Just when you thought you had seen everything at Brookfields, there is more. On the top floor. Two new places to spend money in. One is the colourful Home Centre, and the other is iD, a pure vegetarian restaurant.
If you want to work up an appetite to do justice to iD, then head to Home Centre first. There is over 25,000 square feet of retail therapy awaiting you. Past the candles shaped like shells and flowers to those scented with mangoes, vanilla, strawberries and raspberries, is my favourite part of the store, where rows upon rows of mugs hang on hooks, stand on tables and lie in fancy packing boxes. There are sturdy country-styled ones in solid creams, reds and blacks to more delicate pinks, yellows and greens. Some have floral designs and others abstract patterns. Look out for the ‘Beautiful Home’ crockery. It is indeed beautiful, with its cookie jars, spoon holders, creamers, spice jars, cereal bowls and plates.
A word of caution: when you are in this section of the store, don’t make sweeping gestures as you may knock off something. And keep an eye on your kids if they enjoy yanking stuff off tables. Everything is within reach and so tempting!
It is difficult not to want to redo your kitchen then and there as you wander down the aisles of Home Centre. Storage containers, big, small and medium, round and square, tall and short, cry out to be picked up. Already, in that inward eye, you can see them smartening up your kitchen shelves. Shiny steel saucepans with and without lids, casseroles, sets of vessels, bowls glasses, plates….
Do it up
Particularly nice are flat microwave safe plates, the kind you could arrange your food on at the end of a long and tiring day, and bung it into the microwave. And you won’t be able to resist picking up at least one of the choppers or graters, pepper mills or peelers that would not be out of place in Nigella’s kitchen.
Newly weds should come here. Not just to do up their kitchen, but also their bedrooms, dining rooms and living areas. There is a range of cots, bedside tables, chest of draws, cupboards, dressing tables, and tables, chairs and crockery cupboards to choose from. There is also a bewildering variety of bed linen, bath mats, towels, cushions, clothes stands, dustbins and shower curtains.
Says business manager C. Balakumar, “The Coimbatore edition of the store is the latest in the chain that is spread across 13 centres in the country. Home Centre keeps pace with the global trends. As an introductory offer, we have free home delivery of furniture anywhere in and around Coimbatore.” The furniture, says Balakumar, can also be customised.
Home Store is open seven days a week, and has a host of attractive introductory offers, including a privilege card.
So, by now if your feet are killing you and your tummy is growling back at you, head across to iD. The restaurant envelopes you with the aromas of sambar and filter coffee. A neat and elegant eating space, iD’s décor makes you smile. Especially the idli eclipse on the wall! The ravaa idli smiles at you from the minimalist menu card as well. A small and compact menu is on offer.
Chef D. Srinivasan moves around ready to help out an indecisive guest! He is persuasive about the keerai vadai , and it is indeed very, very good. Crisp on the outside, not greasy, and, best of all, steaming hot.
The MLA pesarattu is special, we are told. It appears on the table greenish-gold with a satisfying crunch and stuffed with upma. The accompaniment is an aromatic ginger chutney. After an adai avial , a pongal that makes you groan in delight and an aapam and a too-sweet stew, it is time for filter coffee.
It arrives in handsome white mugs, only the mug is half full and not brimming over as a coffee lover would look forward to. But the brew is delicious and a wonderful way of rounding up the meal.
If you want, you can sit on barstools and watch your food being cooked across the counter. Very cool.
iD is part of the SPI Cinemas group which runs thecinema@ Brookfields. It is open all week round, between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. And, on Saturdays and Sundays it is open from 8 a.m.
For details call 0422-6473801.
