Back in 1989 when a team of chefs headed by Praveen Anand decided to set up Dakshin at the then Sheraton Park Hotel, the vision was clear — serve authentic South Indian food.

Somehow though, things refused to fall into place and meal trials failed to pass muster. In fact, one industrialist’s wife was so upset at the use of garlic in the rasam she gave the chefs a lecture, and a recipe. That is when Chef Anand realised that the key to authenticity was in homes.

Thus began their journey of collaborating with homemakers; a journey that continues to this day. People like Prema Srinivasan and Meenakshi Meyyappan are known to have shared valuable insights pertaining to Tamil food with the team. Today, Dakshin is known to serve some of the most authentic food from communities across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Puducherry.

Over the last three decades, the hotel changed hands, and is now known as Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Park. The executive chefs too, changed. But the things that have remained constant are their authentic recipes and the fact that they continue to collaborate with and learn from homemakers.

Some of their popular dishes such as the banana dosa, made with five varieties of bananas, are still made fresh from the Iyer’s trolley during each meal. Then there’s the Dakshin yera — deep fried prawns marinated in a house masala that has continued to win hearts for its robust flavours and juicy texture.

The coffee is another legendary attraction, with Suresh pouring the beverage from a height of one metre at the diner’s table before serving it with a warm smile. “That’s how it was done when the restaurant first launched,” says Suresh Thala, as he is fondly called. “The idea is that pouring the coffee that way, releases the heady aroma which adds to the whole experience.”

A tasty trail

The current executive chef R Deva Kumar knows he has big shoes to fill. But the task doesn’t daunt him. In the last two-and-a-half years that he has been with Crowne Plaza, looking after the hotel’s culinary operations, Dakshin remains very close to his heart.

“I am a South Indian and this food is in my blood. There’s so much to do here and we stick to traditional recipes, which lends authenticity to what we cook,” he says. For the 30th anniversary celebrations, Deva has put together a special thali to commemorate the occasion. The Dakshin 30 thali comes with 30 dishes; most of them classics.

Understandably then, the banana dosa and Dakshin yera feature right on top of the list, as do the elaneer payasam and mukanni ice cream (house ice cream made using three fruits: jackfruit, mango and banana). Deva, has however, brought in his special touch by introducing a spice mix created using 30 different spices. “I wanted to introduce something new for the occasion. It took a few trials to arrive at the current mix. We’ve used this spice mix to make the mutton Chettinadu and natu kozhi ammi masala that feature on the thali,” he says.

Leading the way

While a lot of restaurants do serve a mean South Indian thali, what sets Dakshin apart, is that each chef is a master of his own section. For instance, there’s Chef Madurai who is the coffee master and he handles everything from selecting coffee beans to roasting and grinding them. Then there’s Chef Vasudevan who is in charge of the Iyer’s trolley. Chef Thanikachalam is the seafood expert and the man behind the juicy Dakshin yera.

In fact, Chef Thanikachalam has been with Dakshin for the last 30 years. He joined the hotel five years before Dakshin was even launched. As he walks up to our table, he has a shy smile and is reluctant to talk. Suresh chips in with a helpful, “He prefers to talk through his food. Most of our chefs are like that.”

Deva says that Thanikachalam really comes into his own in the kitchen which is also where you can hear him talking someone’s ear off. He joined the hotel as a KST associate back in 1985. “The moment I stepped into the main kitchen, I knew that I wanted to be a chef. I come from a humble background with zero culinary knowledge. I learnt everything here on the job,” he says. From being a trainee when he joined, Thanikachalam now trains rookies and the entire process has taught him patience, he says. “Also, working with these youngsters let the youngster in me out.”

Some of the high points of his career, he says, are when his food has received praise from celebrities and business tycoons. Then he politely requests to be excused; there’s another order of Dakshin yera that he needs to attend to.