A Saturday night. We drive through Karapakkam as my dad and I are stuck in deciding where to head for dinner. That was when my eyes spotted Junior Kuppanna and I instantly knew this was the right place for tonight. Our tummies were growling and we had to stop a few metres away from the restaurant. This one was no other ordinary joint. It has been close to our heart for over a year now and this was one of the very few places that exuded the taste and warmth of home which even sometimes made my mom swoon at their secret recipes. We were welcomed warmly and led to our seats.
The homely atmosphere puts us at ease and we start to look at the menu. It was quite evident that the dishes were mostly from rural South Tamil cookbooks, for which we were quite charged up. I wonder what to order for some time and then finally decide on trying out Erode dosa. Though a simple one, it is a favourite among many Tamils. Known for it soft and moist texture, it finds its roots in the humble kitchens of Erode households.
Meet Suresh uncle (I'd rather call him uncle, the way I know him). He has been a proud member of this restaurant, who always manages to strike a chord with his customers with his toothy grin and distinct Tiruchi accent. He is one of the reasons why this restaurant has enjoyed an constant hungry audience ever since they opened here a couple of years ago.
After a short chat, our dishes arrive as we wait to dig in. First off, we try the Chicken Pallipalayam fry. The flavorful spice rub marries the succulent meat so beautifully, resulting in aromatic tender meat and a feast to our senses. Once we devour the chicken, I hop on to my main dish, the Erode dosa. I watch it steaming on my table as Suresh Uncle tells me why it is a classic customer favorite at Junior Kuppanna and prompts me to taste it to experience it. Without another word, I gently tear a piece off the soft dosa. I slowly munch on it to gain the fullest experience. I tear off yet another piece and dunked it in the gravies that were served along with the dosa. Though it is a simple dish, it instantly becomes my new favourite. The garlic gravy took me quite a while to enjoy its unique taste profile and immediately got my tastebuds working. The lovely dash of garlic went with the spices very well as the gravy hugged the moist dosa in my mouth. Like a bite of heaven. I relished and savored every spoon of it. The flavours of the specially ground spices danced in my mouth, giving me a kick. I, like the other customers here at Junior Kuppanna, just got the best slice of the amma-samayal experience, which keeps you wanting more.
I tear off another piece and dipped it in the special mutton gravy, which, by the way, only a handful of customers like myself get. Beautifully infused with the flavour of mutton, it turned out to be a finger-licking sidelick. (Yes, I just coined that word now.)
It just seemed like the dosas vanished from the plate a moment or two after they were served as the famished me gobbles up three of these. We lick the plate clean and wait for more to arrive.
It was now obvious that Junior Kuppanna stuck to original recipes and native spice mixes and hence, keeping the standards of quality service quite high. As I sneakily try to draw their top-secret spice mix out of him, he grins and tactfully manages to bury it under his smile. Now I knew what urged their customers to come back for more.
Their other customer favorites (at least mine) are kothu parotta and nei parottas, which are a huge hit among customers while biriyani is a sleepy one on the menu. The biriyani fails to strike that connection with your tastebuds and is disappointing.
However, we order more food and finish with our bellies at their maximum capacity. To let this heavy meal settle down, we decide to order their hand-churned ice-cream with high expectations. We weren't disappointed. We saw their twists and strokes in this one too. Their flavours were nothing of the ordinary. We had two to pick from - elaneer and nalakur. Intrigued, we ask for both.
It turns out that nalakur is a chilled creamy take on a Tamil childhood favourite of many - therattipaal. It gives a distinct caramel-like crunch and slowly melts in your mouth, leaving hints of panakarkandu. It carries you away to a dreamy land of caramel and cream to tuck yourself in. In contrast, the tender coconut ice cream melts in your mouth ever so beautifully, with chunks of tender coconut flesh and a subtle touch of sweetness. It feels like a melting away in a creamy white dream, succumbing to the heights it takes you to - all in a spoon.
Location : 26, Old Mahabalipuram Rd, Nehru Nagar, Thoraipakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600096
Cost for two: Rs.600
HITS : Mutton gravy, Ghee Parotta, Ice cream
MISSES : Biriyani
Rating : ★★★★★
The homely atmosphere puts us at ease and we start to look at the menu. It was quite evident that the dishes were mostly from rural South Tamil cookbooks, for which we were quite charged up. I wonder what to order for some time and then finally decide on trying out Erode dosa. Though a simple one, it is a favourite among many Tamils. Known for it soft and moist texture, it finds its roots in the humble kitchens of Erode households.
Meet Suresh uncle (I'd rather call him uncle, the way I know him). He has been a proud member of this restaurant, who always manages to strike a chord with his customers with his toothy grin and distinct Tiruchi accent. He is one of the reasons why this restaurant has enjoyed an constant hungry audience ever since they opened here a couple of years ago.
After a short chat, our dishes arrive as we wait to dig in. First off, we try the Chicken Pallipalayam fry. The flavorful spice rub marries the succulent meat so beautifully, resulting in aromatic tender meat and a feast to our senses. Once we devour the chicken, I hop on to my main dish, the Erode dosa. I watch it steaming on my table as Suresh Uncle tells me why it is a classic customer favorite at Junior Kuppanna and prompts me to taste it to experience it. Without another word, I gently tear a piece off the soft dosa. I slowly munch on it to gain the fullest experience. I tear off yet another piece and dunked it in the gravies that were served along with the dosa. Though it is a simple dish, it instantly becomes my new favourite. The garlic gravy took me quite a while to enjoy its unique taste profile and immediately got my tastebuds working. The lovely dash of garlic went with the spices very well as the gravy hugged the moist dosa in my mouth. Like a bite of heaven. I relished and savored every spoon of it. The flavours of the specially ground spices danced in my mouth, giving me a kick. I, like the other customers here at Junior Kuppanna, just got the best slice of the amma-samayal experience, which keeps you wanting more.
I tear off another piece and dipped it in the special mutton gravy, which, by the way, only a handful of customers like myself get. Beautifully infused with the flavour of mutton, it turned out to be a finger-licking sidelick. (Yes, I just coined that word now.)
It just seemed like the dosas vanished from the plate a moment or two after they were served as the famished me gobbles up three of these. We lick the plate clean and wait for more to arrive.
It was now obvious that Junior Kuppanna stuck to original recipes and native spice mixes and hence, keeping the standards of quality service quite high. As I sneakily try to draw their top-secret spice mix out of him, he grins and tactfully manages to bury it under his smile. Now I knew what urged their customers to come back for more.
Their other customer favorites (at least mine) are kothu parotta and nei parottas, which are a huge hit among customers while biriyani is a sleepy one on the menu. The biriyani fails to strike that connection with your tastebuds and is disappointing.
However, we order more food and finish with our bellies at their maximum capacity. To let this heavy meal settle down, we decide to order their hand-churned ice-cream with high expectations. We weren't disappointed. We saw their twists and strokes in this one too. Their flavours were nothing of the ordinary. We had two to pick from - elaneer and nalakur. Intrigued, we ask for both.
It turns out that nalakur is a chilled creamy take on a Tamil childhood favourite of many - therattipaal. It gives a distinct caramel-like crunch and slowly melts in your mouth, leaving hints of panakarkandu. It carries you away to a dreamy land of caramel and cream to tuck yourself in. In contrast, the tender coconut ice cream melts in your mouth ever so beautifully, with chunks of tender coconut flesh and a subtle touch of sweetness. It feels like a melting away in a creamy white dream, succumbing to the heights it takes you to - all in a spoon.
Location : 26, Old Mahabalipuram Rd, Nehru Nagar, Thoraipakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600096
Cost for two: Rs.600
HITS : Mutton gravy, Ghee Parotta, Ice cream
MISSES : Biriyani
Rating : ★★★★★
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