Our first morning in Munnar proved to be a very hungry one! We didn’t have a chance to grab a bite during our journey from Bangalore, and when we reached Munnar our hotel accommodation was delayed for almost two hours.
When we finally managed to get a room and stow the luggage at the corner, the next thing we did was to dash out for a brunch. This hotel had no restaurant so we called our tour operator. Seriously, we were ready to chew his head if he didn’t come with an option! The poor soul was somehow save as he gave us the name of Saravana Bhavan which is situated at the center of the Munnar Market.
The day was beautiful, but we were not in a condition to see that. We jogged through the taxi stand, ignoring the calls from taxiwalas. Arre jaan bache to lakhon paaye! Finally after a little search and assistance from a traffic constable we were able to locate the restaurant which was inside a narrow lane.
I don’t know whether there is a hotel with this restaurant or not, Saravana Bhavan looked quite modest and homely. It has two sections, one for regular crowd and the other one is family section. As we proceeded towards the family section, the attendant showed us the way and gave us a polite nod.
We selected a four seater table and ordered for Idli-vada and tea. The waiting time was not even five minutes when our grub arrived on the banana leaf already spread. The freshly made coconut chutney was just awesome, the vada tasted so good with the tangy kick of the tomato chutney. The refilling of chutney and sambar is unlimited. Idlies were fermented to perfection and melted in my mouth. Then suddenly something else caught my attention. My husband’s order, the masala dosa was being served. Wow, what a size! The attendant made it into halves, then folded the corners, still a portion was protruding out of the leaf. Seeing that, I felt a surge to grab a portion. Without wasting a word, I just reached out for a handful, scooped up some coconut chutney and that morsel vanished into my mouth in no time.
What shall I call the next feeling? Explosion of wonderful tastes inside my oral cavity? or blending of wonderful feelings inside one of the important parts of my soul? I really didn’t know! But my eyes were tightly closed, all the sensory organs were busy to explore that wonderful substance that gave me such a feeling of bliss! My hubby was watching me carefully, not daring to touch the dosa any more, in case if I pounce at him for breaking my dreamlike state!
The taste intrigued such a hankering for one more bite in me, I ordered for a fresh one and by the time it arrived, I finished half of my hubby’s share. Half of the vada was still left on my plate, but by that time anything else looked so unimportant in front of that mighty dosa. My poor hubby was eying that, so I gave it to him generously which is quite unlikely. The crispy wonder vanished inside my stomach in no time, so I ordered for one more. And this kept happening for next 20 minutes!
When our stomach started protesting, we had to stop. But our heart kept asking for more. The masala tea served was not that good, but the plain tea had a very good flavor. We asked the name and purchased some from local market to take home. The billed amount for the brunch was very less (for that much we ate!) and reasonable so we left a hearty tip.
For the next two days, we kept going back for breakfast. The day we left for Thekkady, the atmosphere was tense, a strike had been called in Idukki district. But it was a great pleasure to see that the restaurant was open. After finishing our last meal we decided not to eat dosa from any other eatery till we come back here. It gave us a very good experience, I don’t want to spoil that beautiful memory with anything else. Now if I go back to Munnar, I will go especially for this dosa.
Way to go, Saravana Bhavan.