Chetty's Corner

My hunger pangs were simply intolerable last evening and the drive back from work seemed like a long ordeal and every fella on the street irritated the life out of me. As I mentioned this to the Doc while picking him up, he gave me a brilliant snack idea that made me salivate almost instantaneously. So we went to this little nondescript place in a very upscale part of the city. “Chetty's Corner” is on a lane that is very aptly named Serpentine Road. Its strategically located opposite a huge playground/park and dishes out the most simple, healthy and fantastic snacks. The location is probably appropriate since you can never return from the place without having overeaten and will probably be compelled to burn out the extra calories. The walk in and around the park is quite a pleasant experience. Come 6 o'clock in the evening, the place is flooded with senior citizens, families, teenagers and bachelors. The area was a “no parking” zone until a couple of months ago. But the joint seems to have won over the hearts of the traffic authorities too and there is ample parking** available here.

Anyway, let me quickly get to the most important part. You will find the most amazing chaat at Gullu's and the best veggie bun nippat** combos next door at “Chetty's”. The latter was what made me cheer up and I am taking the chance to go public in writing to say that I owe the Doc a big one for merely suggesting this last evening!!

Chettys' serve more than 50 or 60 people every 5 minutes and everyone almost always go back for seconds. The veggie bun nippat is a rather deceptively simple creation from a soft bun and a surprise ingredient. The bun is sliced in the middle and generously coated with a wonderful coriander chutney and a sweet and spicy tamarind chutney. This is then stuffed with finely chopped onions, tomatoes, cabbage, some sev** and finally the piece de resistance – the nippat is added and topped off with a load of cheese which of course is the sin you can opt out of. All this washed down with their masala cold drink** which is another amazing concoction that is simply a must try.

I am satiated, at least until the next time.

**Parking: The severe space crunch for parking in Bangalore seems like the deciding factor for going anywhere.
**Masala cold drink: Your favorite carbonated drink mixed with the some freshly squeezed lime juice, chaat masala and a special jaljeera mixture. The formula is usually unique to each place and most often kept secret.
**Nippat: Flat round crispy snack made from a dough of roasted and powdered chickpeas, groundnuts and sesame seeds with a little chilly powder, salt and a dash of dessicated or freshly ground coconut.. This can either be deep fried or baked.
**Sev:Spicy and popular crispies made of riceflour and chickpeas