Coimbatore, Nov 26
Sometime ago, a friend of ours, Priya who had come down from the UK pinged me on messenger to know where she could get idlis at noon, here? I was speechless for a moment. Believe me, actually, no restaurant here serves idlis at noon. My friend too was surprised to learn that the world famous native food of this region 'Idly' is not readily available in restaurants through the day. Who said idlis and dosas are only meant for breakfast and dinner? Actually no one said! After settling for bulky meals for lunch, not many prefer having idlis at noon.
A day before, we were invited by Chef Chinna from Barbeque Nation to visit their on-going 'Dakshin' food festival (a Tamil Nadu-Andhra fusion food festival). As we settled at our tables, we were anxious to know what the waiters were serving at nearby tables. The dish was steaming hot. Oh my god! they were idlis. Fluffy steaming hot idlis at 2 pm in Coimbatore? We were fascinated.
Curious to know more about their food festival and how idlis got a place in menu? We met the executive Chef Chinna to know the story of idlis for lunch.
"Why not idlis for lunch? A food festival should be true to it's name. Tamil Nadu idlis and dosas' are world popular. Then how could we justify a Tamil Nadu food festival without them? When we promise a south Indian food festival, how can we justify it without the iconic food items that represent the geography? All flavours and delicacies of the particular region are what infuse life into the food festival", the chef clarified.
"The response for serving idlis as a noon meal has been well-received by all our guests. Believe me, most of them relished at least a couple of idlis paired with Mutton Kheema" he added.
It's raining food festivals in the city. But indeed, the 'Dakshin' at Barbeque Nation had a real regional tinge to it. Foodies, especially those who love to relish Andhra and Tamil Nadu cuisines at one go will have a splendid treat there. The restaurant is known among the locals for its sizzling hot array of live grills served right on the table.
"We have revised our live grills too. Kodi chicken, garlic-infused chicken, Chettinad prawns, rava-tossed basa fish are our new additions this food festival. Not to worry, same combinations are available for vegetarian delicacies too. And, on request, we have retained our signature dishes - crispy cajun potato and the crispy corn", he noted.
Bendakaya fry, Nellore chepala pulusu, rava fish fry, Hyderbadi veg briyani, nellikai malli rasam and pickle varieties are some of the delicacies from Andhra added to this festival.
Among the delicacies, the garlic chicken is worth a mention. The cubes of chicken were amazingly succulent and infused with garlic. The nellikai malli rasam with vazhaipoo vadai were 'the best pair' for the day.
The live kulfi counter was buzzing with kids who kept the kulfi wala attentive to their orders. Relishing their cutomised kulfis decorated with their favourite gems and shredded nuts, the kids' had a yummy-tummy time.
Among the desserts, the elaneer payasam and 'Kovil' sarkarai pongal were unique to the region. The 'Kovil' sarkarai pongal was an irony as it reminded of the city-fame Koniamman temple, which is obliquely opposite to the restaurant.
Last but not the least, somehow, find a little space in your tummy to accommodate Kappi Tiramisu which is a localised twist of the original Tiramisu.
The food festival is open for lunch and dinner on all days.