M. Jayaveeran has brought felled and discarded coconut and palm trees back to life. In his hands, the sturdy trunks of these dead trees have become chairs and tables in a garden restaurant. A software engineer and the scion of a family running a restaurant business, Jayaveeran has set up a pretty, open-air vegetarian restaurant — on the Tambaram-Velachery Main Road, near the Quiad-e-Milleth College in Medavakkam — that draws eyes for its novel furniture.
Colourful seats
These trunks have been painted in vivid colours and planted as legs for the tables, the chairs and the sinks. Strikingly painted trunks of varying heights have gone into the making of the restaurant's undulating fence. The shapes of the wooden table tops and chair seats are also offbeat and contribute handsomely to the overall quirkiness.
The vital reason for opting for such an organic design is the restaurant's proximity to Nature — the Nanmangallam Reserve Forest forms its backdrop. “To keep the area clean of vegetable refuse, we have decided not to cook here,” says Jayaveeran. “Except for tea, coffee and dosas — which are made at the location — the entire range of food is brought from Vibunaa Bhavan, our main restaurant on Mambakkam Main Road, around two km away.”
Parasols that serve as shields against the sun allow the restaurant to function through the day, but most of its business is conducted in the hours immediately following sunrise and sunset.
