Woodlands Drive-In Restaurant

The Drive-In which has been a part and parcel of Chennai for a long long time has disappeared, and so is a small part of the soul of Chennai. For long, the restaurant used to be a favorite haunt of many. People used to meet there, and linger for long after the cup of coffee. The famed PB Srinivas, yesterday playback singer, used to literally make the restaurant his second home.I think he got many a inspiration there for I have always seen him writing something in his book. During the sixties, the restaurant used to be a really posh place. The tables and chairs were all cane, and each table was covered with pristine white tablecloth. The tablecloth was changed after each meal.The cutlery was all new and porcelain, and the meals were served with a fork, spoon, and a knife. I am sure that recent memories of the restaurant would make these fond recollections of mine difficult to digest. The restaurant had been slowly running to seed the past few years. Probably, the management knew that the lease would not be renewed. The cutlery was sometimes chipped. The porcelain plates were all the more hardy stainless steel plates. The tables and chairs and in general the decor was bad. The menu was not improved and remained the same for the last fifty years. But to its credit, the masala dosa was always the same, and one never got a stomach problem after eating at the Drive-In. Inspite of all the drawbacks, the restaurant still used to draw huge family crowds especially during the weekends, though there plenty of new swankier eating spots in Chennai. The main advantage of the Drive-In was the huge drive, expanse of space surrounded by giant leafy trees, plenty of chirping birds. The ambience will sorely be missed in Chennai!