ITP Indian Travel Places: Food, Travel, Tourism Business Events and Trade Shows
Address: 2, Bagirathi Ammal Street, T. Nagar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Time: 12 Noon to 10 PM
Meals for two: Rs. 1500
Cuisines: South Indian
Facilities: Home Delivery
Bhakshana by Paati Veedu, T. Nagar, Chennai: Decor
Bhakshana by Paati Veedu is a happy space. Bright, rambling, stately and colorful, this old home in T Nagar has got a fabulous face-lift, complete with vibrant colors, blue pillars and antiques. One wall in the covered courtyard is bright yellow with a green tree of life stenciled on. A staircase leads to the first floor, where more seating is in place, both inside and outside. Should you decide to brave the heat and sit on the wooden swings with brass suspenders, you are welcome to. Luckily, it’s anchored to the floor and will not shake even if a gust of wind decides to sweep past. But the heat and wind will soon be controlled, as they plan to glass-up and air-condition the outside as well.
Bhakshana by Paati Veedu, T. Nagar, Chennai: Food
A set menu called Poorna Bhakshana (complete meal) leaves little scope for doubt. No need to dilly-dally and waste time over what to eat. My meal has a beginning and an end with lots happening in between. Most of the recipes are those that have been tried, tested and perfected over generations. The cooking mediums are wood-pressed gingelly oil or pure ghee. My healthy, hearty lunch begins with sprout sundal. Well-cooked, it has little bits of raw mango adding extra bite, while hand torn whole red chillies, mustard seeds and curry leaves make the typical tadka.
What does throw me a wee bit is the paani puri sitting on my south Indian platter. Then, I discover that the warm, filtered rasam has replaced the usual paani. It’s different, I think, making sure I eat it fast, lest the puri gets soggy and leaky.
Thin and crisp, the adai is accompanied by traditional jaggery, pure, white, freshly churned butter and podi with gingelly oil. Watching the butter melt into my hot adai is pure bliss. I happily scoop a chunk of jaggery in my butter-drenched piece and thoroughly enjoying the salty sweetness till it lasts.
Two types of rasam — pepper and pineapple — accompany the vaangi bath. I like the vaangi bath by itself. Each grain of well-cooked rice is separate and has managed to soak in the flavors of the freshly ground spices. Even the boondi raitha is spongy, complementing the rice without infringing on its limelight. A sip of the pineapple rasam cleanses my palate. I realize I’m dipping into the little bucket holding the vadams when the crunch from my bite brings me back to earth.
From the batch of three desserts in the platter, I enjoy the elaneer payasam best. Mildly sweetened, its white translucence holds tender coconut pieces, making the dessert a fitting, comfortable end to a lovely meal. I wouldn’t say the same about the other two desserts, paal poli and jackfruit payasam.
Bhakshana by Paati Veedu, T. Nagar, Chennai: Plus & Minus
It has taken one whole year for the Bhakshana dream to see reality. The management is still learning what works and unlearning what doesn’t. Being open to suggestions is a huge point in their favor, more since they are first time restaurateurs. Their passion is evident in every nuance of the restaurant. For example, they keep away from processed ingredients. Even their pickles, so integral to south Indian food, are made using wood-pressed oil.
