Mi'lord, let's fine-dine in our Kaiyendhi bhavan!

Kaiyendhi bhavan (henceorth kd bhavan) is the king of all manners of dining. Here are five reasons why they are the absolute best and the rest are all inferior to it.

1. The menu: The most important aspect of any restaurant. The menu of my favourite kd bhavan is a classic - Idly, molagai bajji, all egg accompaniments (omelet, half-boil and the sort). Bull's eye. You keep ordering and they keep serving, hot, fresh and without delay.

2. The best place for the indecisive: Leave dining alone, a fellow can't even get a cup of coffee easily these days. Picture this in a coffee shop:
'What would you have sir?'
'Coffee, please.'
'Yes but hot, cold, espresso, capuccino, mocha, latte??'
'Cold coffee. Adikra veyilku, cold is better, don't you think? :)'
'Tall, medium venti, small grande?'
'The medium thing, I guess. Am not much of an eater... or a drinker, I suppose.'
'Decaf, normal, blah-bloo-hooo'
'Sorry?'
'Never mind. Would you like some cream or marshmallows on top??'
'Yes, just cream, I think :)'
'Would you like to take this with the offer of the day or our special combo?'
'Well, it's all a bit complex for me!' after going through the available offers. 'I'll just have my coffee, I think. As long as you guys don't dip it in yogurt or flavour it with onions. Haha.
The girl in the counter keeps a straight face.
''Tis a puzzling world, it is.'

And at each step you have to decide, and decide, and decide. And did I mention decide? God, they give us a prompt headache for the coffee to work on.

None of this in our kd bhavan. You don't have to choose your sauces from some numismatic puzzle - chipotle southwest, honey mustard, sweet chilli?? sweet chilli in Chennai??!!! Will you just stop already! In kd bhavan you get unlimited servings of kaara chutney (hot chilli), coconut chutney and sambar.

A real manager in action - Watch and learn: Running a kd bhavan is no easy task. With just one helper, you have to keep making idlies and bajjis, podufy innumerable omelettes (with very finely chopped onion, mind it!), get the plates cleared up and keep track of the cash register. And they remember orders with such elan. Kd bhavans have just two work environments. Pressure and high-pressure. And all you MBAs, come with your notepads ready, for this is your laboratory.

Feel good about the world: The kd bhavans never keep count of what you eat. They don't serve scantily and bill secretly. You eat how much ever you want and when you finish, tell the guy what you ate and he'll tell you how much you'll have to pay. I can guarantee that the most voracious eaters won't exceed Rs. 80. But the trust! The trust! He never doubts your account and I've never seen him cross checking it. Oh he's so busy working, it feels like collecting cash is a pain to him. He does it hurriedly and gets back to attending his stove and customers. When you witness such scenes combined with the enterprise of the guy and the healthy appetite of the customers, I bet it'll act as the perfect antidote to living in this often crazy world. Your tummy full and heart likewise, life will appear so much more pleasant.

Beat falling ill: There is but one remedy to prevent illness. Enjoy, enjoy your food and merrily, merrily live. Eat how many ever idlies, molagai bajjis and half boils in whichever order, and say ciao to illness. (Atleast the psychological effects will fight the lifestyle effects?)

Here is an interview I took of my favourite kd bhavan owner (his name is Thamaraiselvan). It's quite raw but I caught up with him not without difficulty, so you guys better watch it. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6k8ZDvc5DuI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zxkd5Lhb9CA

Some pics of Thamaraiselvan's KD Bhavan