Chennai tiffen mess, tea, hotel, eateries

Sri Rama Bhavan and Lodging Thambu Chetty Street speciality is the coconut chutney, milagu rasam and coffee.

chaat in Chennai has one heading out to Sowcarpet. And in a place that feels like a mini-Rajasthan you’re never out of choices. There’s Agarwal Bhavan that smells of jalebis and samosas being fried in fat, all the time. Or you can try out Ajab; it also has a branch in Fountain Plaza called Ajnabi that is always crowded irrespective of day, date or time.

NAVIN SWEETS : Jalebi Fafda at 8.30AM They say that if you ever visit Sowcarpet in the mornings, you must try the jalebi-fafda. A breakfast combination, fafda is a savoury made out of gram flour and we all know what jalebis are. Navin Sweets on Anna Pillai Street has been in the business for 35 years. Navin Chandra came to Chennai from Anjar, Gujarat and set up the stall, which is now being looked after by his son Vikas. Available between 7.30 and 10 in the morning, food-lovers come from as far as Koyambedu and tackle the tricky lanes of Sowcarpet for the delicacy. The fafda is served with a side dish made of besan and papaya and a meal for one costs just Rs 20. 

A hole-in-the-wall shop on Perambur Barracks Road (it’s on the left when you come in from Doveton signal), where you have to stand on small bricks that double up as a pavement, serves unusual samosas. The masala is packed with whole mint leaves and the outer pastry is studded with ajwain, that gives off a wonderful flavour, and when you’re shoving down samosas every other day in the name of research, a little ajwain (or carom seeds) helps in digesting all those deep-fried goodies.

Hotel Mass pachaiyamman koil street Adambakkam Chennai -back to Guindy railaway station- Non veg

Madurai Saradha Mess Wallaja road-near cricket stadium Chennai- Ayirai fish curry famous here.Film personalities Vadivelu, Director Shankar and Superstar Rajnikanth liked their taste!

Thanjavur Mess- Subbareddy street, West Mambalam-veg

Kannadasan mess- T.Nagar near panagal park- veg

Balaji fast food @ 12 kannadasan publisher nr natesan park 9841251235/9940277825  

Sri Monisha  mess-Big street- Triplicane  Variety rice, dosas, Vadas, coffee

Kasivinayaga Mess, ‘meals-only’ eatery No. 58/2, Akbar Saheb Street, Triplicane, Chennai - 600005 Near Chidambaram Cricket Stadium Monday - Saturday: 12 PM - 10 PM, phone 044 - 28545027

Amman mess- opp cricket stadium -Chepauk -Meals & Tiffin- ( ragi doasi )

Nair Mess - CNT street opp cricket stadium - Non veg meals-white mutton Kuruma, Biriyani etc

Rose Milk, Kalathi Cool Drink Stall, No. 27 East Mada St. nr chitrakulam  and  end of the South Mada St. sankarapuram mylapore Rs 12 per per glass of iced rosemilk

Maami mess near Kapaleeswarar temple- Mylapore 98402 72288 Mami Tiffin Stall is located on the street diagonally opposite to Kalathi Newspaper Shop. This place is supposedly to be famous for their ‘Coffee’ and ‘Bajji’. We had each placed an order for coffee and couple of plates of bajji’s. kalavai satham i.e. 16 varitiey rice Rs 16; Methu bonda Rs 7; Kesari Rs10Filter coffee 7AM The coffee, priced at Rs 12, is expertly prepared by Palakkad-based Krishnan Kutti.

Rayars Mess begin your walk from the Kapaleeshwar temple towards Kutchery Road and ask for Arundale Street once you cross the Mylapore Post Office. Keep walking down Arundale Street and you are supposed to locate a really old house. Once you locate this house, bang opposite to it you can see a mini gully and yes your guesses are correct. The famous and renowned 

MYLAI KARPAGAMBAL MESS: Adai Avial 8 PM A stone’s throw from the Kapaleeshwarar temple in Myalpore adai avial and lemon sevai. taste keerai vadai

Jannal Kadai: As the name suggests, Jannal Kadai is popular because of its unique feature. The food is served from a window, which is located near Kapaleeshwarar Temple parking. As soon as the window opens at 5.30, customers start queuing up. Their idly, dosa, vadai, bajji and bonda are must haves. Accentuating the taste of their dishes is the special chutneys served along. They also serve breakfast everyday and upma on weekends. The bajjis are soft and satiate you easily. Cost: Rs. 20 for a plate of four

Gomathi Mess Market Road, Mandaveli 094 44 108923- Home to unarguably the best Pongal-Vadai in town. Enough said. Located incongruously behind a small temple on Mandaiveli Market Road, a five minute walk from Tank, the joint serves Idli, Poori, and classic filter coffee to sign off your breakfast. Best visited before 7:30 AM. Mon - Fri: 6:30 am - 10:00 am, 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm Sat: 6:30 am - 10:00 am 

Karthik Tiffin Center, a road side eatery, was started in 1993 and after 20 years, it is still going steady. Mr Vijayakumar is the successful owner of 2 branches at Anna Nagar in 12th Main Road and 9th Main Road. It is a pure Vegetarian joint. Serves around 15 varieties of dosa’s ranging from cauliflower to Peas masala at a reasonable rate. Customers stop-over at the place for its speciality- Parotas and Peas Dosa. The menu also comprises of Idlis, vadas, pongal, fried rice, pooris, etc. Their customer base includes Cooperates, college students and also VIPs and the rush hour is usually the late evenings. From 11 AM podi dosa priced at Rs 22.
 

Senthil Softy Zone Every area has a place for quick-eats and Senthil Softy Zone is Mylapore's. The place has flavoured milk, milkshakes, fresh fruit juices and of course, soft serve ice creams to quell the heat on a hot afternoon along with a variety of puffs (baby corn, cheese, paneer), samosas and sandwiches that are a hit among the young crowd. The mint lime juice, especially, is much sought after. Cost: Rs. 9 for a glass of mint lime juice

Leo Coffee Mocha No self-respecting food walk that involves a majority of south Indian tiffin and breakfast dishes is complete without a serving of filter coffee and it is fitting that I head to a place that is known for its coffee powder for more than a hundred years. Except that this kiosk is only five months old informs a woman behind the counter. Leo Coffee that is right next door has introduced several such stalls across the city. There is a blackboard that lists the several hot and cold beverages, written in coloured chalk. The only disappointment is that coffee isn’t served in davara-tumblers because paper cups make more sense. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that it is aromatic, dark and frothy — all the makings of a good filter coffee. Cost: Rs 15 for a cup of coffee

SRI VELU MILITARY HOTEL: Non-veg meals 1PM The original Velu Military Hotel is located in a non-decrepit building at 131, Eldams Road. Started in 1955 by Velu Ambalam mama of Vellalur Nadu, Madurai district, the hotel is now run by his nephew Pandia Selvam Ambalakarar. Famous for its fish fry, fish curry and country chiken, the hotel has seen the likes of MGR, Vairamuthu, MR Radha, Jayachitra and Kamal Haasan relish its delicacies. Next time you pass by Eldams Road, drop by Velu’s for a plate of meals at just Rs 40. 

BALAJI SANDWICH SHOP: Bread omlette 6 PM Visit Alsa Mall in Egmore and you are sure to find a host of sandwich shops in the area. The oldest of the lot is Balaji’s, which started off as a tea stall 23 years back. Now they make brisk business selling close to 600 sandwiches a day. Their specialty is the bread omlette (Rs 12). Many cine artistes too have come in search of the famous Alsa Mall Sandwich and returned satisfied. The shop is open from 10am to 10pm.

Nothing a cuppa green can’t heal.  Gopi, who runs a tea shop, thinks awareness of the benefits of green tea is increasing.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/nothing-a-cuppa-green-cant-heal/article6261541.ece

A line of share autos effectively obscures an innocuous blue bunk shop on the margins of the road opposite Nungambakkam railway station. Approach the shop and you will see S.M. Gopi with steaming cups of regular tea, like in most other tea shops. It’s hard to miss a rather unusual board that announces that Gopi, from his tiny pedestal, will also make you a cup of green tea or lemon tea. K. Rajeev takes it 62 steps further. “I offer 64 varieties,” he announces. The board at his modest stall outside the Southern Railway Divisional office in Park Town, though, can accommodate only a handful

Head there for concoctions such as mint tea, honey green tea, pepper tea, sukku coffee and pannai vellam coffee among others. “I recently introduced vetiver tea. Regardless of whether you have a cold, a headache or even diabetes, the shop offers you the perfect drink.

Bombay Lassi in a quiet corner of Ellis Road, behind Devi Theatre for hot samosas on their leaf plates

On Valluvar Kottam High Road, the 25-year-old Tirunelveli Halwa Stall is one of those shops that stand out. Snaking queue that runs past the dental clinic four shops away & there’s a retro-looking counter full of sweets and snacks

On Sardar Patel Road. “The shop has no name but has been around for almost 30 years after adayar signal and before adayar bakery. It’s a small shop and one might miss it easily but between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., when the shop is open, you get everything from samosas and cutlets to omapodi and the place is always crowded.

Sri Ramakrishna veg mess, M-175, Near R T O Office, 9th Cross Street Thiruvalluvar Ngr, Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai – 600041 Contact Person: Mr Ananda Raj Landline: +91-44-24454461

வண்டி கடை ஈக்காட்டுத்தாங்கல் dosai with herbs RS 10 to Rs 25

Ravi Anna’s Kadai

In T Nagar, near Brilliant Tutorials is the legendary kaiyendhi bhavan, which was closed for a while, but is back in action again. “Known for their sambar vadai, podi dosa and idiyappam kurma, they even have a fan following on Orkut! The name was never official. But the man who runs this way-side eatery behind Pondy Bazaar, near Brilliant Tutorials, is so popular that his shop is usually termed the “Ravi annan kadai”, or to be politically correct, the Brilliant Tutorials Kaiyendhi Bhavan. Around 1,000 people, from businessmen in their Audis to the daily-wage labourers, visit this eatery, now 35 years old,  everyday to get a piece of  their now legendary ‘Nei Podi Dosai’, which in a more sophisticated setting would be called the Ghee podi roast.  Open from 6.30am till 11.30pm, the vegetarian tiffin is made by four cooks, across shifts.