Do you like the Tamil Nadu-style spicy sambar or prefer its sweeter cousin from Karnataka?
Sashwatha Cafe (the word means eternal in Sanskrit), the new addition to the bustling streets of Nandanam, is trying its hand at finding a balance.
At this bougie new Udupi restaurant where one washes their hands in urulis amidst swanky interiors, one can find akki rotis, Mangalore buns and the crowd favourite, masala dosa, for all those craving a taste of darshinis (small self-service cafes) from the land of sandalwood.
Anitha Sivakumar, the founder of this establishment and her daughter Shivani who heads this operation, seem to have had quite the adventure during their trials. “We tried different dishes from the smallest of hotels to the most famous ones in the State and then curated the menu. My head chef is from Karnataka so we went through several iterations of the food to ensure that ghee and butter, a central part of the Karnataka tiffin cuisine, are not overwhelming. We want people to come and eat here everyday,” she says.
Among the most staple of food items in Tamil households, is the idli. Here, its iterations — thatte idli, podi idli and rava idli — are soft like sponge, waiting to be soaked in the three accompanying chutneys: coconut, mint and tomato. The podi, with a generous heaping of ghee crowning the hot thatte idli, is homemade, says Anitha. “We will have to scale up the batches,” she says, laughing. The rava idli is mild and light while the podi version serves as quick finger food.
The dosas, made fresh from their open-kitchen across the tables, arrive before one can finish this first course, urging the table to quicken its pace. While the rava dosa is forgettable, the one that elicits most ‘ooo’s and ‘aah’s is the masala dosa. Though this dosa is not laden with the quintessential red paste made of soaked Byadagi chilli and garlic, the homemade podi and a heaping of the tempered potato mash, calls for another plate.
Rava idli | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The restaurant also has other popular darshini staples like akki roti, ragi roti, karabath, chow chow bath, bissibele bath and Mangalore buns — all making for interesting meals to try post work or workout.
Bengaluru-style food is not unfamiliar to Chennai. Other restaurants like Eating Circles in Alwarpet and Bengaluru Tiffin House in Kilpauk, have a steady following in their neighborhoods. The newly opened Benne in Mumbai too has food enthusiasts flocking to the site and posting pictures of their new menu. Anitha says that she would like for Sashwatha Cafe to be the dine and dash of Nandanam, where one can be assured of a quick and hot meal from as early as 6am till 2am, when one gets the munchies. This probably explains why there are only a handful of chairs (can seat 10 but accommodate 50 others on serving tables where one stands and eats).
The meal ends with a coffee procured from Anitha’s own estate in Yercaud. “We looked everywhere in Tamil Nadu and did the usual round of Coorg and Chikmagaluru to find that the coffee at our own estate at home works best,” she says. This strong concoction made with milk that has been boiling for a while, lends a rich, caffeinated sweetness to the meal, a fitting end.
The interiors of Sashwatha cafe | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Anitha says that their menu also has desserts including badam halwa and gulab jamuns for those who would like to finish with something sweet. There are plans to expand this venture too.
Anitha who has lived all her life in Tamil Nadu, decided to challenge herself with running an all-vegetarian kitchen with her daughter because she has already ticked non-vegetarian off her list. Her other ventures, Parambriym and Sundays in Anna Nagar, have passed the test of longevity and she is happy to tread new ground.
While Sashwatha’s everlasting legacy remains to be seen, one thing remains clear. One can go back for that cup of filter coffee.
Sashwatha Cafe is on 36, Chamiers Road, Nandanam Extension, and is open between 6am and 2am. A meal for two costs ₹300.
