COIMBATORE: It could be easily mistaken for a thin-crusted pizza, with generous topping of cheese. But, this is Yaari’s special roti, which is served in small portions. It feels light and the cheese shavings make it addictive. The plate is passed around and, in minutes, we polish off every slice!
The restaurant is a perfect mix of traditional and modern cuisines. On the one hand, you have the gulab jamuns and kachoris and, on the other, are Chinese starters, noodles, ice creams and sizzling hot brownies. Says Uday Rawal, one of the owners, “Our idea is to offer a fine-dine experience, where you can enjoy fusion cuisine. We want to make everything — from chaats to desserts — available under one roof. We have also added street-food delicacies to our menu. But, the idea is not to make the clients sit at one place and order them. There are live kitchens where they can see the chaats being prepared. All this adds to the dining experience.”
Love and longing for Mumbai street food drove Uday to start Yaari as a one-stop halt for North Indian khaana in the city. So, when the restaurant opened, the first thing he added to the menu was tawa pulao and pav bhaji! “You get these two dishes in every street-food outlet in Mumbai. I have been in Coimbatore for many years. I used to crave Mumbai street food, but nowhere could I find an authentic fare. ” He discussed the idea with his colleagues — Vishal Jain, Vishal C and Pravin — who hopped on board and are now the co-owners.
The menu also has ancient recipes. “Like the thandai, a variant of milk shake from Rajasthan. The milk-based drink, rich in dry fruits, used to be served to the royalty.”
The place is homely, resembling a terrace garden. With live kitchen counters and smiling waiters, the place has a warm and friendly air. A tumbler of cool masala chaas kick-starts our fare, followed by hot vegetable kebabs, served with pudheena chutney and a cream dip. For the main course, we dig into lachha paratha, miloni sabzi, bajra roti and garlic cheese naan. We round off our meal with gulab jamun that melts in our mouth. The dessert section also has sizzling brownie, served with a scoop of ice cream.
But the restaurant has become synonymous with chaat in the city. One of us even ordered their dahi chaat as dessert! “Our raj kachoris and soups also have a loyal following. The chilli garlic basil soup is the most popular.”
Uday says they are planning to start a live breakfast counter to sell jalebis, soon. “We also want to entertain the diners. So, very soon, ghazal sessions, Punjabi dhol beats and melodic guitar riffs will greet the diners when they enter the restaurant. They will come near your table and perform exclusively for you, on special requests. Our idea is to make dining a personalised experience.”
Yaari is located at Bharathi Park, 6th Cross, Sai Baba Colony. For details, call 095855-41371
