South Indian cuisine that's cheap and tasty

Last week we took you through some of the most popular south Indian eating joints in Mumbai. Here is the concluding part of that list.

Ayyappan
What we ate
Pongal
Cheese dosa
Pineapple sheera
Total bill: Rs 39

The pious moniker of this shop is reflective of the many temples in the vicinity, and I use the word shop rather loosely, for it's little more than a hole in the wall. The idea is to look past the grime and soot and focus on the steaming plates that appear seconds after you place your order. And, oh, does it do brisk business!

At any given time there are at least 20 people being served. We estimate there are between 700 to 800 idlis served up daily, and half as many dosas, vadas and plates of upma. Busy they might be, but service always comes with a smile.

A clear indication of the fact that Matunga, erstwhile a Tamil stronghold, is now populated with just as many Gujaratis, is that each time you go back there are more varieties of dosas pandering to north Indian/pan Indian palates, like makkai masala or paneer masala. But fret not, for they hang on to old favourites like the sheera, pongal and appam with kurma.

PS "" Govindkrishna suggests this is the favourite haunt of students at the Khalsa and SIES colleges nearby; he himself is a frequent visitor on many occasions. "Still the idlis will never be as soft as my paati's (grandmother)," he says displaying some of that Iyer loyalty.

Rating 7.5/10
Ayyappan, 384, Dadhabawala Sadan, Telang Road, Opp. Nalli Silks, Matunga, Mumbai Tel: 24018154

Nizam'S Heritage
What we ate:
Hyderabadi biryani of course
Total bill: Rs 249

It's actually hard to come by authentic Hyderabadi biryani in this city, so when someone suggested Nizam Heritage, we grabbed the opportunity with both hands, even though it didn't exactly fit the bill of cheap canteen/mess type eatery. Housed in a Byculla "business" hotel called Hotel Heritage, this unflattering rendition of nawabi elegance was disappointing from the word go.

It was also shut for a corporate event. However, Meghana "" yet another colleague, brought along to revive memories of her days spent in Andhra Pradesh "" and I were ushered into the coffee shop where we would be served the aforementioned biryani.

What arrived, although not entirely unappetising, looked nothing like the original... the masala was far too red, the rice not white enough. The rest of the menu was perused (but not sampled), and it was noted that other "typical" Hyderabadi fare was present like haleem (minced mutton and cracked wheat, a favourite especially in the month of Ramzan) and double ka meetha (dessert made of bread, milk and sugar). But we'd had sufficient.

Rating: 3/10
Hotel Heritage, Sant Sayta Marg, Byculla, Mumbai
Tel: 3714891, 3734901