The station of good food

Cantonment Railway Station users will be happy to learn that there is a new branch of ‘Hallimane’ at the station. It was opened on June 25 here at the station to cater to the passengers. Hallimane literally translates to a ‘village house’. Having started as a restaurant in Malleswaram, it rose to be a favourite among all kinds of Bangloreans for the quality of traditional food it provided.The restaurant provides a very village-like ambience while catering to an urban crowd with completely different tastes in food. Long queues are often seen in front of the hotel to get a bite of the famous ‘jolada rotti’ here. They, in a way, made rural cuisine popular against the growing influence of Italian, Chinese, Moroccan as well as Arabic style in our cooking.Set on a smaller scale than the one in Malleswaram, the restaurant provides all major South Indian dishes including the traditional Kannada food of Bisebilebath. Nominally priced, a Hallimane bakery shop has also been opened for those who do not prefer to have the typical South Indian cuisine. The bakery sells all kinds of cakes as well as pastries. For those who might need something to carry for their journey, bread and sandwiches are also sold.Raghavendra S, the managing partner of Hallimane said, “India is a diverse country. We wanted to ensure that North Indians aren’t affected by our menu. Also most South Indian food goes stale after two hours and the bakery products can be easily carried. It’s a different venture for us.” He added that the general conjecture among people is that railway food is unhygienic. So with bakery products being whipped up right in front of them, they would feel safer eating the food. The interiors of the hotel has been adorned with paintings of real life rural scenes as the theme. It presents a hygienic look with an entry from the front and from the track sided part of the station. A customer at the restaurant, Suresh, said, “I am catching a train to Mysore from here. I was famished and expected to eat nothing at all until I reach. Imagine my surprise when I saw the restaurant. The masala dosas are tasty.” Previously the place held a ticket reservation office with no restaurants catering to the passengers. The opening has been welcomed by the travellers as well as the residents as they say that the food is not only delicious but a refreshing change from the rail food they were used to.Another customer, on the condition of anonymity, said that certain aspects such as the expansion of the restaurant could be worked upon as the original charm of Hallimane is not there here. But the newly opened restaurant acts as a blessing in disguise for the people who use the Cantonment Railway Station everyday. The PRO for Bangalore railways was unavailable for comments.