Shree Anandhas, Near Lakshmi Mills Junction
Every time we visit Anandhas, there is lip-smacking suspense. “What halwa is it going to be today?” This restaurant near Lakshmi Mills has a different surprise every day. I remember once I had paid the bill and was about to leave the place when I saw a waiter pass by with this smoking-hot, glossy and garnet-coloured something. I followed him and found out it was karupatti halwa.
I sat myself down again and the deliciously decadent sweet and never felt so happy. Red velvet halwa, halwas made of guava, pineapple, jackfruit… Sathesh Srinivasan of Anandhas enjoys experimenting with the sweet stuff. Fruits, millets, organic jaggery are married in different proportions and combinations and the result is usually edible decadence. “We can’t make good halwa or kesari without lots of ghee,” says Sathesh. By then, we are way beyond caring and we order another round of banana halwa.
Noruks, Bharathi Park Road
Every day, on the way to work, I see this bright yellow board proclaiming “Noruks”. I figured it had something to do with crunchy munchies but a colleague told me that they also offered sweets. So I stopped to check out the halwas on offer.
Noruks offers three kinds of halwa: milk karuppatti, aloe vera-amla and beetroot. The best thing about the place is that the sweets are made not with sugar but with karuppatti vellam. And, of course, with pure ghee; no refined oils.
It threw me a little to find the aloe vera-amla halwa was black in colour. Given aloe’s colourless gel and the greeny-yellow amla, I expected something yellowish or translucent. Seeing my expression, the gentleman at the counter explained that the colour is derived from the karuppatti. It’s mildly sweet, which makes all those who think anything sweet is bad very happy, and doesn’t make you feel sick if you indulge yourself a bit.
Like everything else made of beetroot, the halwa is also pink. The texture was more like gajar halwa and the taste … well, I hate beetroot as a veggie but I’ll gladly eat this halwa. Doesn’t that tell you how good it is?
The milk karuppatti halwa was the sweetest of the lot but left me feeling as if a little bit would go a long way. Probably the best to go for when you want a sugar rush. Of the three, my choice would be the beetroot halwa.
A1 Chips, Ramanathapuram
I come from a family of halwa lovers. And, while I always ensure I drop enough hints back home in Kerala to get gifts of halwa, I too reciprocate in kind. So, on one of my halwa hunt trips, I chanced upon a great gifting option. I found colourful halwa squares at A1 in different flavours. I could pick and choose my favourites or go for their packed option of six assorted fruit flavours.
The available flavours are guava, dry fruits, grapes, mango, orange, pineapple, green apple, cashew-nut and custard apple. They also sell the traditional, melt-in-the-mouth Tirunelveli Halwa , Milk Halwa and the red Kerala halwa.
But the fruit-flavoured halwa squares are my favourites. The mango one, with its lovely fragrance of the fruit, is just irresistible. I try and sample as many flavours as I can before buying two dabbas for my aunt back home and one for myself. I shall jog an extra mile, I make a silent promise to myself as I pay the bill.
RHR, Opposite the Railway Station
There isn’t a better way to start the day than by digging into rava kesari at RHR. It is warm, has just the right sweetness and melt-in-the-mouth. Finely roast rava in ghee, add the right amount sugar, a dollop of ghee and throw in a fistful of fried cashewnuts and raisins and the sweet delight is ready to savour, says R. Gurumoorthy, partner of RHR. He is at the hotel at the crack of dawn to oversee the kitchen. “I am the first to taste the kesari straight out of the pan. It tastes very different when it is piping hot,” he assures me.
As the hotel is located just right opposite the Railway Junction, they ensure that kesari is available on the menu all through the day. Some like to indulge in the sweet dish as a mid-morning snack or an evening snack. “When they come in groups we advise them to order one plate, which everyone can dig into. This will keep their guilt at check,” laughs Gurumoorthy.
In the evenings, the kesari gets a makeover and is made from fresh fruits like pomegranate, grapes, apple, musk melon, guava… And, there is ‘Sugar Free’ wheat halwa too on offer.
Beyond the sweets
Just in case you want a palate cleanser between halwas in any of these outlets, they all have great savoury options too. At Noruks you can have murukku, thattais, mixture, etc. and continue to feel virtuous, as they are made of millets and fried in rice bran oil that somehow lessens the sin. RHR, of course, is a favourite haunt for its dosas, bajjis and bondas, just perfect for an evening pick-me-up after a weary day at work. A1 is savoury heaven with its assortment of chips and more. If you are finicky about eating hot savouries, they also have paniyarams, bread chana and pav bhaji. At Anandhas, the surprise continues as each new day brings with a different dosai or adai.
(PHOTOS: M. PERIASAMY, S. SIVA SARAVANAN, PARSHATHY J. NATH AND SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT)
