30 years of Mella Thiranthathu kadhavu!

It's 30 years to the day (Sept 12th 1986) since 2 Musical Messiah's - 'Mellisai Mannar and Maestro' joined together to present a monstrous and memorable soundtrack 'Mella Thiranthathu kadhavu'. It was a melange of magnificence with each of the compositions being special in their own right.

MSV's lilting tunes embellished with Raaja's orchestral layering gave it the much desired synchronisation which has continued to haunt the listeners down the years. Everytime I get to hear the interludes in Thedum kann Paarvai makes me gobsmacked. Vaa Vennila is such an everlasting delightful melody, Kuzhaloothum Kannanukku is the quintessential evergreen romantic lullaby, Dil Dil Manadhil shows how fun waltz can be, Ooru Sanam just the initial couple of lines is enough to transcend you to another plane and Sakarakattikku gives the rustic local folk twang.

It's hard to fathom powerhouses of any kind combining for a project and this movie is indeed a significant milestone in the annals of Tamizh Cinema for bringing 2 legendary Musical Mughals to work in a movie together for the first time. And boy, they made it count by delivering a monumental musical chapter, one for the ages.

Old is Gold - Maneka, Palmgrove

They say Old is Gold and God only knows how many years this restaurant has been in existence. It still continues to get a sizeable crowd every now and then. You get an old world charm here. It feels so 90s, nothing about the place has changed but taste of food remains the same.

The ambiance is plain jane but perhaps that's what makes it appealing. Unlike the new age restaurants which harps on colored lighting and radiant designs , this one still uses the traditional good old tube lighting. Even the waiters are clad in full white.

They really don't feel the need to ape any of their contemporaries. They know well their strengths and play to the cards. It doesn't try to be fancy by any stretch of the imagination and prides itself in its old age methods.

The food here is a delight and their Thali's seem to be the most preferred. I mostly tend to have the Palmgrove Special Thali which comprises of a Naan/Roti , Paneer Butter Masala , Dal Tadka (Really enjoy their Dal!), Chole, Pulav, Plain Rice, Rasam, Raita, Curd rice, soup and to boot Gulab Jamun and an Ice cream sundae. Its quite a wholesome meal, only grouse is they could make it unlimited. The other meals are also nice and if you like spicy you should try the Andhra Special meals which comes with Podi and Gongura Chutney which is unbeatable. Their tiffin items also muster up some weight.

The service is usually pretty fast. The rates have gotten high over the years, but still wouldn't consider it being too expensive. Would always perenially be a good choice restaurant especially for the family audience.