Rasam, Purashawalkam, Chennai

Rasam, is the name of a new (not so new now) restaurant started by Sri Krishna Sweets. Rasam serves food from the land called Kongu Nadu. Ok, i too was a little flabbergasted when i heard the name first, not knowing the history or geography of Kongu. The hyperlink will take you to wikipedia which has all the information you may want to know about Kongu Nadu, or the land of the Gounders.

Some of the items that were on the menu, is something you are so used to, that you dont realize where they came from. Of course to most food lovers, the history of the food and its origins are so inconsequential compared to the joy of just tasting and eating the food itself. The restaurant and the decor inside reminds you of an old home, complete with furniture and art pieces.

We landed up there on a later thursday evening, to a crowded joint. We were greeted very politely and asked to wait in a spacious waiting area, with magazines and stuff to keep you occupied. Well, the only thing on our minds was food. We didnt have to wait very long. Smiling faces amongst the well groomed staff, helped a lot, in maintaining your peace as we waited for our turn.

The ordering was tough. The food is all vegetarian. But there a huge number of choices, that it was tough to decide which to try. And i think i will not be doing justice if i tried to list the options i tried. Everything we ordered, we wiped it clean of the serving plate. We picked a bunch of appetizers, and a couple of main course items, so that we got a sampling of the menu. But yet, i think, we didnt do justice. I intend to go back again. Soon.

The only downside, is the bathroom, not the wash room. The bathroom, toilet, loo or restroom, what ever you want to call it, was hidden away in the back, by the staff quarters. I am not sure why they didnt think it was important to keep one where patrons could access it easily. Now as to why, i wanted to use it so urgently? Well, with two kids, its tough to predict when they choose to use these services, usually its when it most difficult to access or find.

Sri Krishna Sweets, Adyar, Chennai, India

Sri Krishna Sweets is not originally from Chennai, it is based on Coimbatore, further south in TamilNadu. But soon after it set base in Chennai, it has revolutionized the sweet-meats business in the city.

Of special note is the mysurpa (or mysorepak, altho' i dont think it has anything to do with mysore). Today if i were to buy or eat mysurpa, i wouldnt get it from anywhere else, other than from Krishna Sweets. It is difficult to believe that i used to occasionally nibble on something of this kind before, because it was called by the same name, but compared to what Krishna Sweets make, that was like eating plain sugar and flour mix. The mysurpa from Krishna Sweets is in a very volatile form, you must consume it immediately otherwise it would melt in your hands. You would rather have it melt in your mouth.

Krishna Sweets also makes a boat load of other stuff. They also have a ladoo which is supposed to be an imitation of the famous 'Thirupati' ladoo. Its close, but you will know it is an imitation. I also like the sweet and masala poli that they make fresh. Recently they introduced food and snacks, i guess keeping in line with their restaurant background. And it is pleasing offer from them.

Krishna Sweets also has something more than sweets and food to offer its patrons, music. Sometime back they introduced a concept of live music (classical kind). Although i havent visited the restaurant during a performance, i have seen the stage and all the prerequisites for such performance.

A daily event from Krishna Sweets