The bright interior is separated from a well-maintained garden by sheer glass. The seating is comfortable and the waiting is made pleasant by some wondrous instrumental music.

Quiet and unassuming Meena, R&D Head of Mahamudra, guides us through the menu. The wholly vegetarian fare includes a la carte snacks, soups, starters, beverages, main courses, side courses and desserts.

For those who like a gamut of tastes in their plate at one go - the Mahamudra thali serves the purpose, says Meena. All the dishes in the restaurant are wheat based - wheat pulav, wheat bisi bela bhath, wheat flakes with curd and the like - to better suit the nutritional needs of the clients.

The welcome drink made of khas (vetti veru), a herbal coolant and sabza (tulsi) seeds trickles down your throat preparing your digestive system for the feast ahead.

This is followed by steaming kona shorba. Made of cooked and mashed drumstick and dal - the soup reminds you of rustic flavours whipped up at your paternal village. This is accompanied by mutli-grain bread toasted in olive oil. The bread is baked inhouse.

The thali follows with a number of small china bowls containing ragi kanji - a porridge made of roast and ground red millet - that smells like an infusion of chocolate and coffee and tastes great with the vegetable kurma; vegetable and fruit salads, drizzled with olive oil - their crunchiness assuring you of the freshness of ingredients used.

What catches my eye is the tantalising dal, keerai (greens) and mint vadai that occupies centre stage in the plate. Fried to perfection, the vadai is crisp on the outside; a bite with the tomato chutney - and it disappears in seconds.

The keerai poriyal (sabzi) is made of finely chopped and carefully fried greens with flavour and colour intact.

While we are downing all this, another plate laden with bowls is brought in. We start expressing our denial of second helpings - much to the amusement of our host - when we are informed that this is the second part of the Mahamudra thali!

This plate comprises the main course dishes. There is wheat bisi bela bath served with a dollop of ghee; wheat sambar `rice`; `curd rice` made of wheat flakes, pomegranate and chopped cucumber; a crisp and thin pesarattu dosa and creamy palani kheer to serve as dessert.

Onion is used sparingly while garlic is a strict no in their dishes, says Meena. The restaurant proposes to introduce rice based dishes shortly, she adds.

The Mahamudra thali, as Meena assures us, plays with a variety of flavours on our taste buds.

Mahamudra is located centrally at Luz near Nageswar Rao park.

Lakshmi Krishnamoorthy