CHENNAI: On an overcast Sunday morning at Okkiyam Thoraipakkam, the beats of western snare drums and trumpets met the grooves of traditional Karagattam, and the scrumptious notes of Tamil Nadu mess food met vintage aesthetics.
We were at the inauguration of Cholan Mess, a restaurant brand that traces its origin to the 1950s in Tiruchy.
As we stepped into the eatery covered with checkered flooring, popular Tamil songs from the 60s, 70s and 80s blared through the retro loudspeakers.
Walls caked in warm mustard yellow and refreshing teal adorned illustrative portraits of women in Tamil households from a bygone era.
Adjacent to a swinging door that looked right from a Mexican cantina, a vibrant wall tastefully painted with posters of Tamil blockbuster films including the 1964 classic Server Sundaram, Aayirathil Oruvan (1965) and Vasantha Maligai (1972) caught our attention.
“To recreate the 1980s era was our main goal. Everything — from the interiors to the menu — has been curated in such a way that it evokes a sense of nostalgia and warmth in customers,” said Praveen Antony, founder and MD, adding that the brand has only been “refound”.
“Cholan Mess was originally established in 1953. The Mess has a strong presence in Tiruchy and after so many years, it’s still tasting success. After the idea to start an eatery in Chennai took different shapes, I decided to narrow it down and bring Cholan Mess to Chennai,” said the restaurateur who opted to keep the origin story of the brand under wraps.
Praveen opened the first outlet of the Mess in Mogappair in September 2019. The brand will soon open its doors in Ashok Nagar too.
After a low-key inauguration, the restaurant was all set to serve the customers a virundhu (feast) of delicacies from down south — from seeraga samba biryani, nalli fry, prawn thokku, goli soda to milk sarbath.
“The seeraga samba biryani is our specialty. We follow heirloom recipes for all our dishes and being authentic is our USP. We serve food in banana leaves,” he added.
The eatery boasts a sizeable menu comprising wholesome meals, biryani, tiffin, drool-worthy gravies, and Indo-Chinese options. The restaurant doesn’t serve idli or dosa for breakfast, instead, they serve a traditional Neeragaram or Pazhaya soru served with chinna vengayam, chilli, more milagai, maavadu and maasi karuvadu.
“We will be adding more traditional dishes to the menu in the future. The idea is to make the brand national,” he shared.
The dishes start from Rs 20 onwards. Cholan Mess is located in HIG-I-104, Nolambur Main Road, Mogappair West, TNHB Phase I, Nolambur, Ambattur Industrial Estate, and Vinayak Avenue, First Main Road, Okkiyam Thoraipakkam, OMR.