ITP Indian Travel Places: Food, Travel, Tourism Business Events and Trade Shows
Address: ITC Windsor, 25 Windsor Square, Sankey Road, Bangalore, Karnataka India
Time: 12:30 PM to 2:45 PM, 7 PM to 11:30 PM
Meals for two: Rs. 1,600
Cuisines: South Indian
Facilities: Wheelchair Accessible, Full Bar Available, Wifi
Dakshin – ITC Windsor, Golf Course Road, Bangalore: DECOR
Dakshin hasn’t changed much in all these years. With its soothing colour palette of cream and brown, and the sounds of Carnatic classical music in the air, this signature restaurant at ITC Windsor has a serenity all its own. A strand of jasmine and, thoughtfully, a hairpin is still handed out to all lady guests as a welcome gesture.
Dakshin – ITC Windsor, Golf Course Road, Bangalore: FOOD
While the decor has remained the same, there are small innovations taking place with the food and presentation. The thalis (one of the best ways to experience Dakshin) have been tweaked and you can now savor starters, then move on to different staples and accompanying curries, instead of having everything arrive at once on a platter. I went there to sample the new additions to the thalis, created by long-time Dakshin Chef Jayasurya, under the guidance of Chef Praveen Anand, ITC’s South Indian expert. The tradition here is to start with the Banana Dosa — the sweet, ghee-rich dosa preparing the palate for the feast that follows. My starter was the Aatukari Chops — lamb chops braised till tender, dipped in egg and deep-fried. Both juicy and crisp, it was a hit.
The vegetarian line-up had Muvvankaya, which was brinjal cooked with chilli and poppy seeds — a delicious dish — and Kaikari Mandi, a melange of ladies finger and butter beans in a sweet-sour curry. These pair nicely with Parota, Idiappam or Appam. There was also a Battani Masala of green peas, which I found a little bit too oily. My pick of the vegetarian dishes was the Keerai Koottu, which is a simple mash of greens and lentils, best eaten with plain rice.
The additions to the non-vegetarian repertoire include Kodi Gajaala (a quite fiery dish of chicken and green chillies) and a delightful prawn curry, the Nathakodayoor Yera Kozhambu, sourced from the interiors of Tamil Nadu. Also from Tamil Nadu comes the Karur Kari Kozhambu, which is a fragrant mutton curry, with a complexity of spices making every mouthful a flavor burst.
Going through the menu, I noticed ITC is encouraging customers to ‘choose wisely’, while ordering seafood, for instance, with indicators pointing out fish that are over-fished and best avoided and ones that can be consumed with a clear conscience.
Going local is another endeavor and Dakshin is the perfect showcase for local, seasonal ingredients. The new thali also allows chefs to present more seasonal produce, and that’s a commendable direction to take.
Dakshin – ITC Windsor, Golf Course Road, Bangalore: SERVICE
There’s scarcely a misstep in service at ITC. It’s one of the joys of dining at Dakshin.
Dakshin – ITC Windsor, Golf Course Road, Bangalore: PLUS AND MINUS
The South-Indian fare is spot on, but it doesn’t come cheap.
