Actress Rakshitha Prem talks about her love for old Bangalore

Actor-film-maker Rakshitha Prem likes South Bangalore because of its rustic food joints and green patch.

I love South Bangalore. I’ve lived there and grown up there. It holds a special place in my heart not just for that, but it also symbolises a lot of what Bangalore is.

It is green and filled with gardens and most of the natives are all traditional Kannadigas. It shows how the charm of old Bangalore is still alive. When I go past the bylanes of Chamarajpet and Gandhi Bazaar, it has an appeal that cannot be described.

And the fact that I’ve spent a lot of my growing years with my parents in these areas makes me swear by a lot of places there.
Not many know this, after my play school in Swathi Play Home in Basavanagudi, I did my nursery in East West School in KR Road.

And after shifting to Mumbai, I always used to come back to visit some of my favourite hangouts during my vacations. The National Lassi Bar opposite my play home was a favourite, I loved their kulfis.

The best place undoubtedly is the food street in VV Puram. I love the place and make time to visit the area even today. The food out there is simply amazing. From chaats to dosas to akki roti, there are so many options. My other favourite dosa place is Vidhyarthi Bhavan. The dosas there are legendary.

Cosmopolitan Club is another place I’ve spent many of my growing years in. It used to be the place I spent most New Year Eves with my parents. There’s another Chinese restaurant called Canton in Jayanagar, 3rd Block, which I used to frequent a lot.

They used to make really good chicken and it used to be one of the few Chinese places in the area. Sukh Sagar in Jayangar, 4th Block, was and still remains a favourite, as does Nagarjuna for their spicy and yummy Andhra food.

Now, the area has a lot of the modern joints that have spread their branches there. I hang out with my friends at the Cafe Coffee Day in 4th Block at times. We even have a Barbeque Nation in JP Nagar.

KFC, McDonalds and other international chains too have set shop here. But, South Bangalore for me will always be a place where I can see my roots and feel happy with every visit.