Ram Ashraya: deconstructed

Location: Matunga, Mumbai.

Hours of operation: 5 am to 9 pm on all days except Monday.

Of the many occasions I’ve been to this place, it’s only been once that I’ve managed to get a table right away; On a lazy weekday afternoon. Otherwise, it’s always full. The regular waiting time to get a table here is 20 min minimum. Need I say more about the popularity of this decades old Matunga based eatery? I guess not. But I’ll go ahead anyway.

Matunga is an area in Mumbai which is otherwise popular for everything South Indian. The area is stringed with small cafes and eateries serving south Indian food and filter kaapi. One will find everything and anything to do with South India in Matunga. Idli, Dal Wada, Ulundu dosa, Neer dosa, Idiyappam, flowers, Nalli sarees, Chandan, uttappam and what not. All of it.

For a place to stand out so profusely amongst many other places serving the same cuisine is in itself a big thing. And Ram Ashraya stands out and how. For me, it’s the best South Indian restaurant in Mumbai. A dining experience here is so warm you will keep coming back every time you get a chance. My usual course here always and always begins with a filter coffee. It’s served in a simple steel container looking as innocuous as ever. One sip later, it hits all the right tones and I find myself closing my eyes in awe of the perfect combination of decoction, milk and sugar. It’s perfect. Haven’t had a better one.

After the coffee, its on to the usual suspects; the incredibly delicious pudi idli, Mysore sada dosa, rasam wada, pudina batata wada and onion uttappam. Everything about the food served here is marvellous. The quantity offered for the price, the top-notch quality, the fresh ingredients and the consistency of the quality, everything; even on a very busy Sunday. This establishment opens at 5 am every morning and continues serving mouth watering dishes right till 9 pm in the night. That gives them barely 8 hours to clean up and to re-open.

Along with all this, they also make their own spices and the sambar and rasam masala every single day. The batter and masala are ground and mixed every single day. So probably they begin their day around 1 am every day. That is just down right incredible. My personal favourites here are the pudi idli; idlis (rice cakes) topped with ghee (Butter) and sprinkled with a specially prepared powder called pudi (not gunpowder), Pudina batata wada (Mint Potato fritters) and the timeless Mysore Masala dosa (I am not going to re-write that in English).

After the usual suspects, I come down to the last course before the second cup of coffee. Desserts. I’ve always maintained that one doesn’t need an appetite to gorge on desserts. One only needs will. And the fragrance of the main dessert served here will surely make up your will. This is the only place in Mumbai where I have ordered Pineapple sheera and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it. The sweetness is just perfect. The slightly sour palette of the pineapple complements the sheera so well. God knows how they make it so perfectly; it’s incredibly tasty. Made in pure ghee, it leaves no fatty after taste. The last course again is coffee. I can keep having coffee here all day without getting bored. It is borderline addictive.

Apart from the food which is absolutely fantastic, the way this place manages the humongous crowd is excellent. Apart from self-disciplined people who patiently wait in a queue to get a table, the guys here are always so attentive that they make sure no chair is unoccupied at any given time. That along with the coordination of the servers and the kitchen makes this place a management marvel. It is so smooth; like clockwork.

The only downside I’ve experienced so far is that this place still accepts only cash. With time and tide, they have gone ahead to give the place a small makeover, they have moved on to electronic billing, they have moved on to hike the prices subtly. Point being, they have become commercial. But they still only accept cash. No Paytm. No UPI. No cards. Just cash. I guess it’s just a matter of time until that changes. Until then, make sure to visit the ATM before getting in that waiting queue.