Walking through the narrow lane off Powerhouse road, a tantalising aroma leads us to a humble eatery with a unique white tiled wall and an arabesque design.
We can hear the sound of pooris getting fried in the hot oil. The precincts have been a welcoming home to many who relished the delicacy and is known as the Saurashtra Gujarathi Hotel, quite famously in the city and ironically so for its lacklustre ambience.
The restaurant in the heart of the city is unique; it opens at 3.30pm in the afternoon and closes at 8pm. There is only one platter on the menu: poori, moong dal or potato curry, gooseberry pickle, pappad, and chopped onion that is comfortingly sweet and sour with a spritz of lemon juice and sugar.
The combination is one of a kind. Top it with chai, laced with cardamom, to wash down the eclectic spread.
Saurashtra is a peninsular region on the Arabian coast, also known as Kathiawad. But how did this restaurant get this name? “The restaurant was started in 1958 by a Brahmin family from Saurashtra. In 1960, my father Veera Reddiar took over the shop,” says Parthasarathi Reddiar, who runs the show now.
“Earlier, we used to serve meals as well. However, now we are offering only poori sets and chai. The timings and the food now have been streamlined,” he says.
However, both the old, loyal customers and the younger generation visit the eatery. “For the older generation, the poori set is a walk through memory lane because we have kept the taste and flavour intact,” adds Parthasarathi.
Food made of wheat was alien to Malayalis at the beginning of 1960, he feels. Dosas were sold like hotcakes and there was less traction for pooris and chapatis.
“In 1964, after the death of Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri became the prime minister. A famine during that period created a dearth of rice, and Shastri called for austerity and urged his family to sacrifice dinner. Similarly, he urged Indians to sacrifice one meal at least a week. Food items made of wheat gained traction during that time, and chapati, poori, and rava dosa became familiar dishes. That is when our shop picked up,” says Parthasarathi.
The consumers of the eatery include people from several walks of life, including political leaders. Ninety per cent of the customers are permanent, and hence many familiar faces visit on a daily basis.
“Of late, there are many new customers too who come after reading reviews and to taste the simplicity of crispy, golden pooris with payar curry,” he smiles.
Kollam-native Haripriya S P is one such customer who is in the city to visit Pazhavangadi Sree Maha Ganapati temple at East Fort. “We found out about this place when my mother saw it while scrolling through YouTube shorts. We decided to come and try this out,” she says.
The busy store is thus a revelation for the young and a sweet, old comfort for the rest. And Parthasarathi is determined to satisfy both with the simple, yet scrumptious offering.