OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: MYLAPORE AT SAN RAMON, CA.

 OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: MYLAPORE AT SAN RAMON, CA. 

When you mention "Mylapore" to someone like my husband who knows Chennai ( Madras in the old days) so well, they will speak of the famous locality in that city. Mylapore is one of the oldest localities of Chennai. It is typically traditional and conservative - famous for the  Kapaleeshwarar  Temple built in the 7th century.  

In our current trip to the United States, we were naturally interested to hear that there was a chain of "Mylapore" restaurants in the Bay Area of California. We drove down to the one at San Ramon, the latest in the chain. We were told there are outlets in Fremont, San Jose, Pleasanton, Folsom and Sunnyvale as well.

The one in the San Ramon Valley Boulevard of San Ramon is open from 8.00 am to 10 pm on all days of the week. The food is exclusively vegetarian and is focussed more on South Indian cuisine. 

We were really hungry and opted for their Thali. This was a complete meal in itself. It had a generous portion of hot steamed rice ( with ghee to be sprinkled on it). To go with the rice, we had mulangi (radish) sambar and Udupi Rasam. The side dishes were Keerai Masiyal ( a side dish made with greens- usually spinach), Beetroot Poriyal, Karamani ( black-eyed beans) Sundal. We also had a bowl of the inevitable curd rice.

The usual accompaniments served were papadam, pickle, and two types of chutneys. The sweet at the end of the meal was Kesari Bath. 

We also had on the table button idlis  with two types of chutney and sambar and masala dosa again served with sambar and chutney. 

Over all the food was very good., the thali being really sumptuous! 

Typical of a restaurant of it's type in the US, self-service is the name of the game. You place your order, collect your food, and at the end of the meal, you need to clear up after you. Judging from the number of people at the restaurant that day, it appeared to us that Mylapore is a popular eating place. 

Perhaps many people eat here while others order food and use the Take Away system. We were told that dishes can be ordered online as well.

Overall, it was an enjoyable dining experience for us.