Even after 105 years of being a no-frills budget eatery,
Hotel Kathiravan continues to be an impressive crowd-puller. Srivilliputhur is known only for the Andal Temple and its famous
sweet palkova, you are wrong. In this small temple town of about a lakh
people, everybody also knows Hotel Kathiravan.
Opposite the Andal Temple entrance on
Srivilliputhur-Rajapalayam Road. The small, low-roofed building is humble and modest to
look at, 800-square-foot dining space within, dotted with cement benches that
fit in about 40 people in every batch. Even before
the doors open for lunch at 11.30 am daily (except Sundays), droves of people
queue up in the tiny front courtyard and squeeze themselves into a seat at the
dining counter.
Eating on
a banana leaf is healthy. The antioxidants(polyphenols) in banana leaf are
reported to help fight cancer. It is also waterproof. South Indian meals
involve a lot of liquids and other semi-solid items that make the banana leaf
ideal to eat in. Under
the watchful eyes of Balasooriyan, 500 grams of white and soft cooked rice is
placed in a neat heap in the centre. The first serving of boiled toor dal mixed
with pure homemade ghee arrives. This is followed by vathakozhambu,
sambar, rasam, buttermilk with thuvaiyal, apalam, kootu and poriyal.
A bowl of curd and payasam complete the meal at Rs 97.
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