House of Saapadu

Where it came from

A few months ago, we started something called House of Saapadu — a small weekly Tamil coastal supper club where we host around eight people at a time for lunch, conversations, board games, and sometimes even PC games.

The idea came from my aachi — my mother's mother, who lived in a small fishing village near Rameswaram.

Growing up, my summer holidays were always spent at her house. I still remember the smell of meen kuzhambu simmering in the kitchen, karuvadu roasting on the stove, everyone eating together on banana leaves, and afternoons that felt slow in the best possible way.

At some point, I realised I missed that feeling more than the food itself. So we decided to recreate it.

What the evenings turn into

What started as “let's cook for a few friends” slowly became this really wholesome thing where strangers sit together for hours talking about life, careers, childhood memories, relationships, hometowns, and food.

Some people come alone and leave with new friends. Some stay back for dinner playing board games. Some just sit quietly and ask for a second serving of payasam.

In a city where everything feels rushed and transactional, this has become something we deeply look forward to every week.