Rice in different flavours

Not all the eateries exist for long retaining taste and also the customers. A mobile canteen in Kuvempunagar makes the difference and it’s evident with its existence for over one decade, writes Sreekantswamy B.

A  corner of the road near Somani College in Kuvempunagar will be chock-a-block after dusk. You may have already guessed it to be for eateries on the stretch. It’s true, but to be precise, it’s because of a mobile canteen that serves delicious food.

 The menu of idli, vada, dosa of types- masale, set masale and onion, rice bath and above all rice made masale rotti, is offered here.

The hands behind the venture Govindaraju more popular as Raju among his customers, joined the canteen as dosa maker over a decade ago. Now, from the past four years he has taken over the show running the business on his own. Earlier to this, he had worked with reputed hotels in the city.

The convertible canteen opens doors at 5 pm. Raju though owns the business, he is still the dosa maker. Though he had an alternative earlier, the customers insisted on Raju to roll out crispy dosas. Since then he plays the dual role.

Though all the items have equal takers, the USP here is dosa and akki (rice) rotti. Not many hotels serve akki rotti for the arduous task it requires. Raju brings the dough mixed with water prepared at home and does the remaining part of the preparation in the canteen. Similarly batter for dosa and the cut vegetables especially onion and mashed potato as side dish are all prepared at home.

The speciality here is different rice made items, but available only on particular days. If chitranna yellow rice) is available on Monday, Tuesday is the day for batani rice bath, Wednesday- tomato rice bath, Thursday- Ghee rice, Friday- cabbage bath, Saturday- wangi (brinjal) bath and Sunday- Vegetable bath, Raju tells City Herald.

 Price-wise, it’s still pocket friendly, with vada available at Rs 3 per piece, idli- Rs 16 per plate (Rs four for one),  Onion dosa and set masale - Rs 20, masale dosa, akki rotti and bath at Rs 15 per plate.

For Raju, his wife Mamata is not just a life-partner, but partner in canteen too, who deftly handles the customers, apart from cash box.

The residents of the surrounding localities form the  chunk of customers, apart from hostel inmates nearby.