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I don’t think you’ve lived in Bangalore until you’ve eat at a Darshini. It’s the Indian equivalent of a fast food joint at ridiculously cheap prices with generally much better food than you’d get at any McD’s or KFC. Popular ones are busy at most times of the day, and we’re lucky to have three very good ones in walking distance to our office.

Eating is simple. Order and pay at one counter and you’ll receive a food receipt and a drink receipt. Pass the food one to someone behind the food counter, and the other to the cannisters that sit at another. You’ll soon receive your food as it’s freshly prepared. Don’t expect plush ambiance at darshinis and one of its unique drawcards is that it’s standing room only. Live by the zero-second rule (don’t bother picking up food if it’s dropped) and focus only on the food on the metallic plates you’re served on. Relish the coconut chutney and sambah with whatever you may have ordered: be it a dosa (crepe like bread), some idlies (steamed bread) or some vada (fried bread). As long as you stick to popular dishes, chances for food poisoning is minimal with most of it being freshly made in front of your eyes.

Tea or coffee starts at only INR5 (6p) and most meals ranging between INR20-40 (25p-52p). Most of them even offer you the option of getting your food wrapped which is based on a few banana leaves, wrapped in newspaper and then drawn together with string.

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I sometimes find catching a rickshaw a harrowing experience. As a “ferengi” (foreigner) you end up having a much tougher time trying to bargain with drivers (I’ve only caught one where you didn’t have to bargain at all). I’ve learned some lessons like not asking how much it is to get to some place as they’ll normally double or triple their prices. It’s also not a great idea to descend on one or two taxis as a large group. They realise that you all want to get somewhere in one go, and can immediately collude to increase prices.

On the other hand, heading as an individual to a place where there is a group of rickshaws generally means you can at least bargain your way back to a normal price. If someone is asking too much, it’s just a simple matter of going to someone else (of course, this can backfire if they want to collude as well).

Interestingly this casts my mind back to economics back at University. Large supply (lots of rickshaws) and limited demand (just me) will work in my favour of pushing the price down. Large demand (big group of us) and limited supply (two or three of us) result in pushes being pushed up. Price elasticity of demand is represented by how much you want to get somewhere, while price elasticity of supply depends on how much the rickshaw driver really wants their business. Both of these fluctuate as the traffic increases/decreases in the evenings.

As interesting as this is, I’d prefer the approach rickshaws in Bombay operate by simply putting on their meter.

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Can be found here.

Hopefully it will be useful for people in the future.

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I’m still not used to it. Being handed a feedback form at the end of a meal. Or when we’re finished teaching classes in the hotel. I think it’s great they collect them, but I still find filling out all those feedback forms really strange. A lot of them are those classic five point scales with an added comments section at the bottom. They even sometimes require contact details.

I asked around and apparently it’s a very common practice in the more commercial places. Sometimes they’ll pursue you for more detail if you provide them with a score that is less than acceptable and didn’t give them any reasons.

I find it actually a refreshing practice, although I’m not sure how effective it is.

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Some more places for food in Bangalore:

• Geoffrey’s - Like Ginseng, this restaurant is also located in the Royal Orchard Hotel off airport road (1,Golf Avenue). Geoffrey’s is actually a pub with a big screen showing matches from European football. Food on offer ranges from continental to a smaller selection of Pan Asian foods (we think some offered from Ginseng upstairs). Food quality is generally pretty good with nicely sized portions at reasonable rates. We had a few pitchers of beer, some dinner and it ended up around INR800.
• Koshy’s - A popular restaurant found up one end of MG road on St Mark’s Road. As you enter the restaurant, you walk under a big Fish and Chips sign, obviously showing heavy continental and English influence. One side of the restaurant offers white table clothed-dining rooms while the other offers a less formal dining experience. Large pillars and impressive fans whirl, cooling its dining guests. They offer plenty of Indian food as well (pretty much all we ate there) as well as a few beers. I’m not sure how much it ended up being for the four of us there.
• Ashoka Deluxe - The restaurant found in the hotel of the same name, this one focuses on Andhran cuisine (the spiciest of the Indian regions). Their prices are very reasonable at well under INR100 each, and a decent selection of breads starting from INR15. Best yet is the local Kingfisher beer, with a large bottle setting you back INR77. Total price for a meal INR177.
• TGI Fridays - A very popular joint, especially with the ex-pat crowd that serves overpriced beer and westernised food. A redeeming feature is the happy hour specials that run until about 8pm but still cost double compared to a more local place. A trait that seems to run common here is that quite a few people ended up with food poising from here.

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