This is purely my opinion. You are reading it at the risk of wasting your time and mentally disputing my ideas. In any case if this starts a debate well and good.
The universal appeal of the tangy taste and fresh flavour of south Indian cuisine makes one search with earnest intent for Southie joints everywhere in the world. Bombay and Delhi restauranteurs have gotten savvy about this and dish out Madrassi items like Badha Sambhur and Massala Dossa. But at the cost of curbing cultural exchanges, I insist that only a south Indian gourmet and restauranteur gets it right. At the same time our Idli Dosa joints are notorious for their poor service quality and noisy, cramped and somewhat dirty ambience. The waiters want to get rid of you fast, like a Sulabh Shauchalay attendant. And then the debate whether Sambar and Rasam should have a touch of sugar, or Dosa should be thick and brown like in Bangalore or white and thin-crisp like in Chennai. So I thought I should also venture my opinion, basking in the glorious feeling of a brunch at Murugan's on Saturday morning.
The Menu
Idli, Vada, Dosa round the clock
Coconut, coriander, gongura and tomato chutneys
Sambar - fresh, flavoursome and free-flowing (same goes for chutneys)
Fresh chutney power(podi) with til oil and ghee
Mysore Rasam
Lemon rice
Avial, Mor Kuzumbu
Poriyal not with bogus vegetables like beet root, but beans, carrots, ladies finger etc.
A dal-based curry (is it called thoyil?)
A tangy Gojju like pineapple
Puliyogare
Crisp vadams appalams, sandige
Real filter coffee and also good tea for the less fortunate.
Rava Idli, Pongal, and uppma
Poori with saagu and potato curry
Kosambri
Good mango and lemon pickles
Curd rice not dry or sour
Badam Milk, Butter Milk
Fresh juices
Carrot Halwa, Jamoon, good Kesaribath, Ras Malai
Kulfi, Ice Cream
Thali at lunch and light buffet at dinner. A la carte tiffin.
Service and Ambience
Decent seating with walking space
No smelly carpets or dingy corners behind moldy curtains
No street noises
Well lit
Banana leaf on stainless steel plates, silver tumbers for coffee etc.
Good clean filtered cold water
Clean and polite waiters
No noisy talk among staff
No din of stainless steel utensils being washed or stacked
A lobby like waiting area with a small handicraft shop
Good betel-nut, Beeda
Credit card payment
Generous tips allowed
Clean toilets, discreetly located clean wash basins
Parking not too cumbersome
Separate urchin play area
No noisy TV
Soft good instrumental Carnatic music
Must not cost more than Starbucks or Pizzahut for a meal.
Location:Murugan's Idli Shop
