Hop and Hog#1 - Thotathu Virunthu, Erode

Hi all,

This is my first restaurant review. Hope you all like it. 

Thottathu Virunthu - Meaning Garden feast. The name says it all. 

We were on the way from Erode to Madurai by car when we heard about this restaurant. We were really hungry and when we enquired about a restaurant nearby, we were informed that there is a place for yummy food but will be crowded and may have to wait. On hearing tasty food nearby, we decided to wait and had a watermelon juice on the way to satify the hunger prangs temporarily. 

On reaching there we saw a great sight. Not just the name, the restaurant is actually situated in a huge garden. There were neem trees, Coconut trees and Guavas and lots and lots of flower plants. The aroma from the freshly watered soil, the occasional calls of the birds and the satisfied smile from the customers leaving was really so much satisfying to watch as we waited for a table.

 

We finally got a table and we were greeted by waiters all clad in green to add their touch of greenery. We were fiddling with the menu and deciding what to do when the owner came in and advised us to try the restaurant's specials. Here comes the mouth watering part. 

We ordered an unlimited meals. They have options for Veg and Non veg. We opted for Non veg obviously. 

Veg meals - One thaniya sambar, Rasam, poriyal. This one thaniya sambar has different thaniyam everyday. One day it is toor dal, one day it's moong dal, one day it's horse Gram and so on. It's a real healthy option. 

Rasam is also a special one. It was called Pacha pulli Rasam, meaning Raw rasam. It is never cooked, they said. Soak the tamarind and take its juice. Take small onions or Shallots, green chillies, dhaniya, jeera and hand blend it and add it to the tamarind water. That's it. It's very good for digestion it seems. 

Non veg meals - Rasam, poriyal and Non veg gravies. Chicken gravy and mutton gravy. They were so watery but that is the speciality of Kongu cusine, we got to know later. But the taste was so good and they were good with rice. None were too spicy. Everything was done to perfection.

Now comes the real speciality of Thotathu Virunthu - The side dishes. 

The options were Thotathu Virunthu Special, Pichu pota kozhi, Pichu pota mutton, Thalai curry, Eeral or liver fry, Chicken sukka, Mutton sukka, Andhra egg special, Pallipalayam Chicken. 

Thotathu Virunthu Special - Nattu kozhi or country bred chicken was cut into very small bite sized pieces and fried with spices. The aroma of ginger and tangines of onions were really so alluring. It was little spicy and the tongue could say it all came from the red chillies added.

Pichu pota kozhi - When we ordered they informed us earlier that it comes from broiler chicken. We agreed and decided to try. It was like a kothu parota. Onions, green chillies, curry leaves, and the black dots here and there by pepper all added to the flavour. It was almost fried.

Pichu potta mutton - It was same as Pichu potta kozhi but it was like a kothu parota with salna. That is , it came as a thick gravy.

Andhra egg Special - It was really tasty. It was a combination of half boil, kalakki and a little less than omlette. A different taste but can try once more but have to eat while it's hot. When it cooled down, I didn't like the taste. But that usually happens with all the egg dishes. So no complaints.

Pallipalayam Chicken - This is an usual Kongu cusine dish and we found it the same taste as we had in a different hotel. But as they claim, it's a healthier version with no extra unwanted masalas added for taste. 

Service is really good and very much kid friendly too. Quantity is also more than sufficient. If you order one portion, one person cannot finish it. Curd was not served with the meal and you have to pay extra for it. We ordered and when it came it was worth the pay. It was too thick and sweet. They do not serve dessert too with the meal. You have to buy payasam if you want it. We didn't try.

It was bit economical too. Meals were 70 INR and the side dishes were all below 200. 

They serve nattu kozhi biryani on Sundays alone. We were there on a Saturday , so we couldn't get a chance to taste it. 

Overall, a very satisfying experience for the mind and tongue and for the purse as well. It is rated No. 1 family restaurant of Erode in the TripAdvisor. 

Location - Approximately 3 to 4 Kms from Erode. It is situated at Villarasampatti four road junction.

Address - Duraisamy Gounder, Near, Thindal - Villarasampatty Rd, Erode, Tamil Nadu 638112

Timings - Only for lunch. 12 to 4 PM. 

P.C. Google. (As I lost all my previous clicks when my phone crashed)