For the foodies of the world..

Hubby and I have always been great food-lovers. I am a staunch vegetarian while he is not - and this, to many, may seem to be a chasm too wide. But we share the same love for good food, the willingness to experiment and the sheer no-holds-barred indulgence of our taste buds. When we see great food, we forget all new year and any other resolutions made to shape up. Calorie consciousness flies out of the window and we settle down to enjoy the feast with all our senses.

In the first 2 years after we got married, we have had more dinners outside than at home, more out of need than anything else. We both used to work late and by the time we got out, most hotels would be downing their shutters. Some of the lingering memories from those times are of both of us scurrying through the half-downed shutter of Adyar Sangeetha restaurant, with the manager attempting bravely to hide his anguished expression with a wannabe-benevolent smile. During this era, we have scoured most of South Chennai, particularly Adyar and Besant Nagar, in search of good grub. And the results were to be seen - I mean, you just had to take a look at the two of us :-)

Now, the rest of this post is a eulogy to the good eat-outs in Adyar. If you find this is too parochial and silly to be discussed/written about, please feel free to leave now. I have listed a few of our favorite places in no particular order.

Eden, the vegetarian restaurant in Besant Nagar is certainly a place to go, and if you go do not miss the "Corn on Toast" starter. And for those of you who love the taste of cheese (and are capable of developing a temporary amnesia to the fact that too much of cheese clogs the arteries), do try the "Chef's Baked Bowl". The pasta in Eden is also good, although not the greatest.

There is another place in Besant Nagar, nestled in a spot quite close to Eden - This restaurant has had many avatars in the last few years. I don't remember the first avatar, but the second was called "Sage and Onion" which served just-above-average food for much too high costs. The current avatar "Pasta and Noodles" is the best attempt from the management so far - the food is quite good and although the prices continue to be on the higher side, it is certainly worth a visit.

Then there is Wangs Kitchen, that dishes out good, properly Indianized,Chinese fare. I love the sesame fried baby corns that come as starters. For those of you who have not been here, please note that the portions are really huge. So if you think you need 2 dishes, pause, and order 1. You will most probably end up having some left over even from that. And yes, don't forget to thank me in this blog for this tip, which would have saved you a couple of hundred bucks.

When in Sangeetha Adyar, don't forget to check out their "speciality of the day". If you are in a mood for a simple dish or if you are in a hurry,try podi dosai or Special Sambar rice. If you are having breakfast there, do try Pongal-vadai, followed by a nice cup of special coffee. Great way to start off a day! And needless to say, before you enter, you should give up all unholy thoughts about the excess usage of oil, ghee etc before you dig into the food. I recently passed by Sangeetha and saw that they have put a notice claiming to use olive oil for cooking. That's probably an encouragement the more health-conscious lots to give in to the simple temptations they offer.

The famed Murugan idli shop has recently opened up in Besant Nagar. Although we have passed it many times, we have never entered it because of the milling crowds - If there is one place more crowded and noisy than Sangeetha, it is probably Murugan Idli. We have heard enough from friends that suggests that it is something worth crowding for.

Farther from Adyar, en-route to the Chennai airport, is the GRT Radisson Hotel. The best thing about this place is the restaurant called "The Great Kabab Factory". If you are under the impression that "vegetarian kabab" is an oxymoron, try this place. The chef has the tastiest veggie kababs I have ever had. And there is an equally succulent, non-vegetarian option too, that my husband vouches for. And the best part is that you don't have to order and you don't have to worry about what combination tastes best. The waiters will lovingly dole out one kabab after the other, and tell you what sauce they taste best with. The only regret you are bound to have is that your stomach is not elastic enough to take in the whole meal that they offer. Sigh..

Close to Besant Nagar Bus stand, there is the "The Fruit Shop" (also known as "The Fruit Shop on Greams Road" since they started off their first branch there). If you feel like a wholesome, fresh fruit juice or milkshake, this is the place to be. They have heavenly milkshakes and the best part is that you can say from the taste that the ingredients are fresh and there is no adulteration. Their ice creams are good too..
And finally, there is this new place that I went to yesterday, which started this whole trail of food thought.

There is a new hotel on Old Mahabalipuram road, now known as the IT corridor. It is called Fortune Select Palms - funny name for a hotel, I know.. But it seemed quite good from outside and yesterday, two of my colleagues and I decided to give it a try for lunch. We expected something normal and were overwhelmed by the extraordinary quality of food! Right from the cream of mushroom soup, to the walnut cake, every single dish that we had, tasted just as it should. The pasta was heavenly and even the sprouts and salads tasted good.(hee..) This was too good to be true - and so close to work! And the rates were quite reasonable, in fact better than many city hotels that claim to be in the same band. What a discovery!

If you have reached up to this point, you are most probably the kind that drools at the thought of good food. In case you happen to be in Chennai,give these places a try.