Eight in the evening and ‘Pathayam’ at Statue Junction is a beehive of activity. The waiters swing in and out carrying large trays and the place has a very heterogeneous set of patrons - a band of old men solemnly spooning a greenish kanji, a garrulous crowd of youngsters ploughing through their puttu and curry and a family wiping out the last flecks of their kappa and kadala. Entering the small, bamboo-walled eatery you get an impression that it’s going to be a no-frills affair. There is no menu to leaf through, no seductive smells wafting in the air, the only luxury being the warm and hospitable staff.
It’s merely an hour before the eatery downs its shutters and the only items on offer are kanji and puttu. There arrives steaming hot puttu accompanied by an orangish curry and we are happy to see the pink and yellow half-globs crested with coconut. The pink one is mixed-veg puttu and the yellow one is made of corn, we are informed. The curry tastes different and there is a conspicuous absence of oil and spices. To go with puttu we are given a dark and fragrant drink which we take for the traditional chukku kappi first. But the concoction is made of coriander, jeera, cardamom, fenugreek and palm jaggery. Though the Karkkidaka kanji looks less appetizing, we are urged to down it as the gruel taken with a splash of ghee is an excellent herbal diet. Regular kanji has green gram sprouts and grated coconut and it comes with tapioca, thoran and chutney.
Though the dinner is a simple and light affair, the place offers an elaborate multi-course meal during lunch time. Cut fruits, salads and sprouts are served in the first round followed by veg rice and veg chappathi. For the main course organic rice is served with pachadi, thoran, sambar, chutney and other curries. For desserts you can have payasam (not the regular ones, but Pathayam specials made using horse gram, bamboo rice or even jack seed) and honey. “There will be two types of payasam - cooked and uncooked. Uncooked payasam is prepared by blending robusta banana in a mixture of coconut milk and jaggery and garnishing it with roasted cashews, raisins and cradamom,” says Gangadharan who runs the place. In the evening the place will welcome you with an array of ethnic snacks like ragi ada, kozhukatta, ila ada, kumbil appam, kadala roast, avil seva and oottada.
Pathayam has more surprises in store for you as you will find only two jars at the kitchen counter storing coriander and turmeric powder. All other masalas and spices are not allowed at Pathayam and you will be more than surprised to know they don’t use sugar, milk, curd, red chilly, tamarind, mustard or asafotida in any forms. “We don’t serve tea, coffee, pappads and pickles too and this place has been functioning without a fridge or freezer since its starting. Eighty percent of fruits and vegetables are sourced from the organic farms in Ooty and the rest we handpick from local markets,” says Gangadharan. Pathayam also serves a special buttermilk which doesn’t use any milk or curd. “We use coconut milk as the base, then add either lemon juice or raw mango for the tanginess and top it up with crushed ginger and green chilli,” Gangadharan adds.
Located in a narrow side street at Statue - General Hospital road, Pathayam has a regular clientele who throng the place for its strictly organic cuisine. The restaurant is open from 12 noon to 9 pm.
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