South Indian fare in and around Lutyen's Delhi

Dosa at Sagar Ratna

In the past few years as Delhi  became more cosmopolitan its gastronomical scene changed a lot. More people were travelling abroad and thus being exposed to different cuisines. They looked for the same authenticity in their food back home too and gradually there was a whole new breed of restaurateur who were sparing no efforts in trying to give the same experience - be it Ritu Dalmia serving Italian cuisine in her Cafe Diva and just as there is Shalom for Mediterranean experience ... and a host of others got it right too. But what stood out here was that they catered to mostly the top end of the market.

Yet, what you cannot take out of Delhiites is their intrinsic love for butter chicken, kadhai paneer,dal makhani and naan -the typical North Indian fare.In such a scenario one wonders how South Indian food aeons of years ago managed to make its mark at all, particularly when the general populace was barely open to trying anything new. The main recipe for success of this cuisine or more particularly of the Dosa, Idli and Vada trilogy in North India was the entrepreneur’s ability to tweak the flavors for the local palate. With some trial and error they were able to give that right amount of zing to suit the Punjabi taste buds. The fact that today South Indian food joints are doing swinging business is indicative of the fact that they have been successful in pulling in the masses.What we have definitely got is a host of  South Indian restaurants all over the city serving amazing food and here is my list of a few of them.

Andhra Bhavan Canteen

This place is housed in very leafy and sylvan surroundings of Central Delhi ... just walking distance from India Gate. I had passed by it umpteen number of times but somehow never had the heart to brave the long queues that one often spotted waiting outside the canteen. One fine Sunday morning we finally got around to going there for breakfast. Apparently a lot of the political leaders are regulars here and in the air conditioned confines of first floor a couple of tables are reserved for them.

It's a no frills place, but the food makes coming here, worthwhile. We bought our food coupon at the cash counter, normally there is a wait of 15-20 minutes but we got lucky and were ushered to our table in no time. Everything here works with clockwork precision and all the servers here have their work laid out while one of them ushers you to your table, another one collects the coupon while another serves food. I guess that is the reason they are able to cater to such a large crowd which fills up the huge dining area.

It's a fixed menu for all three meals of the day along with some a la carte dishes. The breakfast menu has a masala dosa, sambhar, an idli and a vada along with ghee, chilli powder, coconut chutney and filter coffee. The service was quick and the food came in no time and was reasonably hot. The rice idli was well made, so was the vada, crisp from outside and soft inside.  The staff is efficient and keeps refilling your sambhar and chutney bowl. The food has a simple homely touch to it, though served in the most basic style but the meal rounded off with their robust filter coffee leaves you a very contented lot.

For lunch they have unlimited Vegetarian thali which is very popular and has two veg dishes,poori/roti,spl rice, boiled rice, daal, sambhar, rasam, curd, kesari bhath or halwa, potpourri of chutneys,bowl of ghee,gun powder, pickle and papad. Non vegetarian needn’t despair on Sunday's they serve special Hyderabadi Biryani which is a huge sellout. Though I have not tried their thali but the regulars swear by it and for hundred bucks it's definitely more than value for money.

The secret to the popularity of this place is consistently good food and low pricing. The fad of eating out has resulted in mushrooming of restaurants, yet few of them are able to stay afloat ... Andhra bhawan inspite of being low on the swankiness quotient thrives because emphasis on maintaining quality has never been compromised. They ensure this by relying on the traditional method... cooking humungous amount of food by hand

Chidambaram's New Madras Hotel

This is very obscure looking shop in Khanna Market and that's why even  a frequent visitor like me never noticed its existence. It was only recently when a friend happened to talk about this place that we went searching for it.

An added attraction of this area apart from Lodhi Gardens is the Meher Chand Market nearby, which is gradually becoming the new hip address in town and may soon become Khan Market's bête noire, what with all the high end designers opening shop there.

This shop has been around since 1930 and is an old establishment. It's a modest looking place but very well known for its authentic Tamilian food. It serves the usual fare of idli, dosa, utthapam, vada. Their 3- in- one Rava dosa is a huge sellout and so is their dahi vada. For the calorie conscious there is Ragi dosa.

I had my usual masala dosa because I feel that with this staple dish nobody can go wrong. The husband had dahi vada and masala vada. The dosa was fine and so were their other dishes. The food is simple, not very spicy and tastes close to home cooked food. One can round of the meal with their filter coffee.

What didn’t work for me was that for an establishment which is not so up-scale the pricing should be more competitive. If you are in the vicinity the food here can be tried out, if for nothing else than just to experience its old world charm.

Saravana Bhawan Janpath

The queues here are exceedingly long and waiting around is the norm (and if you dropping in for luncheon it would be wise to come early) but I guess that is an indication of its popularity.  The food served here is strictly vegetarian. This place has been a big hit with Delhiites for its authentic South Indian meals. Their signature dishes are ghee pongal, Mumbai halwa, fixed thali.

 I had the mini idlis served with ghee and sambhar-they were unadulterated joy and do melt in the mouth. They have a great variety of dosas so you will not be left short of choice and their spicy kara dosa which is available after 11 am, is a personal favorite. The tiffin platter is a good option if you want to taste different dishes at one go. For those with a sweet tooth the almond halwa and Puran Polis are good choices.

It's an ideal place for breakfast as it opens as early as 8 am. For some of us who have a generous appetite they have a South Indian thali in which along with the usual fare there is a very interesting dish which is basically green chillies marinated in spiced up buttermilk and served fried. We rounded off our meal with a sampling of their badam halwa - it was extremely delicious though sinfully rich.

A great place to go if you are not rushed for time though once inside they will  help you make up for the lost time. They serve you super efficiently and hover around you till you don't take the hint and quickly finish off and leave.

Murugan South Indian Cafe Amar Colony

Amar Colony (Lajpat nagar) is overrun by tuition centres and that is how I got here. My kids used to come here for their Economics coaching (Saddam's place for the uninitiated), so whenever I used to drop them I had to kill a couple of hours here. This ultimately didn’t prove all that tough because I soon discovered what a big food haven this place was and it was easy to spend time in any one of the cafes dotting this area. This market is choc-a-bloc with food shops. For South Indian there is Sagar Ratna too but surprisingly Murugan's was the one drawing the crowd. The really good thing out here is their vada which are just so rightly done, a crisp outer covering,   nicely cooked inside and very spongy too. I could make out that the batter has been well beaten because they doubled in size while getting fried. His vadas are at par if not better than the best and definitely worth a visit. Not only are they inexpensive but also first rate. Have it in the morning - when it's fresh and warm. You just wouldn’t be able to stop yourself for coming over and over again.

Sagar Ratna Connaught Place

I recently came to know that Sagar Ratna has a branch in CP, close to my place. I was quite thrilled at the thought that it would be possible to visit it more frequently.

Sadly, neither the ambience nor the food matched up to their flagship Defence Colony oufit.The chutneys were totally lacking in taste and the rest of their stuff was also below par. I guess that's why had never heard of it in so many years. Made me realize that though they may have multiple outlets but one should stick to the original one.

Sagar Ratna Defence Colony

This place is an iconic landmark for South Indian food and my absolute favorite. I have been coming here since the time it was known only as ‘Sagar’ and can definitely say nobody in town does it better.

The place has a very relaxed ambience. You can linger over your meal, service is very quick and the food comes piping hot. The restaurant gets it all - the rich and not so rich ... a nice blend of people ... the bowler hatted to the jean T-shirt types ... it appeals to old and young alike.

We prefer the dining area on the first floor as it's more spacious and if you can find empty tables near the window then do go for that as it has a nice view. All the usual South Indian fare is on offer from dosas to idlis,vada and uttapam and one can't miss out on their amazing colorful chutneys - coconut, tomato and the green one too (dunno what it is made of)

The food has always been delicious and amazingly consistent. Be it their masala dosa which has just the right amount of crispness or their idlis- which are soft, spongy and leave you with a very light feeling ... both are nicely complemented by their perfect sambhar and chutneys ,  both of which they keep an endless supply flowing. The piece de resistance is their paneer dosa which has a generous stuffing of perfectly spiced paneer and you wonder how they have managed to create a perfect blend of North Indian stuffing in a South Indian dosa. Another must have is the dahi vada served with a sprinkling of boondi.The lightly sweetened curd is the perfect foil for the melt in the mouth vadas.

Eating at this place is always a treat and for South Indian food lovers an experience not to be missed. Sagar Ratna in Def Col is undoubtedly the 'king' for madrasi fare in Delhi.