It was a day to remember for the traditionalists in Chennai. Southern Aromas, the exclusive South Indian specialty restaurant at The Residency Towers has introduced the banana leaf service during lunch hours between 12.30pm and 3pm from June 11, 2003. The Residency Towers is the first premium four star hotel in Chennai to launch the traditional Banana Leaf Service.

Present on the occasion of the launch were actors Gemini Ganesan and Charu Hassan, Shri Lalgudi Jayaraman, Mr. T. T. Vasu, Padmabhushan Parasaran, Padmashri Mrs. Y. G. Parthasarathy, carnatic singers Ms. Sudha Raghunathan and Ms. Sowmya, Mr. N. Ram, Editor, Frontline, leading industrialists Mr. M.A.M. Ramaswamy and Mrs. Mallika Srinivasan and former Indian Cricketer Krish Srikanth.

Welcoming the introduction of banana leaf service at Southern Aromas, leading actor of yesteryears Mr.Gemini Ganesan said “Even at shooting spots, I used to insist on a banana leaf serving. Eating on a banana leaf is a hygienic practice and the "Meals" on a banana leaf or thali "plate" adds in a lot of medicinal value. For us traditionalists, this gesture of Residency Towers to kick start the banana leaf serving is to be welcomed.” 

Former cricketer Srikanth in his usual jovial style commented “Variety is the spice of life! The fun of "meals" is to mix the tastes and textures to see what combinations and sequences you prefer. Apart from my aggressive and instinctive strokeplay, cricketers worldwide have known me for my craze for ‘rasam/thayir satham’. Just like my arrival at the crease used to get the bowlers confused, my arrival in any of the restaurants in Australia used to send the chefs beserk as they had to look out for the longish banana leaves. This launch of Residency Towers is indeed a great gesture for a rasam satham fan like me.” 

Key features of Banana Leaf Service

• No recycling of the Banana leaf- so only one serving on a leaf

• Hygienic and has medicinal value- tested over centuries

• Ghee/Oil does not stick to the Banana Leaf as opposed to a plate

• Hot food on a traditional banana leaf adds to the taste and flavour

There’s a sequence to serving in the traditional banana leaf service and the scientific reasoning to such serving which has stood the test of time for many centuries now is that the order to eating traditional food is carbohydrates(rice), protein(Dal), iron rich (vegetables) and fat( curd) and hence the sequence to strict observance when serving traditional food. And serving this traditional food on a banana leaf further adds strength. 

Shri Natraj Iyer, Chef with over 50 years experience in traditional food service is the guiding force behind this offering at Southern Aromas. 

Southern Aromas will offer the service like in any other traditional hometown. The menu as part of the leaf service includes salt, 4 types of pickles, thovayal, dry sweet, pachadi, poriyal, kara curry, kootu, vada / varuval, appalam, rice, different kinds of podis, dal, sambar, rasam, curd, payasam & banana. The meals cost Rs.225 inclusive of taxes.

Mr. Ravi Appaswamy, Managing Director, The Residency Towers said, “With specialty restaurants being the order of the day, we believe that this new offering will appeal to the traditionalists in Chennai. It is also a well-known fact that a meal on a banana leaf has medicinal value and is considered a hygienic practice. The banana leaf service is augmented by the traditional Chettinad interiors at The Southern Aromas that provides a complete experience for our guests. Serving on a banana leaf takes one back to the roots especially for those who have stayed abroad for a long time and who have not been used to traditional way of eating.”

Apart from the leaf service, the restaurant also offers a la carte featuring non vegetarian delights.

Most people start with the bland and move up to the spicy, and end with rice, curd & pickles and then the sweet, while others would prefer it the other way to even start with the sweet. One can use hands, much the best way though not as easy as one would think, or a spoon in the right hand and a fork in the left.

About Residency

The Residency Hotels - in Chennai, Coimbatore and Bangalore - are part of SAS Hotels & Enterprises, an Appaswamy group company that focuses on the hospitality business. The company’s core philosophy is providing guests with a ‘value for money experience’.

The Residency Hotel chain has on offer around 500 rooms across its properties, and caters to the smart business traveler with its quality service, transparent pricing, professional management and personalized services. The hotel is known for its deep understanding of guest habits - even whims and idiosyncrasies - providing an ideal ‘home away from home’! The company has among the best HR practices in the industry - which is spoken for by the quality and commitment of Residency employees.

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Published on 13^th June 2003

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