When Kola Pasi comes a Calling

‘What’s the only thing left in a household that needs to be outsourced? The kitchen, of course.’ 

We caught up with Team Kola Pasi of Chennai and ate a hearty lunch with the jolly bunch. Santosh, Stefy and Avinash made sure we rolled out after sampling their amazing food. 

Kola Pasi is every hungry Chennaite’s favourite go-to for homemade happiness. They sure are making waves with their ‘instant’ food—hold those lead guns, we’re talking purely about the speed at which they deliver! (we’re still high on their delicious food) 

It all started in Santosh’s kitchen- well, most of it. He patiently calculated the time an average person spends planning and making meals. It seemed pretty drastic but our jaws dropped as he told us- let’s just say we’re talking big numbers. What it led him to was the need for a quick, satisfying and clean meal. No MSGs, no preservatives or artificials, just food that would cater to ‘kola pasi’ (extreme hunger emergencies). You didn’t have to worry about the where and the how, just the when. He put his thoughts into actions and his feelings into a name and thus, Kola Pasi was born. 

Two years down the line and we have many a happy hard-core loyal, an 80 % coverage of the city with 3 busy outlets, a hardworking yet chilled out team, fool-proof delivery network and fresh, clean, lip-smackingly good food. Take a bow, team! 

The Team

Coming to the team or intra-preneurs as Santosh puts it; Avinash, a hard-to-please gentleman, sees to operations and most importantly taste. Stefy takes care of marketing and PR and the upkeep of a bubbly team. And Santosh, well, Santosh is what Santosh does. He keeps the smiles coming. 

They’ve got an interesting take on Sales Targets- in that there are none. So nobody is trying to push you to buy more sambar rice when all you’re eyeing is the curd rice.

Their processes are standardised and go strictly by the book. Their delivery network is flawless and promises you’ll be fed before you can say Kola Pasi. 

The Food

If Kola Pasi welcomes you with a bowl of their fresh chicken curry, you know they’re proud of their food. They aren’t a restaurant, so they stay away from the usual fast food favourites. Their menu is cooked fresh before every session, so recycling is a big no-no. They keep it simple and easy and excel without a sweat. The thing I loved about them was their ‘sampling philosophy’. This fancy phrase means they give you a spoon of what you’re about to buy if you happen to walk in there. It also means that when you order from home, they throw in a couple of samples for you to taste and order the next time. Now you’re listening- read, Free samples! 

We tasted their Sambar rice and Curd Rice coupled with some potato roast. It really took me back to the food a friend’s mom used to send to school! Their Biriyani and Chicken Chukka were meant to be. Again, no colours or excessive oil, so the simple flavour hits the right spots. Chicken Kuzhambu with idly makes a combination worth walking to Kola Pasi one day- an Avinash recommendation. Our favourite dessert brand The Table has their desserts on offer at KP too. We strongly recommend the Chocolate Mud. 

Service

Many a Zomato review reads of a happy customer with a heart-warming story of their customer service. They’ve got their concepts right, these guys. From sending hand-written personal cards to first timers to instantly replacing something that didn’t meet your expectations-cash back too- they treat their customers like nothing less than family. 

Plans

Kola Pasi is on the lookout for funding and has asked us to get ready a story pretty soon for it. They’re looking to open in Adyar and OMR soon too. R&D is coming up with lovely monthly subscriptions and more office packages. So watch this space, as we go out and order ourselves the KP Special Combo. 

They’ve won our hearts with their story, the work they do and the market they’ve found and are leading- we guarantee happiness delivered. 

Call Kola Pasi at Nelson Manickam Road (Near ShobanBabu signal) — 91 7708063352/53 or

Ashok Pillar (Near Gokulam Park) — 91 7708063345/47 or Mugappair (Near Golden George Bridge) 917708063346/48.