Mast Kalandar

With glassy exterior and psychedelic interior, Mast Kalandar is a restaurant that will catch your eye even from a distance. Their combo menus are equally eye-catching with funny names that are hung as posters on the walls.

Ambience: Small but spacious; vibrant but warm--with everything in orange, one cannot help but get the feeling of having entered a Hutch showroom when their choice of color was still orange. For those who are waiting for their friends to join in, you can simply choose to listen to some good Hindi music playing in the background or you can simply riffle through the latest editions of magazines neatly stacked on a very fashionable zig-zag rack.

Service: Fast and efficient. The only hitch is that it is self-service, so you need to place your orders and pay upfront. But that does not mean you need to drag yourself every time you feel like ordering for more. Just order and the waiter will serve you the food and the bill efficiently.

Cuisine: It brags about serving authentic North Indian food. Bad news: It serves only vegetarian food. Good news: It serves great veggie food that you really don’t miss much. The food is sinfully tasty and stays hot as it is dashed straight from the kitchen. Indulge in any of the combo thalis (we tried the Punjabi Sinful Paneer Thali and the Rajasthani Kulcha Thali), which comprises a salad, 1 special gravy, 1 dal makhani, 1 chutney, 1 raita, rotis/kulchas/naans. Sad news: No great starters or desserts as part of the combo. And oops I almost forgot to mention, if you ask for the finger bowl you’ll be shown the way to the wash room, which BTW, is just too small and crammy.

Presentation: Kept simple but it’s a delight to see fresh cream floating on the thick gravies in a crescent shape.

Cutlery: Simple stainless steel plates and katoras.

Dessert: Try their seasonal halwas or my personal favorite Mango Rabri that simply tastes like heaven!

Pricing: Every combo thali ranges from Rs 70-80, so it does not pinch your pocket. Food passes are not accepted.

Verdict: Excellent mast khana! Lipsmacking food that just melts into your mouth. Flavor is same as Sachin's but only much cost-effective.

Branches: Bannerghatta, Koramangala, CMH road and Marthahalli.