A Guide: Eating out in Chennai

navin_bhp · 24th April 2009, 00:00

Hotel Quality - near park sherton TTK road.(open till 12 AM)
I like the butter naan and "Chicken in rosterd chilli paste" (starter) here. Their Special chicken biriyani is also very good.

Twilight Takeout (No dine in, open from 7 PM to 7AM)
The mouth watering Golden Fried prawns and chettinad chicken gravy is awesome here. You would like their Mutton biriyani and kheema sandwich too.

The RainForest - Adayar
Nice Ambience, The forest environment and the sound of waterfall is excellent. I liked their pepper chicken. Not costly and defenitely worth a try. Kids will love the place.

redrage · 24th April 2009, 00:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by navin_bhp

Twilight Takeout (No dine in, open from 7 PM to 7AM)
The mouth watering Golden Fried prawns and chettinad chicken gravy is awesome here. You would like their Mutton biriyani and kheema sandwich too.

Now wheres this place?

nitrous · 24th April 2009, 00:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2themax

Where's this ? Any good Italiano in south chennai ? Not Bella Ciao pls.

Eatalica near Loyola college on college road comes highly recommended.
It aint south chennai though.

navin_bhp · 24th April 2009, 04:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by redrage

Now wheres this place?

No.1 Park Side Street, Lake Area, Nungambakkam (near tennis court)

Fountainheader · 24th April 2009, 13:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by nitrous

Eatalica near Loyola college on college road comes highly recommended.
It aint south chennai though.

There is one Eatalica at RA Puram too. Near Sangeetha.

esteem_lover · 24th April 2009, 14:09

Seashell in Anna Nagar. We ordered food from here during a T-BHP meet & the tandoori fare was just great. I have never had such juicy tandoori before in my life.

Mission_Safari · 24th April 2009, 15:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

Seashell in Anna Nagar. We ordered food from here during a T-BHP meet & the tandoori fare was just great. I have never had such juicy tandoori before in my life.

Hey John,

Talk about coincidence. One of my friends at work bought us some juicy tandooris from seashell (greams road) today. They were so delicious and the best i ever had. Anyone living in and around anna nagar or greams road should try this if you haven't tried it yet.

neoranjit · 24th April 2009, 18:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fountainheader

There is one Eatalica at RA Puram too. Near Sangeetha.

what impresses a lot of people is their creative menu card

supremeBaleno · 28th April 2009, 17:22

The restaurant name itself is pretty creative - a play on Italy and America to suggest the cuisine on offer there. Had been to the one on Sterling Road long time ago and remember it as being good.

ikoneer · 11th September 2009, 12:00

Where can i order good mughal or hyderabad briyani for small family functions (say 15-20 numbers). I once ordered thru a caterer in Anna nagar and did not like the taste much, dont' remember the caterer name. Hotels become a costly affair and taste's also average.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fountainheader

There is one Eatalica at RA Puram too. Near Sangeetha.

I just loved the chicken nuggets and Finger Fish here. In fact felt it much fresh and tasty than McD's. Their Pasta's are also worth eating.

bblost · 25th September 2009, 18:55

The RainForest - Adayar
Nice Ambience, The forest environment and the sound of waterfall is excellent. I liked their pepper chicken. Not costly and defenitely worth a try. Kids will love the place.[/quote]

Had dinner with my family.
Nice place.
Very crowded. Had to wait almost 45 minutes. Feel sorry for the residents in that apartment complex.
The decor is different and the lighting way too low.

The grilled fish was served with a cashew garnish.
The fish tasted very good but the garnish messed it up for me.
It was accompanied with garlic butter rice and pasta salad. Both were nice.

The non-veg gravies were ok. The Tandoori chicken and mixed nonveg platter was good.
But being a Hyderabadi now, I found them mediocre at best.

This restaurant can run well in Chennai. Even have a big crowd waiting outside. But has no chance of surviving in Hyderabad. The meats were not marinated well and felt bland.

However everyone except me liked the food.
I could tolerate the Roti's and the chicken fried rice only.

Did not bother with desert.

hellstar · 25th September 2009, 19:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mission_Safari

Hey John,

Talk about coincidence. One of my friends at work bought us some juicy tandooris from seashell (greams road) today. They were so delicious and the best i ever had. Anyone living in and around anna nagar or greams road should try this if you haven't tried it yet.

you should sometime chck out the arabic fare at Sea shell , this is directly opposite to the HCL office in Greams road , parking there is a pain though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bblost

The RainForest - Adayar
Nice Ambience, The forest environment and the sound of waterfall is excellent. I liked their pepper chicken. Not costly and defenitely worth a try. Kids will love the place.

the rainforest is grossly overrated , most people may not even go there if their kids were not so interested in the place.

yzfrj · 25th September 2009, 20:05

Mainland China
Srinivas Towers,
Toyota Building, Cenotaph road, (Near Apollo Cancer Institute)
Teynampet, Chennai – 600 018.

Went here as part of the team lunch. (18 members)

Ambiance is ok, as we had a bunch of (around 35-40) aunties sitting very close to our table having lunch so the noise level was anything but quiet.

Overall service is not really that good.

Orders were well coordinated and well executed from our end.
However once it was placed to Mainland China guys they brought the starters before the soup was served.

Veg and Non-Veg guys were sitting at different end of the table and this fact was specifically mentioned to the Mainland China guys.

But they don't really care and place veg and non-veg items as they deemed fit.

Time considering the crowd at the hotel was reasonable.
But 40-45 mins for an item is a bit too much.

Price of items is from around 170-550.
Portions are really huge and so the price is ok.

Taste is pretty good and some veg items are excellent and so are the non-veg or so I was told. Anyway next day my tummy was fine so I'd say food is really good.

Mainland China guys does't really have a clue what item is what.

Parking you car is a problem, but the hotel have people standing by to help and they do a pretty good job parking the car for you.

Food : 3/5
Service : 1/5
Ambiance : 2/5 (Not really lives upto the name Mainland China)

Overall : 2/5 (Visit it once)

EDIT :

This was the drink suggested by the Mainland China guys.
He told if I did't like it he will change it.

Name : Blue Lagoon

A Guide: Eating out in Chennai-dsc02062.jpg

As it happened I did't like it and was changed to some other stuff that was ok.

slipstream · 26th September 2009, 13:55

Hmmm...here are a few places that havent been listed here as yet

N.V food : 1. Kebabish on Arcot Road, Kodambakkam (just before Meenakshi College and after the Reebok/Adidas showrooms, on your left when u're proceeding from Vadapalani to Kodambakkam bridge) serves some mouth watering Biryani and Tandoori stuff at very nominal prices. However, theres very little place inside for dining and is an ideal take away joint.

2. Velu Military Hotel, Valluvar Kottam High Road (take left from Nungambakkam High Road towards Valluvar Kottam, 4th shop on your left) Go there hungry and you'll not come back dissappointed

Veg Food : Bombay Halwa House in Price Towers (Opp.Abirami Mega Mall). Lovely North Indian Veg food at reasonable prices and good ambience as well. Be prepared to wait for at least half-an-hour during peak dining hours for seats.

Aangan : Behind Citi Centre, on the narrow lane leading to the bike part entrance. Great veg food, clean interiors, nice price.

bblost · 26th September 2009, 15:09

Went to Sea Shells yesterday. But did not enter as we were in the mood for something with a nice ambiance and stuff. Sea Shells does look like the food is great but we were not in that frame of mind.

Instead went to Opal Inn in the Hotel Ranjith complex on NH Road.
Fantastic. The place has lived up to my expectation. Had been there a long time back.

The four of us ordered:
3 Mocktails.
Deviled prawns.
Chicken Canalone
Mediterranean Salad.
Kheema Roti.

While waiting for the food to be served, also got some complimentary roasted papads.

Bill came to 1100 including taxes.

Very very good food.
The prawns were fresh and its sauce was very good.
The Chicken dish was minced chicken in crepes. Excellent.
Kheema roti was soft and well made.
The salad dressing was very nice.

24th April 2009, 00:00	#166
navin_bhp BHPian Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Redmond, WA Posts: 157 Thanked: 35 Times View My Garage	Hotel Quality - near park sherton TTK road.(open till 12 AM) I like the butter naan and "Chicken in rosterd chilli paste" (starter) here. Their Special chicken biriyani is also very good. Twilight Takeout (No dine in, open from 7 PM to 7AM) The mouth watering Golden Fried prawns and chettinad chicken gravy is awesome here. You would like their Mutton biriyani and kheema sandwich too. The RainForest - Adayar Nice Ambience, The forest environment and the sound of waterfall is excellent. I liked their pepper chicken. Not costly and defenitely worth a try. Kids will love the place.
	() Thanks

24th April 2009, 14:09	#171
esteem_lover Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Madras/Py Posts: 7,556 Thanked: 502 Times View My Garage	Seashell in Anna Nagar. We ordered food from here during a T-BHP meet & the tandoori fare was just great. I have never had such juicy tandoori before in my life.
	() Thanks

28th April 2009, 17:22	#174
supremeBaleno Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Chennai / Kochi Posts: 5,546 Thanked: 2,698 Times View My Garage	The restaurant name itself is pretty creative - a play on Italy and America to suggest the cuisine on offer there. Had been to the one on Sterling Road long time ago and remember it as being good.
	() Thanks

25th September 2009, 18:55	#176
bblost Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 11,008 Thanked: 15,324 Times View My Garage	The RainForest - Adayar Nice Ambience, The forest environment and the sound of waterfall is excellent. I liked their pepper chicken. Not costly and defenitely worth a try. Kids will love the place.[/quote] Had dinner with my family. Nice place. Very crowded. Had to wait almost 45 minutes. Feel sorry for the residents in that apartment complex. The decor is different and the lighting way too low. The grilled fish was served with a cashew garnish. The fish tasted very good but the garnish messed it up for me. It was accompanied with garlic butter rice and pasta salad. Both were nice. The non-veg gravies were ok. The Tandoori chicken and mixed nonveg platter was good. But being a Hyderabadi now, I found them mediocre at best. This restaurant can run well in Chennai. Even have a big crowd waiting outside. But has no chance of surviving in Hyderabad. The meats were not marinated well and felt bland. However everyone except me liked the food. I could tolerate the Roti's and the chicken fried rice only. Did not bother with desert.
	() Thanks

25th September 2009, 20:05	#178
yzfrj BHPian Join Date: May 2008 Location: who cares Posts: 787 Thanked: 142 Times	Mainland China Srinivas Towers, Toyota Building, Cenotaph road, (Near Apollo Cancer Institute) Teynampet, Chennai – 600 018. Went here as part of the team lunch. (18 members) Ambiance is ok, as we had a bunch of (around 35-40) aunties sitting very close to our table having lunch so the noise level was anything but quiet. Overall service is not really that good. Orders were well coordinated and well executed from our end. However once it was placed to Mainland China guys they brought the starters before the soup was served. Veg and Non-Veg guys were sitting at different end of the table and this fact was specifically mentioned to the Mainland China guys. But they don't really care and place veg and non-veg items as they deemed fit. Time considering the crowd at the hotel was reasonable. But 40-45 mins for an item is a bit too much. Price of items is from around 170-550. Portions are really huge and so the price is ok. Taste is pretty good and some veg items are excellent and so are the non-veg or so I was told. Anyway next day my tummy was fine so I'd say food is really good. Mainland China guys does't really have a clue what item is what. Parking you car is a problem, but the hotel have people standing by to help and they do a pretty good job parking the car for you. Food : 3/5 Service : 1/5 Ambiance : 2/5 (Not really lives upto the name Mainland China) Overall : 2/5 (Visit it once) EDIT : This was the drink suggested by the Mainland China guys. He told if I did't like it he will change it. Name : Blue Lagoon As it happened I did't like it and was changed to some other stuff that was ok. Last edited by yzfrj : 25th September 2009 at 20:12.
	() Thanks

26th September 2009, 13:55	#179
slipstream BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 149 Thanked: 17 Times	Hmmm...here are a few places that havent been listed here as yet N.V food : 1. Kebabish on Arcot Road, Kodambakkam (just before Meenakshi College and after the Reebok/Adidas showrooms, on your left when u're proceeding from Vadapalani to Kodambakkam bridge) serves some mouth watering Biryani and Tandoori stuff at very nominal prices. However, theres very little place inside for dining and is an ideal take away joint. 2. Velu Military Hotel, Valluvar Kottam High Road (take left from Nungambakkam High Road towards Valluvar Kottam, 4th shop on your left) Go there hungry and you'll not come back dissappointed Veg Food : Bombay Halwa House in Price Towers (Opp.Abirami Mega Mall). Lovely North Indian Veg food at reasonable prices and good ambience as well. Be prepared to wait for at least half-an-hour during peak dining hours for seats. Aangan : Behind Citi Centre, on the narrow lane leading to the bike part entrance. Great veg food, clean interiors, nice price.
	() Thanks

26th September 2009, 15:09	#180
bblost Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 11,008 Thanked: 15,324 Times View My Garage	Went to Sea Shells yesterday. But did not enter as we were in the mood for something with a nice ambiance and stuff. Sea Shells does look like the food is great but we were not in that frame of mind. Instead went to Opal Inn in the Hotel Ranjith complex on NH Road. Fantastic. The place has lived up to my expectation. Had been there a long time back. The four of us ordered: 3 Mocktails. Deviled prawns. Chicken Canalone Mediterranean Salad. Kheema Roti. While waiting for the food to be served, also got some complimentary roasted papads. Bill came to 1100 including taxes. Very very good food. The prawns were fresh and its sauce was very good. The Chicken dish was minced chicken in crepes. Excellent. Kheema roti was soft and well made. The salad dressing was very nice.
	() Thanks