"Poori Ready"-Down memory lane at Saurashtra, Thiruvanathapuram
Whenever the husband talks about his childhood and his family outings...he's very animated and literally drags us with him down memory lane.
Of course the hero and villain would always be my Father-in-law who would take his three kiddos-The VERY fraternal twins and of course my dear one post their shopping sprees, mass exhibition viewing or movie adventures to a few and very rare eat outs. There are so many wonderful stories spun and yarned glorifying their father's uncompromising, no-nonsensical rearing whenever the two brothers get together.
Today, when I look at my almost 82 plus unassuming, frail looking father-in-law who was once a Hitler and used authoritarian methods to have his way with the kids both in grooming and educating them and thereafter creepily sneaking in on them ensuring that their books were open and they were reading aloud post the midnight hour, I am unable to believe that he was once this so called inflexible father.
His strict vigil over them during their growing up years had its boon and bane. Personally, the husband, being the youngest escaped unscathed several times but the older two, the twins...There are scary tales! Today, they tease him and pull his leg over all those callous and almost barbaric techniques he had used on them to get them to reach high in life both academically and professionally. These days, he stands in front of them smiling sheepishly like a weakling surrendering to all their accusations and continues to firmly believe that with the kind of meagre salary both he and Amma (MIL) had earned back in the day, his modus operandi in rearing them as the best kids of the village brought within it a favourable structure and tonnes of peace of mind for him alone. Neither Amma nor the children would agree that he gave them peace of mind.
He would drag the three of them at unearthly hours over the weekend and oil them from head to foot. He would massage them every week. He would ensure that they had their daily dose of vitamins/supplements forced down their throats, their tall glasses of milk, he would set similar test papers for them and supervise that they do no cheat or have little chits to copy from, He would buy a certain high quality material from Bombay Dyeing and get it stitched in such a way that all the three would be sporting similar clothes, he would detox them and even watch them with a hawk's eye ensuring that they took their deworming meds etc. I could go on...but then the food post would get drowned in all this family saga...
One such disciplined outing was taking the family to Saurashtra, a Gujarathi restaurant that dates back to the late fifties located on Power House Road, near Parthas (a massive clothes' shopping centre) in East Fort area in the capital of God's Own Country.
Thus accompanying my husband, we decided together to tick off this place from his bucket list where I am by default, his partner in crime-to feel the vibes, to go on that nostalgic journey of his and recreate memories that he experienced with his parents and siblings.
This was my first. Although I have lived and studied here for almost eight years, I had never heard about this place. Perhaps, it was not within my radius where I stayed as a hosteller. No circle of friends told me about this so I found this unique, a bit quaint and indeed a bit old-fashioned!
I dedicate this post to Achen (FIL) and for all that he meant to his sons. As I relive this childhood memory with my loved one, I can almost visualize how the five of them (a sister inclusive) along with their heavy veggie shopping bags or provision bags, waited patiently in the serpentine queue to be seated, hurriedly enjoying this dinner and rushing back home catching a bus after making them walk quite a lot in and around Chaalai, East Fort with these hefty bags filled with two weeks supply I guess!!!
So there we were in Saurashtra. Luckily from what I read, it wasn't such a bad or worrisome queue. We waited a decent fifteen minutes before one of us got a seat and another ten minutes before I could sit. One could term this as the Ultimate Poori Centre. I could picture my MIL gorging onto these decades ago as she is crazy over "Booris".
Don't even think that if you go as a family or a team outing, that we could all get to be seated together...NO WAY!!! The moment somebody gets up, jump in or ditch the family or lover at that point. Don't even maintain eye contact with them. Just be elated that you got a seat in this mad rush.
It is on the main road near the bridge close to Parthas, yet a tiny alley dotted with shops leads to this restaurant.
Soon after you are seated, you are served warm water and then the thaalis (steel plates) with their goodness almost like manna from heaven are served. It consists of three pooris, three vegetable curries, a papodam, a pickle and some sliced onions.
Extra curries and pooris are served on request and they do diligently come by to your table to refresh your empty thaalis if you desire.
The curries seemed like a well mashed up diluted potato curry (almost dal like), a lentil curry (cheru payar curry/green gram curry) and another curry (still trying to figure out what that was-me thinks it was some chilly curry) the pickle served to us was Amla/gooseberry pickle.
The crispy Papadom-Oh My!!! I have never had pooris/puris or like my MIL says Booris with papadoms. This too was a first! Cuteness overload!
I believe the dishes are churned out without onions or garlic as is seen in the Gujarathi cooking. But, in Kerala as the Malayalis enjoy these sliced onions with many of their dishes, this was added on. So grateful because I enjoyed that accompanying texture.
All these are churned out from a busy tiny kitchen where I think my Tamilian brothers are the chefs and sous-chefs and those chopping the onions and flattening or frying the pooris. I wanted to candidly catch them at work but it just didn't happen as they were in the midst of a busy service and those in the queue waiting patiently to be next would probably curse me and lambast me for not finishing up. SIGH!!!
The place has a sign board that is crisp and clear. They open at half past three. They may shut it by 8pm or anywhere between 8.30 and 9pm depending on the rush. Nothing beyond that!
One is served a cardamom flavoured tea on request. Parcel service is available and I did see several customers come in and have their fill and return home with their parcels for an encore in the confines of their homes.
Let me summarize-I enjoyed the experience. It does get crowded, we were just lucky that we didn't have to wait much. It is a bumper to bumper queue. It is small and claustrophobic! It has nothing else on the menu other than pooris and the sides mentioned above. Do not expect to be seated together. You are one of the lucky few if you do get to sit together. Go in with your eyes closed to all the sweaty men at work in the kitchen. Enter with all the patience you have and leave feeling satisfied that you had a hearty meal at Saurashtra.
Every time you are served, it is an extra three pooris which is a plate. But if you are like me who had just an extra poori, it is counted accordingly. Service is fast and very matter of fact. Both of us dined for close to 150 bucks.
Would I go there again?... Hmmm...This itself was to recollect and see things from my beloved's eyes-a nostalgia and sentiments attached. I am socially inept as far as standing or sitting in close quarters with strangers is concerned so I think it is a Big "No" from my side unless I get a parcel piping hot. But please friends do go and experience this vibe! Something almost similar to what I experienced at Kethals, Chaalai, Thiruvananthapuram.
Of course the hero and villain would always be my Father-in-law who would take his three kiddos-The VERY fraternal twins and of course my dear one post their shopping sprees, mass exhibition viewing or movie adventures to a few and very rare eat outs. There are so many wonderful stories spun and yarned glorifying their father's uncompromising, no-nonsensical rearing whenever the two brothers get together.
Today, when I look at my almost 82 plus unassuming, frail looking father-in-law who was once a Hitler and used authoritarian methods to have his way with the kids both in grooming and educating them and thereafter creepily sneaking in on them ensuring that their books were open and they were reading aloud post the midnight hour, I am unable to believe that he was once this so called inflexible father.
His strict vigil over them during their growing up years had its boon and bane. Personally, the husband, being the youngest escaped unscathed several times but the older two, the twins...There are scary tales! Today, they tease him and pull his leg over all those callous and almost barbaric techniques he had used on them to get them to reach high in life both academically and professionally. These days, he stands in front of them smiling sheepishly like a weakling surrendering to all their accusations and continues to firmly believe that with the kind of meagre salary both he and Amma (MIL) had earned back in the day, his modus operandi in rearing them as the best kids of the village brought within it a favourable structure and tonnes of peace of mind for him alone. Neither Amma nor the children would agree that he gave them peace of mind.
He would drag the three of them at unearthly hours over the weekend and oil them from head to foot. He would massage them every week. He would ensure that they had their daily dose of vitamins/supplements forced down their throats, their tall glasses of milk, he would set similar test papers for them and supervise that they do no cheat or have little chits to copy from, He would buy a certain high quality material from Bombay Dyeing and get it stitched in such a way that all the three would be sporting similar clothes, he would detox them and even watch them with a hawk's eye ensuring that they took their deworming meds etc. I could go on...but then the food post would get drowned in all this family saga...
One such disciplined outing was taking the family to Saurashtra, a Gujarathi restaurant that dates back to the late fifties located on Power House Road, near Parthas (a massive clothes' shopping centre) in East Fort area in the capital of God's Own Country.
Thus accompanying my husband, we decided together to tick off this place from his bucket list where I am by default, his partner in crime-to feel the vibes, to go on that nostalgic journey of his and recreate memories that he experienced with his parents and siblings.
This was my first. Although I have lived and studied here for almost eight years, I had never heard about this place. Perhaps, it was not within my radius where I stayed as a hosteller. No circle of friends told me about this so I found this unique, a bit quaint and indeed a bit old-fashioned!
I dedicate this post to Achen (FIL) and for all that he meant to his sons. As I relive this childhood memory with my loved one, I can almost visualize how the five of them (a sister inclusive) along with their heavy veggie shopping bags or provision bags, waited patiently in the serpentine queue to be seated, hurriedly enjoying this dinner and rushing back home catching a bus after making them walk quite a lot in and around Chaalai, East Fort with these hefty bags filled with two weeks supply I guess!!!
So there we were in Saurashtra. Luckily from what I read, it wasn't such a bad or worrisome queue. We waited a decent fifteen minutes before one of us got a seat and another ten minutes before I could sit. One could term this as the Ultimate Poori Centre. I could picture my MIL gorging onto these decades ago as she is crazy over "Booris".
Don't even think that if you go as a family or a team outing, that we could all get to be seated together...NO WAY!!! The moment somebody gets up, jump in or ditch the family or lover at that point. Don't even maintain eye contact with them. Just be elated that you got a seat in this mad rush.
The crispy Papadom-Oh My!!! I have never had pooris/puris or like my MIL says Booris with papadoms. This too was a first! Cuteness overload!
I believe the dishes are churned out without onions or garlic as is seen in the Gujarathi cooking. But, in Kerala as the Malayalis enjoy these sliced onions with many of their dishes, this was added on. So grateful because I enjoyed that accompanying texture.
All these are churned out from a busy tiny kitchen where I think my Tamilian brothers are the chefs and sous-chefs and those chopping the onions and flattening or frying the pooris. I wanted to candidly catch them at work but it just didn't happen as they were in the midst of a busy service and those in the queue waiting patiently to be next would probably curse me and lambast me for not finishing up. SIGH!!!
Let me summarize-I enjoyed the experience. It does get crowded, we were just lucky that we didn't have to wait much. It is a bumper to bumper queue. It is small and claustrophobic! It has nothing else on the menu other than pooris and the sides mentioned above. Do not expect to be seated together. You are one of the lucky few if you do get to sit together. Go in with your eyes closed to all the sweaty men at work in the kitchen. Enter with all the patience you have and leave feeling satisfied that you had a hearty meal at Saurashtra.
Every time you are served, it is an extra three pooris which is a plate. But if you are like me who had just an extra poori, it is counted accordingly. Service is fast and very matter of fact. Both of us dined for close to 150 bucks.
Would I go there again?... Hmmm...This itself was to recollect and see things from my beloved's eyes-a nostalgia and sentiments attached. I am socially inept as far as standing or sitting in close quarters with strangers is concerned so I think it is a Big "No" from my side unless I get a parcel piping hot. But please friends do go and experience this vibe! Something almost similar to what I experienced at Kethals, Chaalai, Thiruvananthapuram.
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