Kerala Hot Chips, Chennai, India

Hot Banana Chips, sliced thin, deep fried in coconut oil. Buy it fresh and you will never want this from anywhere else. Kerala Hot Chips has about 3 locations that i know off. There's one on Usman Road, T Nagar, one in Shanti Colony, Annanagar and i recently noticed one on Tharamani Road, Velachery.

I was introduced to this tasty eat way back in my childhood, when i would spend time in kerala every summer. But before you start buying these golden yellow chips, you need to make sure that they are cooked in coconut oil, the taste is everything. Even in Kerala, people swear by chips that come from Kozhikode, Palakkad and Trivanthapuram etc. There are special points and places where you get fresh and tasty ones.

In Chennai (madras), it was always a problem to get tasty chips, specially this not being a native specialty. And for mallus, if you didnt get the ones that tasted close to what they got back from Kerala, it wasnt worth eating. I'm sure there were other places where one could get these chips before, but i dont remember it ever being consistent and having attained this popularity.

With Kerala Hot Chips, it is become easier to acquire and to indulge in this savoury every now and then, without having to wait for people or family to return from Kerala with imports. For me it is a frequent stop, every time i visit the US, to carry some to family and friends there. Timing is everything though, getting it fresh is the best. Altho' these things can be stored for a long time. Eating it as it comes out of the frying pan, leaves a different taste altogether. Its not always possible to stop by and pick them up, but the ones done and stored in the back are good too.

Kerala Hot Chips has other stuff too. Lots of other stuff, that one would usually get from bakery or more stuff that one used to make at home before, but dont have time these days. Its well worth a visit for the chips, but also for other things you may want to tack on, when at the store.

Ratna Cafe, Triplicane, Chennai, India

Name: Ratna Cafe
Address: Triplicane
Location: Chennai (madras), India

Ratna Cafe, a small restaurant located in Triplicane or Thiruvallikeni, in Chennai, very close to the Sri Parthasarathy Temple, Chepauk Stadium and the Triplicane Mosque. It has now opened branches in a couple of locations in the city, banking on its name and idly/sambar fame.

Ratna Cafe is a regular 'udipi' style restaurant, and serves all the regulars, dosa, rava dosa, poori, pongal etc. But its claim to fame is the sambar and thats what will linger in your mouth and mind, after you dine there. The sambar is one of the best i have ever tasted, and they will simply pour it on. They are not shy or stingy about their sambar.

There is little or no parking anywhere near the original Ratna Cafe. And the best time is to go early in the morning for a breakfast. Considering the busy and congested location, it then becomes a weekend eatout place. We visit Ratna Cafe after a trip to the temple. We parked car at the temple and took an auto (because we didnt know the exact location), but it is also not a small distance, but can be good for a stroll after the heavy meal you are going to have.

With all the branches opened in the city, i still think the original is the best. Although the ambiance may not as good as the branches. But the original also hosts a airconditioned dining room, in case you prefer to take refuge from the sweltering heat, which is so common in Madras and also specially inside a restaurant.