I've been to this restaurant so many times that I've lost count. I go there just for lunch though. I guess all of us have one such favorite lunch place; where the food is decent, service is quick and the location convenient. Mine is Minerva.
If you look at the picture alongside, try as you may, you cannot help but notice the oversized red tumblers, the plastic jug, the green table top and the rexene upholstery. You are definitely not going to Minerva for the fine dining experience; you are going there for the food. Period.
They serve an exhaustive buffet during lunch hours. There's a counter with South-Indian snacks; the vadas are always fresh and crisp. They also have mini-uttapams and regular dosas. Then there's an array of vegetarian food from the tried and tested gobi manchurian to their own 'house specialties' like zucchini fry and saag-mushroom. The non-vegetarian spread, of course, is what I fancy the most. There are always at least five items, the staple one being some very good, mouth-watering tandoori chicken. On Friday's they also have two varities of biryani, chicken and goat. Apart from this they server the usual, white rice, pulao, puri, nans and Chinese noodles.
Dessert is usually gulab jamun, kheer or kesari and fruit salad. All this for $11 on week-days and $12 on week-ends.
This has been Minerva's menu since time immemorial and I can honestly admit that my taste buds still tingle every time we decide to go there. It's usually a Friday afternoon lunch place, that time of the week where your energy level is at a low ebb and you can get away with a procrastinated lunch break. Nothing can spur lethargy more than spicy, greasy, heavy, Indian food.
In the picture with me, are my cohorts in crime, the Friday afternoon slackers!
