Usually the Kadamba restaurant will be the first one you will come across. Though the food is good, this lacks variety. All you get is some variety rice like Pongal , Puliyogere and curd rice.
You can also try Kamat Lokha Ruchi, which will be some 20 KM further from Kadambam. But, My Strong recommendation is Vasudev Adiga's in Maddur. You will get a good variety and great taste. It must be around 90 km from Bangalore, if you have set ur trip meter to 0 when you started. My favourite is Shavige bathDo a google if you do not know what that is.
Outer ring road work is happening in full swing around Mysore and due to which you will end up spending 30-45 minutes in that stretch alone. My guess is , it will take at least one more year to complete it fully.
So, to avoid it, take a right at the Ranganathittu Junction itself which is few KM before Mysore. This junction looks like a roundtana and quite obvious. Keep driving for 30-45 minutes in that stretch. In the first 2-3 km itself, you will find the entrance for Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary on the right. It's your choice to stop or continue driving. This road will take you totally out of Mysore city and connects you directly at Yelawal, which is at the outskirts of Mysore and at least 10-15 Km from the city. This road may not be of the same quality as the Mysore expressway, with few bumps on the way. But considering the time you save, it is worth a try. I saved about an hour taking this route. If you are really sure of it, go upto Mysore and take the outer ring road/Hunsur road to reach Yelawal.
May be due to the tiredness, the last 20 km stretch felt really long and appeared to be taking eternity's time. But only when returning that i realized that it is actually 20 Km only.
The location of the resort is nice. Quiet and laid back. Perfect for a quiet weekend. We took a cottage and it was pretty spacious and opened out to plush green outside the french window. They have a local folk lore program in the evening. That night, there was some folk dance program where guys were dressed as Lion, Monkey etc. When the 'Lion' came roaring near Bharath, he was so terrified and screaming :D. He didn't want me to dance with the 'lion' as well and kept calling me "Appa, don't go":)
One catch is on the tariff. I feel that the resorts in that belt,including Coorg, Kabini, are overpriced and do not give 100% value for the money we spend. Though the place is all nice and all the 3 meals are covered for that INR 10K that you pay for a night, i still feel it is worth INR 7-8K . You can also go for a Safari that these guys arrange. It will cost you INR 15oo/adult. My advice will be, take your own car and get into the national park. Better to start before 7 AM so that you get to spot the herd of elephants and other animals. Spotting a tiger is a rarity, but one may come across the trails.
We were lazing around and started only at 10 AM for the safari. We were lucky to spot some deers and sloth bear etc.
The customer service is good and the buffet spread all the 3 meals a day is decent. Make sure you have some physical activities to get that heavy meal digested. :p