This is the season for bright, noisy sabha canteens boasting ghee dosas, fluffy pongal and fabulously fragrant coffee, writes TEAM MELANGE

Gnanambika Caterers, Narada Gana Sabha

Think sabha canteen and you might expect to indulge in steaming hot filter coffee with the strains of a classical music concert in the background. At Gnanambika Catering’s canteen in the Narada Gana Sabha premises, you get to enjoy your meal with peppy tracks from Kollywood.

Being one of the most popular sabha canteens that pop up around this time of the year in Chennai, there’s a steady stream of people — even those who haven’t attended any concert — at tiffin time. While a bright green and yellow menu rests on the table, it might not be necessary to peruse it: the waiter rattles off whatever is available. The sweet panniyaram could be sweeter, but the ghee roast is perfect in every way. Strong coffee is a must to settle the keerai vadai, kasi halwa and idiyappam with avial. Be prepared to have someone looking at you while you eat to make sure your plate is never empty.

But clearly, some regulars don’t need the menu at all. Two elderly women who are greeted enthusiastically, once they are seated ask, “Do you have vegetable bonda?”

Try their latest addition the uthappam pizza, and, of course, the all-time favourite keerai vadai and halwa varieties.

SUSANNA MYRTLE LAZARUS

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Meenambiga Caterers, Mylapore Fine Arts Club

Who thought that a spoonful of coriander chutney could make life better, if only for a little while. Seated on a plastic chair in the makeshift canteen run by K. Baskaran of Meenambiga Caterers at Mylapore Fine Arts Club, we dunk a crunchy vazhapoo vadai into the chutney — making sure that the vadai is coated with the fragrant concoction only on the outside and doesn’t get soggy.

Music from a violin concert in the adjacent hall floats by. The dosa master splashes water on the searing tawa. It sizzles violently and settles into a tame whisper as he pours a cupful of batter in one smooth motion. Nearby, steaming hot milk is poured into a tumbler with decoction. The gentle burble joins in the harmony — in our state of hunger, the ‘canteen concert’ suddenly seems better than the real one.

But we’re quickly put in place by a silk-clad lady who downs a rava dosa in under five minutes to catch the concert. Music is the priority for concert-goers. But the draw of the sabha canteen has long tempted people to sneak in just for the ghee-dripping pongal and to-die-for sambar.

Baskaran has been running Meenambiga for over 20 years now. “I took over the business from my father, who inherited it from my grandfather Narayanaswamy Iyer,” says the 54-year-old. “We make it a point to introduce a new dish every year. This time, it’s mini idlis in mor kozhambu,” he explains. “If it does well, we will incorporate it in our menu for weddings.”

He tells us that Meenambiga is among the reasonably priced caterers. This is true — a plate of pongal, vadai and coffee costs Rs. 90.

AKILA KANNADASAN

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Venus Catering Services, Indian Fine Arts Society

The canteen attached to the Indian Fine Arts Society’s venue resembles a marriage hall. After all, it is one — it’s the Ethiraj Kalyana Mandapam that has been transformed into a sabha specially for the music season.

Inside, the hall is divided into two sections — there’s the main area that celebrates the music and the other that celebrates food. Even as a Carnatic performance is in progress here, there’s a flurry of activity in the canteen; someone is ordering a masala dosa, another requesting for extra chutney and a third person asking for sugar-less coffee.

Managing all this and more is V.M. Sankar of Venus Catering Services who, after requesting his wife, Shanti, to manage the cash counter, is himself sorting out the orders. He’s been in the business of sabha canteens for a long time — since 1989 — and knows a thing or two about how to click with the audience.

Things have changed over the years, he says, but food is still one of the most sought-after things during the season. “One of our key specialities is that we offer North Indian side-dishes for a south Indian dish… in keeping with our motto to constantly improvise,” he says. Here, on certain days of the season, you can have a plate of vegetable poli (not the sweet) with palak paneer!

The regular idli-dosa-poori is on offer for breakfast, and for lunch, the various types of kozhambu are much in demand. It’s not just customers but also performers who try out the food here; K.J. Yesudas and Kadri Gopalnath are regulars, he says.

SRINIVASA RAMANUJAM

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Mountbatten Mani Iyer canteen, Vidya Bharathi Kalyana Mandapam

The passion for food comes through strongly as you talk to Mount Sreenivasan of the famous Mountbatten Mani Iyer canteen; his focus is mainly on the South Indian section of any menu. This partly explains why his canteen boasts of simple and authentic South Indian food. It is also a respite from the confused palette of quick, processed food that plagues us the rest of the year.

He readily agrees that the season gives him far more freedom to play around with choices and menus. For example, watermelon rasam, featured as part of the lunch menu last season, was the product of a friend’s inspiration and Sreenivasan’s culinary skills. It turned out to be a huge hit.

The novelties planned for this season are many. You can look forward to a vazhaipoo vadai, but made with a mix of pachai payaru (moong dal) and paruppu (lentils). Keeping in mind the demand for healthy food and an increasing interest in millets, he will also be introducing paniyarams made with karupatti, barley idlis, thinai pongal and vendhaya dosa.

Much like people who play an integral role in creating and sustaining traditions, Sreenivasan does not have lofty views of his contribution. Even as we talk, we can sense he is preparing himself, business-like, for a hectic month to follow. While we write narratives of tradition, he brings it alive, with mouthfuls of his akkara-vadisil.

PREETI MOHAN

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Mint Padmanabhan, The Music Academy

For an elai saapadu fix, there’s no place like Mint Padmanabhan’s canteen at The Music Academy. The menu changes every day, and is put together in the wee hours of the morning. Here’s a sample of one of the meals served last week: Balaji laddu, Mysore vadai, kothamalli saadam, kaara boondi thayir pachadi, vegetable kootu, urulai kizhangu roast, kadhamba kaai sambhar, manathakkali vethakuzhambu, thakkali rasam, nendram chips, paruppu and ghee, appalam, white rice, mor milagai, curd, and vetrilai paaku. Take into consideration that all this comes at a price of Rs. 220. If you’re lucky, there might be thenga saadam or special Mysore pak.

For tiffin or dinner, the Guntur idli is a must-try. Apart from this, there’s paruppu poli, cauliflower pakoda, vegetable spring roll and varieties of dosa, with coffee, tea, Boost, Horlicks or Bournvita to wash it all down.

For the daily lunch menu at various sabhas, visit puliyogaretravels.com.