UNLIKE the vegetarian Udipi Kamat chain of Bombay with its idli-sambars and masala dosas, there is a Kamat in Visakhapatnam that deals in a non-vegetarian parcel service of purely Andhra Pradesh food.

It is a small outlet in the posh Dwaraka Nagar area of the city where other restaurants and ice-cream parlours are prominent. There is a menu at this Kamat place, but regulars prefer to visit the outlet themselves and pick up their takeaway parcel.

The food is placed like on a buffet table. You walk in, inspect the menu of the day, parcel your order and go home to eat it. The place is so popular, the food so good, that F&B managers of five-star hotels in Vizag often have Kamat�s food at home.

The entrepreneur behind this is a K. Subba Raju. He belongs to the Raju dynasty of Vijayanagaram that is known for doing a very good Hyderabadi biryani. The same biryani is available off the counter at Kamat.

In 1999, K. Subba Raju started his first Kamat outlet at Dwarka Nagar. Encouraged by the response and its success, he expanded, and now has two more: at Lawson�s Bay and on the Siripuram Beach Road. Today the name Kamat is synonymous with home-made coastal Andhra cooking.

And indeed, the food is all made at home, by the wife of K. Subba Raju. She cooks for all the outlets at the same time and from the same kitchen. So the Kamat chain food is always consistent for quality and taste.

It opens at 10.30 in the morning and does a brisk lunch business till 3.30 p.m. Then again, Kamat opens at 6 in the evening and closes at midnight. The food is always fresh and once an item is over, it is not replaced.

�Once an item is finished, it is finished,� says K. Subba Raju. And he has a vast menu of food to offer in his parcel service. There is a tandoori menu with few Punjabi items on it like chicken tikka and the chicken tikka kebab. And a small Hyderabadi section with dum biryani in chicken and mutton. Also, a limited Chinese menu with 10 to 12 soups and chopsuey.

But it is Kamat�s curry section that is the big hit with foodies of Vizag. It is an Andhra curry menu offering Chicken 65 and Chicken 555 and chicken and mutton in masalas and curries again. The crab curry is a favourite, Kamat gets its crab from the coastal Krishna district, and it is a river crab, taken out of the Godavari. It sells out faster than any other item of food, this crab curry.

Foodies come and stand it queue to pick up their parcels. Smart regulars call and book their crab curry in advance. Others come and eat it there and then. Kamat�s is not a restaurant, but it does offer the ravenous foodie a seating facility in case somebody wants to eat there.

They also do six types of prawn dishes. Most of the prawns are cultured and not the seafood variety. But the prawn dishes are snapped up too. It is this way every day at Kamats. Except for Saturday, when out of respect for Lord Balaji, they don�t serve non-vegetarian food here!