Written in February, before ToTT had updated its menu. A review of the newly added dishes will follow when campus resumes.

On the 25th of January, the Talk of The Town (ToTT), and Mr. Idli eateries were inaugurated by Prof. Sudhirkumar Barai. The new restaurants, located on the premises of the now-defunct Food King eatery, have brought about much buzz on campus and have been met positively by students. In a rather short period of time, ToTT and Mr. Idli have managed to attract a sizeable chunk of the usual Looters crowd.

The premises that the eateries have opened in were redecorated over the past semester, by adding aesthetic furniture, repainting the walls, improving the lighting, and putting up posters referencing pop-culture. The warm lighting, and the billboard hits playing in the background, lends to a warm and cozy ambience, despite the premises getting congested during rush-hours.

The Indian and Indo-Chinese delicacies, especially the “Paneer Roll” and “Dry Manchurian” are some of the most popular dishes served here. Though the portions are small, the dishes are rather heavy and filling, although when you ask for the food to be packaged, the portion sizes are larger. The vegetarian dishes have received general praise, but the consensus on the non-vegetarian items is that they fall short of their counterparts available at ANC and Looters, especially when the prices are contrasted.

The South-Indian dishes available include “Uthappams”, “Dosas”, and “Idlis”. While the food is light and delicious, the portion sizes leave much to be wanted. Most students agree that the South-Indian food lacks authenticity, but there nonetheless weren’t many complaints about the same.

The prices at ToTT and Mr. Idli are more expensive than their counterparts at Looters and ANC, but the options on the menu provide a variety and taste not found at any other late-night eatery in BITS. We would recommend that you visit ToTT/Mr. Idli if you haven’t already, to get a taste of something new.