The tell-tale aroma of steaming loaves of bread fresh out of the oven wafts from a corner kadai where the still sleepy Kutchery Road meets a winding lane in Mylapore. It is 5 am and the staff of Senthil’s Softy Zone has already begun their daily tasks. Over the next five hours, the shop opens for business with decadent pastries, five types of samosas, crunchy cutlets, and over 40 puff varieties including chicken and vegetable, among others.
This corner spot was scouted and claimed by P Muralidharan over 36 years ago. Determined to carve out a name for himself in the city, the Perambur native established Senthil Ice Cream Zone, which initially sold milkshakes and ice-creams. “It took me 20 long years to make a name for myself,” he laughs, adding that this store made a mark in the locality and city by word of mouth.
Talk has successfully travelled as softy lovers and regulars hankering for a quick bite filter into this deceptively small corner kadai — a short stroll from the calm Mylapore tank and towering Kapaleeshwarar Temple. Renamed Senthil Softy Zone, the store has gradually amassed a sizeable customer base, recording a daily footfall of 500-700. This gem, the subject of local lores and the start of many softy obsessions, sees a frenzy of crowds between 4 pm to 8 pm.
Before peak hours, two young men eagerly purchase glasses of frothy rose milk during the sluggish afternoon hours. One impatiently asks his friend: “seri, da epdi irruku? (da, how is it da?). His friend— a first-timer at Senthil’s — takes a few seconds to relish the comforting not-too-sweet drink before answering “semma, da, semma.” The starry-eyed newcomer buys a pastry to ferry home and promises to return for one more cake, enthralled by the pink drink.
Motivated by the duo and wistfully staring at the pink drink, I also place an order for a glass of rose milk. The founder carefully assesses my face (and presumably palette) before he recommends their samosa, priced at an affordable `16. “Taste that? This flaky samosa with soft potato filling can only be found here and in the north. Unlike other stores in Chennai that have the hard exterior, we have perfected our samosas,” Muralidharan says.
Jharkhand-based Mithun, who greets the customers with a toothy smile, concurs. "All the chaat items, like dahi puri, taste exactly like traditional North Indian chaats," says the staff member who has been working here for 14 years.
Biz boom
As the lanes of Mylapore rapidly evolved over the past three decades, Senthil's Softy Zone remained no mere witness to this but mirrored this growth. It discarded its paper menu for boards, began the sale of bakery items in 1998, and added to its menu.
According to Muralidharan, “Mylapore, which is the central part of the city, is best for business.” The founder's boom in business could easily be attributed to his careful tracking of the customers’ sensibilities over the years. “In 1998, rose milk was a popular item and by the 2000s, lemon juice, and puffs took over the market. In 2010, it was chaat items.” He adds that today’s customers love a combination of everything.
A trusty marketing strategy relies on the customer’s goodwill, Muralidharan says. “Now, in the times of Instagram and YouTube, shops gain popularity in six months. Some even pay to get good reviews published. Growing by word of mouth won’t fail."
Almost testament to this, customers frequent this store only to become regulars, no turning back. Among them is R Lakshmi who visited in her younger days and now often makes a stop after a peaceful pilgrimage to the Kapaleeshwarar Temple. Lakshmi tells CE that her son Maheshwaran loves Senthil Softy Zone's savoury and cheesy dishes, and she never forgets to take home a few puffs or sandwiches. This time, she doesn’t leave without a luxurious vanilla softy and adds that her guilty pleasures remain the chocolate and vanilla ones.
Tasteful technology
During the summers, the demand for rose milk and badam milk rises, and Muralidharan does not disappoint but serves up glasses at break-neck speed. Well-oiled and imported rose milk machines stand proudly at the back of the shop. As the big bad swift technological updates constantly pursue us, Muralidharan has never shied away from them. “We broke the concept of how rose milk is usually prepared. If you go to the city, people will put paal, syrup, and ice. We automated it. We also use imported machines to make our puffs and softies. We need to be constantly updated and think of ways to implement technology. Everything will fall into place if the quality is good."
Even during the pandemic, when shops across the country shuttered down, Muralidharan began selling sandwich bread. As the world has slowly crept out of Covid-19 times, patrons throng the store. However, the owner reports that these days, many avoid this area due to Metro construction.
As for plans, the founder reveals he hopes to open three more branches across the city soon. “We are working on expansion and have been searching for land over the past five years,” he explains. Ever the smart businessman, Muralidharan tells me that the famous logo — Softy Zone enclosed within a white painted ‘Senthil’ and dotted with fruits like strawberries and mangoes — is copyrighted and trademarked. When asked about his daily sales, the founder laughs and says a good salesman never reveals trade secrets.
Muralidharan does let me in on one tiny detail: "the shop never has leftovers." By 10 pm, the shop shutters down and their rows of pastries, puffs and samosas have been wiped clean by the day's patrons. As the founder predicts, his customers have left the store with grins and pocketed bread crumbs of Senthil Softy Zone's lore and menu to sprinkle across the city.