It’s a bright Sunday afternoon when I walk into Southern Street in Mylapore, and the sunlight streaks in through multi-coloured windows that adorn this restaurant. This place is new, which is obvious the minute you step in. The colours are bright. You could switch off all the lights inside, and still have enough natural light to finish your meal.
Melodies of Ilaiyaraaja and Imman wrap the space. The choice of songs is unique — not the regular superhits you expect to hear in restaurants. As I listen, I am transported to a Mamandur bus stand, minus the constant din of the vehicles. There is one more treat. Chennai’s ubiquitous autorickshaws: a few tables are designed just like them, much to the delight of selfie-lovers like me.
As I settle down for a meal at Southern Street, a basked of crisp vadams , arrive at the table in no time. It doesn’t say much, but when you are starving and want something to munch on immediately before you decide what to order, it is indeed a welcome start.
I settle on plantain stem soya soup to kickstart things. It is a little bland, much to my disappointment, but my companion, who generally hates plantain stem, loves it. That says something, I suppose.
To make up for the blandness, I go for the exotic-sounding batate bubble dosa. Watch out for this love child of a dosa and paniyaram when it arrives at your table — and ensure you click photos for Instagram — because its unique shape and texture is sure to draw attention and likes. The texture is smooth, and it isn’t very oily. Try it with the spicy sambar and tangy mint chutney.
It more than compensates for the forgettable papdi paneer that looks (and tastes) like something that has been put together in haste.
There are umpteen main course options, but there’s nothing like rice on a Sunday afternoon, so I order rice and neikathirikkai kuzhambu . The latter is a little salty, but when it marries the rice, the results are better than most thalis in town.
The kothu parotta is a must-have — fancily plated yes, but the taste is as deliciously local as it gets. If you get a seat near the live cooking counter, you can witness the birth of hot kuzhi paniyarams and neer dosa, something that will tempt you to order them.
We resist, however, and end our meal with a paalada payasam that is, thankfully, not cloyingly sweet. I wish the portion was more generous (for the ₹225, which I find steep) but the payasam is indeed a satisfying conclusion to our meal.
The only thing that’s funkier than the food and colours at this restaurant is the décor — there’s a Rajinikanth Petta poster and another featuring Prabhas.
The captions on the walls are creative as well — one says ‘ Dhanya-vada ’ and another says ‘ Namas-kaaram ’. Clearly, creative twists are not restricted to the food alone here.
You might enjoy being behind bars in this same building (jail-themed Kaidi Kitchen is situated just one floor below), but at Southern Street, you’ll enjoy culinary freedom.
