Eating out in Chennai

If you thought that Chennai was mostly Idly, Vada, Dosa, you are right to an extent. But then, Chennai is not a cosmopolitan city like Bangalore or Mumbai, and so, the hotels cater to the majority of the population, who are hard core tamilians. The Madrasis are pretty fastidious about their food, and if they will experiment, it is with great caution. Also, I had a hard time not staring at people gulping down kilos of rice at one go. Anways, coming to the point, there are quite a few hotels that cater to different tastes. And yes, the best part is that they are not as crowded as those in Bangalore. But it is almost five months since I moved out, and do not blame me too much if things have changed.

Eating out was never a favorite past-time among the locals only because no hotel can cater to people who can gulp down mountains of rice with the same ease as Krishna lifted the hill with one finger. Dieting is anathema to most people here. However, in a sign of the changing times, many venture out to eat the measly stuff served in hotels and methinks that they quietly slip back to their homes to eat the very same stuff that they just consumed.
Disclaimer: I am a vegetarian and so, do not have an opinon of the meat served in any of the places. Also, this is typical middle-class fare. If you need info on the high-end hotels, look elsewhere.
 

Food Courts

The best food courts are at Spencer’s Plaza (Mount Road), Chennai city central (Mylapore), and Ascendas (close to Tidel Park, old Mahab road.)

North Indian Fare:

There may be more places than those I list here. However, these are the ones I have tried out and found to be good to moderately good. Do not attempt north-Indian fare at any of the south indian restaurants. You will end up eating kadi patta even in your rajma and dal. The few exceptions, I have listed anyways.
Also, unlike Bangalore, there is no place where you get Bengali and Sindhi fare. So there.

Punjabi:

Saanjha Choolha (Nungambakkam): Nice ambience especially if you are seated inside. Outside can be good if you are forgiving of the mosquitoes.
Veg on the Edge (Annanagar): Although the board says continental, it is the punjabi fare that they are really good at. But then, I haven’t tried anything else either
Mathura (opposite Devi theatre, Mount Road): Great food, nice ambience. Avoid on weekends.
Dhaba (T Nagar, Cathedral Road, Beach road): They are opening up branches with amazing regularity. So, I do not have the latest count. Great on ambience, not so much on the food.
Dhabba Express: Almost every major locality has one. Service is good at most places. Quality dips on weekends.
Sachin da Dhaba: Again, most areas have one. And they are uniformly mediocre both in terms of ambience and food
Jus Parathas (Adyar): Not bad but on the more expensive sideSaravana Bhavan (Peter’s road): This is the only outlet that sells close to authentic punjabi fare. Expensive and the quanity of food is dismal.
Sai: I do not remember the complete name. This is situated just opposite Khazana on Cathedral road. It is on the ground floor. Low on ambience but the alu parathas were pretty good! Reasonable too.
Palki(Cathedral road): Was great a few years back. Now, I am not sure I want to recco this one.
Copper chimney (Cathedral road): Expensive but great food.

Gujrati:
Two of the best restaurants have closed shop.
Saravana Bhavan (Pondy Bazaar, Annanagar): Low on ambience but the quality of food is pretty good. The rates and quantities, surprisingly are very reasonable.
Mansukh (T Nagar) The quality of food is pretty decent but this place scores low on ambience.

Rajasthani:
Rajasthani Dhaba (Annanagar west): Absolutely loved the place till they revised the rates. Still, they are the best place in Chennai to get some melt-in-your mouth phulkas and some authentic dhal-bhaati.

Chaat (most places spell it as ‘chat’!)

Gangotri: Most places are good but you may want to request them to go slow on the spices. Prices on the higher side.
Shree mithai: There are quite a few but I like the one at Spencers the best. Reasonable prices and absolutely yummy fare.Sukh Sagar (Annanagar): Most famous for its pav bhajis.

Continental
Cornucopia (NM road): Absolutely love this place. Great food, OK ambience but pretty expensive.
Cedars (Kotturpuram high road): Lebanese food. Nice ambience and great food.
Little Italy (Nungambakkam): Great vegetarian fare, all Italian. The ambience and the quality of the food justify the price.
New Yorker (Nungambakkam): Again, vegetarian and nice fare.

There is a malaysian restaurant in T Nagar opposite Globus. Not tried it though.

Le Madeline (Road beside Chola Sheraton, Cathedral road): Nothing for the veggies. My non-vegetarian friend liked it though. On the same road, you have a place where they sell great sizzlers.
Mexican and Arabic: Spencers and Central mall have a couple of eateries. Decent fare. Don Pepe on Cathedral road is good.
You have the KFC’s, Subways, and Marry Browns for the junkies in most malls.

South Indian
The only place where you get the Bangalore Masala dosa is Sukh Sagar. Most of the south indian restaurants in the middle level are OK and you can bet your idlis on any of them.

Tamil
Saravana Bhavan: Prices do not justify the quantity and ambience at most places. There is one in every locality. Check it out just for the been-there-done-that thing.
Vasanta Bhavan: Again, an outlet in every locality. On par with Saravana’s on quality and scores on quantity.
Komalas: Expensive but much better than Saravana’s anyday. At least their ambience is good.
Murugan Idly Shop (T Nagar, Triplicane): As the name suggests, they are most famous for their Idlis. Try out their Dosas and Shakkar Pongal. You will not be dissappointed.
Rathna Cafe (Triplicane): If you are in the mood for some idlis dipped in piping-hot madrasi sambar, this is the place to be. Zero on ambience.
Kaaraikudi, Ponnusamy, Malgudi: Non-vegetarian fare, Chettinad style. Never tried them.

Udupi:

Sangeetha, Palimar (have their presence in most localities): The best Sangeetha’s is the one at Adyar and is highly reccoed. Downside: Always crowded. The Palimars are uniformly good.
Mathsya (Egmore): Great food. Low on ambience.
Woodlands drive-in and New Woodlands (Cathedral road): High on everything. Go for it.
Palmgrove (Nugambakkam): Nice food, OK ambience. The usual south indian fare. The Punjabi fare does not score too high though.

Kerala

Kairali: Again, most localities have one, and the vegetarian fare is uniformly good. Go for the appams!
Sanjeevanam (Mogappair East): Healthy, nutritious, Kerala fare at down-to-earth rates. Absolutely adore it!

Andhra:

There is one opposite music academy and next to Palki. Don’t remember the name. Nice food and decent prices.There is Annalakshmi or something like that on mount road. Never tried it out. Surprisingly for a place which boasts of so many Telugu people, the Andhra restaurants are pretty hard to come by.

Chinese

Now, everyone in India knows how authentic Indian Chinese restaurants are but you can still check out Wangs Kitchen, Noodle House for Chinese. You may not be dissappointed too much.

Thai

Benjaron (Alwarpet) Situated close to Park Sheraton. Never been there though.

Fruit Juices

Fruit shop on Greams road (again, an outlet in every major locale): They are the best part of Chennai. Great juices at very reasonable rates.

Ice creams

Move n Pick (Khader nawaz khan road) : Expensive and am not sure if the ambience and quality justify the price.There is one at the corner of Nungambakkam High road. Forgot the name

Pastries:
Sweet Chariot (any outlet. There is one at Alsa mall).

Coffee Shops

Almost every area has its own Barista or Coffee day. If you are willing to spend the extra buck, try Mochas on Khader Nawaz Khan Road.

Chennai Rentals

So, OK, you have had to take up that job in Chennai. You did not want to, were coerced, did not have a choice…whatever…now you are here and you want to know how to survive in this city that at first glance does not look like a slice of India at all.

Very few people can speak Hindi, you cannot get good enough rotis and dal, everything and anything comes stuffed with kadi patta, and the climate…uff…some places are high on humidity, some on heat, but this place has both! Crib Crib Crib! Now, take a deep breath and relax. Some of the tips here could make your stint in Chennai worthwhile. I stayed there for a whole three years and have lived to tell the tale.

When I moved to Chennai for the first time, most people wondered why I was attempting something so suicidal at the beginning of my career. Not that I did not have my apprehensions but I quietly subdued them. Six months, I told myself. And then whoooosh..pfft…I would be off and back in the comfortable environs of Bangalore. Those six months turned into an year and then into three and except for a few glitches, which I would have encountered in any other city, my adventure was well worth the risk ticket.

Things to consider when you move to Chennai:

1. Don’t pack those lovely sweaters. You will not need them unless you are planning to vacation in Kodai or Ooty regularly.
2. Learn a little bit of Tamil: Although people from Chennai will tell you about how everyone here knows English, that is simply not true. Try talking to the autowallahs and look at their confounded faces. It is not as difficult a task as it sounds. Just the keywords will get you through. I will take you through those lessons in my other blogs. Hold patience.
3. Stock enough cottons. You know why!
4. You can get pretty much everything in Chennai. So, unless you are over-cautious don’t load those rajmas and dals into your bags.
5. If your feet sweat from down-under and above, pack in a dozen socks.

Information on rentals in Chennai

1. http://craigslist.org/: Look up Chennai. Because this website is mainly tuned into foreign nationals, getting a great bargain may not be very easy here.

2. http://classifieds.sulekha.com/: The properties are listed by area. You can also get to find people willing to share their accomodation, and other private rentals. Highly reccoed.

3. Free-Ads and Ad-Mag: You can get these for Rs 10 at any of the news stands on Thursdays and Sundays. These are best for low-end rentals. Remember that most people will be looking at the paper the same time as you do, which means that they may get to the place before you do. If you look at something and find it to be a good deal, get working on it like now!

4. Brokers: Not a great idea unless you are flush with cash and are in no mood to look up papers and do your own house-hunting. So, OK, your company is paying for the broker. However, remember that Brokers take you to places that is good for their pockets too.

5. Company mailing lists: If your company has an intranet or mailing list with classifieds, use that.

Now, that you have the classifieds in front of you, you must have an idea about the location. The choice of a location obviously depends on quite a few factors, which I will discuss below.

Distance from office

Most of us would like to work within a few meters from office, but that we all know is not always possible. In Chennai, most IT folks work in the IT corridor, and that is located quite far from the heart of the city, where the action is. Your best bet, if you are working in the IT corridor, is to look up a place in Adyar, Thiruvanmiyur, and Besant Nagar. Velachery is good too but is not half as cosmopolitan as these. For the people working in other areas, the best areas to stay are Alwarpet, Poes Garden, Mylapore, Nungambakkam, Peter’s Road, Annanagar, Santhome, Puraswalkam, and Vadapalani. Most of these areas are pretty cosmopolitan and habitable. In all these areas, only certain sections are good and if you are not careful, you might end up staying close to a slum or an open drainage. So, if you look at something cheap in a great location, tone down the elation for some time.

Cost

1-2K: You are best off staying in what are known as mansions. Don’t read too much into the word though. They are structures with claustrophobic rooms (most of them at least), and with common toilets and bathrooms. The higher-end ones come air-conditioned and all, and cost that much more. Not reccoed unless you are a bachelor and are looking for something very temporary. Most people in these places are students or those looking for jobs. There are mansions pretty much in every corner of Chennai but Triplicane stands out number-wise at least. For around 3K, you can get a one bed room apartment in a decent location.

3k-5K: You should get a one bedroom apartment in a decent location or a cramped two bedroom space at least. The rates keep going up with every season and this may not hold true for long.

5K-10K: As you go up the price-range, you should get the best deal. My advice is to look for at least a few houses if you are not sure. In this price range, you should get a double bedroom apartment in the better parts of the town.

10K and above: Look at those places with swimming pools, saunas, jacuzzis. I have never done it. So, cannot tell you more

Distance from shopping malls and theatres

Most of the malls and theatres are located centrally, and if you have enough time to spend at these places, you are best off looking at areas like Alwarpet, Santhome, Peter’s road, Nungambakkam, and Purasawalkam.

Distance from the sea

If the sea beckons you a little too much, and you are ready to pay that extra buck, look at Thiruvanmiyur, Besant Nagar, and Santhome. The sea weather will make your utensils rusty, your car will require more maintenance…yadda yadda. So, be forewarned.

Distance from eating places

If you don’t eat out, then not a problem. But if you are a bachelor who doesn’t know which side of the bread to butter, look to see if you have some eateries around. Asking for a place with decent roti-dal would be too much. At the best, you can get some piping-hot idlis and crisp dosas. More on this in a later blog. The central locations have the best eat-outs. There are Saravana Bhavans, Sangeethas, and Vasant Bhavans in most localities. You must be really far out if you cannot locate one in the place that you want to rent.

Talking to your landlord

Now that you have zeroed in on the place, comes the most difficult part. Although you will ask some questions, be prepared to answer a lot more especially if you are a bachelor. Most landlords will go that extra mile to speak all the English that they know and will also add Hindi for good measure if they find you good enough. However, if the guy you are talking to can speak just Tamil, call up the next one on the list. Or, call up a Tamil friend to help you out.
If you are sure about the place, get that check book out and book it before the next one in the line does. I know people who lost out on the place just because they went home to get the check book.

Questions you will ask:

1. How regular is the water supply? Most landlords will either evade this, pass the question, or give a vague answer. If you get the answer, “Depends”, you know the guy is telling you the truth. No one in Chennai can predict how good the water supply is going to be. However, be reasonably assured that water is not going to be a problem. Also, check out the quality of water. You may end up having twenty four hours of muddy brackish water otherwise. Be sure that you can use the water for bathing and other purposes. You will have to buy the drinking water anyway because no aquguard can stand up to the challenges of water in Chennai.
2. Does the house have a separate meter or is it shared?
3. How much is the maintenance charge?
4. How often will the rent be revised?
5. Other things that you are fastidious about.

What you will be asked:

1. Are you a bachelor or married?
2. Will your wife be staying with you?
3. How many people will occupy the house?
4. Do you smoke/drink etc?
5. Are you vegetarian (very important for Tamil Brahmins -TamBrahms)?
6. Will you do self-cooking – Not my English
7. Are you working in IT? – This is the trickiest question. Chances of your getting the place almost make it if you say “yes” but the rent is probably going to go up proportionally too!

That’s it for now. If you have questions, add a comment, and I will respond in my next blog.
Till then, cheers!