For that homely feeling

What strikes you first about this eatery is its name ‘Mr Iyer’s’. Started by an IT professional turned restaurateur Ananth Ramachandra and his brother-in-law Shastri Paladee, the restaurant serves authentic Iyer food.

Tired of long working hours and erratic food habits, Ananth, a gold medallist in MBA and in music, chose to give up a lucrative career in the IT sector, and plunge into his passion — cooking — full time. “I began cooking when I was barely 13-years-old. And now there’s nothing that I can’t cook.

You name it and you have it. All the dishes that are on the menu are tried and tested by my family members, before it is printed on the menu. I know every single ingredient that has gone into all the dishes. The masalas are made at home by my mother and sister. In fact our sambar is typical Iyengar sambar that you wouldn’t get anywhere in the City,” says Ananth.

It is Ananth’s experience of not finding the perfect sambar that also prompted him to make sure that the sambar served in his eating joint is indeed different. “Only my mother and I know the recipe, nobody else. She makes the masala herself. I always notice that people who come to eat here have idlis and never leave without having four cups of sambar,” he beams. Even the chutney has a tangy taste.

The filling for the aloo paratha is first cooked and then mixed into the dough. “The rice for the pulao is priced at Rs 60 because I use only basmati rice. For other rice items, we use sona masuri which is just as expensive. We serve nothing but the best,” says Ananth.

His sister Rekha P, who has also done the interiors, says, “If 100 gm of ghee has to be used, then we use it. We don’t compromise on the quantity or the taste. We’re keen on serving people good, hygienic and home-made food.”

There are about 20 varieties of dosas and nine varieties of rice items. The mini-combo meal is priced at Rs 50, which is complete with sambar, curd rice, papad, raita and a sweet. And there’s the limited lunch combo, which comes with three puris, rice and sambar, kootu, dry dish, rasam, curd rice, sweet and papad. There are also an array of snacks.   

In addition to the typical South Indian dishes are the smoothies, milkshakes, burgers, nuggets and different types of sandwiches, which Ananth has put together after a lot of trial and error. “There are over 100 smoothies, but I’ve not added them all in the menu. They are all my own mix,” he says with a tinge of pride.

Interestingly, the people who work behind the counters as chefs are not professional cooks but ordinary people like a painter, a welder and a carpenter. “We’ve not chosen people who have prior experience. These people have an interest in food and in cooking as well.

We teach them our secret recipe and that’s what goes into all the dishes.” says A Ramachandra, Ananth’s father.  Shastri Paladee pitches in, “When we’re short-staffed, we start cooking and doing the dishes as well. Our attention is to provide good food in a homely atmosphere.”  Mr Iyer’s is located at 36/1, near Hennur Ring Road signal, Hennur Main Road, Kalyan Nagar. For details, call 9620531600.