As part of the 5th Foodies Den Meetup, we selected Airlines Hotel as it is a landmark and an icon of Bangalore. With its lovely ambience and towered by a Banyan tree, this truly gives the feeling of old times. It is still a hotspot for many of them especially after a good run or exercise in Cubbon park. There was a talk about shutting this down but thankfully they survived through the tumultuous time.
In all our excitement, we ended up going before time so started off first a good strong coffee. I like mine extra strong with less sugar and that’s how they made it. Just as asked.
Our initial order consisted of button idlis (mini idlis dunked in Sambar), and plates of Idli Vada…. In Bangalore there are two kinds of people, who like their sambar separate and those who like their idli and vada dunked in it.. I belong to the latter.
The next set of order was their dosa which they are popular for. We ordered both plain and masala. It came glistening of ghee.
The last set was poori masala, ksheera (a sweet) uppit (a thick porridge) and khara bath (a kind of pullao) and finished off with a cold sugar cane juice. The poori was a bit of a let down as it was not fluffed up. The bhatura looked good but we were all stuffed to try any other dish.
My take…….
The food was good no doubt but not extra ordinary. It makes sense to go there for the ambience and old world charm which really works wonders on the mind. The peacefulness it offers from the noise of the traffic can only be experienced to believe. The waiters there are another species altogether. Way too cocky and not bothered by the crowd at all. They take their own sweet time. Parking can get hairy if you arrive late…
Leaving you with the group photo
Rating
Food 3.5/5
Ambience – 4.5/5
Service 3.5/5
Find them on Zomato
That sounds tempting….now I need to grab a bite of something as tasty! Why is it called Airlines hotel….is it close to the airport?