Spicy and peppery naatu kozhi saaru made in rustic Karnataka style with a view of the newly-opened Avinashi Road flyover, stretching into the night like a streak of light: that’s how the evening unfolds at the new Ammani Mess near Goldwins, a 126-seater that also has an outdoor seating. Located on the top floor of Hotel Arcadia, the cheerful interiors with colourful decor, ample greenery, and a live band, create a happy vibe. “You can never take Pallipalayam chicken out of Coimbatore,” laughs Chef R Bhaskar Raj (Baski) as he serves a plate of Kongunadu kola urundai, an ode to the Pallipalayam chicken, a Kongu special made with meat, copious amounts of shallots, red chillies and coconut. The fritters served with a spicy curry leaf and peri peri mayo makes for hearty bites.
The menu features food from the Kongu region
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Special Arrangement
G Susindran, who started Ammani Mess along with three partners including Baski, Rajkumar, GM of Hotel Arcadia, and Motilal, says the objective is to offer quintessential South Indian fare round the clock. “Our kitchen opens at 7am and closes at 2 in the night. Recently, we had a diner calling us from Erode at midnight. He wanted us to keep a plate of hot idlis and ayira meenkuzhambu ready,” says Susindran, whose expertise in the hospitality industry in India and abroad helped him set up a stand-alone restaurant.
Baski and Susindran toured across South India savouring a variety of dishes before finalising the menu. “Our food tours really came in handy. We tried parotta and mutton sukka at a small outlet in Madurai. In Mangalore, we identified coastal dishes made with simple spices in home-style. We added dishes like Malabar koonthal (squid) roast, made with coconut oil, and banana leaf-wrapped fish fry like it is made at home. We wanted every dish to stand out from the crowd,” says Baski pausing to talk about the signature ayirameen kuzhambu, a Madurai-special tangy curry made with tiny ayirai fish, known for its tender texture and taste. “We source it from Madurai. It’s a robust fish that doesn’t die fast. As part of the cleaning process before cooking, the fish is let to swim in either coconut milk or butter milk. We clean it in batches based on orders and prepare the curry fresh.”
Outdoor seating opens to the views of the Avinashi Road flyover
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Special Arrangement
While ayira meen kuzhambu and idlis is a match made in heaven, at Ammani, one can also try it with thengaipaal neichoru (ghee rice made with coconut milk), parotta, and dosa. “We wanted to offer authentic, home-style tastes in a premium dining space with live bands adding to the vibe. Families can have a good time soaking up the views of the flyover and the flights landing on the runway as the airport is just around the corner,” explains Susindran.
Tender coconut pudding
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Special Arrangement
The menu features paalchatti parotta, mutton sukka biryani, kozhi ennasukka biryani, idiyappam with aatukaal paaya and mutton offal sukka, and more. “We use hand-pound masalas for non-veg preparations. We focussed on adding variety to gravies that are also light on the palate,” says Baski as I eye the dessert: the tender coconut pudding. It is creamy, subtly sweet and comes in refreshing flavours. I also try a bowl of ghee rasam rice, a comforting and hearty South Indian one pot meal that is delicious. Over a plate of fiery Telangana fried chicken, and flaky coin parottas topped with Kundapur chicken roast that has a distinct spice blend and richness of ghee, Baski shares why they chose Ammani. “It’s an endearing Kongu slang that also shows respect and love.”
Telangana fired chicken
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K Jeshi
Located at The Arcadia rooftop, Avinashi Road, Goldwins. A meal for two costs ₹1000 approximately. Call 9789151575
