Oru Whisky Oru Masala Dosa - apologies to Quick Gun Murugan

Ok small correction -No Whisky and five different kinds of Dosas. Now how did that happen ? A dinner with my Chennai Friends of Max Volunteers http://www.friendsofmax.info/ earlier this month and the venue was the Quality Sabari Inn in T Nagar. The choice was between their Chinese restaurant upstairs and Rendesvouz the Multi Cuisine buffet set up downstairs.

Chinese in Chennai? I bullied the bunch into agreeing to try the buffet downstairs , the well lit spacious area with enough seating and elbow space more conducive to our meeting cum dinner agenda. And the buffet did look good enough to hmmm eat !! But what caught my eye was a display card that said "Dosa Dhamaka" exhorting one to eat as much as one could and went on to describe an array of mouthwatering fillings for more than eight different kinds of dosas - Drat!! I should have taken a picture of that enticing announcement for this post !! Now, I am a staunch fan of dosas whether in Bombay or Bangalore , Chennai or Chicago and if I had to eat dosas day in and day out you will not catch me complaining so I looked at the card and asked the young boy who was waiting at our table if I could have one of those dhamakas . Charming smile in place but in a very firm voice I was told Madame , that is on offer only between 3pm and 6pm and then 11pm and 3 am . Curbing the desire to ask him if people really stayed up and came out to eat so late in Chennai I asked him if he was sure I was told yes Madame very sure only . No dosas at 8 pm. Please see Madame it says right there . 3 pm to 6pm , 11pm to 3am only ; not now .

Not to be placated by his arguments nor bothered by this minor hindrance I asked if that was the case , then why this announcement sitting right there in front of me , raising my hopes and making my mouth water only to be told this was Madame an advertisement . So I came back , very sweetly of course saying then why is this not where advertisements were supposed to be ? In the newspapers or on the board in the lobby or anywhere else but where a hungry , dying for a dosa visitor from Mumbai could only have her hopes dashed so uncaringly ? Mr Charming smiled and wrung his hands and excused himself and extolled the charms of the Buffet - but the message was clear . No Dosas .

Resigning myself to a dosa less dinner I eyed the spread at the buffet table but really could not bring myself to go there and busied myslef bumming the salad off Nagendra's plate . Stubbornly I refused to go and get my own plate and by now the gang was having a nice laugh at my expense giving full marks to Mr Charming for having actually managed to get the better of Amma !!

Finally it is the practical Sasi who says Vijima if you don't have dinner then the meeting will never get underway so please ? And as I got up to do so the Chef walks up to our table and a hush falls upon the laughing group. Yes Madame I believe you want to have the Dosa Dhamaka says the suave looking Chef , his white hat stiff and bright and a twinkle in his eye belying his formal demeanour and I am like wow !! this rocks !

Yes please I say , in fact if no dhamaka then even just any dosa would do for I really want to have a nice hot crisp one if you please ? But I am in for a surprise as the Chef says but No Madame we will try our best to see how many of these fillings we can get for you ; if not eight then at least I can ruslte up four or five ; will that be alright with you . By now I am so impressed and so touched that I can only nod in happy consent .

And with a fourish he walks out and in a few minutes my dosas are brought in one by one , hot and delicious all five of them with innovative fillings , crisp and delicious . Take a bow Chef and I hope you do not mind that I have used your picture without your permission but I did find it on the Quality Sabari Inn page. You rock , your restaurant rocks but most of all the young charming man who waited on us rocks for having brought my persistent request to your attention . And I did not even have to do a Quick Gun Murugan and who missed the Whisky ? Not me - I was on a high anyway already !!