Chennai Meetups

Nick-H

... I guess they are all over, but the one I'm thinking of is near Mandaveli Station; probably on Canal Bank Road, address-wise, maybe, but still sort-of St Mary Road

hash666

nick-h u get me back to my childhood drinking days use to be rolling all over the place there totally in a drunken mess..

ISN

I think it will be easy to communicate to all interested Chennai indiamiker’s and manage the meet up if it was done through http://www.evite.com/

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bare-naked

i'm in. anyone suggesting a date/time? monday-thurs works best for me: i'm trying to escape chennai at weekends!!

kalbarri

i am finally on my way!!! leave today for a week in singapore then to chennai, a meeup sounds grand.
i was going to have to wait 10 to 15 more days in perth, australia, for a visa but should be able to get it in 3 days in singapore (all going as planned!)

Nick-H

Sorry, bad idea...

1. personal email addresses are not available, but the PM system is.

2. many people just treat e-invites, e-cards, e-whatevers as spam, because most of them are. I'm not even that keen on getting them from friends!

3. Here we are, Indiamikers on IndiaMike.com. We have a website. It even has a PM system, but the meetup thread is available to all at all times. We don't need anything else.

markro

Hi, all. First off, Nick is definitely correct; there is a TASMAC behind Mandavelli station on the Abiramapuram side, next to St. Mary's road, and it is definitely a "Happening!" place. Secondly, I am up for a meetup, though the TASMAC would not be my first choice (if we're drinking, I think that a Pondy trip would be in order ) Seriously, I would like to meet the people behind the posts, but I would suggest a weekend (Fri nite, Sat, or Sunday daytime), as my workload makes it difficult to leave the office before 9pm, especially since we are closing in (more a hope than a promise) on a new version release. I vote for coming Friday night. If people have $$$ to spend, the Mainland China on Sterling Road in Numgambakkam is great. I would be interested to find any good (authentic) Thai food as well, hopefully at below 5-star prices. What are people up for?

Thanks,

Mark

Nick-H

It was a silly suggestion! Personally I'm not even keen on bars, but as I said before that there is no reason why meetups shouldn't happen in varied places to suit the tastes of all --- how's the wine club, mooted earlier, coming on?

I'm not really up to five-star prices, either, but if I was to be persuaded to make an exception and blow the budget I'd love to try one of Chennai's Japanese restaurants. That is a cuisine I really miss from my better-off employed-in-London days! Might even leave the car at home and sample the saki

markro

Hi, Nick,

Japanese would be fine. Have you tried any here, and what is available for vegetarians? Miso soup and veg tempura are common in Japanese restaurants in the USA, along with possibly a Teriyaki Tofu, but most items (even the Udon noodles, which I love) are prepared with fish or beef.

I am also interested in anyone's suggestions for Vietnamese cuisine here (though not hopeful).

I would be interested in a wine club, but am distinctly unimpressed by the Indian wines that I have tried so far. In addition, the prices of foreign wines here are beyond excessive, due to the import duties. I guess that I am spoiled, being part owner of a winery back in upstate NY (Finger Lakes, near Watkins Glen). The only wines here that I really like are the Ports, but even these are overpriced unless you go to Pondicherry. On the other hand, Old Monk is, in my personal opinion, one of the best dark rums in the world

Oh, well, no help here for deciding on a location. I'll think and see if I can come up with suggestions, but others feel free to suggest, as I am (as the Tamil's say) an "very adjusting."

wiseycali

I'm an American from California who just rolled into Chennai over the weekend for a 6 month stay. I'll be here until about mid-January.

I don't see any recent posts on this thread but I would love to meet some people in the area so if you're around let me know!

Mike

Nick-H

15 in the last two days!

You're very welcome to join us. Just keep up with this thread, or even add your own suggestions and input. Feel free

Markro, I haven't tried the Japanese. I'm told there are two such places here, but it sounded like the prices are not so different to London. Given that, expense-wise, it was a treat for me there (I indulged far more often that I should have), its off my economic screen here. But that's not going to stop me for a one off !

Gametotravel

Please make a "down to Chennai earth" plan of INR 350-400 max inclusive of drinks and food per head.

I do not know how only the Chennai IM'ers land up doing totally alien things like wanting Japanese food/drink in India ( no offence but general trend) also going to expat run overpriced cafeterias for no tea but continental food and no "seesha".

Like a old adage goes " When in Rome do as Roman.."

If drinks are to be in the agenda then people who have a know of the overall scene in Chennai should come out with suggestions as that would be more pertinent and doable.

Culture of a place and for travellers is a multiway street otherwise is a bubble.

Btw this is not because I need to come or another local like Hash needs to come for the meet but because we want the quality of Chennai meetups to be second to none; all encompassing in a nice friendly respectful and respectable environment.

Also collectively the handicap Chennai possesses of not being able to cater to the not so midprice bracket can be overcome .

wiseycali

Sorry...made a rookie maneuver and did not page through to end of thread! Someone want to tell me what TASMAC is??

Radjesh

TASMAC refers to any government run wine/liquor shop in Tamilnadu. Here private players cannot sell alcohol, getting people drunk is one of the exclusive privileges of the government...

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Nick-H

I guess that the more people get interested, the more ideas there will be and the more diverse they will be.

That makes decisions hard, but lets stick to the positive view --- that more people are interested!

Possibly the locals want to do something different, whereas for the visitors, a veggie hotel serving meals is their 'different'.

Like when I worked for a Japanese company in London: I always wanted to eat Japanese, they always wanted to avoid Japanese! (it was their fault I got hooked on the stuff though ).

Just lately we've done Amethyst twice, whats-a-name place (the one that always gets into the guide books) once, an Alwarpet Veggie (that was supposed to be Amethyst, but it was closed so we relocated), Greams Road fruit shop, Landmark Coffee bar --- those are the ones I can remember...

wiseycali, the other thing about TASMAC "wine shops" is that they are pretty seedy, hole-in-the-wall places where the booze is drunk on the pavement. They are exclusively male haunts, and regularly the scene of violence. It was not a serious suggestion! I don't think the air will smell too good at the one I mentioned, either: it is close to the Buckingham Canal