Sunday at Siddappa's

Sometime ago my old acquaintance from another life, photographer Mahesh Bhat, mentioned the well  known Siddappa’s Dosa joint in Sampangiramanagar. Since it just so happened that I had to pass that way the next morning, I dropped by said hello to Siddappa as I paid for my Dosa and allowed myself to be enthralled by the quaint old world mannerisms and charm of that delightful place. Half a crisp Masala Dosa soaking in ghee is served on a small square of newspaper as you sit inside the house or outside on benches with dozens of others and await your turn to be served. The dosa was so rich and filling that I didn’t eat anything till dinnertime.

When Rashmi suggested we resume our Sunday Sketching Sessions once more, I suggested this place and we both landed there. 

The atmosphere in this place suggests it is one of those rare nooks in Benglur that has been forgotten by time.

We roped in our dear friend Prashant too. While Prashant has the ability to figure out the most confusing directions in the bylanes of Benglur, he got hopelessly lost by simple directions such as ‘take a left opposite Hotel Geo and the first left after’. He arrived angry and breathless much later.

As much as I am a big hog, I did not partake Dosa here a second time. I didn’t think my system would take kindly to being drenched with the deluge of ghee once more. However Rashmi and Prashant gave it a go. Being Northies and used to rich, full fat food, they returned indignant – ‘they serve only half a dosa!’. Then Rashmi polished off an entire dabba of Coconut Fried Chicken that I had brought for her and Prashant disappeared into Siddappa’s kitchen and returned brandishing a large bottle of ghee. He must have collared the cook into parting with it. Knowing the handfuls of ghee Prashant smears on his chapattis, he’ll probably finish it within a week.

There is plenty to sketch here so we will be returning. Our drawings too can only get better as we absorb more and more of this delightful place into the pages of our sketchbooks.

- Here is an excellent account of Siddappa's Dosas with pictures >>

- An irreverent and insightful look at Benglur through the eyes of Andy Deemer at 

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