|
 Perumal
Koil Street is the second right on the way to Mission Street from the
Lotus Hotel that is near Beach Road. This is important. On the other
hand, nearly everybody in Pondicherry knows where the old registrar’s
office used to be and some of the couples who were married at this
illustrious if (then) decrepit building even came by for the opening.
And what an astonishing transformation they must have seen.
The invitation to the compact 10-room property begins right off the
said street in the even-now French city’s bustling Tamil Quarter. The
cheerful thinnai (traditional sit-out) leads to a sunlit courtyard,
its floor a charming red oxide. Barring the discreet elevator and the
even more discreet numbering of rooms, there is little to suggest that
Maison Perumal isn’t the home of someone with considerable wealth and
even more good taste.
The Restaurant
CGH Earth’s uniquely elegant minimalism is in evidence here as well.
The Cuddapah flooring in the bathroom is unpolished, and the furniture
and gorgeously tall doors appear unvarnished. The white walls have a
corrugated finish and set off the dark wood beams of the Madras
ceiling superbly. Sombre, sepia-tinted photo portraits make up the
décor. A small rose and jasmine floral arrangement on the turned sheet
of a bed welcomes guests to their rooms. The half-length mirror
mounted on the antique wardrobe is the only concession to a dressing
area. But little comforts like a spacious bathroom — no room for a tub
here, of course — a coffee/tea-maker, short eats or a refrigerator
with drinks, might be missed.
The stark white linen in the rooms, and ditto table cloth and flatware
in the nameless restaurant, the unevenly hand-finished mustard
flooring and signature-print fuchsia, purple and turquoise pillow
cases (note the same exquisite pattern frames the bathroom mirror),
the crisp bags fashioned out of dated newspaper for the complimentary
jute bedroom slippers, the unlined wood dustbins, the neem soap from
Auroville that looks like, of all things, speckled white chocolate —
if God is in the details, Maison Perumal is nearly divine. But what
this writer will remember the most is the tiny peengan jaadi (ceramic
pickle jar) in which comes the shampoo.
The Sunlit
Courtyard
Without trying too hard, the old-fashioned semi-circular tank and urns
with potted plants and mossy water that cluster about the ‘lobby’
render flower-laden bronze urulis passé, and the stained-glass
balconies overlooking the courtyard bring in just the right splash of
irreverent colour — look out for the rainbow-hued play of sunlight on
the walls of the first floor in the morning.
Minimalism can be admirable but one wishes it hadn’t extended to the
menu. While breakfast is Continental, the Maison’s restaurant only
serves appam with mutton/ vegetable stew from 10am to 7pm. As a
signature dish, one can’t help but think it’s as out of place in
Pondicherry as Commun-ism. Interestingly, the kitchen does not have a
deep freezer so the catch, and mutton, is procured fresh. For dinner,
non-vegetarians may have a grilled seafood platter.
Accommodation
Vegetarians, worry not,
can have more of the doubtless excellent appam and stew. Dishes
outside of the house ‘theme’ may be arranged (the grilled vegetables
in pesto sauce is very good). Cut fruit is available. A bar is in the
offing. All of which certainly does away with the need for a menu card
and is not without benefits. When a delicious lemon-and-lentil soup of
the day materialised unexpectedly for dinner, it was difficult not to
whoop for joy.
Regardless. Maison Perumal’s classy arrival, particularly in
Pondicherry’s frequently overlooked Tamil Quarter, calls for
celebration. Sit across the antique desk that serves as the reception
or enjoy the oonjal (the gentle, long swing crafted out of a plank of
jackfruit wood). Imagine the open-to-sky mutrams when it rains — as in
many traditional homes, two central courtyards let in the elements
here. It took a year and a half to partly restore and partly extend
this privately owned property now on long lease, and without such
lavish love, this maison would have been sacrificed to obscurity. In
particular, savour the tranquil old-worldliness of Maison Perumal,
after the quaint, narrow-streets liveliness of this part of ye ol’
...Room View...
|
|
