In the 1950s and 60s, when the city was bustling with bachelors living out of mansions, there was the quintessential ‘mess’ — a small room with a few chairs and tables strewn about. These messes thrived on a simple principle: cheap, good and hot food.
There was Velu Military Mess, Rathna Café, Andhra Mess, Sydoji Mess, Nair Mess, Murali Café (which was later embroiled in a political controversy), and the relatively new ones like Karpagambal Mess, Kasi Vinayaga Mess and many others.
Peep into Sydoji Lane in Triplicane and search all you want; the once-popular family run Sydoji Mess is not there anymore. Ask about it in the neighbourhood and comments like “Which era did you jump out from?” are thrown at you.
Then again, Rayar’s Café, now rechristened Rayar’s Mess, has survived through three generations. But the details are ambiguous, as the current owners P. Mohan and P. Kumar themselves admit. “It has been around for about 70 years or so, we’re not too sure,” they say, adding “Our grandfather started it. It must’ve been around for even longer.”
According to them, Srinivasa Rao came to Madras from Karadipakkam in Vizhupuram for a living and began a small mess near Kutchery Road police station. A few years later, he shifted to another house on the same road and continued his small-time venture. As the food and name grew popular, Rayar Café went on to establish itself on Kutchery Road for 40 years before moving into a smaller bylane off Arundale Street.
Padmanabha Rao took over from his father continued to build the brand on recipes brought from their hometown and handed down from his father. P. Kumar and P. Mohan belong to the third generation and took over Rayar’s from the 80’s. “When Kumar took over, we were almost shifting to Arundale Street. The other place on Kutchery road was big, with good parking space and seating area. But they were all rented and we wanted a place of our own. Even though we moved, business has been stable all along,” says Mohan. “The menu hasn’t changed much,” he adds, “My grandfather’s recipes were unique and they soon became very popular.”
Rayar’s Mess is easy to miss but practically everyone in the area gives you accurate directions to the narrow street where a lone board hangs from an aged house. From the entrance you can spot the service area, where large pots and pans are washed and there are bags of used banana leaves stocked up to be thrown away. Move in and the passing breeze brings with it a waft of fried mustard and sambar.
“When my grandfather was running the mess, we would open as early as 5 am. The family used to help around, apart from five other workers who we hired. Now it’s just the two of us. In their heyday, stars such as Thenga Srinivasan, Nagesh, Cho and others would come everyday to eat here. Now, only Cho comes once in a while to keep in touch. They have a lot of memories associated with this place,” smiles Mohan.
SOME OTHERS
On the other side of Kutchery road, in Pitchupillai Street next to Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan is Mami Tiffin Shop — now run by G. Kapaleeswaran — serving hot, scrumptious food for 44 years now.
Vasantha Mami came to Chennai with her family from Alvarkurichi in 1962 to start a new life. Her husband was into the food business already and worked in a hotel back there. “My father was a dosa maker in a hotel in Alvarkurichi. He married, got children and came here to begin something new. Chennai was then the city of dreams for people from smaller towns,” says G. Kapaleeswaran.
They began a small mess near Kamadhenu Theatre in Luz where they served idli, dosai and thavala adai, things that were popular in their hometown. In 1967, they moved to Pitchupillai Street and have stayed there since.
“We were among the first messes in this area. There was an Udipi mess, Rayar’s and ours. Just the three of us in Mylapore,” he says. Fondly called Mami, the mess later was given the same name. They served idli, dosa and their hometown special, thavala adai, in the mornings and evenings. Now, Vasantha’s sons Kapaleeswaran and Murugan, who run the mess, have added more variety to the Mami brand.
“Everyone in Chennai knows our mess as Mami kadai and we decided to officially name it that. Our entire family run this mess together under our mother’s name. We are proud of how she stood as a single woman so many years ago and earned her way to make us what we are today,” says Kapaleeswaran.
Keywords: Rayar’s Mess, old restaurants, traditional eateries
I was a customer in Rayer Mess Kutchery road some occasions (Year 1962). Chutney served for idli was delicious. With chilly content it appeared more greenish accompanied by 'Kothumalli' flavour. I was told that cine artists,technicians and others from Kodambakkam were one among the distinguished customers of this tiny mess. The items were packed and sent to Kodambakkam frequently. If I remember well the shop existed even in year 1977.
Thanks to Anusha Parthasarathy for bringing nice memories. Old timers like me are surely missing such eateries. What is life without food !. The idly, dosai, chutni, sambar, adai avvial, idiappam, paniarram, medhu vadai, ... is part of our traditon and culture. Imagine Vinayaka Chathurthi without kolukattai and Inippu pooranam. Imagine Hanuman koil without vada malai. As rightly pointed out by Sakthiperiyasamy today the authenticity of our food is diminished by such employment in hotels and eateries. The idly available in most hotels are made out of rice rava powder and not the batter (by grinding rice). Thanks once again for Anusha Parthasarathy because for the youth to realise, enjoy, support such Rayar mess, KasiVinayaga, Murudis and more need popularising those by this kind of articles.
I am fond of Rayar cafe for many decades and introduced it to many of my friends. Rayar's vadai and Idli are consitently superb for decades. Difficult to get such stuff in other places. Vadai is really classic. It is hot,very crisp and tempting brownish. We have to wait watching vadaies frying in the big pan and when they come forget all your oil intake restrictions, diabetic and heart problems and order at least 4 to start!. We patronised Coimbatore Krishna Iyer also in Triplicane in 50s. I still remember the picture "He sold for credit/He sold for cash" hanging in the wooden pillar. Never missed Badham Halwa and Thair vadai with karaboondji over it on Sundays. For regular customers like us the halwa will be kept reserved.
Mr. Anoop has rightly commented about Tamilians. Because the Govt is giving lot of freebies especially rice, they do not feel like working. They go to Tasmac, Chit Chat and fritter away the precious times and tax payer's money. On the other hand Many units in Guindy and Ambattur have started employing North Indians and they do pretty good job. In Construction also lot of North Indian laboureres are deployed. Any way this is good from the Stand point of National Integration' of course at the cost of Tamilians' destruction.
It was year 1961, I had the opportunity to eat at Sydoji lane Mess managed by Mr Narayana Iyer & Bros. The items are very much standarised, cooked with taste, served on plantain leaf. The flavour and taste still linger in my tongue. So also with others stated in the article. Good old golden days cann not be made available, as the cooking has gone to hands who only see the 'money' behind and not the taste.
I am a resident of Triplicane till 1993 and till such time I had the good oppurtunity of enjoying great foods at Ratna Cafe, Surya Bhavan (in Triplicane High Road). Nowadays, Triplicane has seen lot of commercialisation and glad to note neighbouring Mylapore is continuing its traditions. Long live this type of eateries.
Thanks for the nice article, I am great fan of Thavala vadai, Rava dosais,etc, I am always looking for these kind of articles, Definitely I will visit this Rayar Mess, I found nothing wrong in Periasamy's thoughts, even though we welcome all peoples with warm heart, I too found that employing north Indians in eateries is not an welcome idea, the taste is lost there. Any how please publish these kind of articles for the people like me who are fond of authentic foods.
Coming to Rayar cafe self and friends used to frequent Kutchery Road's cafe.Small sized Idlis,vadas,Dosais we fill with green milagai chutney.After we finish,they'll write on a black slate with chalk or balappam the bill after asking us what we ate and how much.Found it normal to wait for our turn as old village type tables and chairs in a small room are full of people with aroma of frying of vada,dosa and degree coffee fill the air.I used to see Idly Cloth hanging in some corners which grandmas and mothers used in olden days to pour dough and take out steaming fluffy idlis by holding the cloth semi vertically.C.A.Ramakrishnan ICS,chief secretary of Govt of Madras used to be a regular on Sundays. I was very happy when my old acquiantance told me that Rayar's cafe or mess continues in a lane at Kutchery Road opposite side of where they functioned earlier.Learnt CHO stills comes there to meet his friends.There are some people who never change or forget the past and CHO is one such great .
Well said Sakthi Periasamy.I love to call our city Madras no matter what the politicians want.History should not be re-written by corrupt elements.Coming to outside labour, i see in construction industry mass influx of migrant labour from UP,Bihar, Orissa and Nepal.They work 6 to 6 and stay in workplace.They never say NO to overtime work. On the otherhand our Tamilnad labour have become specialists like doctors and refuse package work.Laziness crept in and work hours 10 to 5 with an hour lunch recess and rest.They talk half the time over tea and output is below par.TN labour look for holidays and excuses.TN labour won't won't work during festival holidays especially Pongal even if double wages offered.Marina beach beautification,TN new secretariat building were full of migrant labourers from Hindi belt.Nepalese descended in the city to set road side shops,hawking,cleaning works.TN labour can't possibly migrate to other states as basically they do not know Hindi.
I would like to ask Mr. Periasamy what value he added to Hyderabad in terms of culture when he was there. This is a piece on good eateries that have become landmarks in a sense. It would be great if people like Periasamy do not indulge in making broad sweeping judgements about other cultures. Our Culture first of all teaches us to respect others.
At 73,when you can fall back on the past,your article has taken me back into yester years. I have known Rayars first in Katcheri Road near the venkataramana dispensary and shifting next to opposite the house where we were tenants. Paddu, Raman and another brother used to deal with clients as if they were from the bridegroom's party. Even when I was late they had something for me. It was nice to know that Paddu's children are carrying it on.
I had spent a decade in Triplicane mansions and moved to Hyderabad for last four years and back again in Madras (For me calling Chennai deprives me of something, though I am fond of Tamizh and against anglicised names!). What I found after four years exile is Madras eateries and even small tea shops and sweet shops employ migrant minors from North. Especially hotels. I witnessed a Nepali making sambar! in a hotel near Adam market, Triplicane. I am in pain to see Madras being made to vanish by more and more influx of non Tamilian migrant workers who infact bring NO-culture or value to the traditional Madras. City is vanishing into commercialisation ape-ing AMERICA for the worst. In this cirscumstances, Rayar mess and alike are valuable places for those who had their life and memories woven into Madras. Long live those families.
I fondly remember the Rayar's cafe in Kutchery Road where we used to get 1/2 anna idli. Usually we have the luxury of having the breakfast with Rayar's cafe idli on Sunday morning. It is nice to know the Rayar's cafe still continuing to serve the Chennaites.
Chennai is one of those precious old cities in India where people still welcome and relish the old eateries. I too am a proud youth from Chennai curretly working at Bangalore. I still relish those tasty food at many eateries at Mylapore and Triplicane whenever I visit my hometown Chennai...SINGAARA CHENNAI!!! :)
I was a resident of Mylapore and neighbours of Mr Padmanabhan. i have played and spent my childhood upto 18 years as play mates of Kumar and Mohan in New Street Mylapore.My father had taken me to their mess in kutchery road when i was a kid.I savour the thengai chutney , bonda and Dosa.i lost touch with Rayars mess as i started working in Gulf for past two decades or so. For the past 10 years i have reestablished contact with Kumar and Mohan and now it is a regular eating place for my family with two kids whenever i visit Madras. The friendship which i cherish with Kumar , Mohan and their mother are beyond words.May God give them long life to continue their tradition in serving Mylaporeans.
I found such type of people in my locality and i am very delighted to see those hotels running from their homes. They are rich in quality and Rich in taste and never spoil health.They gave the freshness food..that taste will not be avilable in 3 or 5 star hotels..
Rayar's used to open at 4.30 am in time to cater to the tram drivers and conductors, before this facility was lost for the commuters. Idlis, hot and flowery with the Chutney and Sambar, served hot and in banana leaves - oh! nostalgia. In the afternoons Rava dosai or Maavu dosai were the main culinary attractions. Rayar hotel in Kutcheri road and Thanneer pandal in Royappettah High Road next to the tram shed were the choice, much like Coimbatore Krishna Iyer in Pycroft's Road. I used to wake up on Sundays at 4.30 a m, drive from Nungambakkamm to kutcheri Road, pick up the iddlies for home consumption, in the sixties. It is so nice to know that Rayar hotel is still maintaining its pre-eminence. Even a couple of days back I was reminiscing about Rayar hotel. Living in this country and well past eighty, people like me can only reminisce and be overcome with hope that one day, I can satisfy my palate.
I am proud to record here that I used to be a patron of Rayar's Cafe; at 5 am many days in the Fifties of the last Century. I dimly recall that Mr.Srinivasa Rao, like British Royalty, favored horse-racing. One cannot go much later in the morning; nothing will be available. Later, it was thavala vadai (not adai) for us at Vasantha Mami's, whenever we went for a meeting in the Ranade Hall/VSS Hall.Hail Uppuma! Hail Degree Coffee!,Hail Thavala Vadai!
I use to go this Rayer mess around 1987 and I have just visited in July 2011. The quality of the food still remains same. This time I am seeing lots of young visitors and even north Indians. Keep it up Royer.
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