Cauvery Refreshments

"Cauvery Refreshments" is the Tiruchy style restaurant, located behind the Aiyappa Swamy temple, Madiwala. It has 30 seats. Customers are mostly bachelors; Tamilians, Malayalees and Telugites put up in and around Madiwala. The restaurant doesn't serve any beverages and meals are served only in the noon. Dosa (plain/masala/podi/onion/nice/uthappam/set/ghee), Poori, Pongal, Idly, Vada, Chapathi and Kerala Parotha - this is what you get here.

There is a small white board hung on the wall, with "today's special" written on it. Today's special was Kema (read kaima) Parotha. "Parotha ve cut paNNi, masala poottu peNNuvaango..", I heard the waiter explaining. The waiters here are middle aged. Quite often they forget the orders you place. They carry the food items around, asking "Sir, neenga dosa order paNNingaLa?". Just for fun, you can order a ghee roast (I think that is the costliest item here) and pretend to have not ordered anything at all and the waiter will spend rest of his life wondering if there is a ghost around. Even during billing, they trust the customer's goodness and the customer himself has to list down what he has eaten.

The main chef in a Tamil restaurant is called "master". I have no idea why they call so. I have not seen the master's face here, but I hear the waiters saying, "Master, onnu masala dosa", "Master, randu poori." Looks like the Master commands a lot of respect. He is the God who grants any request you make.
The waiters and the cashier here speak only Tamil. I speak in a language, which I think is Kannada, and the waiters think, is Tamil. It is like this:

Waiter : Enna saapaaduvingo?
Me : One plate poori.

Waiter : Sir, veere?
Me : Bill.

Me (to the cashier) : One plate poori.
Cashier : Parcel aa, Saaptaacha?
Me : hmm.. hmm... (When the cashier is uttering "Saaptaacha?")

Okay, I now realise that the lanuguage I have been speaking is English! Whatever!

You can see two cashiers here, working in shifts - one is middle aged, other young. The middle aged guy seems to be fed up with life. He has a frown on his face always. The younger one is lively and always smiling. He also plays good songs from Tamil movies when he is at the counter.

The quality of food is good. Place looks clean. Water is aqua guard protected. There is a mirror near the wash basin, where you can make sure that people will not be able detect what you have eaten just by looking at your face!