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You might think "Not another South
Indian" restaurant in the heart of South India. Well, to find out
how this restaurant is different from their clan, we asked Arundhati Dutta
the same question. Read below what Arundhati
Dutta has to say to all the visitors of DiscoverBangalore.
Arundhati is a passionate entrepreneur, artist,
blogger and more things than can fit here. She reviews restaurants in
her free time, which is few and far between. Arundhati, maintains a food
blog http://www.foodandbeverageindia.com.
The South Indies
on Infantry Road
The infantry road outlet of this upscale South Indian restaurant chain offers exceedingly superior customer service amidst a beautiful ambience atop the 4th floor terrace.
The sounds of the busy street below are muffled by a glass arcade and cascading water.
Innovative recipes by celebrity chef Venkatesh Bhatt is a pleasure to the taste buds but you'll need to order several courses to quieten your hunger pangs as the portions are miniscule. This is not a difficult task as the host is a superb marketer who will gently lead you to order more and more food and beverages.
Staff are genuinely interested in serving you – the result of higher than market price pay or genuine love for their work?
The Elaneer Payasam (dessert) can be a disappointment – it tastes like cold sugary milk with miniscule portions of coconut kernel.
When you're done with dinner – all content and well-fed albeit significantly lighter from the cash you offload, you're handed a personalized gift box signed off by Chef Venkatesh Bhatt that makes the South Indies experience linger in your heart and home for quite a while. Inside the box, wrapped with care, is a traditional south indian pickle – with a story from Chef Bhatt's childhood and an elaborate pickle recipe. When you see the 20-odd ingredients required for the pickle chances are you'll want to keep going back to South Indies instead of attempting the recipe at home.
Interestingly, many of the items on the menu are priced higher than neighboring 5 stars - possibly something for 20 something founder and Managing Director Vijay Abhimanyu to ponder over. Interestingly chef Venkatesh doubles up as the CEO. Possibly the perfect idea for a F&B chain though uncommon in restaurant circles.
The breakfast buffet which starts at 7am over the weekend is a delight to the senses. Staff have the same welcoming look as they do at 10pm at night. The fresh rays of the sun brighten the glass covered terrace top with a crisp, warm freshness that is matched by the delicious crispy dosas, the zesty idlis and the hot off the burner uttapam, fresh fruits and a tempting dessert.
The manager continues to feed you with the same zest he exudes at dinner, although there are no incentives on goading customers at buffets. That’s when you begin to realize that the zest to feed is genuine and suddenly you catch a glimpse of your feeding frenzied mother in his twinkle.
If you look up you might notice pigeons taking a mid-morning break to frolic in the cascading water atop the glass roof. A wonderful way to start your day!
South Indies, with another branch in Indiranagar,
and with plans to open branches in Hyderabad and Pune shortly serves cuisines
from the four south Indian states of Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh
and Kerala.
Visit their website at http://www.thesouthindies.com/ to learn more about the restaurant. |
