Where was I ?? Well, I was on a much needed get away with family & now, I am back to the grind. Sigh ...

As you all know, South Indies, my series on South Indian cuisine is an inspiration form South Indies, an upscale South Indian Vegetarian restaurant in Bangalore.

South Indies is one of my favorite eat outs in Bangalore. And why, because We both love South Indian food, & we don't have to make do with all the various same old udipi joints that have sprung all over the city.

Last weekend, we were at their much talked about, Brahmin Food Festival. We both being Brahmins, aren't really new to Brahmin cuisine, but the 4 course meal they offered had me craving for even more.

We started off our meal with a light carrot & lentil soup. It had some lovely spices which offsets the sweetness of carrots.

Next came the keerai vadai, which is a deep fried lentil dumplings with spinach & spices. It was crispy on the outside & soft on the inside. The Ulundhu Bonda was good. It was nothing but medu vada in a new avatar, but you will love this one no matter how many times you've had it.

The urulai vadhakkal, which is spiced shallow fried baby potatoes was not really impressive & could have been better.

Yennai Kathrikkai ( Baby Brinjals in a tangy curry ) was very good & went very well with oothappams.

The cluster beans & lentil curry was a little too try for my taste. But I think, I would have enjoyed it with Rasam & rice than with Adai Dosas.

The highlight of the menu was the drumstick & tamarind curry (Murungakkai vendaya vathal kuzhambu)

This one literally got me licking my fingers. It was tangy & I loved that slight flavor of fenugreek seeds.

I am not blessed with a major sweet tooth, but I thoroughly enjoyed this
rice payasam with jaggery and coconut milk (Idichi puzhinja payasam). It was creamy & wasn't overly sweet & I enjoyed the flavor of coconut milk.

What I would have loved to try was Avial with some steamed rice. But, We had so much on our plates already

I have been to this restaurant several times, But the food festival was very different in more than one ways. I loved the golu collection. It really did remind me of my childhood.

Oh BTW, the dishes had no onions, & no garlic. It is definitely something that your amma & ajji would look forward to. I absolutely love the calm & serene ambience. If I had to take my family, this would definitely be the place.

This is a perfect place to rediscover the taste of authentic Brahmin food. If you want a break from the regular Udipi joints, do try this place & let me know if you liked it.