Bhaiya, one more pav. Please!,” asks a customer, through a mouthful of butter-soaked pav dunked in spicy and tangy bhaji.”
If the reels you saw of Apoorva’s Novelty in Shenoy Nagar made you think of it as a new hot spot in the city, ask the decades-old foodies, and they will tell you that this is the improved version of their favourite Novelty Tea House. For almost 67 years, the cosy, vintage-looking building, blending old-world charm with modern functional design, was nestled in the heart of Mint Street, Sowcarpet. “Apoorva is my daughter-in-law’s name. The restaurant is the same old Novelty Tea House, but in a new model,” explains Jithendra Chandrakanth Shah, franchise partner, Apoorva’s Novelty.
Here, customers make a beeline outside the restaurant, hoping they will be called in next; paper rolls that take down orders are constantly replaced in the kitchen, the chefs chop onions and tomatoes in a rhythm, cradle gravies in kadhais and plate dishes with precision. “All this is to provide customers with good food, which makes customers happy. Our principle is to share joy,” he adds. With a larger space, more food options and additional partners joining the business, the restaurant was inaugurated on March 20 and opened to the public on March 23, 2025.
Tracing the roots
This move to relaunch was made because the previous property belonged to the government. Jithendra shares, “The building is a hundred year old, belonging to a temple. Before us, there was a provision store. Then in the 1950s, my father took over and started a tea stall there.”
On May 16, 1958, Jithendra’s father, Chandrakanth Moolchand Shah, started a tea stall in a 200 sq.ft space. “In those days, many North Indians came in from different parts of the country to the city in search of work. They used to get down at Central and walk to the nearby areas. My father used to sell them tea,” he recalls.
The regular tea costed 10 paisa, diamond tea (tea with more milk) was sold at 25 paisa and tea from pure buffalo milk with no added water was 50 paisa. The Shah business started making profits and soared in 1975. Hence, Chandrakanth rented another 200 sq.ft space and expanded the business to sell snacks. This also included pav bhaji — for which food lovers from far off places, from Tambaram to Tondiarpet, took a trip to Sowcarpet. Now, the same customers and their families drive down to Shenoy Nagar.
In 1979-80, Chandrakanth hired staff members and expanded to 400 more sq.ft and converted the tea stall into a restaurant. “At that time, pav bhaji was `2 and 50 paisa. An extra pav was priced at 10 paise,” adds Jithendra. Customers were often enticed by the sights of pani puri packets stacked upon one another, the strong aroma of coffee, and the warmth of dim yellow lights.
This was also the time when Jithendra and his siblings joined the family business. In view of expansion, they opened and shut a number of restaurants in the city from 1976 — in Purasawalkam, Cathedral Road, and Egmore. “We closed them for various reasons — unable to match the cost cutting with imposition of GST, the owner wanting the space back, and sometimes because of family,” expresses Jithendra.
But the seed of expansion was still germinating in his head and last year, Mahindra Jain, Ragupathy, and Vardharajan approached Jithendra for a partnership. “The work started seven months ago. I am the franchise partner and the others are working partners,” he adds.
A new chapter
The space at Shenoy Nagar is new, fresh, yet reflecting the long-standing history of the brand. About the change in place, Jithendra says, “There we had more running customers. Here, people come, enjoy the food and sit for up to an hour. And here we can give much more variety.”
The inclusions in the menu are Tandoori, Chinese, soup, starters, ice creams along with what was served at Sowcarpet. Except tea. “I do not want to change the quality, so I retained most of the dishes and includes specialty items like pulao, pudina dosa, podi idli, aloo tikki, dahi puri, filter coffee, guava, ice cream,” he mentions.
Jithendra believes that individuals want to “find different tastes”, but they eventually come back to their “comfort place”. “We have seen it. They (clients) have seen it,” he says, hinting that their pav bhaji is a comfort food.
Jithendra and the partners are working on opening a party hall in the same premise. “In around three months, we are planning to expand to a party hall. Then our restaurant will have a capacity of 70 people with a party hall of a hundred. Nowadays, people do not want to celebrate anything outside, looking at the costs, but with a party hall attached to a restaurant, most expenses for food, catering, decor and more are covered,” says the partner.
They also wish to add more franchises. With more such outlets, the rebranded Novelty Tea House is poised to take the city’s food scene by storm, offering a unique blend of tradition and innovation.