What else, other than Masal Dosa??!!??. Review on General Tips on Restaurants

*Why I choose to write on this topic?

*Well, yesterday, my neighbour(who's from bombay) was asking me about the hotels in chennai and the food he can try out there during his official visit next week.

So I started explaining him about it and ended up by handing over an A4 sheet with names of all south indian dishes I could think off and the restraunts where he can try them. At the same time, I thought, it would be useful(may be?!?) to share this info with you guys, so that during your next visit to chennai or any other place in south india you can try out these dishes.

*What to eat?

*Infact, the options are plenty. But one should know which is the appropriate time to pick a dish. So I've categorised them as follows

*Breakfast

*Here the focus is mainly on steamed dishes and dishes with less or no oil, easy to eat in the morning hours.

1. Idly (Contains Rice and Urad Dhall)

Generally a plate of Idly will have 2 pieces, served with coconut and onion/tomato chutneys, sambar and Milagaipodi(chilli powder). Idlys are steamed food, so they are oil free and lite on your stomach. Sambar Idly, Mini sambar idly or Ghee idly  are some of the variants available.

Idlys are always on the top of the southindian menu and available during breakfast time(between 7AM and 10AM) at all Southindian restaraunts. But the best place to eat Idlys are

1. Rathna Cafe(Situated at Pycrofts road in Triplicane or Venkatnarayana Road at TNagar)

   
   




2. Murugan Idly Kadai(Usman Road, T.Nagar)

   
   

I mean, Idly in any of the restaraunt in chennai, is the safest food to eat, but the above two restaurants became famous for their tasty idlys alone.

2. Idiyappam(Made of Rice flour) - A noodle like, soft, white, steamed dish. Absolutely oil free. A typical idiyappam plate will have 3 portions of idiyappam, served with sweet coconut milk and/or Veg. korma. Easy to eat and digest.

1. Pongal: Another very famous and tasty dish, prepared using rice, dhall and ghee, served with sambar and coconut chutney. A plate  will have two scoops of  Pongal.

Pongal will make a very filling meal and might make you feel drowsy:-). So better avoid it when you have very important/boring meetings during the morning session. Its a good idea to eat pongal(with Vada) if the gap between the breakfast and the lunch will be long.

1. Vada: Made from Urad Dhall, deep fried in oil(well I know its not a oil free, but can't avoid mentioning here), is generally eaten with a plate of idly or pongal. Idly vada and pongal vada are very famous combinations.

   
   




2. Kichadi: Its a very famous dish from Karnataka, made of Rava(Suji) and vegetables, served with chutney and sambar. The best place in chennai to eat kichadi is MTR Restaurant at Usman Road T.Nagar or Datta Udupi hotel(at TNagar, Valasaravakkam)

   
   

6.Kozha puttu: Is a famous kerala dish, served with kadala curry(Chana), is made from rice and shredded coconut. Steamed food, very filling and easy and tasty to eat.

1. Aappam: A Dosa look alike, but soft and fluffy when compared. Served with coconut milk or veg. korma. A very famous chettinad dish.

*Lunch

1. Saappadu(Veg), meaning "Meals" - A traditional south indian sappadu, is served on a banana leaf(the narrow part of the leaf should be placed on the left hand side), consist of Sadam( Steamed Rice), Paruppu(Dhall), Sambar, Rasam, Koottu(veg. gravy), poriyal(stir fried veg), Keerai(Greens).appalam(papad), pachadi(raitha), Thayir(curd), Payasam(kheer) and Urugai(pickle) or More Milagai(fried chili). The rice to be mixed and eaten, first with Paruppu+ Sambar, and then with Rasam and finally with Thayir. While ordering for the meals, you can choose either Puzhungal Arisi(boiled rice) or Pachharisi(raw rice). The difference is that, the boiled rice is short and stout and slightly brown in color. The raw rice is thin, long and  whitish in color. Personally, I prefer to eat Raw Rice with the south indian meals.

Best place to eat a good south indian thali, is

1.In one of the numerous branches of Hotel Saravana Bhavan

2.Any of Apoorva Sangeetha's branches

3.Hotel Palimar(At Nungambakkam High Road)

1. Sappadu(Non-Veg), A non-veg meal is served much in the same way, but instead of regular Sambar, its served with Meen Kozhambu(Fish Gravy) and/or Kozhi Kozhambu(Chicken gravy) .

Best place to eat

1. Anjappar(Nungambakkam)

1. Arasappar(Nandanam and other branches)

   
   




2. Usilampatti(Besant Nagar and other branches)

   
   




3. Velu military hotel(Nungambakkam)

   
   




4. Veg/Egg/Chicken/Mutton/Fish/Prawn Briyani(ya, ya, I know its not a typical southie food.but still): In canse you dont like to eat heavy "Sappadu", better choose one of the briyani varieties. For me the Anjappar's(at Nungambakkam ) egg briyani is the personal favourite. The taste always remain the same, and next choice is Hydrebad Briyani Corner at Pantheon Road.

   
   




5. Andhra Meals: Is very simillar to the regular "Sappadu", but very spicy and served with extra items like Pappulu podi(Dhall Powder), Kongura chutney etc. Additionally, you can order for omlette and/or chicken fry to be served with the meals. Its better to eat andhra meals only at exclusive andhra meals outlet like the one in Pondy bazar(TNagar)

   
   

*Evening Snacks:

*1. Onion/Plantain Bajjis

1. Sambar Vadai

   
   




2. Masal Vadai

   
   

4. Veg Bonda

1. Milagai Bajji(prepared with a larger variety of green chilly), a very famous snack, a must eat if you visit the famous marina beech in chennai. Its a very spicy snak too. So keep a bottle of water or fruit juice handy.

*Dinner

*Generally idlys are not available in many hotels during dinner time, so I start with

1. Dosa:

Other than Regular and masal dosas there are several varieties available, like

1.Paper roast Dosa(Warning: A very big sized dosa will be served)

1. Butter or Ghee Roast Dosa(Warning: A very big sized dosa will be served)

   
   




2. Mysore Masala Dosa

   
   




3. Onion Doas

   
   




4. Rava Dosa

   
   




5. Rava Masal Dosa

   
   




6. Podi Dosa

   
   




7. Set Dosa with Vada Curry

   
   




8. Ilan Dosa(a chettinad variety) etc, etc. So you can try out one by one.

   
   




9. Pesarattu: Very famous dish from andhra, looks like a dosa, but gives a different texture and taste.

   
   




10. Adai Avial: Another very tasty dosa look alike dish, made of dhall, served with spicy Avial(combination of vegetables and buttermilk and spices)

    
    

4, Uthappam: Dinner time is the best time to try out the varities in Uthappam, like mixed veg uthappam, onion uthappam, tomato uthappam, 5 taste mini uthapam etc. Served with sambar and chutneys.

1. Fried Idly: Regular idlys are cut into smaller pieces and deep fried with onion and other vegetables, served with Onion raitha. Its a very spicy and oily dish.

   
   




2. Kotthu Parotta: Shredded, fried pieces of Paratha's, with oninons, egg and/or chicken, served with onion raitha.

   
   




3. Chettinad Idly:Also known as "Kushboo Idly"  or "Malligappu idly", a different version of regular idly. Its soft, fluffy and bigger than the normal idly, served with Veg. korma and chutneys.