Neon Castle Takes on Mysuru’s Culinary Heritage This Dasara: From Mysore Pak to Palav, Reimagined

Mysuru during Dasara is an experience in itself. The illuminated palace, the festive streets, the city’s rich cultural traditions and its legendary food make it one of Karnataka’s most compelling destinations during the season. But if you’re planning a trip from Bengaluru this year, there’s another reason to make room in your itinerary: a dining experience that takes Mysuru’s familiar flavours somewhere entirely unexpected.

At Neon Castle, a chef-led restaurant housed in a restored 90-year-old bungalow, husband-and-wife duo Shamanth Ramachandra and Keerthana Ramegowda are exploring the possibilities of Indian food through a distinctly personal lens. Their approach brings together familiar Indian flavours, Asian influences and international techniques, resulting in a menu that is as much about discovery as it is about the pleasure of a good meal.

For the couple, Neon Castle is more than a restaurant. It is the coming together of over 15 years of shared life, creativity and entrepreneurship, shaped by their individual interests and a common desire to create memorable experiences around food.

Shamanth, a self-taught chef, has spent years exploring global cuisines, ingredients and cooking techniques, developing a distinctive approach to menu creation and storytelling through food. Keerthana, also a chef, brings her interests in design, culture and hospitality to the kitchen and the wider dining experience. A civil engineering graduate, she has played a pivotal role in shaping Neon Castle’s identity, drawing on her personal connection to her ancestral family home to transform the 90-year-old property into a space that feels warm, intimate and full of character. Family artwork, heirlooms and thoughtful design elements lend the restaurant a deeply personal identity, reflecting the couple’s shared vision of hospitality.

Together, they have built a dining destination that reflects a wider shift in India’s independent dining scene, where chefs are looking beyond conventional interpretations of regional cuisine to explore the stories, techniques and traditions that shape it. At Neon Castle, this translates into an approach that brings local culinary heritage into conversation with contemporary techniques and global influences, creating experiences that are rooted in Mysuru yet speak to a broader, increasingly curious dining audience.

When Mysuru’s Culinary Icons Meet a New Imagination

This Dasara, Neon Castle is taking that spirit of discovery back to the roots of Mysuru’s food culture. Through two culinary explorations inspired by the city’s beloved food institutions, World of Mysore Pak and Hanumanthu Palav, the chefs are inviting diners to rediscover familiar favourites in an entirely new light.

The idea is rooted in the couple’s philosophy of food adaptation. Rather than simply borrowing flavours or recreating a popular dish, Shamanth and Keerthana believe in understanding the original preparation first: its ingredients, techniques, history and the people who have preserved it over generations. That means stepping outside their own kitchen, meeting the people behind these culinary institutions, and experiencing their craft at its source before bringing those learnings back to Neon Castle.

The result is a pair of creations that celebrate Mysuru’s food heritage while showcasing the chefs’ instinct for experimentation.

First up is the Mysore Pak Cake with Mysore Malige Ice Cream and Candied Orange, inspired by the iconic sweet that has long been synonymous with the city. To understand the craft behind Mysore Pak, Shamanth and Keerthana visited the kitchen of World of Mysore Pak and interacted with its founders, learning about the traditional preparation process and the techniques that define the sweet.

Back at Neon Castle, that experience evolved into a dessert that takes the familiar identity of Mysore Pak into a new format. Mysore Malige ice cream brings delicate floral notes to the plate, while candied orange adds a citrusy contrast, creating a fresh interpretation of a much-loved Mysuru classic.

The second creation draws from another of the city’s culinary landmarks: Hanumanthu Palav. Established in 1930 and now run by its third generation of owners, the institution is known for its traditional palav and old-school wood-fire cooking. For the Neon Castle chefs, a visit to its kitchen offered an opportunity to understand the preparation methods and experience the craft that has shaped its reputation over decades.

Their interpretation takes the form of Hanumanthu Palav with Roast Lamb and Sherva Foam. Inspired by the familiar flavours and traditions of Hanumanthu Palav, the dish brings those learnings into Neon Castle’s own culinary vocabulary, pairing the inspiration of a Mysuru institution with a contemporary presentation.

Both dishes begin with an appreciation of the original. What follows is an expression of the chefs’ own creativity, where tradition serves as the starting point for something new.

A Different Kind of Dasara Food Trail

For travellers coming from Bengaluru, this is an opportunity to make a Mysuru visit about more than the usual sightseeing circuit. Spend the day soaking in the city’s Dasara celebrations, explore its cultural landmarks, and set aside time for a meal that offers a different perspective on its culinary identity.

Neon Castle’s setting is part of the appeal. Tucked inside a restored ancestral bungalow, the restaurant brings together the character of an old Mysuru home and a dining philosophy that looks beyond conventional boundaries. It is a place where heritage is not confined to the architecture or the stories attached to the property; it also finds its way onto the plate.

That connection between place, memory and food is central to Shamanth and Keerthana’s vision. Their work with World of Mysore Pak and Hanumanthu Palav reflects a desire to learn from the people who have kept Mysuru’s culinary traditions alive, while finding new ways to introduce those traditions to diners.

The dishes are not intended to replace or replicate the originals. Instead, they offer a conversation between the familiar and the unexpected, inviting guests to appreciate the source while experiencing it through a different lens.

As Mysuru comes alive for Dasara, Neon Castle offers a compelling addition to the city’s festive itinerary: a chance to explore its food heritage through the imagination of two chefs who are deeply invested in the city, its stories and the possibilities of its cuisine.

So, if you are looking for a reason to make that Bengaluru-to-Mysuru trip this Dasara, consider this your invitation to take the scenic route through the city’s flavours. The palace may draw you to Mysuru, but a meal at Neon Castle could well become one of the most memorable parts of the journey.

Neon Castle: https://www.neoncastle.in/

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