I mean seriously…just when did food reviewing get reduced to just showcasing a collection of photographs? Or merely listing out the various dishes sampled or available, as the case may be.

Whatever happened to making readers re-living an experience? When did we abandon the sensorial and adopt the sequential?

When Ramakrishna and Manoj, two chaps I respect a helluva lot, branched out into catering and announced a quaint sounding entity (Chai. Coffee.Company) and an outlet with a traditional South Indian name (Dakshin Vilas) I was intrigued.

At a time when everyone and his cousin was trying to redefine fine dine and rediscover the magic formula of eternity, here was a team that believed in their hearts and went back to basics.

And I decided that I would try and do the same. Albeit in a different fashion.

When it comes to basics it’s normal to start a review with a location detail. So here goes…

Dakshin Vilas is at Punjagutta. Bang Opposite the Punjagutta Metro Station. Right under the flyover. At the corner of the little lane that connects the Punjagutta-Ameerpet Road with the Punjagutta-Begumpet Road…the lane which is popularly known as the Exide Battery galli…or the Naini Galli, depending on who’s hungry. You or your car!

The first thing that strikes you is the fact that it is so conveniently located. Ample parking. And clean. Spic & Span Clean. Maybe more so because it is a new outlet. But you can see that cleanliness was an objective and not just a ‘by-chance’ achievement.

As you walk in you’re invited to make a choice. Self-Service, Non AC and AC sections are on display. And while there is no difference in what is served in these places, you can see that there is a price difference involved. Nothing drastic, but there.

My friend and I chose to sit by the Glass Windows in the non-AC section. Looking out at the early morning traffic on a not yet busy road…under a not yet ready Metro Flyover.

There are a lot of digital displays and also some art representative of the South. The Ganesha deserves special mention. And as you complete soaking in the atmosphere the menu card is given to you.

Again they’re the  epitome of simply basic and simply south Indian. With slight deviations, just enough to make sure you try their version of the Indian Idli Contest…their dosa platter…their upma poori presentations and so on.

We start with the wadas. Now this is dicey territory. If the wada is not right, not crisp enough, not soft enough, it spells disaster. If the sambar you dunk the wada in is not just right, you have a problem. What we were served was perfect. The taste. The temperature. The look n feel. Everything was bang on.

What came next is a spice bomb that has become the city’s favourite of late. Idlis coated with a spicy powder and doused with Ghee. Again, the punch of the powder had to be absorbed by the soft white cushioning of the ghee soaked idli. And the dish set my palate on fire even as it was kind enough to extinguish it with great taste…and a delightful chutney.

The Mysore Bajjis were perfectly sphered. And sponged their way to excellence. Just as the set-of-three Pesarattu match was played out in Grand Slam style.

By now I must admit that I had exceeded my breakfast limit. But the family trait of low self control reared up its naughty head and took the shape of a Rava Dosa. The Dosa danced its way to pleasure and swayed in tune as I poured some nicely brewed coffee onto it.

The pricing was reasonable and just as my friend was settling the bill I was told that everyday for lunch they had something special. And today was the day they served Vellullipaya Gongura Rice.

And guess what…I’ve sent my man to get me some.