Swami and Friends are peering at us from the wall. They’re watching us observe the creatively-designed menu, as my companion and I dilly-dally over what to order.
We’re at Flavours of Lalgudi in the busy Abhiramapuram locality, a place that would delight anyone who has read the works of R.K. Narayan. The place should ideally have been ‘Malgudi’, considering the illustrations from Narayan’s Malgudi Days that adorn the wall, but there’s another restaurant in the city by that name.
After much ado, we settle on the classic tomato soup to kick-start our dinner. It helps that we’re the only early birds on a weekday evening; the service is quick and prompt. The soup arrived hot and fresh, tangy and garnished with breads crumbs and a dollop of butter over it.
The customary starter done with, we proceed to the main course and zero in on a tandoor platter. The paneer-lover in me was delighted as the waiter filled our plate with six chunks of paneer in three varieties. The rest of the platter came in threes as well, of gobi , stuffed mushrooms and mustard potatoes. And there’s a creatively-cut naan and gravy to go with it, as well.
The gravy, a delightfully-made Shahi paneer, adds to our paneer dose of the day. “Shahi means royal,” says our helpful, well-informed waiter, “This is especially for you.”
Unaware that we’re here for a review, we’re treated with great care nevertheless. The serving sizes though, for a platter that costs Rs. 425, leave us wanting more.
A few other tables have filled up by the time we finish our platter. We casually notice an elderly couple with a plate of podi idli and onion rava dosa in front of them, who seem to be looking longingly at our paneer.
We finish off our meal with a bowl of carrot halwa, which tasted as good as it looked. With a liberal amount of ghee and cashewnuts, the halwa is worth every bite.. Those who watch their calories might dread it, but well, when it tastes this good, who cares?
There are other elements in the restaurant that add to the ‘rustic vegetarian experience’ . The bill does not arrive in the standard folder, but is instead placed in a moram and azha . Its these little things that take you to the world of Swami and Friends.
