If, upon flipping through the menu card, you know every dish that is listed on it, you've got to be a South Indian. I had a tough time deciphering the names of the dishes. It was almost like a Eureka moment for me, if I could point out a dish that I understood. I could barely contain my thrill in those moments, which were few and far between. Gaping at every page for almost eons, wondering what I should order, I took a leap of faith and settled for the Idlis in a pouch (for starters), Malabar Masala Vegetable curry, Tomato Pappu Dal, Appam (a South Indian bread) and some tamarind rice. Phew.. at last I had managed to place an order, hoping it was worth the trouble. I almost heaved a sigh of relief when I finally handed the menu card back to the waiter after the intellectual catharsis, giving a trivial thing such as a menu card, a whole new definition in my dictionary.
So now it was time to gaze at my plate and the things surrounding it. It was a green ceramic plate made in the shape of a banana leaf. Pretty thoughtful. Of course, the restaurant was made in the shape of a boat, so you'd get the feeling that you were sitting in a boat restaurant in the south of India, say Tamil Nadu. To add a cherry on the cake, they played beautiful Tamil music, which definitely helped soothe my nerves. Although, I couldn't understand a word, the melody was enough to help me release my tautness. Needless to say, the place was teeming with the upper class South Indian folk. Looked like a popular joint among them, for obvious reason.
The starter finally arrived in a conical pouch made of a banana leaf. The waiter served us the spiced mini idlis and some condiments. I almost gulped them down. Those were the easy ones to understand and quite savoury too. The main course arrived soon after. I couldn't wait anymore. My appetite was rollicking for more. The tamarind rice in a metal bowl looked wholesome and the daal was served to us in individual bowls. Then came the Malabar Masala vegetable curry. Quite a delectable concoction of vegetables in a brown gravy. All of this with the Appam, just the perfect way to have a perfect South Indian meal. At least, I would think so. I was pretty delighted to gorge. So, without batting an eyelid, I quickly tore a piece of Appam, picked some veggies with it, dipped it into the simmering daal and relented to my eager taste buds. As I relished that morsel, I decided that toiling through that menu card had finally paid off and it was all worth it. A spicy tomato gravy, made with a hint of Sambhar, it was the daal that truly bagged the prize.
