Murugan Idli Shop

They say a true tamilian is identified by his love and loyalty for Idly-Vada-Sambar. OK. I just made that up, but there is an element of truth to it. We LOVE our food, and we’re immensely proud of it. Nothing else can quite compare. I had studied in Karnataka and I was shocked to find that what they called ‘Sambar’ was a far cry from what I’d been accustomed to.

When you think South Indian Veg Food, Saravana Bhavan comes to mind. But there are many places which offer good, if not better, Idly-Vada-Sambar. Murugan Idly Shop is one such traditional South Indian vegetarian restaurant. My last week was a ‘Murugan Idly’ week, as I had the chance to review not one, but two of their branches around the city. I am told they have ten branches in Chennai, a few in Madurai, and a few even in Singapore. I had the opportunity to visit the Kilpauk (Ormes Road) branch, and the branch in Annanagar (Shanthi Colony).

I had attended a friend’s birthday party at the Kilpauk branch. An entire hall was reserved for us. The restaurant was air conditioned. The interiors were not bad. It had a somewhat warm, homely feel to it. The food was served on a banana leaf laid on a plate, giving a traditional feel without the added inconvenience. Drinking water was poured into plastic disposable cups and placed in stainless steel holders, reducing their clean-up effort but not at the cost of the customer’s convenience. I thought that was smart.

Service was good; nothing to complain about. During rush hours, expect delay.

Food: Our first order was Idly-Vada. We were first served chutneys, (Pudina, Malli, Thakali, Thenga), as well as their podi with oil. Sambar was brought around and served on our leaves. You can also request for a bowl to avoid your sambar running amok. Now I don’t care too much for the podi and oil thing, (don’t judge me), but the chutneys were definitely something! My favourites were the Malli and the Thenga. The idlys were soft and steaming hot. I am usually not an idly person, but even I couldn’t help myself from enjoying them thoroughly, down to the last bite. The vadas were a completely different story. I AM a vada person and so my standards are naturally higher. Trust me; these vadas completely exceeded my expectation. Crispy golden on the outside, they were truly a treat to the senses. Break through that exterior and a soft, steaming hot interior soaks up the chutney, giving you a mouthful of pure taste. I just had to get myself one more of those vadas. To me, the best thing was the uniformity; the next vada was just as good and just as crispy as the last one; like they were twins separated at birth, briefly reuniting on my plate (like a Tamil movie) before their (my) happy ending. When my taste buds were truly saturated and could take no more we decided it was time to move on the main course!

I had ordered a Butter Roast Dosa. My usual favourite is Ghee Roast Dosa, which I have tried and tested in different places all around Chennai.

Note: As far as Ghee Roast dosas are concerned, my favourites would be Murugan Idly Shop and Hot Chips.

My Butter Roast Dosa finally arrived and left me wondering if I should have ordered the Ghee Roast Dosa instead. Don’t get me wrong, the Butter Roast was good, crispy golden and dripping with buttery goodness; it’s just that the Ghee Roast is simply fabulous. Anyway, my Dosa was gone almost as soon as it landed on my plate. I also managed to sneak a taste from those sitting on either side of me. Butter Onion Uttapam and Ghee Onion Uttapam were both pretty awesome but definitely not intended for the diet conscious. I also tried their sweet pongal and although I did not expect much, I found it quite interesting.

Murugan Idly shop offers something called Jiggarthanda (I hope I’ve spelt it right). It is supposed to be a specialty of interior Tamilnadu and of this restaurant. It is a dessert-drink, consisting of milk (I think), and vermicelli (I hope). It was extremely filling and I (among others) could not manage to get it down. This eventually led to a bottoms-up challenge, the details of which do not warrant entry into this blog. On the whole, this drink was uniquely flavoured and I would definitely label this as a ‘must try’.

As far as prices go, you’ll have to excuse me as whatever prices I did manage to remember, were pushed out by my food-induced buzz. I am sure a complete, filling meal would come to approximately Rs. 80-150 per head.

The Annanagar Branch was hardly as classy as the Kilpauk branch. Located at Shanthi Colony, the first challenge you will come across is finding a parking spot. If you do manage to find a spot, you can be sure that you will have to wait to be seated. Located at the heart of a residential and commercial colony, this restaurant is invariably packed during evening hours. The chairs intended for guests to wait while a table clears up were insufficient, leading to a swarm of people crowding around the door waiting to be seated. An employee takes your name down on his book and seats guests according to that order. I found the system surprisingly organized despite the chance of complete chaos. We were kept waiting for approximately 15 minutes before we were shown our table. Once inside, I noticed that the interiors were not as refined as the Kilpauk branch. However, the service and food were similar to their Kilpauk branch so I will spare you the details. If you ask me, Kilpauk branch wins my vote.

As my ‘Murugan Idly’ week comes to an end, I can’t help but wonder if I did justice to their menu. With so much more left to be ordered and tried, I think I may have to schedule another visit!


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