Oldschool “tiffin” in avant-garde Bengaluru

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It’s one of those places that has defined the word tiffin, helped the non-South Indian understand that tiffin has nothing to do with a tiffin box. It’s more than just eating out in Bangalore, it’s been elevated to one of those “absolutely must” things to do in Bangalore. A lot of us might not be familiar with the illustrious Mavalli Tiffin Rooms but I’m sure we’ve all heard of and experienced MTR foods, one way or another.

Almost 90 years old now, the first MTR restaurant is one of the oldest restaurants in the city. It all started in the year 1924 when Parampalli Yajnanarayana Maiya and his brothers opened a restaurant called Mavalli Tiffin Rooms. It was a modest restaurant where diners paid a single price to a cashier up front and then sat down to a five-course vegetarian meal; banana leaf et al. The restaurant did not serve alcohol and took only cash. MTR, as it soon came to be popularly known, built a reputation for savory food and high standards of hygiene. It became a favorite with politicians and movie stars, yet the restaurant showed no favoritism, and the VIP’s waited in line like everybody else as they do to this very day.

It is most popular as for breakfast, soft idlis, paper thin dosas, uppittu, Kesari Baath and piping hot filter coffee.  They are most famous for their signature rava idli, the first packaged MTR food. You can drop by anytime of the day for some of the best South Indian food you’ll ever have. Bisibelabath, curd rice, badam halwa, buttemilk, the menu has remained relatively unchanged. In 1951, MTR was one of the first Indian restaurants to introduce steam sterilization, enhancing its reputation for cleanliness.

In 1975, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s rules for the emergency required every restaurant to conform to prices set by the government. The prices were so low that the restaurant would have had to cut the quality of the food it offered. MTR had made its reputation on hygiene and cleanliness, compromising the quality of the food they offered simply wasn’t an option. So they shut the restaurant, left with only a small grocery store attached to the restaurant.

At this very point in time, Sadananda Maiya had his ‘Eureka’ moment; to expand the grocery by products under the MTR brand name. An electrical engineer by training, he combined his skills with food and technology to launch MTR Foods Ltd. And the packaged rava idli mix was born. The MTR brand rava idli mix proved a good seller, and when the restaurant reopened after the State of Emergency was lifted in 1977, Maiya continued to manufacture the mix and ventured into other packaged foods as well. Today MTR foods offers a variety of vegetarian snack foods and chips, soups, frozen foods, ready-to-eat meals, spices powders, pickles, vermicelli, and over 30 varieties of ice cream and ice cream cones.

So when you make your list of places to visit in Bangalore, this one’s gotta be on top!

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Shivangi Rajendran

As the newest member of the content team, Shivangi Rajendran comes from the world of professional dancing. With a passion for travel and a flair for writing, the Masters in Mass Communication is just an added advantage. A gypsy at heart, she doesn’t believe in planning and is always ready to pack her bags and leave.

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  • 13 November, 2013 @ 6:39 [Current Revision] by Shivangi Rajendran
  • 18 March, 2013 @ 13:48 by Shivangi Rajendran

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