My idea of the perfect weekend begins and ends with gastronomic delight; after all, how can it be a ‘weekend’ if the week didn’t end with a ‘Burp!’ I am not planning on boring my readers with details of the roasted chicken or the biryani I had on Saturday night and how with each finger lickin’ bite my senses were gradually getting dulled, before I finally lulled myself to a good night’s sleep. Nope! That’s not what I am going to write today.

Typical Sunday mornings include sipping a cuppa hot tea, followed by the irreplaceable leisurely South Indian breakfast. At a distance of less than a kilometer is this not-so-little, not-so-large place that dishes out excellent Pongal vada and Dosas; that’s exactly how I started my Sunday, drowning the food with a steaming cup of filter coffee. I had almost forgotten how coffee tastes when not served in a paper cup! Anyway, let’s get to the point shall we? The thought of driving a distance of almost 60 kilometers for a Sunday lunch may not be everyone’s cup-of-tea. Well, it is mine! (In fact, you can make that a gallon)

The craving for a Karavalli style lunch can seldom be ignored; well…make that almost never. Weekend traffic on the highway daunted me… sure, followed by a road block thanks to a Camel! Yes, this is not a typo; I was indeed forced to come to a 15 minute halt because the noble creature was at time munching on some green, succulent leaves. Camels also have their cravings you know. Driving down for an hour and a half was totally worth it. Now I don’t remember the exact name of everything I ate, and I am not even going to try to recollect them; it’s hard, when all you do is salivate like Pavlov’s dog when you try! I do recollect the Akki roti and a sweet and sour gravy that came with that, cabbage kosambari, a serving or rice with sambhar and one with rasam, some starters I cannot name, bhindi fry, curd as thick as it can get, cool soothing buttermilk, a dal and palak side dish, with bananas to aid digestion. I just had to sneak a peek into the kitchen that doled out this magical food…take a look (pic). Hold on…I still could feel a teeny-tiny hollow in my stomach. I just had to try the hot jelabi at the counter.

Aah… the perfect Sunday… the taste of lip smacking food (or was that the bits stuck between my teeth; I must remember to buy floss), the breezy drive and the afternoon snooze.

Here’s a tip; when you’re planning a hearty meal, try not wearing skinny jeans! Skinny is the last thing you’ll feel.