Well-heeled migrants add regional flavour to Bengaluru's restaurant business

BENGALURU: That this city is a melting pot of cultures and cuisines is known. Now, with a fresh stir, myriad regional cuisines--Naga, Odiya, Assamese, Maharashtrian, Bihari, Sindhi, Kashmiri and Lucknowi-have made inroads.

"This is a direct reflection of Bengaluru's multicultural crowd," said Devesh Agarwal, managing director of human resources consultancy Infomart and a foodie who insists Bengalureans must value and celebrate regional cuisines.

"Kashmiri is different from Pundit food is different from Wazwan. They do not use tomatoes, garlic, onion, chicken and eggs. They eat mutton, fish and greens. Rajma is the food of Jammu and cooked differently in the Kashmir valley. We need to embrace this diversity," said Agarwal, also a patron of Tibetan and Naga fare.

Malvika Poddar is drawn to cuisines from the Seven Sister States. "Northeast Indian cuisine is probably the most neglected. Recently, I tried a fabulous Naga thaali with smoked pork, rice, potato dish and chutney at Chubala Curry and Rice in Kamanahalli," said Poddar, who often also indulges in Bihari cuisine. "Litthi Chokha (traditional main course in Bihar) may not be as authentic but is available now," she said.

Regional cuisine is exploding in Bengaluru in part because of social media, with foodies encouraging their friends and followers to try treats beyond Punjabi, Mughlai, Bengali and Andhra. And the city's large migrant, techie population has given niche restaurants the required hit rate to persevere. Which is why these diners are predominantly spread across the IT belt comprising Koramang ala, Whitefield, HSR Layout, Marathahalli, Sarjapur Road and Electronic City .

"(Bengaluru's) demography is attractive," said Amit Roy , partner at hospitality consultancy ThinkTanc. "Techies and migrants eat out at least thrice a week and want affordable options."

Such as what they will get at Suryawanshi in Whitefield, which serves Maharashtrian cuisine, especially Kolhapuri. "Bengaluru is home to about 6 lakh Maharashtrians," said owner Kailash Suryawanshi. "I have chefs from various parts of Maharashtra to cook Kolhapuri mutton thali, misal pav and fish delicacies from coastal regions like Malvan."

Zingron in Koramangala is dedicated to Naga cuisine. "Weekends are packed," said manager Damian Golmei. "Foodies come for pork delicacies, especially the smoked pork rib with aniseed and bamboo shoots."