Almost like 'Manna'

I know that's a quirky title, but you'll get it when you read.

My other option for title was 'what happens when you walk with a foodie'. I've been doing my walks with Amit for a while now, and he comes up with this fine idea. He's like, 'smitha akka, tomorrow let's walk to the metro station (which is 2.5 kms from home), take the metro, go to cubbon park, walk again, and then I'll take you to this masala dosa place. You have to experience it.'

Cubbon park, and masala dosa.....and I was in. We got Swaroop also to join, and by next morning a couple more of his friends also got roped in.

As the plan starts to take shape, he tells me about the place. He says....it's a quaint old place, like it's just always been there, no one knows how old it is. There's a queue for the food, a longer queue for if you want the masala dosa, and a smaller one for the other stuff they have, which is idli and kaali dosa and pulau. That's full menu. And what's more, you get only half a masala dosa, you can't even order more. Sounded intriguing enough, and he's like 'be prepared, it's not any fancy place'.

Inspite of all the preparation, it took us so by surprise, actually shock is closer to truth. For one, I couldn't even see the eatery anywhere, no board, no building... nothing, all I could see was the queue. In fact it felt like walking into a temple, the whole place was very temple like (it is in temple grounds), idols everywhere, people praying.

Swaroop almost backed off in fact, like after seeing the queue. He tried saying let's do the small queue, but Amit had his mind set on the legendary masala dosa you see...so long queue it was. That's Chimpy, Amit's friend, at the end of the queue.

That's the place, a small, fairly dilapitated shack between these two huge peepal trees

This is the entrance, and it's almost hard to believe, apart from how it looks (will reserve any further adjectives), it's like bordering on some crazy sort of classism.......the ones who want masala dosa get to go in, and the others of the smaller queue, eat out on a little bench which seats six.

It boasts two dingy rooms, with a stacked capacity of about twenty. No tables, just old benches against the wall. They'll first come and give you a leaf plate with a banana leaf on it, and you're sitting there holding it till he comes, and then he serves per his order. You only get to say yes or no. Idli, pulao, kaali dosa, and then after a further twenty minute wait, the famed 'half masala dosa'.

And we got the smaller room. Did I mention it felt like a temple before...well, here it was more like pujari's house kinds. It's cluttered not just on the walls but everywhere, with huge dishes for the idlis and sambar and buckets for the chutney. It's got zero ventilation, it's hot and sweaty...... So much so I forgot to take a picture of the masala dosa, even the half of it.

That's Siddappa, the owner, the one who's perched on a platform. He's known to be pretty snappy, and true to reputation, we see atleast two guys face his ire. One for sitting near the idols (right corner, but there is no other place to sit) and one I think for trying to break the queue.

He has this amazing system. You eat, wash your hands from a drum....go to him, (he's sitting way outside), he has pieces of old newspaper with which you wipe your hand, and you tell him what you ate and pay him there, (he does not even cross check) and he's sitting with this big cash stack right there. He was as quaint and interesting as the place.

It's temple grounds so there's this Hanuman idol right there, and as you're in the queue, there are the regular temple visitors coming in for prayer too. Hard to explain the feel of that experience. 

That's Amit, Swaroop and me after about an hour of waiting. we couldn't believe we'd stuck it out. Swaroop right from the beginning, and me somewhere half way in, essentially after hearing that there was no coffee. Amit I don't think had even a moment of doubt. That's commitment to food.

This tree, and some idols at its base (again snakes) is the main temple I think, lots of people coming there for prayers

                              

That's the place, and there are all these idols there, all snake idols, the naga devata idol kinds. And those six people you see to the far left. They are the lesser mortals who didn't want masala dosa, thats where they get to sit and eat. In fact Swaroop pleaded some sanity saying let's do atleast that smaller queue, but Amit was clear...only masala dosa.

                                       

It's hard to believe how the place works. The foods good, the dosa was good, the pulau was brilliant,(I took two servings so early in the morning), the idly was decent,  but then I thought the dosa at our local bandi behind home was way better.... and idly, I for sure think vijji aunty's idlis are way way better, so I don't know what about this place makes it work like this. 

The only explanation that fit is that there is some energy at work there.  It felt like going to a temple and then paying for the prasaadam. My faith in 'sthana balam' definitely grew stronger.

Amit, dosa and idly I don't know...but an intriguing and fascinating experience it sure was :)