@zoya-khan
Frazer Town local. Cafes, films, more cafes.
Mosque Road, Frazer Town
During Ramzan, the whole road turns into a night market: smoky kebabs, haleem, and malpuas the size of plates. Go after iftar and eat as you walk. Park far away and take an auto in.
Koshy's, St. Mark's Road
Ceiling fans, old waiters, and a whole table arguing about politics over cold coffee. It's been like this since the 1940s. Order the fish and chips or the appam with stew. Don't rush; nobody else is.
Brahmin's Coffee Bar, Shankarapuram
No chairs, no menu card. Idli, vada, a chutney you'll dream about, and coffee in a steel tumbler. Done in ten minutes. Go early; it closes for a few hours in the afternoon. Have the chutney twice, they'll top it up without asking.
Sapta Saagaradaache Ello: Side A (2023)
A love story told in quiet looks and long silences. The music hasn't left my head since. Watch Side A and Side B back to back on the same weekend.
Dyu Art Cafe, Koramangala
An old Kerala-style house with a courtyard, red oxide floors and paintings on every wall. You forget you're in Koramangala. Go on a weekday morning for the English breakfast and a courtyard table. Weekends fill up fast.
Gandhi Bazaar, Basavanagudi
Old Bangalore in one street: flower sellers, masala bonda from a cart, and filter coffee every fifty metres. Come in the evening and walk the whole stretch, then finish at Vidyarthi Bhavan if the queue is short.
Aavesham (2024)
Three college boys in Bangalore befriend a local gangster named Ranga. Fahadh Faasil is unhinged and I loved every minute. Watch with friends who've lived in Bangalore. The city jokes land even harder.
Lavonne Cafe
It's a baking school with a cafe attached, and you can taste it. Croissants that shatter when you touch them. Go before 11 for the best of the morning bakes. Weekend afternoons, the viennoiserie is often sold out.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Thirty years of friendship between two people who make video games together. I cried on the metro. You don't need to know games. It's really about friendship and work.
