Simple pleasures on sal leaves and secrets ill-kept

AS far as thickly, ghee ladened doses ar interested, Cubbonpete is strand zero. The veritable OG spot.Of course, ever since the advent of social media, this is no well-kept secret. A plethora of spots that mirror the heavy Bengaluru style dose experience have come up in several other cities recently. This style is distinct from the Udupi style darshini experience— another heavy hitter behind whom I can throw my weight any day.However, with most of these newer spots, the punches land a little lighter as the two styles spar and mingle, and it is the nuances of each that take the knockout. A Cubbonpete style darshini, for example, almost never has sambar. Just dose and chutney. Also, there is usually no filter coffee. Udupi style darshinis almost always swear by these two items— sambar and filter coffee. Well, both styles serve very different purposes, but both are absolutely delectable and I’m glad that the rest of world is discovering the multifaceted world of thindi in Karnataka.Of course, even in Bengaluru, the Cubbonpete style is no longer Cubbonpete’s alone. Namma SLN is a classic example of this. They have outlets in Jayanagar, Basavanagudi and JP Nagar.However, today, we find ourselves somewhere different— near a Nayara petrol pump in the Vidyapeetha area. There is a four-way junction there, and as you walk up, you see a huge tree, diagonally opposite to which there is a blue wall with “Sri Annapoorna Mess” written on it in a white and red font. This is your destination.The owner is a fine gentleman, and an avid biker to boot. They have been serving Cubbonpete style thindi for quite sometime. I had the pleasure of having their bath masale— a dose stuffed with rice bath, and it was truly one of the best in Bengaluru, and of course, on the planet by extension. The roast was homely, the colour and texture was impeccable. The chutney was excellent, and the levels of fat were somehow optimal. Superb taste, sans the cloying feeling afterwards. Very few places get that right, and I know a gem when I see one.The menu varies between days, and other regulars (the food, not the customers) are idlis, vade and rice bath, all served on sal leaves. Like I said, I know a gem when I see one. Great place, worthy of multiple visits.This is the last article of 2025. I am fortunate to not only eat at all these brilliant places, but also share my experience with you. Here’s to many more brilliant thindi spots in 2026! Signing off.(Ajit Bhaskar, a researcher with a multinational, is famous in Bengaluru for his Thindi (food) runs. He will profile one of his preferred (or newly discovered) haunts for HT every week)