Lunchtime

We have about 3 hours for lunch, but all of the Confundito's are taking the Vedic Chanting course, and 3 of us are also doing an extra Yoga Sutra chanting class on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Usually we would arrange for Suresh to take us back to the hotel, but on those days we don't have time, so we need a local place for food.

Originally we went to a place called Melaa - which was very, how can I put it, 'authentic'. It was cheap, but quite soon the dubious food and hygiene put us off in there (though I must say nobody got sick). Others have been going to Sangeetha's (part of a local chain of restuarants), but it's in the wrong direction and I've also been warned off it in terms of hygiene and poor service.

Luckily we found a new place near to the flats of some of our classmates, SR Foods (address to follow). It's an interesting walk there from Vedavani (the Vedic Chanting school of KYM), through some real Indian streets, narrow and bustling with life of all sorts. It also passes a sort of slum area, sarcastically named "Guru Street" according to the sign.

But SR Foods itself is excellent (above photo shows Daphna and Baxter eating there). It's only been opened a few weeks, everything is shiny and new and the food is great. Even better, the manager speaks good English and is eager to please, offering to cook to your specifications. It's clean in here, so even the salad is safe to eat (falling sick here is a big worry, especially when you could so easily miss a big chunk of the amazing yoga course). The occasional plain cheese and salad sandwich works wonders when you just can't face another curry dish stoked full of chillis. A recommendation from me is the banana lassi, and I'm sure the other fruit lassi are excellent too. The thali here is excellent - very light compared to others, with light spicing and low on the chilli factor, such that I can even pour the whole sambar thali onto the rice without fear. Dishes are often freshly chopped vegetables, a delight when you're used to fried foods. Even the tea is very nice, with a hint of cardamom to settle the stomach.

To finish it all off, the food here is very cheap - usually about 70 RS (less than a pound) for the whole meal. If you're nearby, go and try it, you won't be disappointed.