Tigers Experience at Monkey Bar - New Delhi - Breakfast

" I Love Delhi" - so many new eateries , new concepts , so many let u b u type of places , people are loving experimenting with Palates , interiors , experiences it is just amazing ... wonder where these guts came from al of a sudden ...  it is a pleasure to see chef run business's chef entrepreneurs .. i believe this is the way to go for the future .. Innovate in every which you can -may it be food , ambiance or service - doing it differently is paying off now . 

Monkey Bar a well tried and tested baby of my old buddy Manu Chandra (Manu and i share the Love for OLD MONK and thats our connect besides bumping into each other at food forums )  - supported by none other than Mr A D Singh of Olive Fame . Eventually have come to meri Dilli . Manu being a delhi boy understands what delhi wants and has delivered a well tailor made  solution of a Pub and  Dine in -  Monkey Bar  or Mo Bar  The 'Gastro Pub ' to a city which does-not receive concepts easily . Located in Vasant kunj inside a  pyramid which used to be Ministry of sound couple of years back- all glass pyramid is beautiful as you can see below. Those who don't know Manu - he is a wizard with food , loves Old monk , and relishes Ghar wali  arhar kee daal .

Mo Bar as i would like to call it is comfortably done , distressed look on the walls , funky posters and coasters to keep you smiling , comfortable seating ,pool tables , very airy wonder what will happen in the summers as the roof is pure glass and nothing else - though the glass is coated with a reflective sheet but still dilli garmi is dilli kee garmi penetrates through anything lol - Mo Bar is like a perfect hangout for the gen X and convincingly a  gourmands delight like me . 

The Glass Pyramid of Monkey Bar

Diverse  Menu 

The Menu is very interestingly divided into catchy sections like the Big Bang , Morning Quickie , Gluteny etc etc it has the Originals , the originals with a twist , the fusion dishes  and the wacko dishes like what i had French toast with eggs and bacon . Trust me you would need to visit Mo Bar 8 times to try all the items it not more . I didn see any weight watchers section which was awesome - the menu is for people who love weekends and love to eat on weekends ,Like Tiger - i wait for weekends to pig out - thats one day i get to eat what i want to eat besides being on a controlled diet for the rest of the week .. its like kick ass time with food on weekends . I was actually so excited when i saw the menu each dish was my favorite and a reall droooooool . A very diverse yet affordable menu , well thought about , researched - hats off .

How cam you be serious in Place like this .. Its all about Monkey Business

Confession : Being a saturday morning was a bit hungover , groggy etc gulped down three cups of Cutting style masala chai's to figure where i was and what iwas doing LOL .

Eggs Benedict

My favorite Egg in eateries because making this at home is not possible . The history of eggs Benedict goes way back when a gentleman walked into a plush five star and asked for Buttered toast , Poached eggs , Bacon and Hollandaise becos he has an hangover and wanted to get rid of it - BTW so did i , so i made the right choice - the chef got so impressed by the combination that he replaced the toast with English muffin and the bacon with ham - to make the famous Eggs Benedict - my favorite part of the dish is the braking of the yellow watching git ooze out and then dipping every bite into it - its just yum , egg fans delight - I think i shud make a eggs droolers club hahahahaha. MO Bar has done it nicely . The Hollandaise sauce again made with egg yolk ,butter and a bit of acidity of lemon was really well made . Super Duper .

French Toast , Bacon and Fried Egg

The googly dish - Manu played a googly on me by serving me a delicious Mind Blowing perfectly cooked french toast sweet made from a home baked extra large slice of Challah bread ( A jewish bread eaten on Sabbath only difference was that the jewish bread is braided)- i loved the slightly burnt look and feel of it - gave it more texture . Topped with a Sunny Side up fried egg and in between sausages and crispy bacon - i think he over heard my conversation about my love for bacon and ensured i got the same . Well a well balanced dish the flavors merged beautifully specially the drool of the egg hahahaha , the combo of sweet , salt and egg was too cool . On a serious note it was custom made as i didn see the dish on the menu .

Eggs in  a Blanket

Eggs in a blanket - a rather this crisp blanket to cover my eggs - hahahahaha, Unda Parontha as we know it , served with three choices - Coorg Pork Curry (Pandy Curry) , Mutton Keema or  Steak Galouti.  The Pandy curry was well made with vinegar and park - perfect tinge went well with the parontha , The mutton keema amazingly was good , well ground keema , perfect masalas yet again went well with the parontha - the Steak Galouti - wah wah - i have been off galouti kebabs ever since they have become a standard commodity in the Desi Wedding spreads - but this one a bit tight n hard on the bottom to give it  a steak type feel - the mince was well ground with just perfect masala's - went best with the unda parontha .

I mean a Chilly sauce called Pure Death , hey bhagwan whats life coming too- i just smelt it and remained happy - then on the left is yet another chilly sauce directly from Kolkata from the famous Tangra . The two small bottles infront has freshly made marmalade and aam kee chutney - both were nice ,full of flavor .Backed by the yellow bottle of original Kasundi and my all time favorite Ketchup - now this was surprising at home i have never eaten breakfast without ketchup but at Mo Bar must have been the first time i did not put ketchup or anyother sauce on the food .. that speaks a lot about the engaging flavors . 

I have not been to many breakfast places in Delhi because they al offer the standard English breakfast of eggs bacon beans etc ,  but my first love is five star coffee shop breakfast layouts - thats where i kill my self eating ,trying all cuisines and that too while im travelling  . I tried only three dishes at Mo Bar and was impressed to the fullest , bas only three half eaten dishes filled me up. Each dish was a marvel. 

All i can say is that Mo Bar will see me more often for sure . They convert into a Pub in the evening which i believe is rocking with its amazing cocktails ... this place has the buzz. 

Tigers Overall Experience : Fantastic Going Back for more breakfast and also trying out the lunch ,dinner menu soon .Some of the amazing dishes to go and try next time are : Brie Omellete, Pizza Omlete ,Goa Churizo Scramble ,the pull apart buns and ofcourse the misal pav .

Ambiance : Hip and Happening , Airy , comfortable , Spacious ,peppy music , no stale smells of the last night . Has the buzz of youth .

Food : Great food , super choices ,defined textures,wide range to choose from . Killer menu

Service : Well trained Team , aware of all dishes , smiling always friendly - i wudn be if i have had a late night on the job at a pub hahahahah

Value for money : 1000 for two is good enuf - very affordable . 

Tigers Experience at Junior Kuppanna - Chennai

*Disclaimer* - My palate is tuned to the North India style cooking ,I have tried my best to grab each flavor by ordering basic understandable dishes so please excuse me when i write the description of the dish my way .One of the most tough reviews i have written so far .

"Move over Ponnusamy "   yes for sure - for year we have sworn by the non veg food available at Ponnusamy hotel so this time we opted to be different and try Junior on several recommendations and reviews  - was it a good choice YES 100% .. had the most amazing meal after a long time in Chennai . Actually another reason why preferred junior was that the number of dishes compared to ponnusamy are limited - trust me the palate needs to start watering on reading the menu which really doesn't happen when you see too many things on the menu . KISS - Keep it simple stupid, and it belongs to a family chain with home grown recipes .

The review is based on a telephonic discussion with the nephew of the Owner Mr Prabhu. Man was it enlightening. Ok here's how i reached him called up the GM Sarvanan who connected me to Mr Moorthy the son of Mr Kuppusamy, we had a bit of language problem hence he connected me to Prabhu his nephew  who looks after the chennai operation . Very pleasant man to speak to - patient and passionate about Junior Kuppanna

 All recipes are a BIG SECRET , ALL MASALAS ARE A SECRET how mean can that be . Good for me but sad for the people who cook LOL.

Junior Kuppanna — named after Kuppusamy by his son's Moorthy and Arumugan, both of who have Junior preceding their names. Junior' K. Murthy and Junior' P. Aruumgan (as their business card proudly states) reveals that the original restaurant was started in 1960 in Erode by his parents, Kuppusamy and Rukmani Ammal. His mother still supervises the blending and grinding of the masalas that go into the food. When they opened their first branch in Coimbatore, Arumugan's brother ‘Junior Moorthy' excitedly tells us he thought up the name “Junior Kuppanna, since we're the sons of Kuppusamy”.

Kuppuswamy + Anna = Kuppana .

Simple easy to understand menu , well priced .

The Spotless Kitchen

Was taken for a guided tour of the kitchen - man was it impressive YES , systematic , no chaos , everyobe doing their own defined task , all utensils containers shinning so very impressive - a general observation in chennai the kitchens are always spotless , commendable . They took me to a room where all the Master Gravy masalas were being grounded - god was it was amazing - i tasted all the raw masalas to understand the flavors - chicken , mutton , fish were being ground and each was absolutely different from the other even though the colors were almost  the same. So one room for the masalas , the next room where the gravies were being boiled and then came the dosa cum parotta room ... so systematic .And on the side were four quiet women washing utensils at rajnikant speed - they didn let me take a pic of them in action .. All the kitchen team wore face mask and head mask - hygiene is number one .

The big secret of the funda behind jr Kuppana is that there is no chef or head chef - the food is so systematically prepared that even a amateur can have ago at it - guess the masala recipes the process is detailed superbly by Mrs Rukmani Kuppusamy the inventor .

Eating on Banana Leaves

This one is funny as we sat down to eat they plonked huge banana leaves in front of us - then came a man sprinkling water on them and we were what you doing dude - thats when our host intervened and told us that we are to wipe the leaves dry ourselves - not bad - so the stage was set the palate drooling the stomach actually hungry for some authentic south india no nveg food - SERIOUS EATING . Amongst us were some angrez who wanted to eat with fork n knife - they were boooed out and forced to enjoy the meal with their bare hands .

Our host who understand the Punjabi Palate helped us ordering - actually didn need much of  his help as things are simple Biryani or Meal and then some specialty dishes thats it , and those dishes were to die for .

The Complete Biryani Meal 

The Onion Raita and Egg Curry 

Simple cold Onion Raita freshly made .. The Egg Curry was not the loose gravy it was a thick gravy like a sauce poured over the boiled egg. Just mash the egg in the biryani and enjoy .

Chicken and Mutton Chettinad Curry 

See this is what i said above the color was almost the same but flavours were miles apart . SO basically we were served only gravies with the biryani ... choose mix and eat .

Simple Aloo Sabzi

Very basic south indian simple aloo sabzi with bits of cocunt corriander cliantro.

The Armour

The Concept of Junior - Biryani or Meal . I opted for the biryani meal - which is as follows - Banana Leaf - small katoris of different curries - chicken , mutton, fish , egg , aloo sabzi (mind you only curries no meat in them ) onion raita - and Biryani thats it . So u have the choice of mixing any of the gravies with the biryani and relishing it . We opted for the Mutton Biryani . The Meal option i think is steamed rice sambar rasam and vegetables .left it for another day .

Mutton Biryani

The biryani served is with Seeraga samba rice which is traditionally used in TN for Biryani. The taste is also authentic taste from the interiors of TN. Traditional Short Grain rice fat and small grains . Very unsual and flavor full . The mutton cooked well propbaly a yakhni style of cooking where the meat and the rice cook together - closest to a pulao.

Fish Tawa Fry

Had only two portions of this fresh fish - looks more  like a red snapper for sure but it was the Seer Fish  -single bone animal ,  the marination was just amazing - spicy sour and chilly . I actually am not a fish eater for the thorns and the smell - but this one was relished by tiger LOL We all kept complaining about the spice but yet carried on hahahahaha. 

Sukkha Mutton

Well this one was not like the expected Bhunna Ghost - it was dry thick gravy with small slightly fleshy pieces of mutton nicely stirred in the masala - awesome with the parotta. Could evidently see green chillies and Kurry Pata the rest was a secret like all other dishes  The meat pieces had fat on them for absorb the masals and to make the meat juicy . ALso easy to cook .

Pallipalayam Chicken

Named after a town close to Erode - its chicken Pallipalayam is famous across the country . This was country chicken , nattu kozhi -supposed to be the best side dish with a Biryani . Stir fried with mild coconut flavor . A total new experience with a country chicken , always preffered country to broilers for the flavor of the meat .

Prawn Masala

Killer no1 . Prawn Masala with Parotta - Small size prawns , masala slightly khada - like it is in north indian dishes - with coconut and kadi pata flavor .... Our host had told us to must try this dish , it was was so delicious that we ordered couple of extra portions and wiped them off. The flavor was South Indian made the north indian style , slightly sweet , mild spiced . Sorry about the pic next time will use a better camera .

Brain Masala

Killer No 2 - Brain Masala with Egg Parotta OMG this was just too good - the brain was a much better version of  the silken tofu or paneer hahahahaahh...  the masala so nicely wrapped on the brain and together with a parotta it was divine . A very difficult pieceof meat to cook ,so delicate one step and its all over - very nicely done .

Rasam

Very different Rasam - tomato based - Khata / Sour fresh and digestive. I prefer this to the normal regular daal wala rasam .

Egg Veech Parota

As light as feather wonder how do they  this... made like a pizza - wafer thin on the tawa.. Hanky style packing as they call it - four different was of folding the parotta ... egg there but not seen visibly ...  superbly artistically done - a must try . Again a secret how they make it .

In Full Action .. aiyooooo

Sorry for this ugly picture but the truth RULES .... messy , makes u least like a child ,play a little eat making balls ... what a fun meal . Get a bit messy when the bones start collecting on the leaf .... hahahahaah

The Pigs from Delhi 

Hahahaha 24 of us attacked Junior they gave us a separate floor far from the maddening crowd - Serious eaters with some appetite, we all had built our appetites up with some chilled beer before reaching JR. so u can imagine the hunger  .. we ate and we ate and we ate more til there was pin drop silence at the end of it and everyone had the content look on their faces ...  only a 16000 bill for 24 which is not bad at all . All you could hear onthe two tables was "Pass me that"  " You want more" " Isthere more brain "  " Eaten tooo much " hahahahaha.. had promised them that i wont post this picture but couldn resist .

Payasam

Cold sweet milk with coconut , sewaiyan - soothing for the stomach which was blasted by fiery masalas.. thank god for this .

Spotless Floor of the main kitchen

as per industry standard for kitchens , it should be spotless clean - so clean that you can actually eat of the floor . Yes the entire restaurant was spotless including the loo's .

all over the south now they should be Up North Soon

Overall Tigers Experience - Outstanding 

Food : Fresh ,Perfect Flavors , Healthy, a perfect homey , going back to discover the secret of the secret recipes . and no zinetec required after the meal.

Ambiance - Surprisingly not noisy - oh i know why everyone is busy eating non stop - serious eating 

Pricing - as per me it was economical - but as per chennai friends it expensive 

Service - Mind Blowing , the servers stand by your side like hawks on duty , they never give a reason to look up .

It was definitely a great experience to eat at Junior Kuppuna - where the entire experience of Food Service ambiance was well balanced .. certainly going back for more . Definitely going back soon to cover the rest of the Menu .. greedy Tiger 

Tigers Experience at L'Amandier - Chennai

The Almond Tree or L'Amandier 

A perfect Bistro in the shadow of an Almond Tree ........ as per Wiki a Bistro is a place which serves moderately priced simple slow cooked food in a modest setting . L'amandier fits this definition superbly . Owned run managed by Nidhi who is a IIHM graduate with great experience in the hospitality sector - what else would you expect besides par excellence . They have used all the natural elements of Air, Light , sound ,water?? didn see much of it tho lol ...  to create the ambiance of the restaurant . Spacious double height bistro with huge bay windows for light , colorful drapery ,European style open brick walls ,beautiful lamps on the walls and also on the ceiling . Being a food appreciator i start making standard of the restaurant in the mind based on how comfortable the setting is , how they have used colors , how happy are the people dinning , how happy are the staff serving , how easy is to maneuver in the premises, how clean is the floor of the restaurant and the kitchen , how easy is the menu to understand and order .. all this counts in my experience of any restaurant .

We had a superb experience at L'Amandier - we were well looked after by the General Manager Katherine , didn get to meet the chef Prabhu Dhananjay he was busy plating 22 plates at a time for our group LOL - next time chef shall trouble you int he kitchen and to get to know the man behind the gorgeous dishes you made us eat .

Speaking to Nidhi about the restaurant was delightful - she is simply passionate about her Bistro - when i asked to meet the owner the staff was like Why ?? they saw this huge punjabi and were wondering why is he asking for the owner , what wrong have we done etc etc - hahahahaha , i saw this lady in command and figured out that she is boss around - i asked to see her - man u shud have seen nidhis expressions - eh , who is he , what does he want, is he another blogger  and before she could say - tell him im busy ; the tiger in me jumped at her and introduced my self hahahahaha now she had no choice but to face the tiger right der .. poor thing and the next 15 mins she didn know what was hittng her - the foodie , the experience auditor , the punjabi studd or what hahahahahaha ...  I love it when the owner gives personal attention to the Bistro and is present there, the feeling of the place is only different ... im sure all of us agree with this one .

Breezy Bright Interiors

I was travelling from Delhi and had had an overdose of  Fabulous South Indian cuisines was looking for something which was easy on the stomach in terms of the spices etc  and yes L'Amandier was a perfect break rather a pleasant well deserved break . We were hosted by chennai's own socialites and dear friends - one day before we were asked our preference on the meats - chicken or lamb - wow - this got my anxiety level even higher ... who does this nowdays.

Coming from Delhi where Bistros are mushrooming in abundance we did have high standards - L'Amandier is at par with the best of the best and where it beats them al is the pricing - i was shocked to hear a 299 for a breakfast buffet and 499 for a 4 course brunch fixed meal .. mind blowing . More than comfort food it was a real fine dining experience where plating , ingredients recipe and textures of the dishes  were concerned. In Delhi there is a Bistro or a cafe war going on between all the elements that make a restaurant whether it is the decor or the menu or the chef behind the scene or the experience of the owner . delhi is seeing a number of Chef turned entrepreneurs coming up which is very interesting , normally the creative chefs shy away from being business men - "ah let me cook ,you do the selling " is the standard dialog u get to hear .

Set Menu for the Day 

Simple yet elaborate menu - i asked Nidhi why don't they have a standard ala carte menu - she answered it in two folds One "I cook what my heart tells me too" second " I serve people the fresh available vegetables and meats " hence no fixed ala carte menu - I buy that - catch of the day . Infact the whole concept gave me a chefs Table feeling where the chef decides what the dish of the day is going to be - it is an experience . But my guess is that sooner or later L'Amandier will have a fixed menu and also specials of the day ... you need guts to play around with a menu and test the Chefs capabilities of making new dishes everyday LOL .

Roasted Pumpkin and Coriander Soup

Pumpkin sweet coriander flavorful a good homey style broth - was not a killer for me tho wanted it to be more peppery and on the salty side i really dont fancy sweet soups but thats me - as a dish it was perfect . Oh yes the bacon was my own two bits of innovation ... think about it , shud taste good with bacon flavor .... for me anything with bacon is a killer dish .

Fresh Watermelon and Feta Salad 

Refreshing with perfect acidity of the cheese and the crunch of fresh rocket leaves - my Killer dish / salad / starter . The watermelon chilled sweet crisp , hate it when its limp , just the right amount of Feta to do the taste flip and with the best leaves to add to the freshness ... really well plated dish and with good flavors playing with your palate.

Irish Lamb Stew

Beautifully presented dish. The Lamb is marinated overnight ,seared and served on a stew of potatoes and cabbage - simple enuf . Some pieces of lamb were a bit hard to cut thru which s not anyone's fault it happens wit h this red meat unless you go the desi way of pressure cooker seetee wala style lol , meat being hard is a very irish way of cooking red meat they love it hard . The overall flavor was well balanced a perfect homey of a dish for me .. Originally an Irish stew was given to ailing people - leek, potato ,carrots and meat all stewed together to cure the ailment - medicinal for sure .

A combo of Both

Both the meats together ,I had asked for this , being a plated meal - the greedy foodie me wanted to sample both the dishes - i had pre ordered chicken as a choice and could not go home without trying out the lamb.

Chicken  Kiev

Very interesting ,unlike the traditional chicken a la kiev with butter inserted into chicken breast and when you cut it open it quirts out swooosh - Nidhi's version is stuffed with Spinach and cheese served on a base of mash potatoes and with grilled vegetables on the side (which were just delicious) .... the chicken was cooked well , no difficulty in cutting through at all ... i could have done without the mash tho - just the chicken and the veggies were a perfect healthy option. Kiev is supposed to have originated from Ukraine where they pounded the chicken meat and stuffed it with different fillings , personally my favorite is cheese and ham/bacon filling . 

Chocolate Molten Cake

This one  is straight from the heart - I love molten Cake ... warm ,gooeey and delicious .. gawd im drooling all over again lol .

Tiramisu

The Tiramisu L'Amandier way - creamy like a cream coffee  dig deeper to reach the cake , a bit of liquor flavor which is important . Nicely done ,smooth and lovely , a must have. The literal meaning of Tiramisu is Pick me Up or Lift me up .. wonder why lol.

Overall Tigers Experience :

Ambiance : Super , you can talk unlike some cafes where everyone's vocal chords are at their best and u have to shout to be heard. Bright colors , airy , full of light , ease to move around , child friendly .

Service : Really good , servers smiling throughout and had good knowledge of the food .. guess katherine is doing a good job

Food : for Bistro food its amazing , the brunch and eggs looked super duper - didn mention the garlic bread it was well done .

Value for money : Awesome 

Was a great sunday afternoon at L'Amnadier - good company , good food and an interesting conversation with the person behind the establishment . What else could you want from a bistro. Would loved to have some nice Rose Wine for lunch but but - the government doesn't allow us foodies to enjoy sunday lunches with wine . Hope things change soon.

L'Amandier coming back for more soon !!!!!

Tigers Experience on the Chennai Express

Simbly The Best 

"Engay"

"Perpetual Neck Yoga"

Lungi Manipulation

Colorful Gajras

So the above is my symbolic view of Chennai - I love Chennai 

The Gang of 24 Punjabi's attacked Chennai to PARTY , actually to surprise  dear friends on their 25th Anniversary . The fun started from the flight itself - Indigo 6.40 am flt Oh God , most of were hungover hence cud not look up .... boarded with great difficulty and arguments. On the flight excitement happened when we spotted the food trolley coming towards us - the last row of seats we had was 9 . The lady kept crawling toward us at snails speed - till then all the party animals had been thru the menu , argued with spouses about the choice of sandwiches etc - we got stuck on the Anda Sandwich - kept drooling and praying that it doesn't get over by the time it reaches us - well well Just that happened .. sucks big time .. anyways we ate what was left and emptied the trolley LOL .. wonder why this happens .

Only Agenda was to Party , discover food and not sleep . We stayed at the Marriot Courtyard  very centrally located , nice rooms ,inexpensive SPa - 300 for a head massage was a steal - food was so so not impressed  . First day went to Junior Kuppana OMG what an experience - a new concept for a dilliwalah was delightful. Then next day went to Amethyst for lunch - what an ambiance , amazing food but service will make u cry . Same night to a friends place for dinner - amazing biryani with mirchi ka salan . Next day lunch at L'Amandier - yet again super place so breezy and big , great fixed meal and super service . Dinner yet again at a friends place had dosa , pork with sweet idilies,and amazing fish curry - drove off to Fish Cove for the anniversary celebrations - was royal - lovely beach resort so like goa - friendly people , outdated cottages ,witnessed fishermen pulling in the net for the catch of the day - had a lavish spread for dinner and then pigged out on the buffet breka followed by a Chefs table Lunch. So now you see what i meant was this trip was to eat and not sleep .... not a dull moment. Wish i can post the inventory of the Alcohol consumed in three nights - hahahahaah .

One of the afternoons the dilliwalhs wanted to see the beach of Madras , Marina Beach - it is huge . Lucky for us the weather was good so we could walk on the sand ... good experience but not clean at all no dustbins ,filth all over the place - hawkers hassling you everywhere but i guess its like this at any tourist lace across the country . 

The Tangy Ready to Eat Mango

So anyways we have this street food freak friend - who just cant stop - he gets of the car at rajnikant speed dashes for the first mango stall comes back with all 32 shining bright and two mangoes with the gunpowder dip in his hand. Trust me It is just DIVINE . Take a slice of the mango wrap it up with the masala (salt red chilies is what i cud figure out) and BITE , whooooosh you are actually taken to another world of the sour and the chillies . This isa must have on any of my chennai trips , doesnt ever taste the same when i carry it back to Delhi .

Boiled or Rather Steamed Peanuts

This is something we had not tried nor witness upnorth boiled steamed peanuts - we tried finding out how they were making these but the lady got upset as we wanted to go within the bicycle cart - anyone knows the mechanics of the steam please share . The best part was that inspite of the peanuts being steamed they still had the crunch and with the spicy masala it tasted divine. A total new experience.

The Fresh Pakora Stalls

Very unique temporary stall with canvas barricades , women sitting within it on stools and frying pakoras . What a amazing decor of Huge Lethal Green Chillies was mouth drooling . They made fresh pakoras ,Mirchi, Banana and other veggies. Unfortunately the Chillies were quite bland for our palate missed the hissssssss, the batter was nice and thin . Loved the banana fritters .

The Sweet Corn Roasted

Sweet Fresh and Awesome - i think its the same corn we eat in the corn chaat - american corn as they call it , otherwise to find such amazing corn is doubtful , Nevertheless it was fab to find corn on the beach and also the technique these lil girls were making it was fantastic . We dilii walas went mad and almost finished her stock . The Bhutta as we call it was very different from what we get Up North - we are used to the hard light yellow colored corn which doesnt taste anything like these. But the masala they put in Dilli is a killer with fresh lime .

What we missed on the beach was Coconut Water and  Dustbins

Below is the RAW list of Street Food Joints in Chennai - based on a one liner post on the Chennai Food Guide - "Travelling to Chennai - recommend where to eat the best Street Food"  so here goes .. presenting the unedited list of street vendors in Chennai .

                                         

·        Karthick tiffen center in Anna Nagar for Dosa.

·        Thenga+manga + pattani chundal by the beach side

·        Masal vadai on the street as well as nongu(a jelly like fruit), its very nice must have

·        Mylapore has a lovely selection of 'messes'.

·        Rayar Mess off Kutcheri Road has wonderful potato bonda and coffee, Jannal Bajji Shop (after 5.30 p.m.) Close to the Mylapore temple has great raw banana bajjis. Kalathi Shop diagonally opposite opp Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan has the most awesome peanut candy, date barfi, 'rose milk' and 'panneer soda'.

·        vaishnavas at milliers road back.side of sangam cinemas,,,i bet they.serve the best huge sized idlys .....mindblowing varities of dosas...ghee/butter..podi idly fluffyy best in chennai

·        kowsaw ( burmese delicacy)find it only in North madras... near parrys corner a madras speciality

·        Rayar karpagam mess for breakfast nair mess for lunch muniyandi vilas for dinner.....

·       Asiad tiffin centre, Annanagar west (thirumangalam)

·        Chandini Chowk (Chat - egmore)

·        Seena bhai kadai (podi oothapam – Sowcarpet

·        One MB (Chat - T.nagar)

·        Karthik Tiffin centre (Masala/Spl.dosa - Annanagar West)

·        Agarwal Sweets (Samosa/Rasamalai/Bengali sweets - Sowcarpet)

·        Alsamall egmore sandwiches

·        Seena bai for dosas at sowcarpet. Welcome at pursaiwalkam.

·        ormes road @ kilpauk - Vaishnava s.. amazing cheese capsicum dosa s.. mexican toast is its speciality.. n the big idlies bangalore style ones... really great taste..

·        kaiendi bhavan in pondybazaar near brilliant tutorials is awesome. 

·        ormes road @ kilpauk - Vaishnava s.. amazing cheese capsicum dosa s.. mexican toast is its speciality.. n the big idlies bangalore style ones... really great taste..

·        Nigar Sultana Grand sweets Amritham restaurant in Bazullah Road ,T.nagar can be an option to visit as their variety and quality are consistent as far as Chennai tiffins are concerned .

·        Fish fries in Besant Nagar beach r good for non veggies

·        Besant nagar good place for sea food dishes

·        Bread omlet outside alsa mall egmore

·        Momo mear Sathyabama University....

·        Try road side chicken pakoda
·        annamalai road for muruku sandwich, open grill, dabeli, vada pav etc

Sorry guys could not even try one of the places mentioned above as we were 24 of us and getting all to agree was a task . Instead we covered Junior Kuppana , Amethyst , , L'amandier,The Marriot courtyard , some home caterers and to end it all Fish Cove by Taj . Overall we had super duper time - loved every minute of hospitality, found chennai food really reasonsble and wondered how the plush restaurants survived without alcohol the main money spinner - could not understand the liqour policy of chennai . People are very very warm , shopping is the same , temples are gorgeous.

Blogs for each of my Epicurean Adventures are being prepared , keep reading .

Special Thanks to Mohd. Ali of CFG , Shri Guddu Anand Jee , Mr BC Kumar GM Taj , Satish F& B Manager Marriot , Laura Nikhil, Mehtas , Kochhars and Naths .