Simply South is not just a brand or restaurant, it’s an amalgamation of dream and passion of Chef. Chalapathi Rao. After a grand success at Hyderabad, Simply South arrived to Namma Bengaluru at New BEL Road, vicinity is surrounded by old Bangaloreans and one of the renowned areas of last decade.
Who is Chef Chalapathi Rao? This name is certainly new for the people in Bangalore. However, he is very popular in Hyderabad and well known globally as Chef Challu. He has been in the industry for 20 + Years and till date he received so many recognitions. To name few, Letter of appreciation from Buckingham palace, Letter of appreciation from President Bill Clinton during his visit to Hyderabad in the year 2000 and also an expert member of the research cell of Andhra Pradesh which is promoted by the Ministry of Tourism to promote and create authenticity in documenting cuisines of Andhra Pradesh. He is known as one of the best South Indian Chefs that the country presently has and is also the custodian for South Indian Culinary Art in India.
How Simply South is different from other South Indian restaurants? Well, In Bangalore, first thing which comes to our mind about South Indian restaurants are Darshini’s. Will they really serve South Indian food? Certainly not! Because most of these Darshini’s origin is from Mangalore & Udupi and they are pioneers with that cuisine and I certainly love it. But not any other cuisines of South India! When it comes to some of the Andhra Style restaurants in Bangalore, they are good with respect to thali contains good quality Rice, Pappu, Vepudu, Pachhadi, Sambar and Rasam. But, these dishes are totally customized according to metropolitan palate. I have been seeing North Indian and Chinese menu at most of the South Indian restaurants. Is that cuisines really required on the menu? The ventures say yes, we require because of the demand from people who come with kids. Due to these aspects, restaurants afraid to keep only their specialties on the menu! I appreciate some of the restaurants like Rayalaseema Ruchulu and Coringa for keeping their delicacies exclusive without any other cuisines on the menu.
As the name says, Simply South had come up with a concept of incorporating all the simple South Indian Cuisines at one roof. They don’t have North Indian, Chinese, North East or Italian on their menu, which is something commendable and tough challenge for a venture with respect to foot falls. However, they did justice to the cuisine by sourcing the suppliers who supply only the freshest & finest ingredients and Chef Challu assembled an expert team of chefs who are masters in the cuisines of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamilnadu and Kerala.
Also, Simply South Hyderabad is a Time Food & Nightlife Award winning restaurant for 3 years in a row!
My Interaction with Chef Chalapathi Rao – He is a simple and down to earth personality with deep knowledge of South Indian food with good thought process. He is open to accept feedbacks, which is one of the reasons why Simple South has good following.
Ambiance at Simply South Bangalore – As the name says, the place is simple with wooden tables and portraits on the walls showcasing the specialty of south Indian states without much drama. I feel these things are more than sufficient for a diner during the time spent over here.
What did we try? It was bunch of foodies in Bangalore who visited Simply South based on Invitation from Venture through Food Bloggers Association Bangalore group. There was a preset menu with delicacies from KA, AP, TG, TN and KR. The menu consisted of Tomato Saru, Kozhi Rasam, Mokka Jonna Garelu,Gobi Kempu Bezule, Telangana Kodi Roast, Yera Varuval, Moova Vankaya, Ulavacharu, Bendakaya Vepudu, Tomato Pappu, Dum ka Murgh, Uragai Mamsam, Alleppey Fish Curry,Parotta, Idiyappam, Ragi Sangati, Annam, Sambar, Rasam, Gasgase Payasa and Godhi Hugge
Being a South Indian, the food served in Simply South is staple for me and can eat like at home. I was completely overwhelmed with the taste of each dish and was completely satisfied with food at Simply South.
Tomato Saar – A typical Karnataka dish mostly cooked to accompany with Rice. In Simply South, this was served as Soup. The portion size is slightly more for a single person and would suggest ordering 1 for 2 people. The Saar has both Spice and Sour, which hits the throat directly. The perfect dish to kick start lunch or dinner!
Mokka Jonna Garelu – The dish originated from Telangana, a simple deep fried dish made out of corn, chenna dal and some ground spices. The dish has good mild spice level and slightly sweet because of corn, which accompanied with Coconut Chutney. I feel pricing could be been bit reasonable for this dish!
Gobi Kempu Bezule – I strongly recommend this dish for Cauliflower lovers. This Mangalore based dish is crispy and spicy with loads of green chillis and garnished with fried curry leaves. The dish doesn’t have those artificial sauces and powders, which is good for health.
Muvva Vankaya – This is completely new for me. Since I have heard Yenegayi and Gutti Vankaya which are something very popular in Bangalore and often prepared at home! The Muvva Vankaya made with peanut powder and some of the spices available at Andhra Pradesh, the ground masala stuffed in fried baby brinjals. Believe, this was the showstopper for Non Vegetarian friends as well. This can certainly go well with Chapathi, Parotta and Rice.
Ulavachaaru – The dish was presented nicely and topped with some fresh cream. I have been waiting for this dish to try and my craving ended at Simply South. I have had Ulavachaaru with Ragi Sangiti, its simply outstanding with sour and spice. This is certainly my kind of dish!
Bendakaya Vepudu – The dish was crispy and chewy. I could sense the freshness though it’s a deep fried dish. It goes perfectly with white rice and enormous amount of ghee. One must definitely experience this dish without fail.
Tomato Pappu – Pappu or Dal cannot go wrong especially at places like Simply South. I totally enjoyed with ghee and rice! The Pappu could have been bit spicier side.
Ragi Sangiti – A Ragi based ball made with cut rice or without rice. This is again subjective, few regions use rice and others don’t. We have influence of Andhra Cuisine at home, so we use cut rice in Ragi Ball. The Ragi ball here was super soft, though it was warm. Hence I can come to conclusion that simply south is one of the places to get best Ragi Sangiti or Ragi ball.
Sambar & Rasam – The preparation style is more of Andhra Style and tasted indeed great with balance amount of sweet, sour and spice levels. The quality of white rice is really good!
Our Lunch ended with these Soulful South Indian Desserts!
Though we have not tried the complete menu at Simply South, I feel these should be hard enough to judge the complete place. I will surely take my family and friends again to try some of the dishes from the menu soon!
Overall, it was an indeed great experience to dine at Simply South. I would like to thank every staff for the courteousness and patience while serving the food and special thanks to Chef. Chalapathi Rao for having us at Simply South!
Address: 45 Legend, Opposite to Woodland Showroom, RMV 2nd Stage, New BEL Road, Bangalore.
Phone: 080 49652497
Opening Hours: 12 Noon to 3 PM, 7 PM to 10:30 PM
Cost: 1,000 for two people (approx.)
