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While Chennai is synonymous with Rajinikanth, silk sarees and temples, the coastal city is also a foodie's paradise
Chennai (formerly known as Madras) has played a pivotal role in preserving the culture, architecture and culinary traditions of south India. The city's gourmet delights display its diverse culture and also its history. Between spicy biryanis and sweet paniyarams (spiced dumplings), Chennai offers something for all taste palates.
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When most people travel to Chennai, a taste of authentic South Indian food is always on the agenda, and Murugan Idli Shop serves some of the best ones! As the name suggests, the speciality of this restaurant is the famous Idli (steamed, spongey rice cake). This restaurant was started by S Manoharan, whose parents initially started the Murugan Coffee Nilayam in Madurai. It was a small-scale business, serving only coffee and snacks. Later, Monaharan’s mother started making idlis which became very popular, leading to the establishment of the Murugan Idli Shop.
Founded in 1991, the first Murugan Idli Shop was established on GN Chetty Road. This place has been serving mouth-watering vegetarian south Indian dishes consistently across its several branches in Chennai. They became so popular that they expanded to international destinations like Singapore and United Kingdom.
The loyal customers of this restaurant swear by its ‘podi idli’, a fluffy idli served on a banana leaf with four varieties of chutney _ Coconut, Mint, Coriander Seeds, and Tomato. Manoharan also added delicacies like Ghee Pongal, Sakkarai Pongal, Vada and the thirst-quenching drink Jigarthanda. The restaurant is modest in décor, but the quality and taste of food compensate for that, drawing people from far and wide.
Thali in Hindi means ‘a large plate’. In modern times though, this word is commonly used as an expression for an eating style. Thali is often a set meal with different dishes (both vegetarian and non-vegetarian), served in small bowls (Katori in Hindi).
One restaurant in Chennai that serves a delicious thali is Ponnusamy in their Nungambakkam branch. The thali is cheekily named Bahubhali and when you see the size of the thali, you will understand why it is given this name. There are over 50 dishes (vegetarian and non-vegetarian) served in the thali. The thali includes everything from soup and starters to the main course and dessert.
The vegetarian dishes include avial, poriyal, daal fry, sambhar, rasam, naan, white rice and more, while the non-veg dishes consist of mutton nalli, Chettinad chicken chilli, mutton sukka, prawn masala, mutton biryani, and chicken biryani. Desserts include kesari, rasagulla, gulab jamun and jhangri. Eating this thali is not a task cut out for a single person but an entire village. Okay, that's exaggerating it a bit.
Apart from thalis, Ponnusamy also serves delicious Chettinad cuisines. Chettinad cuisine belongs to a community called the Nattukotai Chettiars, who hail from the Chettinad region in the Sivagangai district of Tamil Nadu. The cuisine became famous for its spicy flavour as it uses a variety of fresh spices like cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, tamarind, fenugreek, clove, and bay leaf. Today, the cuisine has travelled beyond the region into restaurants like Ponnusamy. Try the Chettinad crab masala, chicken pepper fry or mutton Kol at the restaurant. Also, be prepared for an explosive burst of spicy flavours inside your mouth as you try out other Chettinad dishes.
Chennai's food culture can somewhat be judged by its variety of street food. Some of the vegetarian options include dosa (crepes made with rice flour), crisp sambhar vada, bondas (battered potato balls), and uttapam, while non-vegetarian dishes can vary from fish fry to chicken biryani. Another popular street food dish found among many street stalls is Kothu Parotta. The name originates from the Tamil word 'kothu', which means ‘to shred’.
The recipe includes a parotta (flatbread made from maida or atta), egg, sliced fish/meat, and onion cooked together in a delectable sauce. It is made by breaking up the parotta into small pieces and mixing the other ingredients while adding spices like red chilli powder, garam masala, fennel powder and turmeric for taste. Another common item on the street is the famed South Indian Kapi (filter coffee), brewed at every stall. It can be consumed at any time of the day or even at night!
Some of Chennai's best places to savour street food are T Nagar, Egmore, Besant Nagar, Marina Beach, and Pondy Bazaar. One can reach these places using different modes of transportation like buses, auto rickshaws, or even Uber/Ola rides.
Distance from Chennai Airport – 15 to 20 km
When it comes to fine dining in Chennai, there are many options. But a visit to the restaurant Annalakshmi will give you a vegetarian, Indian dining experience. As you enter the restaurant, you will get a sense of tranquillity as the traditional ambience of the place charms you.
From the wooden entrance door with its intricate carvings to the soulful Carnatic music playing in the background, or the idol of goddess Annalakshmi placed amidst the setting or the red carpet on the floor, each detail has been carefully planned to enhance the dining experience.
Food served on silverware transform the dining experience into an exquisite regal affair with polite staff helping you with food. This imperial restaurant serves a plethora of delicious south Indian and north Indian vegetarian dishes.
Distance from Chennai Airport to Annalakshmi – 17.1 km
Another iconic gem in Chennai is the Saravana Bhavan. No visit to Chennai is complete without a trip to this place and trying its delicious vegetarian south Indian dishes. Although it started with a stand-alone store in 1981 in Chennai, the popularity of the place grew over the years.
Now, this restaurant is more like an institution and has its presence across 27 outlets across south India, 3 in north India and 25 other countries with 81 outlets across the globe. It has 24 restaurants in Chennai itself! With a menu of over 350 dishes in 10 categories, Saravan Bhavan serves everything from Dosa to Biryani. Their budget-friendly, good-quality menu has helped them grow and is appreciated by people from all walks of life.
Distance from Chennai Airport to Saravana Bhavan (T Nagar) – 12.4 km
Though Chennai is more associated with vegetarian delicacies, it has an enviable selection of non-vegetarian dishes too. And one such non-vegetarian dish is the biryani which is quite loved in Chennai. Though the origin of the dish in India can be traced to the Mughals, biryani acquired new tastes as it travelled from one place to another.
The popular local variety of biryani in Chennai is called Thalappakatti biryani. The type of rice used in Thalappakatti biryani makes it different from other varieties of biryanis. Thalapakatti biryani is a flavourful biryani made with seeraga samba rice (short grain rice), which is mixed with meat. The biryani is quite spicy and unique in taste and smell.
The origin of Thalappakatti biryani can be credited to the restaurant Dindigul Thalappakatti. It was founded by Nagasamy Naidu in 1957. Naidu used to wear a turban called thalapa, earning him the nickname ‘Thalappakatti Naidu’ which influenced the restaurant's brand name. Today, the restaurant has several outlets in India and hopes to be India’s largest biryani seller.
Distance from Chennai Airport to Dindigul Thalappakatti – 15.6 km
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