I have to admit, I’ve never really been the hugest fan of South Indian food…idlis and dosas and such. Or so I thought. My visit to Rama Nayak’s Udipi Sri Krishna Boarding changed my mind as to what South Indian food is really all about. And I don’t mean in a modern reinterpretation sort of way. Rama Nayak is the first South Indian food hall to open in Mumbai back in 1942 and is as authentic of an experience as you can get – one that is beloved and shared by the wealthy and working classes alike.
The Unlimited Option
The first part of the experience is actually finding the joint. Located not far from King’s Circle near the rail station in Matunga East, you’ll find the LBS Market Building on Lakhamsi Nappu Road. To find the entrance, you walk to the back of the parking lot and from there, walk up a flight of stairs and wind your way down a narrow corridor. But don’t worry. If you have trouble, just hit the place up during peak lunch times on a Saturday or Sunday and you can just follow the huge line of people waiting for a seat. While you’re in line, this is a good chance to buy your meal ticket…literally! Being a place that appeals to the masses, there are several ticket options. For Rs. 35 you can get one serving of food that includes: two chappatis, one bowl of white rice, sambar, rasam and one vegetable. You can pay Rs. 4 for any extras and Rs. 10 for dessert. You can also choose to buy two tickets and get double the food. Or you can eat yourself into a coma for Rs. 85 and get an unlimited amount of food with three vegetables and all the fixings (papad, pickles, salt, yogurt, buttermilk, etc). In my case, I opted for food coma option – afterall I was on vacation.
A Fixed Plate
I was also lucky enough to go on a weekday, skip the line and get seated right away side by side with the rest of my party. Upon being seated, the staff was quick to bring over my Bisleri water (it costs extra) and to set me up with a fresh banana leaf. From there on, it was cafeteria-style serving with an Asian twist: the cafeteria line comes to you. One at a time, a parade of waiters came by to offer me their goods and drop them cleanly on my banana leaf. Though you are encouraged to eat with your fingers, I did take a little help from my spoon and ate until my stomach could take no more. All three vegetables were wonderful in both flavor and texture. To be honest, I’m not sure what each of them were (maybe one of you South Indian food experts can fill me in), though there was a lot of coconut going on. One of the vegetable dishes included drumsticks, one of my favorite things to eat. The important thing for me, was that unlike with idlis and dosas, there wasn’t a lot of bland, soft, almost spongey textures and flavors going on. The flavors here were strong and balanced. And the experience authentic and fun. To finish off the meal, fold the top half of the banana leaf towards you to indicate that you are done and that you enjoyed the meal. If you make my mistake and fold the bottom half away from you, you would indicate that you were dissatisfied with the meal – whoops! Definitely not the case. Rama Nayak was one of the best meals I’ve had in India and definitely changed my mind about what South Indian cuisine is all about.
Rama Nayak
First Floor, LBS Market Building
Lakhamsi Nappu Road
Matunga East, Maharashtra 400019
2414 2422
Currently based out of Boston, Jesal is a blogger, freelance writer, yoga enthusiast and lifelong vegetarian who spent four years eating her way through New York City and various other cities around the globe. After answering hundreds of emails and phone calls answering the question, "Where's a cool place I can take my vegetarian friend out to eat" she started Veggiewala to efficiently share her knowledge of the vegetarian food scene with curious carnivores, flexitarians and other vegetarians.