In Delhi, our community would host a fair where residents could set up small food stalls with homemade dishes. These stalls were judged, and the best one would receive a token prize. As South Indians, what do you expect us to do? A dosa stall, of course! My mother was a wonderful cook, and knowing how much North Indians loved dosa and sambar, we decided to set up our stall. One of our neighbors set up a Gol Gappa stall. There were many other stalls, but the Gol Gappa and Dosa stalls were the main attractions. Crowds flocked to both. A lady judge enjoyed our dosa and sambar and praised it openly, but in the end, the prize went to the Gol Gappa stall. No surprises there—ours was rated second. This just goes to show the deep love affair Delhi has with Gol Gappas.

Even after moving to Chennai, our desire for Pani Puris never left us. Initially, there weren’t many places where you could find them. I have a vague memory of a restaurant named “Hari Om Bhavan” in the Sowcarpet area, which might have had them. But it was when Gangothree opened on Cathedral Road that our cravings were truly satisfied. The Pani Puris there were almost on par with Delhi’s. Many times, I saw the owner tasting the two types of pani and directing adjustments until he was satisfied. That was the level of care put into maintaining the taste. To this day, their Pani Puris are still very good.

Another memory that springs to mind is of a vendor who used to sit at the corner between Regal and Rivoli Theatres in Delhi. His specialty was Aloo Tikki, I think. There was always a crowd around his roadside stall. When I visited Delhi after more than three decades, I managed to find this vendor. In a casual conversation, I discovered that this man was the son of the vendor I had seen back in the late 1950s. I’m not sure if this stall still exists today, but it was heartening to see the legacy continue.

Chennai was once full of Udipi restaurants. They were the go-to places back then. Udipi Bhavans could be found in almost every locality. Most other small and medium-sized hotels were in the Sowcarpet-Parry Corner area. Even T. Nagar had very few hotels at that time, and many were called cafes. Among the larger restaurants were Dasaprakash, New Woodlands, and Savera. Dasaprakash was quite old, but I’m not sure when the other two were established. One notable restaurant was the Drive-in Woodlands, located in a busy area with sprawling grounds, open spaces, and trees. People would throng there in the mornings and evenings, with cars parked around the open-air area as food was served directly in the vehicles. It was rumored that thousands of idlis were made and sold there each morning. Unfortunately, it was on leased land, and once the lease ended, the restaurant shut down after many years. It was a favorite spot for us and many other families.

And what about the Udipis?

Continued in 108. Chats And Chaats - Part 3