Stop 3 – Soft Mini Idlies and Dosa

By the time we finished eating in the bajji shop it was almost 6pm. We then had idlis and plain dosa at Rajesh’s favourite shop, which opens only by 6pm. Didn’t know the shop name, it is immediately next the bajji centre I mentioned above.

Thanks to the extremely soft mini idlis and Dosa with coconut chutney and Kara chutney – we decided to call it a day.

But then – my hubby couldn’t resist the display of Lemon seva, since we barely even able to walk, we decided to take lemon seva home parcel.

Stop 4 – Honey cake and Mini samosa From VB bakery

What’s the point of going to food street without visiting the old, authentic, famous – the one only VB bakery known for many freshly baked foods.

So, we bought Honey cake and mini samosas – fresh from the oven – take away for eating at home.

They have a wide variety of rusks, samosas, puffs, different flavoured cakes, birthday cakes, plum cakes, pumpkin cakes, vanilla tea cakes, breads, buns, biscuits etc.,

Honey cake take away from VB Bakery Food street VV puram

Stop 5 – Coffee at Brahmin’s

There are no coffee, tea available in VB bakery, so we came out of Food street looking for any coffee shops.

We saw “Brahmins tiffin” neat to the Sajjan Rao circle, one can not miss before going to the food street. Also there is a hindu temple opposite to the restaurant, adjacent to the circle park. By this time, it has already started drizzling, we enjoyed our coffee enjoying the street view.

Sum Up – Best Street Food for Feast in Bangalore

We spent one and a half hours, only ordering and eating food in Food street a.k.a Thindi beedi in VV Puram, Bangalore.

We have had some experiences eating famous street food in MG road, Shivaji nagar and Koramangala, because those are our favourite places in bangalore for shopping and eating. Sadly no pics to share in my gallery.

We are yet to explore other famous street food places in bangalore – Frazer town, Malleswaram, HSR layout, Vijay Nagar, etc.,

Our recent favourite hangouts for snack is Hari Super sandwich in jayanagar for Sandwiches and chaat, and for Non veg is newly opened Thalappakatti restaurant in HSR Layout, Bangalore.

Now, VV puram food street also added to our favourite eating out street food place.

Note: About the Food street Timing and Parking: –

Food street was already busy with people by the time 5pm when we were there and we were lucky enough to get the 2-wheeler parking inside the food street. Food street started buzzing around 6pm, so there was visually no place to park as it was totally packed. Or you could park somewhere near Sajjan Rao circle and walk to the food street.