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Eateries of Guntur in 1970s

 

When I went to Guntur in 1972, Sankar Vilas, Anand Bhavan, Balaram hotel, Mysore Cafe and Swagath Hotel (all these in Arundelpet or Brodipet area) Central cafe and Hotel Sudarshan near Jinnah Tower were the most prominent eateries. Since I was a bachelor till 1979, I was frequenting these joints regularly. Sankar Vilas had 4 independent units, each unique in its own way - one serving only snacks and tiffins, second one serving only meals, third one for Special meals and the fourth one being an AC restaurant (called Uday Sankar) which catered to the upper class of the society. Kotha Avakaya (New mango pickle) was served as soon as mango season started. One could buy a cheruku rasalu (squeeze & eat variety mango) or a banginapally (cut & eat variety) from the cash counter in any meals hotel. For no extra charge you could get it cut into pieces for eating with your meal.


Pesarattu is a very popular dosa variety. Either at Sankar Vilas or in Mysore Cafe you could order for tailor made moodu mukkala pesarattu with different quantities of allam, mirchi and onion as per your taste. Pesarattu-upma (uniquely called MLA Pesarattu) was another item of Guntur Specialities. 


Anand Bhavan (owned by tamilians) had 2 halls - one for serving tiffins and the other for meals. I used to go there for my lunch or supper. The meal is served on a banana leaf. I was particular to use pappu pulusu (for sambar) and charu (for rasam) in chaste Telugu while eating my meal. Anand Bhavan was situated near an over bridge across a rail track.


On the other side of the over bridge is a Rajasthani Balaram Hotel where only northern sweets, puri, chapati and chai were served. It was next to Seshamahal & Ranga Mahal cinema halls (twin theatre complex) With low daytime business, it was predominantly an evening joint. In fact, it was known for Puri-kurma, chapati-kurma. Kurma is a potato side dish with masala and potato pieces usually floating in oily substrate. Kurma is a northern dish. Singularly this kurma was attracting a large clientele which helped Balaram Hotels cash box to bloat.


Swagat Hotel on Arundelpet 7th Line Main Road is where you need to go if you wish to eat an onion dosa. The thinly chopped onions in the dosa coated with green chatney inside and roasted to a dark brown color outside is a visual treat for the eye. The special fragrance fills your nostrils urging you to have a bite urgently. Dipping dosa pieces alternately in Tamarind jaggery combo chatney and coconut chatney and eating is a pleasure one can not resist.


If you want to eat a masala dosa, you have to make your way to Mysore Cafe on 4th Line in Brodipet. Karnataka style tiffins served in it made it a popular restaurant. Masala dosa with chutney tastes good there. Potato curry is made tastier by adding a little dried coconut and a little cinnamon powder in full Karnataka style. Aroma of the coffee served is irresistible perhaps because the beans are specially got from Coorg.


While all the above joints were open to general public, we had an exclusive place of eating for the medical representatives where we were intellectually, gastronomically and literally satiated by an extraordinary person. His name was Tothadri. He had worked in a pharma MNC called Geoffrey Manners as a team leader of a group of salesmen. His hobby in late 60s was photography (considered a very costly hobby in those days) He had possessed a very costly camera. Alas, due to his excessive boozing, he lost his job and was making bajjis on the roadside for his living when he was picked up by our Medical Reps Assn and was helped to run a mess for Medical Reps in Guntur. He was a Nala-Bheema in his ability to cook. Anything he touched turned into a tasty dish. He was a B.A. but had a poetic command over English. It was great joy to listen to his conversations while gorging on the meal he served. In fact he tutored a boy to get M.A by coaching him in his spare time. Highlight of his mess was that if you wanted any specific dish/dessert, you could order for it in the morning and it will be cooked and served exclusively to you during lunch. Initially the mess was on 4th line Brodipet almost opposite Mysore Cafe. However, it later shifted to 2nd line Brodipet 5th cross. That was in a typical tiled house situated away from the road with a large front open area garden. After completing the meal, we used to wash our hands over the bushy plants in the garden area.

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