Late Jayam Gopalakrishnan, who was a resident of Anna Nagar, was known in a limited circle for her dishes based on Palakkad Brahmin recipes. As she passed on, her son Vinod Narayan and daughter-in-law Lakshmi wanted to take Jayam Gopalakrishnan’s cooking to the metro’s gourmets.
The forms the nucleus of the story behind Shreytan’s Iyer Kitchen, a small takeaway eatery inconspicuously located on Shanthi Colony, Anna Nagar.
Started on August 25, 2017, the eatery offers based on Brahmin food recipes that are common in Palakkad and Thanjavur.
“Our kitchen serves people in and around Anna Nagar, especially senior citizens, who cannot cook their food. All items are prepared keeping this population in mind; we therefore avoid onion, garlic and use salt and oil sparsely. We do not include root vegetables, except for special occasions,” says Vinod.
To ensure transparency, the eatery has CCTV camera in every room, including the kitchen and packing room.
The menu
The menu consists of sambar, rasam, kootu poriyal, vetha/moru kozhambu to sevai and an array of dosas and idlis. Their special Palakadan menu comprises pachadi, thoran, thogaiyal and podimas, with Chena Erissery, Avial, Maangai Chammanthi and Chakka Curry being some of the specialities. Their signature products include karuvadam (fryums) and homemade vadu mango pickle, “with no added preservatives,” says Vinod.
While their full meals are priced at ₹135, the meal package for senior citizens is priced at ₹90. They deliver in areas such as Anna Nagar, Arumbakkam, Mogappair, Villivakkam and Shenoy Nagar, with ₹15 for home delivery.
“For those who would like to eat on the go, we have a meal box, which consists of a sweet, chapatis, vegetable gravy, sambar rice and rice of the day, such as lime rice, puliyograi, coconut rice, coriander rice or curd rice,” adds Vinod.
Greener eatery
“As it is months since we started off, we are using plastic containers for takeaways. We will soon replace this with a five-compartment lunch carrier. We are also in the process of shifting from a takeaway eatery to a dine-in, where we will serve our food in plantain leaves,” he says.
Shreytan’s Iyer Kitchen is located at 55, AG 27, 4th Avenue, Shanthi Colony, Anna Nagar. They are open from 7.30 a.m. to 9.30 p.m.
For details, call 9282109311 or 9790969876; or visit www.shreytans.com.
