Vensons

It is one of the shops in the neighbourhood and a very friendly one at that. It cannot be easily classified and that is its charm. It actually started as a bread and pastries shop at a time when such shops were not so common. It used to stock Adyar bakery bread and it was premium stock in those days. I used to hunt for adyar bakery brown bread and many a time it would have been sold out. Of course someone at home used to be quite happy(quietly!). The modern bread makers never believed to stray beyond, sweet bread, sandwich bread and family size packs.So, the health conscious mother that i am, i will search far and near for those elusive special breads, which have 'everything for good health but leave out the crucial appeal and taste';quote unquote.
Later the shop metamorphasied into squeezing in two tiny tables and one could go there for a quick bite of samosas, vegetable puffs and cutlets. I have seen students patronise this shop mostly in the evenings and of course retired men who want to cheat on the wife with regard to calories!
With the IT boom and chennai taking on a 'north indian' flavour, chat shop has sprung up on the front portion. Paani poori, bhel puri,pav bhaji and the entire range is being offered.One more tiny table is added, but the customer activity is actually outside the shop, spilling onto the pavement.It is very convenient to have a pharmacy just next door, so pop in a gelusil after s lip smacking channa bhatura!
In between all the change in clientele, they also started stocking ' grand sweets' products. It was a big advantage for me. They will have a select range; 'what the chef desired, i guess.You go looking for seedai, but you will get ribbon pakoda instead. But i never complain; a snack by any name is still grand sweets product and that will do for me.I was a little upset that the grand sweets products occupy a very obscure corner and other non branded products have prime space. But then he is savvy i guess, pushing products that needed to be pushed!
The owner is a very sweet natured person and you feel very relaxed and nice to go to that shop.The other day i noticed his wife too at the counter and she was also quite pleasant mannered.I wonder if their pleasant dispositions are independent or dependent variables?
And the most crucial point. It closes well after the entire area has gone off to sleep. I tend to believe that the owner is actually happy being there and meeting up and serving the customers.
It is a pleasant cheerful shop and i should watch out not to become 'too satisfied' a customer.