Koshy's — Restaurant in Bengaluru

I’m not from Bangalore, but I’m a frequent visitor. I seldom have work in the city—I visit Bangalore only to chill, revisit my favourite haunts, and discover new ones.

Koshy’s has been one of those haunts for as long as I’ve known the city. My parents and I would stay at the Bowring Club (just around the corner from Koshy’s), and in the pleasant Bangalore evenings, we’d pop out for a cuppa and a snack. There was always this lovely, chatty buzz in the air—you just got the feeling that everyone there was a proper foodie, and a non-vegetarian one at that. My parents always ordered the ham sandwich and maybe another little something, but I honestly don’t remember anything else, and for good reason. Even now—some 20 years later—whenever I go, I still order the same ham sandwich I did when I was ten. There’s nothing fancy to it—just white bread, butter, and ham, neatly stacked, crusts trimmed, and halved at some random angle.

I like to sit by the window, read a book, and have slow conversations with a friend. That’s the ideal Koshy’s day or evening for me. Once, as I sat at my usual window spot, I saw a waiter carrying a glass of iced tea with a shot of something on the side. He reached the table, gave a slight nod, and casually dropped the shot into the tea. I had to know what that was. He told me it was rum and iced tea, and asked if I wanted one. Of course I did. I asked for two—one for me and one for my mate. We had two more each after that, and the evening got funnier, as it tends to with us dribbling away. We hobbled out the door grinning, just in time to catch a tuk.

And that, really, is the vibe at Koshy’s. It’s not an institution from your time, and your expectations need adjusting. You sit. You wait. You let things happen as they will. And you don’t go around ordering whatever you think you might like from the menu. You order the ham sandwich and a drink of your choice (my recommendation: a chilled beer or that rum & iced tea combo I mentioned). Then you observe the regulars, the ones who look like they know what they’re doing. You unapologetically peek at what’s on their plates. If you’ve got a good eye, you’ll figure out what to order next.

I’m honestly disappointed to see the review section filled with poor ratings by people who complain about the service (which is bad, as it should be). Then there are the special wits who ordered all the wrong things and are shocked the food didn’t impress them. I know, I know—you’re thinking: why have those things on the menu at all? Well, that’s just how it is. Deal with it.

I think of Koshy’s like I do my grandfather—rusty, old, and deserving of a little slack. Maybe it’s time we all checked our towering expectations of immaculate service. Yes, I’ve had bad service there too. But that’s not what I want to talk about.

Koshy’s exists to serve its regulars—like an old-school club. If the staff recognises you, you’ll be served with care and familiarity. It’s a part of St. Mark’s Road’s fabric, and it means far more to its loyal patrons than just being a “restaurant experience.”

Koshy’s is an institution, serving a community that’s been in love with it for decades. It’s not about the food, or the bricks and mortar, or any one thing. It’s about the vibe—of an old (yes, rusty) establishment holding a thousand memories close to the hearts of those who return time and time again.

Koshy’s is your grandpa. He won’t understand you all at once, and you won’t get him all at once either. But please—don’t go about berating him in this “digital public space” of ours.

Let him be. Let him age. And if you’re lucky, let him...

Good Xmas Grub

Christmas is a nice way to catch up with our friends. Many of them are from abroad & are vacationing here. We wanted to indulge in some Xmasy food & thought of Koshy’s. As we stepped in, Christmas Hollies set the mood. Koshy’s has an elaborate Christmas menu and I believe people drop by for the delicacies. There are some traditional English dishes as well as Keralite ones. And no fusion stuff ever. It’s a chance for diners to check out some special dishes. Like the Cajun flavoured tender pork ribs. Some diners were seen enjoying a rather juicy roast turkey. The pork chops, are barbecued & hence, diners opt for them as they are juicy. Kerala Duck Roast served with layered parathas seemed like a meal in itself. People order it as the Kerala Duck Roast is left to stay on for few hours, so it tastes great. Do leave some space for dessert. A must try is the Christmas plum pudding, rich & indulgent. And not to miss, the soft and tender cheese cake. This is a treat. Polacherickal Oommen Koshy aka Prem Koshy runs the Koshy’s restaurant with his brother Oommen Mathew. Koshy’s has some nice Christmas takeaways from the bakery. Like decadent plum cake. When you bite in, it’s soft inside & the nuts give it just the required crunch. My friend nudged me saying this cake may even last a few weeks. Then the kalakal, these somewhat hard balls are must try for the cardamom flavour. Some old recipe has made the cookies (spelt with K) a hit. The Christmas & New Year menu is on till January 15. Usual menu is always there.

Kavitha

Karnataka Flavours Beckon

We were pleasantly surprised to note that the Koshy’s Chill Out place next to Koshy’s restaurant sports a new flavor. Chill Out, which was a cozy ice-cream parlour with its casual friendly ambience now serves Karnataka cuisine. That too, all vegetarian stuff. It’s something new, a friend pointed out & suggested we try it. These are simple dishes that are made in Karnataka homes. These are like tiffin items & the food has a homely touch to it. We began with a masala dosa. What is nice is that it’s crisp & yet not greasy or too heavy on the stomach. It doesn’t make you uncomfortable. So in that sense, it suits the office goers who work in the vicinity. As we waited for the next dish to arrive, we saw quite a few walk-ins. They plugged on their laptops and made themselves comfortable with ragi roti. We decided to give it a skip & instead ordered masala akki roti. Full marks to the masala akki roti, it’s so thin, almost translucent. Though it’s served with a dollop of butter & different kinds of chutney, it’s not at all heavy. Guess it’s because it’s light because it’s thin. Some carrot & dil have given it a punch. It’s a rotating menu & on some days, foodies can check out neer dosa & jaggery-coconut kadabus steamed in a banana leaf. I believe it’s awesome. There’s value for money here, a dosa or a masala akki roti with a nine-grain soft ball makes for a wholesome meal. The multigrain ball is soft, gently flavoured with jaggery & loaded with nutrients. We loved it. Sprouts salad & some juices pep up the health quotient. As of now, the month old eatery is kind of introducing new items one by one. Rice is yet to be served. This casual dining place has some side tables for diners to grab a quick bite. Looks nice in fact. Ashwini, a Bangalorean is the person behind this menu. She dishes up all the goodies, right there, on spot. In all, the food is worth a try, it’s available for lunch & dinner from Wednesday to...

You become present in the history. One thing that I have observed is that, people know about Koshy's, but not many have entered into this place. Koshy's has also been part of Bangalore's history and yet it sits quietly on the side of the road, depicting how far it has come till now. If you have the time, google search about Koshy's before coming, read about the history and the best sellers. As soon as you enter, there are two sections, one on your right is the A.C. Hall and on your left is the Non-A.C. Hall., I would suggest that you take the later to slowly immerse yourself, to feel a little bit of the history (the ones near the windows preferably). Once seated, you'll see the mixed crowd. Let me explain it to you about the "Mixed crowd", one is the curios types (like me) - who wanted to experience this by themselves, to find out what Koshy's is all about and the second being the old crowd - who have been religiously coming here for ages. You just feel this rustic air that transports you back into history. The food does not take much time to reach your table ( I had read a lot of reviews that said that the service is super late, but for me, I did not face this), the rates are moderately priced. Ambience is okay, it is not well lit, mostly depends on the natural light during day time. The service, the presentation, the servers, all give a very "Indian Coffee House" feels.

We ordered Mutton omelette, cold bournvita, cold coffee, nadan chicken curry and wheat parotta. Except for the drinks, the food was heavenly. The Mutton omelette was soft and heavy, it is cooked minced mutton with a blanket of soft omelette. This omelette comes with two fat-toasted bread ( I read it somewhere that they make their own breads - fancy!). The bournvita and cold coffee were just fine, a little diluted, but fine. The nadan chicken curry is what the server had suggested and it went well along with the wheat parotta. The nadan chicken curry is basically a Kerala dish, where the chicken is cooked with coconut milk and spices. The aroma that it brings to the table would start a tsunami in your mouth, this dish was delightful. The wheat parotta is a little bit on the stiffer side when compared to the maida parotta which is a bit elasticky, but this went well with the chicken curry. I'm going here again for sure, there are a lot of dishes that you might have never even heard of, I want to try those out. I would like to give the

P.s. Try having a conversation with your server, ask him for his suggestions and recommendations, some have been here for more than 20 years. Also, it would be a double plus point if you can talk to them...