With a slew of restaurants across the city, this one comes as a breath of fresh air. Bengaluru Oota Company (BOC) is not your usual restaurant, but so much more.
The cuisine celebrates traditional Mangalorean and Gowda cuisines of Karnataka and the family style intimate dining experience revolves around conversations and stories. This cutesy, homely diner tucked in Cambridge Layout is where you can find authentic local flavours curated with love and cooked to perfection.
Divya Prabhakar and Vishal Shetty
Divya Prabhakar and Vishal Shetty learnt nuances of cooking traditional food from the best — their grandmother. Confessing to be a die-hard foodie, Divya who worked with star hotels for over 18 years is clearly passionate about food and travel.
“I like to try local food when I travel.Everytime my friends come over to Bengaluru, and want to taste authentic local cuisine, there was no decent place to take them to, for a decent local meal. I’m a Gowda and Vishal Shetty is a Mangalorean. She and I have been neighbours for long and being an ardent cook, she would send local dishes to my place often. She invited me over for lunch and that’s how we started talking and began catering from home. She would cook Mangalorean and I would cook Gowda cuisine. We set up BOC and soon we got our first catering order from Rahul Gandhi on his visit to Bengaluru. We catered to about 20 people including Rahul and his team.”
A large part of this old house converted to a cheery, sunshine yellow building with a red door on Cambridge Cross Road in Cambridge Layout, is the kitchen. “We curate a special menu that can be personalised according to choice of meat or fish served over interactive sessions, anecdotes and memories around the dishes. The dishes are cooked using family recipes. Vishu (Vishal) cooks her Kori Gassi just how her mom used to.The closely guarded family recipes, literally coaxed from mothers, grandmothers and aunts include Mutton Cutlets and Chops, Kaima Unde, Ragi Mudde with Mamsa Saaru (a traditional mutton curry), Mamsa Pulao, Bassaru (greens & lentil curry), Averakai Saaru and Obbattu and Ammani Jamuns (an age old favourite dessert of the Ulsoor Gowdas!) in the Gowda section and Sukkas, Crab curry, Koli Kundapuri, Kane fry, la), Kori Gassi, Marwai Ajadina (Clams), Kori Ghee Roast, Mango Mensakai, Gujje Ajadina (Jackfruit), Manoli Upkari (Ivy Gourd), Crab Curry, Pork Bafat, Lotus stem gassi, Payasam, Badam Halwa among others in the Mangalorean section. We serve majjige in the afternoon and interesting kokum concoctions prepared by Harry, the bartender in the evening. Of course, there’s Rasam and great filter coffee too! ”
