Typical menu from The Tiffin Room
Starters
Masala Dosa (v)
Crispy rice pancakes, stuffed with spicy potato and served with coconut chutney
Vegetable Pakora (v)
Mixed vegetable bundles deep-fried in spicy chickpea batter served with coconut chutney
Mysore Bonda (v)
Deep fried spicy potato dipped in chickpea batter served with coconut chutney
Mains
Chickpea Oosli and Poori (v)
Cooked chickpea in spiced seasoning served with Poori — a speciality of Kannadigas
Vangi Bath with Onion, Tomato Yoghurt Salad (v)(n)
Spiced Aubergine in a sumptuous blend of rice and tamarind served with a mild yoghurt salad
Pepper Beef Tamil Style
Diced Isle of Wight beef slow cooked in red onions and pepper sauce served coconut rice
Chicken Chettinad Served with Lemon Rice
Chicken simmered in tamarind, spices and coconut served with fresh lemon rice
Pumpkin Thoove (v)
Slow cooked pumpkin & lentils seasoned with mustard and asafoetida served with saffron rice
Andhra Fish
Gently simmered fish of the day in a coconut, tamarind and coriander sauce served with coconut rice
Side Dishes
Lemon Rice (v)
Basmati rice served with a twist of lemon and cumin
Saffron Rice (v)
Basmati rice flavoured with saffron
Plain Rice (v)
Pooris (v)
Puffed fried wheat bread
Desserts
Mango & Semolina Kesari Bath served with Fresh Cream
A variation of a festive dessert served in almost all restaurants in South India
Sweet Pongal
Slow cooked rice and lentil cooked in milk, served during Sankranti — harvest festival
Gulab Jamun
Delicious Indian sweet made with cooked cream sugar and cardamon
Selection of Minghella ice cream
Beverages
English Tea, Earl Grey, Herbal Teas and Coffee
Green & Blacks Hot Chocolate laced with dark rum and cinnamon
Mango & Semolina Kesari Bath
About South Indian Cuisine
While we serve authentic South Indian food in The Tiffin Room we must acknowledge that, with a population nearing a billion, India is a diverse country with a vast repertoire of cuisine and culture — different in every region. We have restricted our menu to the regions of Andhar Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu because our expertise lies in the cuisine of these areas and more importantly because the food from these areas are lesser known, particularly in Britain.
In Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, pepper and chilli flavoured food is prominent, with a recurring use of tamarind (seldom found in the Northern cuisine) and where spices are used far more vibrantly and boldly, reflecting the purity of taste typical of Hindu cuisine.
Karnataka offers a vegetarian and rice-based cuisine, with a statement use of mustard, coriander, asafoetida and cumin seeds in almost all its dishes. The use of coconut is also quite predominant. Tiffin, or light snacks that are usually steamed or deep fried, are popular throughout the region, which is also famous for Masala Dosa.
Curry is a term adapted by the English during their occupation of India, as perhaps a shorter term for “kaikaari” — a dish lightly cooked with spices, coconut and vegetables. In Britain this is a generic term often used to describe a wide range of Asian dishes that remotely resemble Indian food. South Indian food is far removed from ‘curry’, with its distinct flavours, its lightness in palatability and in its delicacy.