List of yummy food places in Chennai

Nick-H

karpagambal mess is not very inviting. Saravana is all over the place.

backpakker

I guess its the food..not the ambience alone that counts

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Nick-H

First off, particularly for visitors, it's the cleanliness that counts.

It really doesn't matter what the food tastes like if it doesn't stay down.

backpakker

well, im surprised you found them unclean..cos it may be noisy , but pretty clean..been eating there for so long..and i consider myself very fussy

and forgot to add shree mittai on chetpet and grand sweets for snacks and savouries

Nick-H

A recent review was that it was very run down these days. Shame as it is part of the Mylapore history.

TBH, the only time I tried it I discovered they don't serve tea, so I never went back. I guess that even that could have changed, although the Mylapore Brahmin love affair with coffee seems to still be going strong.

madan80

well.. there is a small push cart near brilliant tutorials in t-nagar- awesome place. Also - there used to be a Kannadasa Mess in t-nagar.

Murgan Iddili shop has some nice dosas- crisp and crunchy...the main branch (again in tnagar)

Also - a friend was telling me - that many of the places that have the big blue menu boards with white lettering - hve certain health norms that need to be met. Some of the restaurants include the sarvana bhavan, ananda bhavan etc etc type places.

cybertoast

After a 20 year hiatus I've been re-introduced to kumbakonam degree coffee thanks to the ever expanding, but still yummy, Sangeetha. I'm still fond of the original (I think) one that's on the south side of the Mylapore tank. Best coffee of any of the fast-food places (esp. without sugar) and also outstanding idli's (although Murugan idli's in t-nagar probably are better).

kalyani68

Yeah, Saravana Bhavan is our reliable stand-by. A few other places that I have recently found include Cedars Restaurant on Chamiers Road. Good Mediterranean food. And if you find yourself on the ECR south of Chennai, there is a place called Arasuvai Arasu which was excellent for tradish South Indian fare. My MILs proclaimed their sambar to be most authentic.
Hoping to try Murugan's Iddly stall in T Nagar tonight....

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cybertoast

I was quite disappointed by the middle-eastern fare at Cedars - most of the stuff was pretty bland. Maybe I'll give it another go - might have been an off night.
Cream Centre (Second Main Road, R. A. Puram, ph:42815777) on the other hand was hands-down the best hummus I've had anywhere in India. OUTSTANDING! I got a bunch of Mexican fare and a couple of pizzas and a paneer pakora appetizer.
The paneer pakoras, like the hummus, were amazing. The Mexican fare and pizzas were very mediocre.
BTW the ambiance at Cream Center is not to be missed. I also want to go back for their brownies, which were baking the whole time I was eating there and infused the atmosphere with celestial yumminess. But they were not ready while i was there

Nick-H

I do find it strange to see places recommended for traditional fare (the newspapers are always doing it about stuff like special events in 5-star hotels).

You can find 'authentic South Indian food' on almost any main street in Chennai --- because that's what people eat here!!!

kalyani68

Yes, of course authentic South Indian food is everywhere. But it can be sometimes tough to find clean vegetarian food without garlic and onions in it. I think this is what my MIL meant when she proclaimed her Arasu sambar lunch "authentic", at least it was similar to what she is used to. She was quite delighted though...

raajesh70

RATNA CAFE(chennai): I'm talking abt the original, in the dingy lanes of Triplicane,sharing space with cows, goats, hens and other forms of life that you wont find on their menu. Strictly vegetarian. And it has been for almost a century.
This place is a celebration to the humble lentil. Its a temple where the presiding deity is the Sambhar, and all else are just there to make up the pantheon.
Its perhaps the only place where Iddlies and Dosas are served as accompaniment to the sambhar, which, btw, is ladled out in huge mugs. Come in on a sunday morn and you'll see people of all shapes, sizes, ages and dispositions slurping away without a thought or a pretense of propriety. You dont daintily pick at ur food here; you devour it with an auditory accompaniment of grunts, squeals and belches.
For the faint of heart and graduates of epicurean finishing schools, this is valhalla. For those who love to eat without allowing things like table manners to come in the way, this is manna.And then some.
So the next time any of you is in Chennai, and you want to check out the Great Indian Sambhar, you know where to head.

raajesh70

Ummm...here's another of my faves.
'Bella Ciao' is a true blue Italian eatery tucked away in a lovely house on the Thiruvalluvar Nagar Beach just after Valmiki Nagar. Run by Ciro and Tania who came down from Italy almost a decade back, this place serves authentic Italian food for those who like their pasta aldente and their antipasti with just the right infusion of herbs:-) I, personally couldnt care a fig, but this is one place where all those fancy sounding dishes actually taste good.
If you're a group of 4, i'd suggest the following.
Ditch the soup, and start with a zesty salad. Either the Baggio salad which has a kick to it, or the Al Capone which certainly does a number on ya:-)
Toss in a basket of flaky, soft bruschetta with lots of garlic and olive oyl, and descend directly to the main course. Now that's a bit of a twister. What exactly is the main course? Is it the pasta, the pizza, or the meat and seafood?
I'd like to suggest all three
Pizza? Do i hear u guys groan and mumble sumthing about Domino's and Pizza Hut? Banish the thought. This is the real McCoy....crisp, wholesome thin crusts slow-cooked on a traditional wood fired oven. I'd suggest the Formaggi( with 4 sinful cheeses) or the Siciliano ( the Capa di capo of pizzas)...or if u have the time and inclination, a propah Calzone.
Now we can't not miss their pastas. I'd again suggest their vodka penne that's an 'absolut' beauty, and the bolognese with tender lamb.
Now that ur carnivorous appetite is well and truly stoked, you'd do well to move on to the Capretto al Vino, essentially lamb cooked in red wine( talk of old wine in new meat). And with the sea literally lapping onto the verandah, it'd be a sin not to throw in some barbecued crustaceans as well. If this sounds like a mouthful,you can always burn some calories by walking down to the beach or playing 'catch' with the resident boxer or the baby donkey that romp in the garden. Now i'd like to warn some of u not to fall for the ole temptation and mutter 'nice ass' when the donkey passes. I have it from a source that its been tried before, just a million times, and Tania's mom is reputedly adept at administering the spatula on errant heads:-))).
Oh, btw, they also serve some great white wine and play italian music, and if Ciro's in the mood/ hard up/both, he might arrange to take u deep sea fishing in a small catamaran.
Sea, sand, muzik, pasta...what more do u want? Paris Hilton?

Nick-H

Authentic orthodox brahmin, would that be?

I find it hard to imagine food without onion or garlic, but I recall one brahmin lady restaurant owner reacting with horror when I 'supposed' that her rasam contained garlic!

I breakfasted at an 80th birthday function in Mylapore yesterday: superb pongal and idly, and, given that it was a senior musician's do, I am sure that the catering would have been exceedingly correct for his many brahmin guests. Whatever (and garlic or no!), it was delicious!

atala

But it generally does contain garlic, doesn't it? That is what it tastes like...