The famous lunch thali at the South Indian Mess in Pune. (Photo Credit: Special Arrangement) The South Indian Mess in Pune’s Rasta Peth, famous for serving home-style, hygienic South Indian food, will once again bustle with lunch-time crowd from June 1. The Mess, established in the 1930s, was forced to shut for a week a couple of months ago owing to the shortage of commercial LPG cylinders in India in the wake of the West Asia conflict. It then operated partially. This meant that the restaurant’s famous lunch thali had not been available for three months. The restaurant concentrated on breakfast and snacks, serving fluffy idlis, vadas, and delectable sambar, among others. The coffee remained a hit with the customers. The restaurant requires 39 commercial LPG cylinders a month to prepare the meals. “Everything will be back to normal,” says Moorthy, Vice-Chairman, South Indian Urban Co-Op Hostel Society, which runs the Mess. He adds that 65-100 people turn up for lunch every day.…