The Hesaraghatta main road is referred as “the mushroom highway”, courtesy the plethora of mushroom farms and hotels, food stalls serving ‘full-menu mushroom’ delicacies.
Most popular and the oldest (since 2006) is Hotel Oyster which is “the original mushroom hotel” on Hesaraghatta main road.
From “mushroom kababs”, “mushroom biryani”, “pudina mushroom”, “mushroom burger”, “mushroom soup” and even “ragi mudde with mushroom curry” – they got’em all!!
What to eat:
My personal favourites and must-try if you are visiting for the 1st time:
- Mushroom kabab: the freshest mushrooms fried in lip smacking kabab batter, served with a freshly-cut onions, a slice of lemon and fresh pudina chutney (they even sell the kabab-masala separately)
- Mushroom biryani: the best rice item on the menu.. mildly spiced short-grain rice with perfectly cooked mushrooms (it’s best paired with a soft drink!!)
- Mushroom burger: the freshness of the burger bun, lettuce, veg-patty loaded with cooked mushrooms is supremely delicious – never did I imagine finding a burger this good, so far out of the city
Useful Information:
- Hotel Oyster is a pure vegetarian hotel, serving mushroom and paneer-based dishes
- Fresh mushrooms (white button and oyster mushrooms) are sold at the hotel (minimum quantity is 500gms)
- Ambiance: very basic seating arrangement + NO AC
- Family and kids friendly restaurant
- Best time to visit: Its crowded during the weekend, better to visit on weekdays
- Parking: free car+motorcycle parking at the entrance of the hotel
- Mode of payment: cash and UPI only (no credit or debit cards are accepted)
- Wheelchair access: dining area of the hotel is accessible by wheelchair
- Toilets: NO toilet facility is available for men, women + NO wheel chair access to the restroom
- Timings: 7 am to 9 pm (open all days of the week)
- Ragi mudde oota/Thali contains ragi mudde + white rice + mushroom curry + tangy rasam. It is available only between 12 pm to 4 pm + don’t hesitate to ask for extra rasam, mushroom curry (extra serving of curry is free)
- Location: Hotel Oyster, Hesaraghatta main road, Bengaluru (link to Google Maps)
What to see around Hesaraghatta?
- Hesaraghatta Lake: while the water levels in the lake has reduced, it’s still a beautiful place for bird watching
- IIHR Campus: A must visit if you are into gardening, farming – the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research sports a massive campus accessible to public where one can buy fresh fruits and gardening/farming essentials such as seeds, saplings, cocopeat etc at very affordable prices (compared to Bengaluru city)
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