Ever been in a fix about where to find the best-milled products, perhaps to whip up some of your favourite South Indian dishes? Bookmark the iconic Sivananda Stores in Seshadripuram as the one-stop-shop for all your home needs, including freshly milled products. Started in 1937 by BN Annayappa, it's one of Bangalore’s oldest provision stores, and the area near it -- Sivananda Circle -- has been named after the store. It's an iconic as it can get. Currently managed by BP Suresh (Annayappa’s grandson) and his wife, Savitha Suresh, the store (with the mill just below it) gets over 300 customers on a daily basis, which goes up to 600 or beyond during festivals.
The first thing you notice on entering the old school store is the mild aroma of spices, which you can savour while you get yourself a token from the counter and wait for your turn to be served by the pleasant and courteous staff. The most in-demand products here are the flours (everything from wheat flour and rice flour to moong flour) their puffed rice which has fans all over the city and their spices, which include not-so-easily available ones such as fresh methi powder, amla powder, cinnamon powder, sambar powder and rasam powder. Apart from their packs of dhokla mix, health mix and ragi malt, we also love that they have started stocking gluten-free products like buckwheat, quinoa and water chestnuts apart from regional favourites such as millets.