Karavalli

Breakfast was another disappointment. It was so unsatisfying that I had a second round at tea board when I reached the institute. First of all, I don’t really like upama, not for breakfast at least. Secondly, it was heated up in the microwave oven, had little ingredients in it and very spicy. Thirdly, I asked for fruits and all I got was “Naheeng. Khatam.” meaning “No. Finished.”

Alagiri wanted to do some shopping so we went to Commercial Street where he got a shirt and two pants. After that, we went over to MG Road to check out the book stores. I wanted to get a Hindi phrase book. There were a couple of Hindi self-taught books, conversational Hindi books, but I could not find the phrasebook I wanted. Oh well, another time then.

Since we were in the area, we hopped over to this restaurant called Karavalli on Residency Road, which was recommended by one of the guide books. Karavalli serves South Indian cuisine and seafood is supposed to be their specialty. It’s a little pricy, the damage was about Rs900 per person, but worth every cent.

Alagiri let me decide on what to order. From the menu, I chose a spicy chilli Goan chicken for starters, all-time Karavalli favourite fish curry and Karavalli’s special pomfret on banana leaf for main courses, and rice to go with it. Spicy tomato and tumeric soup was complementary and came in a small glass set in a copper holder. The crispy rice crackers appetizer was so tasty, we finished the whole basket of it!

Nice cosy little place in a garden setting, wooden furniture, straw placemats with copper cutlery and food is served on banana leaves by waiters dressed in traditional dresses. This Tamil Nadu friend of mine was so impressed by the authenticity of the food, the way it’s served and the whole dining experience, he couldn't stop singing its praises. He said it feels like home.

After a lousy dinner and breakfast, this is a nice treat for myself as well.


Glossary:

Upama – A fried rice-like dish of semolina (Hindi: sugee), diced carrots, long beans and green chilli.