At Bengaluru's Circa 11, Breakfast Is Only The Beginning

BREAKFAST IN BENGALURU will always mean dunking into the darshini at the corner. It isn’t just the promise of a quick service or a hot, comforting meal. It’s really the thrill of a limited choice; the true joy of not having to make a decision. And straying from this well-worn path doesn’t always pay off. So, why mess with a good thing? 

Well, it might be that we’re partying a little longer and waking up a little later. Also, this being the growing baby of the F&B scene means that one person looking to be lulled by a hair-of-the-dog, the other seeking the cure of coffee, can both be satisfied. (The slick satisfaction of a masala dosa is always guaranteed.) 

Bring on the egg-citement

Circa 11 sprang up on 12th Main in Indiranagar to meet these exacting requirements of one’s motley crew of friends. A little over six months ago, chef Pradyumna Harithsa, his wife Sudhiksha, a biotech engineer, and his chaddi dost Ankit Agarwal were looking for three different hits at the end of a long day. Circa 11 is their answer to all of us being able to have a meal, a coffee, and a cocktail at one place. And now, they’ve even added weekend brekkie into the mix. 

On a Sunday morning, this writer ran late into the inviting yet stark, slate-grey walls of this shapeshifting eatery to join his punctual ex-lawyer-now-voracious-reader friend. She had already scanned the tight-edited menu, which “changes through the day, there’s one for breakfast, another for lunch and one more for dinner,” our server helpfully tells us. We let her take the lead as an apology. 

While we wait for our eggs and coffee order, we play the usual Bangalore game: What used to be here before? We can’t quite remember the litany of previous names. But we’re sure that this location has lived many lives. We agreed, it’s been a college crowd burger-and-beer joint, a grown-up wood-fired pizza place and even a Shanti Sagar that whipped out executive mini-meals for the suit-and-tie brigade. 

The jogging through our millennial minds was immediately stopped with the arrival of our order. We got a Thai omelette with sticky rice, the okonomiyaki and a spinach & arugula florentine to line our bellies and a buttercream latte and cascara tonic to wet our gullets. First off, each of our egg dishes was egg-celent. The Thai omelette honoured the South-East nation’s skill with making eggs but also upped the ante with its fermented chilli-peanut sauce that singed the vices of the previous night away. Alternating this spicy punch with the cooling, creamy island of the Florentine was a perfect foil to the experience. The Japanese-style scrambled eggs drizzled with bulldog sauce – a spicy-umami rich sauce from the Land of the Rising Sun delightfully jazzed up the dish. And our beverages were perfect supporting characters, bringing a buttery after-taste or fizzy sparkle in between our moreish bites. 

Let’s toast to a great day ahead

It isn’t just that the eggs were cooked right; it was also their accompanying condiments that played well with the stars of these dishes. We surged on, splitting a serving of ricotta pancakes, while I topped up with a To Kill A Mocking A*shole – suddenly remembering that breakfast could be liquid at Circa 11 too. The pancakes were a satisfying melange of textures and tastes: fluffy met honey & salty, bruleed bananas danced with maple syrup, and velvety cream with a warm hazelnut lava. And our cocktail was as sharp as a sting; tequila tweaked with tropical flavours and the kick of a bird’s eye chilli was a shot through the spine. 

One of us was returning for a mid-morning nap, the other was prepped for an afternoon of more drinking. Neither of us left; therein lies the charm of Circa 11, one can hold the table for a rotating cast of characters and yumminess. Where’s the room for a nap, you guys? Then, we’ll never have to leave. 

Circa 11 is at 12th Main Road, Indiranagar, call 8095511011 for reservations. Breakfast on Sat & Sun, 8.30-11.30 am; Coffee & House Bakes, 9 am-7 pm; Lunch, noon-4 pm; and Dinner & Cocktails, 6 pm-midnight.