Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) at Bangalore is one of the busiest in the country and everyday there are plenty of Domestic & International travelers transiting through the airport.  They might be either Arriving or Departing from the airport.  And as a traveler, everyone likes to have a relaxing time either at one of the Lounges, relax on their seats or browse the internet.  But most importantly everyone is also looking to have eat something for staying energetic and drink to stay sufficiently hydrated.   I recently got an opportunity to visit the KIA to the food served in some restaurants which I will be sharing through this blog.

Background

KIA is the airport that caters to travelers from Bangalore and few adjoining towns.  It is one of the busiest airport because of the booming economy in Bangalore, capital of Karnataka.  This place has the maximum number of IT companies in the India and highest exporter of Software & Services in the country.  There are plenty of delegates travelling from across the globe to have business meeting.  It is quite essential that the right food is available at the airport as it gives the first impression to a business traveler.

Karnataka is also a state that is quite popular for tourism with multiple places to visit, to see the monuments, wildlife, forests, greenery & the culture.  Some of the popular places include – Mysore for the Palaces, Belur & Hampi for historic monuments showcasing architectural brilliance, Chikmanglur & Coorg for their coffee plantations, Bandipur & Kudremukh for the forests, Kemangundi for the hills and many more.  Tourists coming here are looking to try local cuisine at every given opportunity, it firstly starts from the airport.

KIA has invested a lot of time in bringing in the right kind of restaurant serving global cuisine to leave a lasting impression for every traveler.

Variety – Spice of Life

The term variety is quite necessary in the food business as everyone has different set of taste-buds.  It is necessary to be have multiple options for people to choose from.  During my visit, I did get a flavour of the variety.

La Tapenade – Mediterranean

Mediterranean cuisine has become quite popular among people because of the simplicity, taste and health benefits.  The 3 core elements of this cuisine are Olive, Wheat and the Grape, which yield to Olive Oil, Bread, Pasta and Wine respectively.  The cuisine is popular among the countries around the Mediterranean Sea.  But many of the countries also have their local cuisine – distinct regional cuisines, from the Maghreb, Levant, Ottoman, Italian, French and Spanish.  Some of the most popular food from this cuisine includes – Pasta, Pizza, Sausage, Wine, Gyros, Kebab and Falafel.

This restaurant situated in the International section is one of the most popular and in general crowded.  I tasted couple of items at this restaurant – Mezze Platter and Ice Tea.

Mezze Platter had the perfect combination of Pita bread & Falafel served along with Tabbouleh, Hummus, Baba Ghanoush, Black Olives and Salads.  Falafel is a traditional Middle Eastern food, commonly served in a pita, which acts as a pocket, or wrapped in a flatbread known as taboon; ‘Falafel’ also frequently refers to a wrapped sandwich that is prepared in this way.  This platter is a must try at this restaurant.

Ice Tea is one of the popular refreshers that can be taken along with food.  I tried the Lemon based Ice Tea which tasted good.

Tiffin Centre – South Indian

This restaurant is setup to reflect the South Indian tradition.  There are thatched roofs, doors with grills, brassware items and photos from local regions.  The food is served on Stainless Steel plates and cups which is like how food is consumed at our homes.

Assorted Veg Snack Platter had variety of items – Chilli Bajji, Spinach Bonda and Masala Vada.  It is served along with coconut chutney and some onions.  Though the seasoning was little off for a local person like me, but I did enjoy the other flavors in them.  This is one of my special recommendation for anyone travelling across Domestic section.

Buttermilk was good as it was quite thick and had the right amount of salt.  This is traditionally taken at homes along with the meal and it acts as a coolant for the body.

Non-vegetarians also have one of the traditional favorite – Koli Barthade (Coorg Fried Chicken), which I have been told is quite tasty.

Apart from the above mentioned, they do have Thali for anyone looking to enjoy multiple varieties in one plate.

La Alta Vita – Italian

This is one of the cuisine that is the most popular across the globe apart from the Indian and Chinese.  Some of the most popular dishes among kids & adults is the Pizza and Pasta.  I am sure most of us would love grabbing at any given point of time.

Minestrone soup is a thick soup of Italian origin made with vegetables, often with the addition of pasta or rice, sometimes both. Common ingredients include beans, onions, celery, carrots, stock, and tomatoes.  The taste was brilliant which was enhanced due to addition of cheese on top.

Pizza Vegeteriano was decent with topping of Bell Peppers, Onions, Sun-dried tomatoes & some Basil Leaves. There was plenty of cheese added on top which made it quite tasty.  The only concern I had was with regards to the base, which seemed a little hard like a biscuit instead of being soft.

Non-veg lovers can try the Pesto Chicken & Roasted Peppers Pizza and White Pizza which have prawns as one of the topping.

Puro Gusto

This is an Italian Coffee shop where we get the best of Salads, Snacks, Chocolates & Coffee.  In general, we see coffee shops in airport, but the idea of having Italian coffee shop is quite unique.

Hot Chocolate is one my favorite drinks and someone specially recommended me to try it out.  This is a pure hot chocolate with milk, there is no whipped cream added on top.  The chocolate taste along with the milk was very good and it was quite yummy.  This does not come with whipped cream.  If you need it, then you will need to pick up a drink from the TOP CUP section.

There are plenty of Salad (Veg &  Non-Veg) varieties at this place which are well plated with multiple Veggies and taste good due to freshness.

Fruit lovers need not worry as they have Fruit Bowl which has the freshly cut fruits.  There are atleast 5-10 varieties of fruits, with special toppings of Pomegranate.

Apple Pie is one of the snacks I had for desert and it was just perfect in terms of flavor.  It wasn’t on the sweeter side like what we can find in many other places.

Overall Experience

This was one of the most unique experience for me in a long time.  An opportunity to visit the restaurants inside the KIA, not having to go through the long & tedious security check-In and just have basic checks before entering inside was fun.  I enjoyed the food served at all the 4 places in the Airport.  Specially loved the Mezze Platter, South Indian Snacks Platter, Minestrone Soup & Hot Chocolate.  I recommend that every travellers transiting the KIA, does a stop-over at places mentioned and enjoy the food at the restaurants.

I rate my overall experience at 4.5/5.

References

Mediterranean Cuisine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_cuisine
Minestrone Soup
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minestrone
Kempegowda International Airport
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kempegowda_International_Airport