South Indian micro-cuisine draws lines at Bay Area Mylapore restaurants

"Holding a cup in the air the man aims a hot stream of foaming milk into a stainless steel tumbler sitting inside a steel davara that rests on the counter. In a mind-numbing "aha" moment for me, coffee rises inside the tumbler, its froth and bubble puncturing the air with the force of a million coffee beans as I inhale the scent of the filter coffee of my roots."

"On the tea-time menu that Wednesday is Vazhakkai Bajji, green plantain slivers folded into spicy chickpea batter, deep-fried a crisp orange-brown and presented on a banana leaf with a coconut dipping chutney on the side. They are four long ovals that those of us born and raised in South India bite into greedily to go aboard a nostalgia express to the hinterland of India's Tamil Nadu."

"The name "Mylapore" in Tamil means "the land where peacocks screech." A Chennai suburb steeped in Tamil culture and tradition, Mylapore is the location of the ancient port on India's Coromandel Coast where once peacocks roamed in wild abandon by an iconic temple built in the 7th century."

Mylapore South Indian Vegetarian Restaurant at San Jose's Westgate Center mall offers authentic South Indian cuisine that transports diners to Tamil Nadu. The restaurant features traditional filter coffee prepared with the characteristic high-pour technique using milk and davara, creating aromatic froth. The tea-time menu includes vazhakkai bajji, crispy green plantain fritters served with coconut chutney on banana leaves. Beyond snacks, Mylapore serves tiffin items and elaborate thali platters with lentils, vegetables, rice, and bread. Named after a historic Chennai suburb known for peacocks and a seventh-century temple, the restaurant brings authentic South Indian culinary traditions and cultural ethos to Silicon Valley.

Read at The Mercury News