Eight days of Carnatic music. Eight days of food. Kamarajar Arangam takes the sabha canteen to a whole new level with their food court this season.
While it does lack the charm and personal service of the smaller sabha canteens, there are some distinct advantages. The main one, of course, is variety. There’s fruit and vegetable carving, a slew of caterers and at least three varieties of coffee on offer.
The food court is working on creating a festival atmosphere. Expect cooking demonstrations from some of the city’s best known chefs and cooks: Chef Damu, Arusuvai Arasu and Mallika Badrinath to name a few. If you want to get in on the action, there are also daily food competitions held for the audience at noon and at 4 p.m. everyday.
According to the organisers, the highlights here are the traditional items: think murukku, kuzhipanniarams and appalams. Watch out for Appalam Ganesan offering an array of vadams. Then there’s Andhi kadai, which specialises in reviving traditional foods. Try their kuzhi paniyaarams, kozhukattai and polis.
Sesha Caterers offers hot scoops of ashok halwa, along with dosas. At Sasta Bhojan, there’s pongal served with gotsu. They also offer a collection of spicy podis, ranging from garlic and curry leaf to the more traditional paruppu podi.
When you’re ready for your coffee, try SSS Catererers, offering ‘Coffee, milk, tea’. Or, the famous Kumbakonam degree coffee served in gleaming brass tumblers.
(Kamarajar Arangam is in Teynampet. The food court is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. till December 25.)
