The Three Foodies !! - 2 - Sagar Ratna, DLF Place, Saket

Ha ha! Rasam, the Aroma !!

This post is actually only for ‘Rasam’ lovers. I almost tasted rasam last time when I was at my house during my vacations at Chennai by November 2013. So after almost three months I taste rasam. This time it was at completely different region, which is not known for rasam, instead famous for Daal Makhni and Rajma, Delhi it is.

This time it was not three of us. My team accompanied me, my company colleagues on a team lunch.

To accommodate the taste of everyone, the only option is to take you where there are multiple outlets and each member can have food of their own choice. There will be no question of the taste or no comments on the price that you are spending to cherish the moment. This happens once in a month (Yeah, I am lucky to work for this company, not to forget I had to clear a test and two interviews, to be here).

So we were at the Food court, DLF Place, Saket at Delhi. Yes! A food court, I understand the happiness to be at a food court for that I love to eat food. I am amidst fifteen kiosks of great food servers from the past not known what to eat in first place, then the confusion, What to order and where not to order from?

So out of previous experience going to malls and eating in food courts since 2010 at Chennai, the mantra to eat in a food court is simple, you got to decide the cuisine first then, the hotel/sever that make that particular cuisine tasting the best.

This comes only out of practice I too had difficulty during my initial phase eating at malls, as in Coimbatore we were known only to restaurants and not for food courts.

The more time and food you waste ordering in a food court, the more knowledge and expertise you develop in ordering and enjoying food.

Like I said simply make up your mind on what you are going to have, if necessary try one extra dish and nothing more.

Okay, coming back to the story of Rasam.

Working for an IT company, its natural that I have a team and time to discuss my schooldays or moments that I cherished and lots of other discussions to keep your stress out, on one such conversation I happened to quote 'Rasam naa Vadavalli mammi thaan' meant Rasam means what Vadavalli aunty used to prepare for me.

This lead to my craving for rasam all of a sudden, I had to disturb my two friends about rasam and even asked them to check online recipe and method to prepare it at out place. All the online methods or plans to make rasam at home did not yield a fruitful result.

That is when I came to a conclusion to have a complete rasam rice unlimited offered at Andhra Bhavan. You see always there is this thing called fate, you plan and he too plans accordingly. Here is the twist, unfortunately one goodu boy met with an accident and the doctor has requested him not to strain his legs. So I had to wait for my time to taste. Not knowing how long will it take for him to get his leg will become all right as we travel to taste foods in three or more. We make sure one of us is not missed on the taste that other is going to enjoy almost in all cases.

There happens to be exceptions, but not for rasam as the conversation was with this goodu boy who also wanted to taste rasam, and rasam can wait naturally.

The more you wait the more beautiful the thing look, it is applicable to food as well, but you got to know where it is served with the wright taste and procedure.

After a day, my mobile phone beeped with a notification that the team is scheduled for team lunch, in two days, my mind-voice says (use paniruda kaipulla, [Vadivelu]) this is the chance for me to taste rasam that I desired to have not knowing when.

So as planned we went to the food court in the near by mall, DLF Place Saket, Delhi South.

I had to pause for a moment as here in most hotels they serve dhal, rice, roti and paneer as meals. I had to look out for a south Indian hotel that serves rasam, luckily for me there was Sagar Ratna; they had rasam rice in their menu. I immediately gave my cash card and said one rasam rice jaldhy dhena.

The cost of the plate was 120/-INR plus tax.
 Served with 200-250Gm of Rice in a plastic plate and a pappad.
The Rasam is served in a cup about 150-250 Ml.
There is a mixed vegetable pickle served with the above.

The food is limited. The rasam was Famous Mysore rasam with more of coriander and spices.

The best part of having rasam is drinking it, its more or less a tomato soup rich in spices and taste. They also serve Rasam and pappad as starter for 45/-INR plus tax.

[pic curtesy zomato.com]

Ah! The aroma of rasam brought my Vadavalli Mammi's memory and days. I have tasted rasam almost every day she prepares, while I generously miss what my mother or granny makes at home. This mammi had a specialty in her hands in preparing rasam. May be next time when I go to Coimbatore will taste rasam one more time from my Vadavalli Mammi.

My dad is a patron to rasam, my granny or my mother used to cook rasam daily for my dad and my grandfather, I was not a big follower of the rasam that My granny or my mom used to prepare, still I like to taste rasam occasionally. May be, I am following my dad and Grandpa’s way but with some simple specification of taste (only Mysore rasam).

Next time if you wish to taste something from the South Indian try Rasam Rice from Sagar Ratna, DLF Place, and Saket at Delhi.

The Three Foodies !! - 1 - Andhra Bhavan Canteen, Central Secretariat- Delhi

After being idle for a month at delhi knowing my route from my guesthouse to the office, I wanted to explore the place, as I am at Delhi for the first time.

I had my two buddy friends a Keralite Tamilian and another Chennai Tamilian, who eat and crave for good food. So I will be posting our experience of hotels and street foods that we had in and around Delhi.

All these started as we wanted a reason to explore the place, you can say tourism but that will be a planned one. We wanted to roam around places and in the same do something useful out of it. So we started on a mission to find good South Indian foods across the places of Delhi.

So I am just going to explain the place, type of food they serve, what we had. My satisfaction to the money I paid and after effect of the food taken. I know there are many blogs out there giving in detail infomation and hotel owned web sites that explain their cuisine better.

This is just for the humor and the satisfaction to explain foodies culture from my end.

The first thing that comes to mind at Delhi for someone from Tamil nadu is the rice that you would have missed and the smell of sambar and rasam. The right place is the Andhra Bhavan(AB) Canteen run by the Andhra State house at Delhi.

The only servings offered is full south indian meals consisting of the Nellore Boiled Rice, A sambar, Rasam, Curry, Roti/poori, Pappu(Dhaal), Curd, Sweet. All these are vegetarian.

This is what a full meals plate in the AB canteen is served, the cost per plate is 100/-INR and they offer unlimited serving.

For a non-vegetarian they have the side dish as Chicken and Fish Fry/Masala costing 120/- to 150/-INR.

To reach this place, you can take a share auto from Central secretariat Metro station, the charge is nominal maximum of 20/person INR.

Once you reach the canteen, you will have to collect the token paying in advance for the food that you are going to have, Meals is common to all and side dish differs from order to order. There is no extra service tax or VAT to be paid. What amount is displayed on the menu is what you will have to pay.

The token has a number and is called by a manager and he will guide you to your seat. Please note I have not missed a month, its always rush on weekends and during night in the weekdays. So you will have to wait for minimum of twenty minutes to get your seats on any given day.

The canteen is closed on all public holidays. Also on Tuesdays.

Once you are at your seat another manager collects the bills or the recipient you had already paid in advance . He gives the nod to serve the food, only on his nod you get to have your food served.

The plate with a sweet and bowl curd already present is served first. Then you are served with the Curries and Pappu. Then you can have either roti/poori which is unlimited.

Once you are satisfied with poori/roti for starters, you can request the server to serve with boiled rice. In the mean time you will have two bowls filled with Sambar and Rasam respectively served.

Once the rice is served, its customary to start with Parupu Podi (Dhaal Powder) and Ghee with the rice at any Andhra Canteen. Then you can go on with you style of eating. The traditional Gongura Pickle is available a plenty for your taste.

You have your side dishes served separately. The best part of the food is so Spicy, I would recommend you to save the sweet for the last after you have curd.

The curd and sweet is limited, if you want extra then you will have to pay additional 20/-INR respectively for the same quantity.

On Sundays you get to have The famous Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani, but  this is only for the early bird that catches the prey. I remember my friends missing the Biryani at 1 30 PM IST. The Biryani is served only on Sundays.

The morning are served with Pongal and idli, and I think most people do not have or engage themselves for the breakfast at AB Canteen. The reason being everyone here misses the rice, sambar, rasam in their daily routine, so everyone prefers having their full meals either in afternoon or for Dinner.

The one thing that every South Indian at Delhi would love to get themselves killed for the food they serve. The reason being you do not get the southern taste in such a good quality, QUANTITY in that price.

There are Southern Chain of restaurants like the Famous Saravana Bhavan, The Sagars' but the cost of food is high and they serve only limited food.

So first place successfully explored and enjoyed is Andhra Bhavan Canteen- Central Secretariat, Delhi. Please note the canteen is closed on Tuesdays and all public Holidays. Also the rates mentioned are subject to change.

The plates:-

Menu Card:-

interiors:-

Bon Appetit,