A taste of Madurai in Bengaluru
If your stomach craves the fiery flavours of Madurai for lunch and your heart yearns for a taste of Tamil Nadu, teleport to Suvaii A Pandyan Legacy in Indiranagar, Bengaluru. Teleportation, because, driving in the premature summer sun, we felt like the fremen riding a sandworm in Dune. It was a journey that had us wishing for a Jigarthanda IV drip.
Which is exactly how we started our lunch. The jigarthanda, with its medley of milk, malai, kalpasi (black stone flower), and basundi ice cream, cooled us down and prepared us for a fiery meal that awaited us. We also had a glass of elaneer sharbat to beat the heat. Because why not?
The décor of Suvaii might have you squinting at blurry photos depicting Madurai, but trust us, your tastebuds will be seeing just fine.
From the moment you spot the kolam designs on the ceiling, you are halfway to Madurai. Sure, those wall photos could use a Photoshop touchup, but who needs pixelperfect temples when there is chicken kothu parotta to be demolished? This glorious mess of shredded parotta, egg, and spicy chicken chukka is the perfect fuel for your culinary adventure.
The mutton biriyani is equally worthy of praise, with tender meat and a spice level that whispers sweet nothings. But the real star, the dish that had me contemplating a holiday to Madurai, was
Hearty, homely and wholesome
the chicken kari dosai. This threelayered dish (batter, secret recipeplusegg, and chicken filling), according to Suvaii’s cofounder Sathish Mahadevan, has to be eaten in a certain way for maximum relish. “Though it’s like a pizza, it shouldn’t be eaten that way. You need to crush it, mix all three layers, pour some of the curry, mash it and eat it with your fingers,” he instructs. In fact, most of the dishes on Suvaii’s menu are best eaten by hand.
Thankfully, Suvaii un
Suvaii: A Pandyan Legacy
Address: HAL 2nd Stage, Stage 3, Indiranagar
Hits: Chicken Kari Dosai, Mutton Biriyani, Elaneer Payasam.
Misses: None.
Pocket Pinch: ₹1000 derstands the importance of a sweet landing after a spice flight. The elaneer payasam? Let us just say it proves that not all payasams are created equal. This smooth, creamy concoction is a sweet tooth’s dream.
Speaking of sweet, the carrot halwa deserves its own standing ovation. Forget sicklysweet sugar bombs – this version relies on the natural goodness of honey, dates, and a generous dose of ghee.
The friendly staff at Suvaii are happy to guide you through the menu and even offer insights into the ingredients.
Here, even the mouth fresheners have a local touch — vethala-paaku with panir sunnambu (betel leaf and nut with rosewater limestone), paaku mittaai (a paanflavoured candy), orange mittaai, lemon mittaai, kamarakattu, and more.
For anyone craving a true taste of Madurai cuisine without the plane ticket, Suvaii A Pandyan Legacy delivers in a big, moderatelypriced way.
Chef Adithya Kidambi is on a mission — to take the mainstream burger and elevate it to suit the palate of a fine dining connoisseur.
“There was a need to change the categorisation of burgers from fast food to being craft and gourmet,” says the chef who launched Anatomy during the pandemic years, and is all set to host a popup in the city this week.
“Reinventing the dish is the most exciting part for me. Making sure that a lot of care and attention goes into every small element in the burger,” adds the Le Cordon Bleu, Sydney, graduate.
Post the launch of Anatomy, Adithya — who, alongside Shishir Sathyan, launched kombucha brand Mossant Fermentary in 2019 — made a mark with his signature burgers in