The sky is turning crimson and the fruit vendors are in a hurry; once it’s dark, their jade-green grapes will find no takers. Just about 100 metres into Tank Bund Road that leads off the bustling BH Road is Meenakshi Bhavan, where a zen-like aura rests despite the milling crowd and appreciative clientèle.
Waiters take orders with practised ease, and the restaurant’s patrons know why they are there — to eat. Rarely do you see someone whip out a phone to take a photo of the steaming hot idli or unfurl a masala dosa to capture its creamy potato filling. When they do, you know they’ve come from elsewhere, drawn by the name. Time stands still here, like founder AS Sreenivasaiah, intended it to.
KIND ATTENTION: SRI ALWIN THIS IS FOR THE SUPPLIMENT RELATED TO ARTCILE BY SHOBHA RAO -------------------- Shivamogga, Karnataka 01. 04. 2018 Crispy and tasty Masala Dosa is also one of the attraction in Meenakshi Bhavan, in Shivamogga. Photo VAIDYA
The focus of the restaurant, over 100 years old, has always been traditional food, served with quiet efficiency. It was named after his aunt, known for her abilities in the kitchen, and began operations in NR Pura, before moving to BB Street, Shivappa Nayak Circle, and then to its present location, where it has stood for nearly five decades now.
A place of bonding
KIND ATTENTION: SRI ALWIN THIS IS FOR THE SUPPLIMENT RELATED TO ARTCILE BY SHOBHA RAO -------------------- Shivamogga, Karnataka 01. 04. 2018 K. S. Chandrashekar, popularly known as Raju, Owner of Meenakshi Bhavan in Shivamogga showing the treditional cash box Photo VAIDYA
It has continued to draw people from the academic circuit, littérateurs, politicians and erstwhile residents who come home for the holidays. Grandparents bring along kids and bond over stories of yore.
A heavy door, tucked between the cash counter and a room where snacks are sold, leads one to the chamber of 60-year-old KS Chandrasekhar, who runs the hotel now. History comes alive in the room’s wooden cash chest, handed down generations. He opens it to reveal two Tanjore paintings framed in wood, decorating the door from within. For more than a century, that door has been opened innumerable times, keeping count of bills paid, and cash received. These days, it stores documents.
There’s absolute calm inside the 70-seater restaurant. As he converses, he takes a peek through the glass partition to see if all is under control. The CCTV provides a glimpse of the main kitchen and dining area. “‘Why are we popular?’ is a question I get asked often, but I don’t really have an answer to that. The customer who eats here must tell me why he or she likes it. That will be more appropriate,” says Chandrasekhar, who literally grew up in the hotel, surrounded by the aroma and sizzle of the kitchen.
KIND ATTENTION: SRI ALWIN THIS IS FOR THE SUPPLIMENT RELATED TO ARTCILE BY SHOBHA RAO -------------------- Shivamogga, Karnataka 01. 04. 2018 Taste Paddu is also one of the attraction in Meenakshi Bhavan, in Shivamogga. Photo VAIDYA
B Venkatagiri, a state environmental awardee, is a regular visitor who needs his evening dose of idli as much as he craves time in the garden. He is a veritable menu card himself, and reels off things that are must-trys. He accompanies me to the first-floor dining hall. There, by a window, is a row of plants, each of which yields a bounty of nectar-rich flowers. In the morning, birds make a beeline for the flowers, and lift the spirits of early morning diners.
But now, there’s work to be done. As a supplier walks up a flight of stairs, the aroma of dosas drenched in ghee and fresh filter coffee is overpowering. But, what makes Meenakshi Bhavan truly special are its local dishes. They quietly make a fuss-free entry, and before you know it, you’re a slave for life. The avalakki mosaru (spiced beaten rice with curd), mandakki usli (made using puffed rice) and paddu (the tamizh kuzhipaniyaaram ) are examples.
Promoting local flavours
KIND ATTENTION: SRI ALWIN THIS IS FOR THE SUPPLIMENT RELATED TO ARTCILE BY SHOBHA RAO -------------------- Shivamogga, Karnataka 01. 04. 2018 The front view of Meenakshi Bhavan, in Shivamogga. Photo VAIDYA
The hotel serves a home-style thali in the afternoons. But, what you could look forward to are the rare days when Chandrasekhar uses locally sourced jaggery, organic black sesame and coconut milk to concoct a creamy, nutty sesame milk. Sometimes, there are no takers, but he persists, hoping people will come around and realise the worth of a native health drink.
On an average, the restaurant serves about 200 plates of idli (priced at ₹15 a single piece), 300 plates of masala dosa (the most expensive, at ₹50 a piece), and about 500 vadas , besides rava idlis and the famed pillow-soft kadubus .
KIND ATTENTION: SRI ALWIN THIS IS FOR THE SUPPLIMENT RELATED TO ARTCILE BY SHOBHA RAO -------------------- Shivamogga, Karnataka 01. 04. 2018 Tasty Paddu is also one of the attraction in Meenakshi Bhavan, in Shivamogga. Photo VAIDYA
By 7.30 pm, the crowd is dwindling; it’s been more than 12 hours since the hotel opened its doors to patrons, and more than 15 since the kitchen staff made a quiet entry to light the first fire of the day. Some college professors make a quiet exit, still discussing a chapter in literature. The perfect accompaniment to a meal at Meenakshi Bhavan, really.
In this weekly column, we take a peek at the histories of some of the country’s most iconic restaurants
