If you think that South Indian cuisine is all about Idli, Dosa and Sambar, visit this restaurant to change your view

True to it's name which in Sanskrit means a unique precious jewel 'mani', this restaurant serves rare and special delicacies from all the four states of south India right here in the Capital. Tucked in a tiny corner in Saket, Kaustubh is about simplicity and homeliness with waiters scurrying around wearing mund (traditional white dhotis), nadaswaram playing in the background, food served on steel plates with banana leaves -- to showcase their traditional best.


Kaustubh thali

No fancy dressing
A Tirupati idol stands welcoming you as you climb up the three low steps. Theu00a0 wooden furniture in the well-spaced out hall and ethnic block-printed wallpapers in different colours create a homely feel. There was mellow, instrumental, classical music playing which comes across as a good change if loud luxury tires you. The elaborate menu is broadly divided into sections and has only vegetarian dishes from the entire southern peninsula -- Kerala to Andhra Pradesh to Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Since I do not hail from south India, I found the details described after the name of each dish to be highly interesting.