Mumbai: New Kandivli eatery out to entice with South Indian cuisine!

Stuffed paniyaram

If the TV was your window screen in the '90s, then, today, the smartphone is a plane ticket around the globe. The mushrooming of small QSRs that dot areas like Carter Road, Versova Beach Road and the bustling streets around Hinduja Hospital, is not purely incidental. It's a spillover of the technological consumption (in the form of pictures you like, pages you follow and hashtags you use) of food online. That's probably the reason why, sometimes, on your way to meet a friend, you chance upon a bubble tea joint and think to yourself, "Hey, I saw that somewhere." And in all probability, you did.

Taco dosa

Sankar Kasirajan, 46, who has handled design, sales and business development for corporate conglomerates in India and Hong Kong, is also a foodie, and had his finger on the pulse of this trend a few years back. "When I returned to India in January 2017, I saw a surge in fast food chains serving milkshakes, pancakes and bubble waffles, that were already very popular in Hong Kong. But over a period of two years, I also saw them failing within months," he explains, speaking of the inception of IDlish, a new QSR idea launching next week that will be serving South Indian snacks, some of which have been re-imagined with a fusion touch. For the venture, chef Sudhir Pai has been roped in as consultant. And his experience while working in five-star kitchens as well as with mega brands, makes him a befitting choice for a module that is trying to capitalise on established consumer preferences and the curiosity of the young foodie in equal measure.

Piri piri idli

So, along with the traditional Kanchipuram idli, you'll find a peri peri variant on the menu which features other zany treats like dosa molten cheese, pizza utthapam, stuffed paniyaram and taco dosas. There is an undeniable confluence - of authentic dishes from Tamil Nadu with Mexican flavours and slightly exalted standards of plating and service (that is not typical of on-the-go eateries concentrating chiefly on ease and value for money). "While researching, we understood that people don't mind experimenting, but they crave for traditional Indian food most of the time. Whereas the younger generation is constantly seeking something new. The idea is to take popular authentic dishes and make them more appealing," Kasirajan explains.

Kanchipuram idli

As a joint serving vegetarian food only, it isn't surprising that the plan is to tap into Mumbai's dominant Gujarati and Jain communities, and with the first outlet opening in Kandivali, expansion in areas like Chembur, Ghatkopar and Mulund is on the cards. The added advantage for Kasirajan here is that he'll be serving food made with rice flour and jaggery, as opposed to flour- and sugar-heavy pancakes, directly appealing to Gen Y's health-crazy crowd.

Sankar Kasirajan

Opens January 28, 12 pm to 11 pm
At 21 Raj Arcade, Kandivali West.
Call 9833381022
Log on to IDlish on Facebook (for promotional offers beginning today)