“Everyone needs and wants change”

Suraj Shetty: You get idlis and dosas everywhere, but at Southi you get a variety of dishes, from idlis tossed with Chicken Chettinad, to Pork Mandiya curry. We have food from Mangalore, popular Andhra dishes and Kerala cuisine too. Ours is a mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian and we have food for all age groups. There is the all day dining, and choices for lunch and dinner. We have a good variety of dishes for breakfast, from the standard idlis and dosas to even egg preparations.

TG: How do you turn an egg for breakfast into a South Indian dish?

SS: Well, we can do something like an Andhra style bhurji…

TG: You have a lot of expertise in the food and beverage industry in Mumbai and other places, is the Goa market similar or quite different?

SS: It takes a while to get things going in Goa, so we decided to keep the restaurant open throughout the year. This way we retain our staff, so they don’t have to worry about looking for a temporary job during the monsoon months, but we also are able to attract locals and tourists alike. When we decided to start a restaurant in Goa, we knew we couldn’t do the traditional Goan food for instance. We wanted to have a restaurant that served a good mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian food. Most South Indian restaurants here serve a simple fare. We decided to serve cuisine from different parts of South India. Judging by reviews and comments on Zomato and other sites, people are quite enjoying the experience here at Southi.

TG: In a market that is already saturated with different styles and cuisines that revolve around fish and meat, for instance, how do you push South Indian cuisine?

SS: Everyone needs and wants change. A tourist will have Goan food twice or thrice and other cuisine too, but then they would want to also experience the food here at Southi too. It’s not just a matter of competition. Locals too would like a change. They eat Goan food even at home.

TG: Judging by the fact that you are involved with so many South Indian restaurants in Mumbai and other places, how did you narrow down the food for the menu here?

SS: For instance, we have a successful chain of restaurants in Mumbai called Banana Leaf, which serve vegetarian South Indian food. We also have a brand called Mahesh Lunch Home, where we concentrate on seafood. Now we’ve even opened branches in Bengaluru and Dubai. We’re involved in many different style of food. We have a chain of counters at the food courts in malls called Malgudis and an Italian food chain called Alfredo’s. So we are pretty well versed with what consumers prefer to eat. Southi is, at the heart of things, a non-vegetarian version of Banana Leaf.

TG: What sets South India food apart from the rest of coastal cuisine?

SS: I think it’s the mix of spicy hints and the tanginess that you get from some of the ingredients like imli (tamarind) which are one of South Indian food’s draws. The spices are so nice. In fact, South Indian food is probably one of the only Indian cuisines that is a hit in every corner of the country. Here in Goa, the fact that it shares a lot of common traits with Goan food will surely get everyone interested.

TG: What are the ingredients essential to South Indian cuisine?

SS: You have your coconut and tamarind, and the Madras chilly, which is needed for the chilly paste. The cardamoms and other ingredients are commonly used across all cuisine. But we do get certain ingredients from Mangalore, Kerala and other places.

TG: Isn’t this an expensive proposition?

SS: It is, but it is necessary to ensure that the food tastes authentic. If it has to happen, it has to happen.