Krishin Somasekhar weaves in and out of the bustling bylanes just off Park station, his feet following his memories.
He confidently walks past kebab shops and bakeries without a second glance. Having spent years exploring the slew of eateries stacked in the narrow lanes of Mannady, the food blogger knows exactly which one to head towards.
Our first stop is Hotel Bismi, a nondescript place with the entrance halved into two. On the left, sit the manager and the servers, the pride of place going to a range of drums that contain fish curry, special chicken curry, special mutton curry, mutton sukka, liver fry, and brain fry. “Across this area, the parottas are all for Rs 10 each,” adds Krishin.
This cuisine served here is Ramnad cuisine, native to Ramanathapuram. Not as spicy as the food of Madurai and Chettinad, but liberal with the use of oil nonetheless. The curries alone will cost you ₹180. However, as the parotta comes with a side of dried vegetable, gravy and unlimited rice, so you can ditch the curry and make that a meal in itself, for a cost of ₹80 or ₹100. Even that, according to Krishin, is pretty expensive compared to the other restaurants around.
However, the owners are confident of retaining customers, explains Krishin as he begins to dig in, because “they’re depending on you having tasted this curry.” That is Bismi’s USP; that’s what allows them the leeway to charge a good ₹20 or ₹30 more than the other eateries around.
A few lanes away is the much larger, and equally bustling, Minar Mess. Here again, a slew of curries are on display right at the entrance, albeit tucked safely behind a glass counter. There are 12 to choose from, and we pick squid. The little pieces were tougher than expected, adding to the taste. Veering away from the playful squishiness served in most places, this dish provides plenty to chew on. This is the kind of restaurant that doesn't make its guests fish for rare pieces of the real stuff in a sea of gravy.
The ghee rice here is much lighter, both in terms of colour and spices. The complimentary items that accompany it are a in generous set of four: sambar, a gravy, raita and a delectable in-house sweet that everyone seems to know only as ‘sweet’.
Allarakha Saha aka Raju, proudly declares that he had made the sweet himself. Raisins, cashews, bread and a liberal dose of sugar goes into the sticky deliciousness, he explains in the few passing moments of conversation that he can fit in amid his serving duties.
Once we wrap up here, it's time for the heaviest meal yet. Unlike the Ramnad offerings of the previous places, Hatimy serves both authentic and experimental Bohri fare. With its tall premises, sliding glass doors and printed menu cards, the only thing this restaurant has in common with the others is location.
On offer is a range of chaaps , seekhs , rolls, gravies and rice — think chicken makhani pulao and triple fried rice — and even some good old hakka noodles. The crispy threaded chicken, made with mince chicken and coated with crispy threads of in-house wontons, is pleasantly reminiscent of old Bombay. The chicken cheese steak has two generous pieces, and yes, it's exactly as cheesy as you want to imagine it.
But Hatimy’s pride lies in its raan . The massive leg of lamb is meant to be shared by six people. Marinated for 18 hours and cooked in a sauce of your choice — tandoori, Shalimar... go find out the rest — the final dish is softer than bread.
There's something to be said for a plate of meat that looks massive and tough and yet comes apart in your hands without the use of a steak knife. But that something will evade you the minute you start eating.
To get in touch with Krishin Somasekhar, call 9962300979
