Zameendar, Shanthi Colony, Anna Nagar, Chennai

Shanthi Colony, today, bears no resembleance of how it existed 2 decades ago, or even about 10 years ago. And Zameendar restaurant, bang on the main road, built on what used to be HIG flats is only a reflection of the same. I had first heard about this from an office colleague, but didnt get a chance to stop and try until recently. I had passed the place a while back and for some reason the signs outside didnt seem very appealing.

I visited Zameendar last saturday, for a late lunch. It must have been a little after 2. We were greeted by friendly people and seated quickly without a fuss. After some carefull consideration of the state of the stomach and the many different options provided by the menu, the quickest and fastest bet seemed the meals. We ordered meals and few dishes to actually make it a non-vegeterian fare. The meals arrived promptly as expected, may be a tad-bit slow for our growling stomach. Of course while waiting we had all the time to chow down on the vadams that were placed in front of us. They even replaced the dish continously through out the meal.

After 2 rounds of vadams, thali plate covered with a banana leaf and nice small 'katori' of sides including sambar, rasam etc, arrived. The friendly waiters were quick to notice that food was drying up on the plate, be it the chappatis served at the start or the rice served subsequently. There were just enough of them to look after the tables under their domain and were effecient and friendly, a nice welcoming change from a lot of restaurants. When we were stuffed with all the food we could eat, the head waiter did ask us, if we wanted to order any desserts before closing and making the bill. We had to say no, although i intend to go back and try out a less gluttonous fare, to be able to sample the menu better.

The meal was tasty and good. All the side dishes bore some true south-indian flavours. I particularly liked their sambar and another curry (tough to name) that were served in the meals thali. One of the chicken dish we ordered was not up to the mark. I even forget the name of this, because it was the waiter's recommendation for a boneless dry chicken. In any case, i attribute even this unpleastness to our need to stuff ourselves with some real carbs or rice. Again, this happens once in a while, when the palette demands only a particular kind of food and any other accompaniments may not add any flavour and sometimes even turn-off the taste buds in those moments.

A small note of possibilities tho'. The door man and waiters are attired in ethnic clothes. I guess these were first ordered when the restaurant started out. Given that the restaurant is open seven days a week, it is possible that there is little time left to wash and clean these. However, the management can do well to take care of these clothes, if they do feel it is important to the ambience. It was a small mental note made, while waiting for food to arrive. I guess another options is to somehow automatically determine the hunger level of arriving patrons and then keep feed them quickly and appropriately that they fail to notice these small and subtle things.

Another important note, and much appreciated by me in particular. The bathroom was clean, altho' a little smelly. But it was nice to observe that the place was cleaned recently and spacious enough. The bathroom in most indian restaurants used to be a hole in the backyard, with a bucket and a mug nearby. These days it is refershing to note that some resturants in the city and elsewhere seem to pay particular attention to this.

BR Matsya, TNagar, Chennai

Something new, something not talked about much in the press or web so far. I think the restaurant has been around for sometime, as in atleast a few months, or maybe even about a year. I read about it somewhere, i dont completely recall, but i never did locate it before. The road it is located on, Thanickachalam Rd, is one of the less traveled, atleast for me, cause it leads to the busy intersection at Pondy Bazar.

It was by happenstance that i located it. And yesterday, saturday, when my better half, chooses to vegetate (i mean eat vegetarian only), i chose this over the many other options. And no disappointment there, it was a clear winner. The ambiance, the service and the food, all rolled in together to create a pleasurable experience.

They had wide variety of choices. The most tempting as is usual when it is available, was the dinner buffet. "its only 199 sir", said the host, as he tried to lure us towards this option. If it werent for a heavy lunch, it would have been a no brainer. But the spirits decided otherwise, as were to taste the choice of offerings on the menu, 'a la carte'.

As i said, a quick read of the menu, showed there is so much more to vegetarianism, than just thayir sadam and idly/dosa. Each menu item read better than the other, and there were even some pictures to help you, in case you had a doubt about the label used. Mexican, Pasta, some italian, fries and such, punjabi, chat, and the regular udipi variety.

Well, i was here for the udipi fare today. And so, it was Manglore Bonda, Kara Uppu Puli Dosa for me. The rest of the family went with some staid fare, wife and mom-in-law deciding to eat lite, and my kids, food is just a method to pacify their parents, so that we can go to bed easy. It doesnt really matter, they really like nothing specific, and most everything mashed or mixed together looks and tastes almost the same. But yesterday, my son chose the Fried Panneer, to which he has taken to liking recently.

Manglore bonda arrived first, along with the Fried Panneer. Must tell you know that we had a pleasing chappy who was waiting on us. Indian service in India is much better when compared to the same indian service dished out in desi restaurants in the US, one must wonder if it is something to do with visa and bonded labour. The Manglore Bonda was a tad bit small, small tiny balls, but had the same great taste all the same. The chutneys offered was nothing much to write about.
But the Panneer, was just out of the world. We have tasted this dish in about 2 or 3 forms, thanks to my son's insistence at the dinner table. This was by far, the best we had tasted ever. It wasnt dry, a bit of gravy. The panneer was the best, nice and firm, but still chewy, and nicely fried, but not oily. The gravy managed to coat itself well around each block of panneer. Both these items were quickly vanishing from the table.

Just before we reached a point where we may have had to wait around twiddling thumbs, came the idly for my wife and the Kara Uppu Puli dosai. Idly, a bit i tasted was great as usual, which anyway is a dish difficult to screw up. But the Kara Uppu Puli dosai, was out of the world. It had all the three ingredients as advertised in its name. But the sambhar that came along with it, seemed to dent accolades that would have been solely poured out on the dosai. The sambhar was so tasty that i had to ask for extra serving.

Now, what remained was the rest of the menu. Well, it will have to wait for another trip. And since we have now added this to the list of officially certified and must-visit places, it could be as early as next saturday. 'Cause there's a lot to offer on the menu.

The visit is not complete without a few words on the ambiance. As you enter, on the left is a children play area. Enough to entice parent to make repeat visits. But what will catch your eye, is the intricate glass painting of the Matsya Avataram. A beautiful representation in itself, the artist had also paid a lot of attention to detail. Walk inside the restaurant, its clean, spacey, and nicely chilled. You are again treated to more artwork, this time, it is intricate carvings on wood. It forms the outer frame around a Balaji and Padmavati tanjore style painting. Since we were already seated, couldnt spend time admiring this work. But from where we sat, it looked imposing.

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.

Ajnabi, Egmore, Chennai, India

Name: Ajnabi
Address: Fountain Plaza, Egmore
Location: Chennai (madras), India

Ajnabi was the haunt of my school days. Asan Memorial, my school was down the road and when FP (Fountain Plaza) was opened, it was the place to spend time. And Ajnabi among the many different shops inside the plaza served some of the best Bhel Puris, Kachoris and Samosas.

The shop is now located in a congested corner, at the rear of the shopping complex, but still commands the crowd. I guess when you make good food, people tend to wander about and taste something different, but then come back to taste the experts. I particularly like their kachoris and samosas, and do venture out to try some of the other delicacies they display on their counter.

They make most, if not all the stuff at the kitchen at the back of restaurant. And the looks of it may scare you off. But then who ever looks inside a kitchen to eat the food. If you chose to ignore some of these, then you are in for a good time. If you think not, then take out is a good option, because you can drive and park nearby, pick up your stuff and zoom out of there, to enjoy your favorites.

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.