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Photo: V. Sreenivasa murthy

endless options The meal comes with three curries, vegetables and steamed rice, pickle and papad

The place seems a bit stuffy, the room suddenly looks very dark, and it takes a while to get used to the lighting of the room.

But that does not kill the appetite, because by now, the aroma wafting around has already left you immensely hungry. You sit on the plain wooden bench with no back rest and start looking at the menu that is designed to look like a kitchen knife, and quickly point out at what you want to eat.

You see, Naachiyar’s is a place where you wait patiently but rush in, place your order and eat fast and rush out in super speed. Barely within a few seconds of placing your order, plantain leafs and water glasses arrive.

This is no place to have a relaxed meal for you know the plight of those waiting outside and even the service is so fast that it gives you no choice but to speed up on your intake of food.

So wasting no time you start with the Chettiand vegetarian meal that comes with three kinds of curries, vegetables and steamed rice, pickle and papad. Then for a side dish you order a bit of everything from the menu.

That’s right, a food critic should try almost every thing to do justice to his tummy and the menu. On the side dish list was a spicy crab fry, pepper mutton masala, chicken roast, fish poriyal and nethili fish fry, where you can pop in the whole tiny fish into your mouth.

It was only when we downed a mouthful of these that we remembered people rushing to the sweet stalls. To help us cope with the spice level we order some soft drinks.

But it doesn’t help. Despite the high level of spice and masala, you can’t stop eating for it is addictively delicious. Just before we burp, the chef says that the Chettinad biriyani is a big hit at Naachiyar’s. Surely you can’t walk out without trying that one, he adds.

So Chettinad mutton biriyani with pachadi and spicy curry makes for a fiery finale.

No desserts are served here. Naachiyar’s is started by S.D. Uday kumar to cater to the “corporate offices in Ulsoor. The aim is to provide them with good home cooked Tamilnadu food.”

The idea is good, but wish he had given more thought to the interiors and made it a bit more spacious using the view of the Ulsoor Lake, the greenery around and the natural light.

And wish that one did not hurry with the meal but relish it at his/her own pace. The food at Naachiyar’s simply rocks.

Naachiyar’s is open from noon to 4 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. and can be contacted on 41738588.

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