Bhojohori Manna @ Koramangala, Bangalore

For a Bengali the history of Bhojohori Manna is well known, but let me give a small introduction to others about this restaurant chain. The Bhojohori Manna restaurant was established in Kolkata few decades back and one could easily spot out top Bengali actors tasting the spicy Bengali dishes there. The name came from a famous song ami sri Bhojohori Manna sung by the famous singer Manna Dey. It is famous for its fish preparation and the sweets.
The same restaurant chain has an outlet in Bangalore at Koramangala, a good news for a Bengali  cuisine lover like me!! The restaurant is situated just opposite to the Koramangala Club. There are two floors, but I always prefer the ground floor for its ambiance. It would be advisable to reserve a table on weekends over the phone ( 080 2550 3666) otherwise you might have to wait for 15-30 mins!!
I always prefer to start with the old favorite mock tail ampora shorbot, it is made of raw mango and has a cooling and refreshing effect. I have also tried their Maxi Thali which is a combination of rice, sweet pulao, fried potato (aloo bhaja), one veg curry (shukto/cauliflower gravy etc), mango chutney, papad and sweet. It costs around INR 170. Also the Ilish shorshe (Hilsa in mustard gravy) and Bhetki paturi are the main attraction of the restaurant. Among prawn dishes Daab chingri ( large prawn served in coconut) and chingri malaikari are the hot favorites among the food lovers. One unique thing you will find here, that every dish tastes a little sweet as sugar is  used in every dish. Each non-veg dishes cost around INR180 and the veg dishes (like shukto, mocha, dhokar dalna etc) around INR 70. One must try the ice cream as a desert. It is made up of nolen gur ( jaggery) which is a specialty of Bengal.
The lunch for two would cost around INR 600-800. During festival time this place remains crowded throughout and even if you have reserved your table, you would have to wait!! A  problem which I have found here is that the waiters/ manager speak in Bengali always. They can not identify whether a person is Bengali or not and even if you tell them they feel uncomfortable in speaking Hindi/English. So you better have patience while visiting there and dealing with them... :)