The nearest Udipi restaurant was about 1 to 1.5 kilometers away. It was only later that more hotels started coming up in the area. This location was also the terminal bus stand for a few routes, and it was common to see drivers stopping opposite the hotel with their engines running. A server would come running out, hand over parcels of food to the drivers, and it would all happen so quickly. The servers knew each driver and conductor and their specific orders, and it seemed like the bills were settled at regular intervals. This hotel served simple but tasty food. Sweets available were limited in variety—Mysore Pak, Milk Halwa, and the like. Interestingly, the taste among all the Udipi restaurants was standard and consistent.

Menu cards were rare. The servers, with a pencil tucked behind their ear, would rattle off the limited items on offer. It was mostly Idli, Vadai, Dosai, Uppuma, Pongal, Puri, Mysore Bonda, Mangalore Bonda, and, of course, coffee. The typical eating routine would start with the customer asking, “What’s available hot?” After hearing the list, they would usually settle on one or two items like Idli, Dosai, Vadai, or Bonda. It was amusing that, despite the ritual of asking, the choices were almost always the same.

Sambar and chutney weren’t served in tiny cups; they were generously ladled from a small serving bucket directly onto whatever you were eating. The servers were liberal and broad-minded in their portions. If someone ordered only a sweet, a small plate of mixture would be given free of charge. Coffee was served piping hot, and if someone wanted it less hot, the server would perform an impressive maneuver, pouring the coffee from a height into the saucer (davara) and back into the tumbler without spilling a drop. Watching this skillful performance was a delight in itself.

The bill was usually handwritten on a small piece of paper, with the number of people who ate noted. At the counter, the bill would be spiked for accounting purposes. Simple and workable. It was sad to see these Udipi cafes and restaurants vanish by the 1990s, although a few have made a comeback in recent years.

In the early 1990s, we toured the Mangalore-Udipi belt and were surprised to find no Udipi hotels in Udipi itself. Vegetarian restaurants were scarce, though the food served in the temples was excellent. There was a Woodlands restaurant there—was there any place where you couldn’t find a Woodlands restaurant? The food was amazingly tasty.

I must provide a disclaimer here: I’ve mentioned the names of some restaurants and might do so again in the future. I have no affiliation with these establishments other than having eaten there and enjoyed their food.

How can I not mention some of the other restaurants or hotels that gave my tummy such satisfaction?

Old-timers will remember Arya Bhavan on Govindappa Naicken Street. The food was delicious. There were huge tables seating ten or twelve people. Everyone at the table, whether they were part of the same group or not, had to state their entire order, including the final coffee. The server, with the tiniest pencil on his ear, wouldn’t even bother to jot anything down. Yet, amazingly, each person’s exact order was served without a single mistake—such memory power!

Continued in 109. Chats And Chaats - Part 4