By now my friends know how much I love to eat and have begun to seriously indulge me. The effervescent Minoti Makim is no exception and she was sure to invite me to a very special Guest Chef ‘s Tasting Menu at Savya Rasa, Pune recently.

Savya Rasa is a South Indian fine dining, standalone restaurant. It is elegant, with superb service in the best south Indian traditions. Smiling waiters in crisp kurtas and flowing lungis greet you in a minimalistic dining space built around a traditional Kerala tharawad with ancient wooden pillars and tapestries. The glass facade is covered in intriguing art from south Indian mythology. The extensive and sumptuous South Indian menu covers Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The food is always fresh and tasty, and despite being rooted in South India myself, I am spoiled for choice and always excited to eat here.

There is an ongoing Karnataka food festival at Savya Rasa with the talented Chef Manjunath at the helm. He is a Chef in the truest guru-shishya tradition: he never went to any catering college, and learned from boyhood at the foot of his teacher. He now travels across the country, teaching and showcasing his passion for Karnataka cuisine.

Karnataka is where my mother’s family hails from. We still have a large family there and it’s where we visit most. Mangalore, cyber -city Bangaluru, Coorg and Mercara, Mysore, Hampi, Karwar and Chikmangalur are all part of Karnataka. We have such a wide range of food in this State, from sea food to coffee, gassi to pandi curry. The food in amazing and far from the expected flavours of the more popular Kerala and Goa cusines.

Of course I accepted the invitation to lunch.

I’ve been to many invitation meals but only a handful were genuine and generous. Where the guest really is treated like God and served with love.

This lunch was one of them.

Chef Manjunath went all out and really fed us. Let me describe the meal, nay, feast to you.

We began with pathrade. A family favourite, my grandmother made it often. My kutchi side of the family makes it too. Rolled colocasia leaves steamed and then tempered with mustard seeds. A vegetarian delight and always a favourite.

Biskuthambade, mini bondas with fresh coconut chutney added crisp to the afternoon. I could eat a bowlful of these without blinking!! The coconut chutney was perfectly fresh and moist and added so much zing to the bondas.

The non-vegetarian menu was extensive.

We began with an excellent Kane Rava fry which really was the star of the afternoon. Lady Fish is always a treat, and fried so absolutely crisp and perfect, it is biting into Heaven. We definitely had seconds!

Steaming hot malenad mutton rassa, a meaty soup redolent of fresh black pepper and coriander followed. The broth was hearty and spicy, perfect on a cold, wet afternoon. This one is not for the faint-hearted!

More fish followed, mottu maanji, a thick slice of steamed white pomfret swathed in fresh green coconut chutney. This tasted somewhat like the classic parsi fish, but not as nearly as mild.

I was impressed by how perfect they got the fish each time: the Kane was just perfectly fried (all you lovers of fried fish know just how critical this is, the perfect fish fry is not easy to come by!) and the pomfret was just perfectly steamed -the true test of a great Chef and good kitchen.

The Spicy kaima urunde or mutton meatballs were nutty and peppery. I could just imagine sitting with a drink at sunset on a coffee estate, nibbling on these. As tasting menus go, I should have walked to the restaurant and back home, as the bite size portions were generous to a fault.

Neitha Kori Roast is chicken stir-fred in a dry red masala with curry leaves. It is a perfect accompaniment to drinks and conversation and the succulent cubes of chicken just melt in the mouth. This is one of my most favorite flavours, the bitter leaves bring out the mellow roasted spices.

Unfortunately, I missed most of the vegetarian starters whilst taking photos. The table besides me had four vegetarians and they were quite happy with the variety on offer.

Finally the main course began and they plied us with more and more and more food!

Let me tell you about the different south indian pooris we had. As pooris go, these are more than just discs of fried dough. The mind boggles as you tear into soft, fresh, pouffy heaven.

There were akki rotis made of rice flour and coconut, some chillies and vegetables. The dough for akki roti is flattened between fresh banana leaves and roasted on a hot tava. Need I say more?

The Biscuit Poori was strangely named and very tasty. It is a not made with rice but wheat, hence the name ‘biscuit’. The poori is stuffed with a spicy, dry mixture and rolled out. It’s like a kachori, kind of.

The Biscuit poori was served with my absolute favourite (the kind my mother makes at home), ‘kukuda kajippu ‘ ripe mango curry. Now this is something of a signature recipe at our home. Each summer, my mother makes a thin, sweet-sour- spicy ripe mango curry, using whole peeled mangoes and a simple tempering with red chillies and curry leaf. This was that! Tangy cubes of mango swimming in a thick sweet and sour and spicy sauce. You have to try this to believe it. and oh, it is so, so good!! Chased away all the monsoon blues and brought a huge smile to my face.

There was so much more: a delicious Prawn curry in Kundapura masala to dip your akki roti in or pour over steaming rice. As prawn curries go, this was as good as the best, with fresh, tender prawns that did not taste like rubber bullets. So far, so perfect.

Yet another chicken curry, a coconut curry so typical of Kanara, Kori gassi.

From Coorg, we had the traditional chicken curry. This masala also had lashings of black pepper and was very piquant and fragrant, bang on authentic. They have the pork version on the menu too.

Wait, there’s more!! Have you ever eaten a Mangaluru bun?? Neither had I, until then! Thick, soft, fluffy pillows of freshly fried, piping hot puris. Take a bite and you have that moment!

Yes! That one.

This is a sweet poori, made of flour and mashed ripe banana and yoghurt. It is a cloud of yum. It is comfort food, desi banana bread and will ring the bells of your memory bringing back the simplest, happiest tastes from your childhood.

No south indian meal is complete without rice! Chef Manjunath served a Kudla Chicken Biriyani that hit the spot as we finally came towards the end of the meal.

And then there was dessert ………..

We had the payasam, of course. Now there are as many kinds of payasam as there are biriyani. My particular favourite is the one with jaggery, coconut milk and moong Dal (not in this menu, sadly).

We had the halasina hannina or jackfruit payasam, very fragrant and unusual in its texture. Combined with the jaggery and coconut milk, it was tasty and hearty and not over-sweet.

The other payasam was made of grated dudhi (bottle gourd) and was like a liquid dudhi halwa, only with coconut.

Both payasams were humble preparations, much like the people of Karnataka whose cuisine takes from the land around them. Their food focuses on what is locally available, evolving and adapting from one region to another, somehow same-same but different.

Very simple and therefore a fitting end to the meal.

I like this Chef, he dazzles and knows how to balance the meal, how to not overwhelm the palate. How simple can be complex and how humble can be sublime.

I urge you to go feast at this gem of a restaurant if you love sea food and south indian food beyond chicken chettinad and masala dosa and fish curry. Vegetarians rejoice, they have unusual and special preparations on the menu that you will not easily find elsewhere. There is a lovely pineapple curry, mixed vegetable curry, a bhendi curry and loads of interesting appetizers. Basically, there is a lot of unique food on offer. Be adventurous and go try something different!

Sigh….. Can’t wait to go back for more. It made me very nostalgic for my family down south and reminded me of many delicious meals from long ago.

The festival is on till the 29th of July, a la carte only. The menu is extensive and authentic and worth a splurge.