In the series of our little adventures in the city called Gandhinagar, there was a small patch of happy mornings. This phase was in the later part of our time spent there. In continuation with our search for a good morning’s breakfast which could make us all charged for the day’s activities, we tried several places.
Initially, we used to eat at a PSU style canteen of GSPC. The breakfast served there was simple and hygienic. And the staff was always warm & welcoming. When me and my partner in these adventures, Kalpana got transferred to Ghoghamba and Garbada respectively, the canteen was shut forever. On our return, we were posed with the question of where to have breakfast. We then made our way to Jaiswal canteen. It was a very noisy and hot place, staff calling out to each other loudly, the ‘Saheb’ ordering servants to clean the table or shouting out orders to the kitchen.
It was a typical Indian canteen, with swarm of people rendering it full pack during lunch hour. It used to be unusually silent and empty at breakfast. Among all these, the most important aspect was food. The food was served cold and blatant many times and at times would have a strand of hair or dust specks in the plate. These unpleasant experiences made us to turn at our usual luncheon spot. The ‘Paratha Shak’ stall was run by a family of five, a couple in their late 30s, a grandma and two kids. They were a warm family and always hosted us with happiness. But again the breakfast options were scarce. Our usually unkind and vehement old woman, who was our house owner suggested us “R-Andhra Café”.
R-Andhra Café was located in Sector 6, near the coaching classes and among a few odds and ends shops. It was a small place with 4 benches inside followed by a kitchen. It had various photographs hung over with flyers of the schemes offered there. We were welcomed by Mr. Subbareddy, owner of the cafe. He was a warm and jolly personality, passionate towards serving all the customers and making their experience a long lasting one. It was a very clean little cafe, which would be abuzz in the evenings with customers pouring out. I don’t exactly remember what was the dish that we first had there. But soon it became our everyday go to place.
The café is run by Mr. Subbareddy who does it all for passion. He goes off to office at around 10 am after having breakfast there. While he’s at office, his wife, sister and brother in law look after the cafe. We were always welcomed by Amrendra Reddy, the brother in law of owner in the mornings. As soon as I parked my scooty near the cafe, he used to give our order to ‘Reshu’, even before we entered the cafe. We had a fixed sitting place there and we usually ordered Combo Idly. The food was prepared with all dedication and passion which would touch the bottom of our stomachs and hearts content. Our love for south Indian food blossomed even more with the taste of their food so much, that I recommended my new boss who was a mallu, about their café and that he should definitely go; in a child like excitement.
They arranged for Banana leaves from Vadodara for serving an authentic breakfast.
One day we couldn’t make it for breakfast there as we had some important work at office and next day Amrendra bhaiyya was quick to ask us the reason for our absence. Within no time, they had become our new address for home. As the winter was approaching, they had a new offer of Iddiyappam which they were launching on Christmas. I waited for the whole winter thinking about the mouth watering dish. But as the Christmas was gone, I asked Amrendra bhaiyya one day, “When are you going to start the Iddiyappam finally?” He laughed and said, “Madam, only you and another one person have asked me about the Iddiyappam so far. The specialist chef can’t make it so we left the thought of it”. There was a slight hint of sadness on his face. I told him that people didn’t care about other cultures, food and variety. All they knew about south indian food was Idly, Dosa, sambhar and utthapam. He agreed to me and said that he was glad that he had a customer like me who was truly interested in the culture and food.
Few days later, I arrived at the cafe as usual with Kalpana and was removing my scarf and helmet. I had washed my hair that day and had dressed up like a malayalee manga with office attire to the best of my ability. I could instantly sense the twinkle in his eyes, when he spotted the chandan on my forehead. After we had our breakfast served, the chef walked out with two cups of ‘Rasam’. I was so delighted and asked bhaiyya that they could serve more things like ‘Sweet and spicy Pongal’ on the eve of ‘Pongal’. Amrendra bhaiyya instantly asked me if I was a Tamil. I laughed and said that I wasn’t one but my childhood best friend was Tamil and I ate a lot at her house then and that the café just brought me childhood memories and that’s how my love for south indian cuisine developed.
In another incident, Samantha Reddy, sister of Amrendra bhaiyya was at the counter. I didn’t loose a moment to spot the ‘Thali kodu’ in her neck and was tempted to ask her about the same, as I was fascinated by the design. She wore a look of awe when she saw me describing it and how much I loved the style, while her focus being entirely on the yellow chandan I wore that day on my forehead.
R- Andhra Café holds so much of small happy chit chats and memories that make me smile. The mention of south indian food brings the image of Amrendra bhaiyya on the counter and the amazing food there on my mind for sure. It also has my hidden sadness about one couple from Andhra who had ordered “Poori Kurma” for breakfast one day to their dismay of it being unavailable. I could understand and read Amrendra bhaiyya’s voice when he told them that no one ordered it so they had to ultimately remove it off their menu. While I had the opportunity to explore and experience south indian food in a foreign land, the couple couldn’t taste their own food by their own people in the same foreign land.
There are many other restaurants in Gandhinagar like Mr. And Mrs. Idly, Banana Leaf etc, but no one can match the taste, authenticity and warmness of R-Andhra Café. I will always miss the food, their hospitality, Amrendra bhaiyya and his family and that it was our second respite in Gandhinagar.
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