Chennai Weekends

It’s been a while since I documented my explorations in Chennai. Primarily because I have been traveling a lot lately and when I am not on a trip, I am basically planning the next one! However this also means that in the last several months, I have been to quite a few interesting places in the city, discovered new restaurants and pubs, watched new plays and attended stand-up comedy shows, figured out more enjoyable ways to spend the weekends and spent a lot of time in nice cafes 🙂 And as I keep saying, Chennai never ceases to surprise me, mostly always in a pleasant way!

Where do I start? Since I love eating and am a self-proclaimed foodie, let’s start with the new restaurants I have visited over the last few months, especially the ones I liked a lot as well as some of my usual haunts.

One restaurant I would love to visit again and perhaps one of my most favorite ones in Chennai so far is Spectra in the newly opened Leela Palace Hotel. The Sunday lunch buffet spread at Spectra is more lavish, extravagant, and diverse than any buffet I have ever seen in India-for a foodie, it is quite exquisite! From Mexican and North American to Japanese, Korean, Italian, Mediterranean, North and South Indian-it is a spectacular spread. And a heaven for dessert lovers-tiramisu, mud cake, gelatos, fruit pies, cup cakes, pastries of all colors, shapes and sizes, mouses, icre-creams..the list goes on. I went there on a certain Sunday afternoon with my Canadian and American girlfriends-forever curious about new places opening up in the city yet feeling apprehensive about what we would find. Needless to say all three of us were in for a nice surprise. We had a long, relaxed and sumptuous lunch for about 3 hours till we couldn’t stuff ourselves anymore with all those delectable food items!! 

The Leela Palace is in MRC Nagar which also boasts of another nice restaurant named Burgundy’s. It is by the same Chef Willi who owns my favorite restaurants-Tuscana Pizzeria and Kryptos. Burgundy’s offers a weekend buffet as well-the food is good but perhaps not worth visiting a second time. However we were lucky to get access to the service apartments in the same building as Burgundy’s courtesy a common friend staying there, who took us up to the roof. The views from up there, of the Bay and the city, are lovely. They also have an infinity swimming pool which is super tempting!

Being a die-hard Bengali, I have of course been on the look out for a good Bong restaurant in the city. My wish was granted when I found Bay Leaf off Cathedral road. It serves authentic, flavorful, and delicious Bengali cuisine as well as north Indian stuff for those interested in variety. During my first visit I ordered only Bengali food and was heartily satisfied at the end of the meal. Their Dab-Chingri (Prawn curry served in a coconut), Aloo-Posto (Potatoes cooked in a poppy seed paste), Bhapa-Bhetki or Shorshe-Maach (Seer fish slow-cooked in mustard sauce), Kabiraji Cutlet (Fish cutlet) and Malpua (sort of a Pancake) are easily the signature items.

I have gone there twice more since then and have had a finger-licking experience in every visit 🙂

For salad-lovers, the best place to visit in Chennai is Kryptos by Chef Willi. They have 2 branches-one in Nungambakkam on Khader Nawaz Khan Road and one in Alwarpet on Chamiers Road. Their salad bar has lots of varieties-from fresh veggies with different kinds of dips and spreads to fruit platters, bread baskets etc. Recently they have also introduced a mini buffet with main course items, mostly of continental types. Overall a nice lunch experience especially during weekdays if one needs to grab a quick bite with colleagues or official visitors.

These three would be my top picks for this blog. Other than that I also visited and would strongly recommend Chao-a Singaporean and Malaysian restaurant in TNagar which is quite decent, Chap Chay in Raintree Hotel on St. Mary’s road which serves good Chinese, Malaysian and Thai-they also have a live counter where you can pick what you want from a wide assortment of proteins, veggies etc and it will be cooked in a sauce of your choice, Prego in Taj Coromandel known for its delectable Italian spread, 601 in The Park on Nunganbakam High Road which stays open 24 hours a day and serves everything from salads and sandwiches to pastas and and pizzas, and Azulia in GRT Grand Hotel in TNagar which serves authentic Turkish and Greek cuisine (do not miss their mezze platters!).

One other restaurant in Chennai that deserves a special mention here is Benjarong-the fantastic Thai chain restaurant on TTk road in Alwarpet. Before the start of every meal they serve an amazing array of complementary appetizers called Mein Kam which is a plate of spinach leaves accompanied by little pots of various fillings – small pieces of lemon, peanuts, onion, red chilli, ginger, flakes of dry roasted coconut and a base paste made of palm sugar. It is almost like eating paan wherein you wrap the ingredients with the leaves and pop them in your mouth for a refreshing taste! Their Gai Hor Baitaey described as succulent morsels of chicken wrapped in pandanus leaves and deep fried, Pahd Pong Kari which is red snapper cooked in Thai curry, and Thai sticky rice with mango are among the many delicacies I absolutely love-some captured in pics below.

For those who enjoy their alcohol, contrary to popular perceptions, Chennai does not disappoint! My favorite places so far have been Zara’s Pub off Cathedral road-they serve a wide variety of cocktails, though at times this pub can get very crowded and the music can get too loud, High rooftop lounge in Raintree Hotel that gives a fantastic view of the city from up above especially in the evenings, Tranquebar in the new ITC Chola Sheraton that also boasts of a Malt and Cigar bar, and Leather Bar in The Park hotel on Nungambakkam High Road. The the best part is they all serve liquor till midnight!

Having visited Amethyst and a few other cafes in town, I have finally concluded that my favorite cafe in Chennai is Chamiers Cafe in Alwarpet, also sometimes called Anokhi Cafe since it is in the same building as the Anokhi boutique. I have lost the number of times I have been there! They serve different flavors of coffees and teas, have a nice breakfast menu that includes sausages, bacon, pancakes with maple syrup, omlettes with various fillings, fresh fruit juices etc as well as a lovely lunch selection consisting of pastas, sandwiches, salads and grilled stuff. They used to offer free wi-fi the whole day but recently they have begun charging for this service. The cafe primarily caters to a large expat crowd mostly from nearby embassies and consulates. One of the walls of the cafe is lined with black and white pictures of random people from all over the city-gives quite an interesting character to the place.

Another place close to the Chamiers Cafe that is like an urban oasis is the Madras Club. It’s become a favorite of my husband who has visited it way more than I have but I enjoy spending an occasional evening there as well or maybe go for a walk amidst all that greenery or just have a lazy coffee by the pool. Their library is a nice place to hang out and their bakery is perhaps one of the best in town! Visiting the club is easy even without being a member, if you have reciprocal membership from any other club outside Chennai. It is truly a world away from all the humdrum of the city.

Finally, for those women who love to pamper themselves with an occasional spa visit, I would highly recommend Oryza Spa in the Raintree hotel on Mount Road (would strongly recommend their frequent-flier anti-stress full body massage for 2 hours!), Ananta Thai Spa in Nungambakkam or the Senza Spa in Besant Nagar-the latter specializing in foot reflexology massages!

Well, this in a nutshell is how I have been spending my weekends discovering Chennai-especially it’s culinary side! I have also been attending several events such as stand-up comedy shows, music concerts and dance recitals, as well as plays. The months of July and August are especially exciting for theater lovers as this is when the Hindu Metro Theater Festival comes to town. So this weekend for example, I am off to one of their plays called The Circus which is a take on Charlie Chaplin’s movie of the same name. I shall talk about all these events in my next blog..so watch out for this space 🙂

 

Chennai 365*

(This post was originally written in October 2012 for my Reflexions blog.) *The moment I thought of this title it reminded me of Chicken 65-a preparation I had never heard of before I landed in this city and now I love it!

I had never thought I shall actually complete 1 year in this city. Some of my friends back in California even had a bet with me which by the way I have now won by a margin of 4 months 😛 And I gotta say this–when I landed in Chennai for the first time on October 15, 2011-I had lot of apprehensions and not very high expectations from this city. In fact I was dreading the very idea of living and working here, ironically thanks to most of my Tamil friends (and of course the non-Tamil ones too!) who had scared the heck out of me saying I shall never survive in a city like Chennai which is slow, conservative, entrenched in traditions and rituals, not half as cosmopolitan as Bangalore or Delhi forget Mumbai, where I cannot speak the language, where the weather is possibly the worst in the country, where it is so hard to meet young people and make friends and hence impossible to have a decent social life yada yada yada. And 1 year later I sincerely feel, if one has the energy and enthusiasm and takes the time out to explore all that this city has to offer and does so without any pre-conceived notion, then Chennai will not disappoint. In fact this city never ceases to surprise me now!

Over the last several months, I have explored this city-its different neighborhoods, plethora of restaurants, cafes, boutiques, theaters, etc quite a bit, and some of it deliberately to figure out whether it is indeed possible to lead a ‘good life’ in a city where language, customs, rituals, food, fashion, music-everything is so different from what I am used to and where I started off not knowing a single soul. It has been quite an adventure for sure! And I think I can safely say now that I have indeed discovered a Chennai that is very different from the image with which I had first landed here 🙂

One of the memorable visits/experiences I have had in the last few months was a trip to Mylapore–some say the cultural/religious hub of Chennai (as opposed to TNagar which is easily the shopping hub!), wondrously encapsulating the age-old traditions and rich heritage of this South Indian city. One of the oldest neighborhoods of Chennai, Mylapore is dotted with temples-the most remarkable being the 7th century Kapaleeshwar Temple. It is a Shiva temple and Lord Shiva’s wife Parvati is worshiped here as Karpagambal (“Goddess of the Wish-Yielding Tree”). The majestic temple itself is a fascinating example of Dravidian architecture with intricate designs and sculptures.

The sheer energy inside and around the temple premises with hundreds of devotees everywhere is astonishing. To anyone who wishes to get a flavor of authentic Chennai, I would totally recommend a visit to this place. Also notable in Mylapore is the Universal Temple or the Ramakrishna Math–beautifully calm, quiet, and serene; it is like an island in the middle of the crazy and crowded clamor of the neighborhood in general.

One place I am yet to visit in Mylapore is Ratna Cafe about which I have heard a lot from several local people, especially its delectable idlis! Hopefully sometime in the next 12 months!

Talking about food-one of my favorite topics (:D) -Chennai has totally impressed me in this one department and there is still so much left to explore. In my last post I had talked about 2 awesome restaurants–Teppan at Benjarong and Tuscana Pizzeria; the former serving Japanese and the latter Italian cuisine. These aside, my most favorite restaurants so far are Ente Keralam in Poes Garden (would highly recommend the sumptuous Rajakeeyam Thali or King’s meal–highlights being fried squid, mutton stew with Appam, grilled chicken, prawn moilee, spicy fish curry and payasam-all authentic Kerala style!)..

With Sharon, V and Azhar at Ente Keralam in Poes Garden

Delicious Appam..the Queen of Kerala cuisine

The fabulous Rajakeeyam Thali at Ente Keralam

and Dakshin at the Park Sheraton in Alwarpet. The traditional temple-like yet classy ambiance at Dakshin replete with a big traditional brass lamp (Velaku), and a vessel with flower petals floating in water (Urli) at the entrance, ceiling lights in the shape of temple bells, pre-set tables with silver and brass-ware, live Carnatic music and fresh jasmine garlands to welcome female guests perfectly compliment the mouth-watering medley of South Indian food of which the Iyer’s Trolley (a live trolley named after Chef Paramasivam Iyer, which serves small adais, and banana flavoured dosais along with an an array of freshly ground chutneys served on banana leaf placed on a silver plate), Chicken Chettinad, Nadu Poriyal (Crab meat), and Idiappams with Masala Stew are a must try!

Live Carnatic music at Dakshin

Food from the Iyer’s Trolley @Dakshin

Another restaurant that serves delicious, authentic Kerala cuisine (including my favorite Karimeen Pollichathu or Pearl Spot fish fried in banana leaf, Duck Roast, Kerala Porotta, Appam and Mutton Stew), but has a much more modest ambiance is Kumarakom in Adyar. Apparently the fish cooked here is brought in everyday from the backwaters of Vembanadu lake in Kerala. However the Meen Vekichatu or spicy fish curry is clearly not for the faint-hearted!

Spicy Kerala fish curry…it’s yummy but takes a lot of courage!

Last but not the least, a stellar culinary discovery I have made over the past few months (thanks to my  friend Azhar who introduced us to this place!) has been an authentic Korean restaurant named InSeoul in Alwarpet. This place is sheer awesomeness personified for all foodies esp. those who love real Korean food. Best part–they serve Soju! The ambiance is very cool, casual and unassuming and the food-outstanding. You can smoke inside the restaurant, watch Korean soaps on a big screen TV, yap and make friends with a Korean at the next table or just focus on the Bibimbap (servings of rice, egg, veggies and beef, and a spicy sauce), Beef Bulgogi, Shin Ramyun noodle soup or Korean sushi rolls!

Authentic Korean Bibimbap

Inside InSeoul

By now I also have a couple of brunch favorites and it seems Chennaites are quite a brunch-y bit, especially the women!

One is the Eco Cafe or Chamiers Cafe in Alwarpet–spacious, and pleasant, this is a lovely place for long conversations, simply hanging out or reading a book, or even working (it has free wi-fi). The coffees are good, the salads and bruschettas are very nice, the fruit juices fresh but pricey, and one of my favorite items on the menu is the Pan-grilled Basa fish. An additional frill that comes with this cafe is the nice Anokhi boutique downstairs which is a better and more upscale version of Fab India–a bit of ‘window’ shopping after a lazy Sunday brunch makes it so much more worthwhile! 🙂 The location of this cafe is also fantastic (only second to Latitude!)-bang opposite is Oryza Spa  (another recent favorite of mine; it’s a mini-paradise when the mercury keeps soaring up!), diagonally opposite is Park Sheraton Hotel (with all its wonders like Dakshin, Dublin pub etc), and within walking distance are awesome restaurants like Tuscana Pizzeria, Kryptos, Benjarong, InSeoul and Momoyama.

Inside Chamiers Cafe

This one’s my fav wall-art inside Chamiers Cafe! 🙂

The other nice brunch place is Latitude cafe within the premises of the Good Earth store in Nungambakkam. They have lovely fish and sea-food preparations (such as the Carom roasted white fish and Grilled prawns), different varieties of pasta dishes, and the usual soups and salads. The adjacent Good Earth store is also worth visiting especially for women who enjoy decorating their houses with all kinds of nice and fancy/artsy stuff! 🙂 The location of this cafe too is unbeatable–within walking distance from Latitude is the happening Khader Nawaz Khan road and hence lots of coffee shops, restaurants, spas and of course independent boutiques (this is where Louis Vitton opened their first store in Chennai–nothing impressive though :P).

Since I wrote at length about brunches and dinners (reserving the booze bit for another post!), how can I not write about desserts !

Although I don’t have a sweet-tooth myself, my husband does and hence we have explored a few dessert-y/chocolatey places in town, favorite ones being Amadora Gourmet ice-cream parlor in Nungambakkam (started by San Francisco return NRI Deepak Suresh it serves exotic flavors such as Salty caramel, Belgian chocolate, Kerala vanilla, Sri Lankan strawberries etc with deliciously crisp waffles!) and Le Chocolatier on Harrington road in Chetpet, that looks like a chocolate museum and is perhaps a dream come true for every chocolate lover!

Amadora- ice cream parlor

Le Chocolatier–walls lined with all kinds of chocolates!

Finally, the one aspect of Chennai’s social and cultural life that I have gotten completely hooked on to over the last few months and that I find quite impressive is its yearlong culture of theaters and plays! I knew that the city is famous for its December Carnatic music festival or the kacheri season or the non-stop classical dance performances; but what has pleasantly surprised me is that this city also boasts of a very vibrant and active theater culture.

Still from the play Green Room

Still from Evam’s play 39 Steps- a mind blowing adaptation of the original Hitchcock one

The 39 Steps group

Throughout the month of August, the Hindu newspaper group organized a series of excellent plays (Metroplus Theater Festival)  such as The Snow Queen,  the famous Korean play Woyzeck, the Green Room etc performed by both international and national theater groups and staged mostly at the massive Mutha Venkatasubba Rao Concert Hall in Chetpet.

Then in September and October, Chennai’s very own theater group Evam, celebrated their 10th year by staging 7 wonderful plays as part of their Evam Omnibus performance. I went for a couple of their shows and loved every bit of it–especially their award-winning play 39 Steps-a recreation of Alfred Hitchcock’s famous movie by the same name which was also staged in Broadway. It was absolutely fascinating to watch how only 4 actors managed to play 149 characters through brilliant usage of props, lights and sounds. Looking forward to enjoying many more such plays in the months to come!!

All in all, this city is a bastion of culture, cuisine and character-all captivating in their own ways. I am sure there’s a lot more to explore and discover here–I haven’t even touched the entire gamut of pubs and bars, wellness centers and yoga studios, historical monuments and museums, beaches and beach-resorts etc! I hope to do all of this and some more in the next several months and am already getting a feeling that once I leave Chennai, I shall miss this city a lot. Never thought I would actually say this 🙂