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Defining Place

Loved reading this ode to MTR - I have been to the Lalbagh establishment a few times (and that was hardly enough) but not in a very long time. The story took me back in time to when I was there and enjoyed the food and ambience. 

The Maiya siblings have not only managed to expand the family legacy but have also retained a loyal customer base, which won’t allow them to change a thing— from the red chairs to the ceramic plates. In Bengaluru, a city celebrated for its microbreweries, speakeasies, and pubs, MTR reigns supreme. It finds itself on bucket lists, must-eats, and essays on why it’s the hippest restaurant in the city. It’s as much a part of the city as other beloved gems like Koshy’s, established in 1940 in Ashok Nagar; Indian Coffee House, a Church Street fixture since 1958 with its signature chicory-free filter coffee; and the 1980s ice-cream chain Corner House.

“MTR isn’t just a restaurant; it’s history wrapped in a building. From Independence to World War II and the Emergency, it has witnessed it all. Even as Bengaluru has transformed into a high-tech city, MTR remains a portal to the old city,” said historian Rupa Rai.

It is true that I have thought of MTR as the defining thing about Bangalore - from my early childhood, first job out of college, returning there as a single-mother trying to see if the city might accept me and my less than perfect life. In all of those times that I have lived in the city and loved it for reasons that are hard to explain, MTR has been the thing that stood the test of time, the evolving state and stage of my life. The breakfast there was always as I remembered it from the last time - no matter how long ago that last time had been. 

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