Chennai and Pondicherry?

[el jefe]

I'll be traveling through much of South India in March. I'm most interested in recs in both Chennai and Pondicherry, although I'll gladly accept recs for anywhere else in south India. And I'm not interested in 5-star hotels or western food. I tried the search function but came up with few results that were less than 3 years old.
TIA.

[oniontears]

Hey there,

I'm going to cover Chennai since I know it better and feel that finding out good places to eat in Pondi will be more manageable.

I'm covering a range of cuisines, but I'll focus on South Indian since I'm sure that's what you will want to taste.

Classic Chennai:

Saravana Bhavan.
Yes a chain, but a reliable one that serves up the usuals quite well like vada, idly, appam, dosa. For something different try the kaima idly (deep fried bits of idly tossed in a tomato onion sauce and served with raita). I also personally love their onion rava dosas, tasty chutneys and filter coffee. My favorite branch is the non-air con RK Salai . They have a few air conditioned locations like near the Mylapore temple and Peters Road.

Murugan Idly Shop
My favorite for an idly fix. Their ghee dosa is perfectly crispy, their idly is amazing, their chutneys are my favorite, and their onion uttapam is almost perfect! Their filter coffee is transcendental. I crave this place regularly. The GN Chetty Road location is the best, Besant Nagar beach a close second.

Ratna Cafe
Excellent idlies drowned in sambar. Located on the hectic Triplicane High Road.

Mylai Karpagamal Mess
Classic joint, food is decent, especially the spinach vadai. More of an institution than anything else. On East Mada Road behind the Kapaleeshwar temple. Very Mylapore.

New Woodlands Hotel
Thali. Period. I'm not a thali freak, but these are standard, popular with locals and cheap. Also a Chennai classic. Don't confuse this with Woodlands Drive In near Gemini Flyover, but check that place out too because a legion of famous Tamil writers have spent endless days there sipping filter coffee and penning masterpieces. RK Salai.

Seafood

Something's Fishy
Great selection of fish and seafood dishes. They often have locally sourced yellow fin tuna and shockers like skate wing. The stuffed squid appetizer is great. Wonderful preparations and great value. A bit of a hidden gem. On Mount Road, near the American Embassy on the roof of the shady looking Hotel Chennai (I think that's the name!).

Above Sea Level
Rooftop dining, higher end, in a 4 star hotel. The roof is lovely and the seafood always fresh. Jumbo prawns are excellent as is the grilled fish of the day. Their kababs are also highly recommended. Full bar. Raintree Hotel, St Mary's Road, RA Puram.

Fisherman's Fare
Excellent value meals, like the tandoori seafood combo (tandoori prawns, fish tikka, fish tikka masala, naan, rice and drink) with rice that looks bland but is packed with flavor. Their squid fry is also excellent. Egmore.

Malayali (Kerala)

You might not want to tread here if you are also planning on eating your way through Kerala, but...

Kalpaka
A bit of a hole in the wall, but all the standard faves prepared well and cheap! Flaky parottas, excellent Syrian beef fry, and wow Mallu biryani. My Malayali friends call this home. TTK Road next to Music Academy.

Kumarakom
Another excellent choice for Kerala food. Lunchtime meals are great. Be sure to tack on some fish or prawn fry and one of their curries. The live singer singing Hindi songs is a bit disconcerting. Kodambakkam High Road, off of Nungambakkam High Road.

Ente Keralam
More upmarket but absolutely stunning interiors yet still affordable. They have interesting options like a duck preparation. Excellent choice for a lovely meal. Off of Kasturi Rangan Road, Alwarpet.

Other standards

Dakshin
Yes this is 5 star, but for an introduction to the South Indian thali it can't be beat! Superb service, awesome chutneys and generally good dishes are what you can expect. Park Sheraton.

Hotel Ranjith
On the roof of this 3 star hotel, they serve up cold beer in copper mugs and solid tandoor. The mixed meat tandoori platter is great as is the deep fried malabari baby corn. Nothing amazing, just solid. Hotel Ranjith, Nungambakkam High Road.

Minar
On the roof (I sense a theme here) of another 4 star hotel. Also good tandoor, also cold beer. I'm hooked on the chicken legs stuffed with mutton and keema rice (for two). The pan South Indian restaurant downstairs is also very good, especially for starters and their stuffed brinjal. The name is escaping me. Savera Hotel.

Snacks

Gangotri
Great chaat, even better selection. Cathedral Road.

Sridi Quick Bites
Biggest, best, and cheapest stuffed parathas. 20 or 30 Rs. of piping hot paratha. I love their accompanying chole, which is not the usual oily masala mess, but bathed in a light tomato gravy. Wash it down with fresh lime juice. A sliver of a place popular with the college kids. Cathedral Road, in Prince Plaza.

Pani puri outside of Bosotto Brothers on Nungambakkam High Road. OK, maybe not a destination spot, but if you see it, stop and have the best pani puri in Chennai.

Neivedya
Excellent chaat, sweets and very fresh snacks. My absolute favorite lunch meal is served here. Usually a North Indian style lunch with the best curd rice. Finish it off with an Indian sweet and grab a bag of their battered peanuts to go. CP Ramaswamy Road, across from Carnival restaurant, Alwarpet.

Annapurna
Bengali food! Apparently just like homemade. The menu is limited to a few favorites, but ask if they have prawns. Fish paturi (steamed in a banana leaf with mustard paste) is always a winner, mutton or chicken kasha has an unbelievably flavored gravy. Tack these on to their set meal with rice, dal and vegetarian sides. Cheap, totally authentic, but a pretty dingy place if you can stomach that. Have a paan outside after your meal. Patheon Road, Egmore, just past the Police Commissioners Office.

Non-Indian, but non-western in case you need a break

Benjarong
Great, almost totally authentic Thai food in a free standing bungalow. A constant favorite. Moderately priced. Their tom kha is some of the best I have ever had. TTK Road.

InSeoul
Thanks to the nearby Hyundai factory, there are two very authentic Korean restaurants complete with Korean men drinking soju, smoking Esses and getting red faced! This is my favorite. Even the kim chee is up to par. TTK Road, above the big grocery store which I think they renamed .more, used to be Trinethra.

Cedars
Mediterranean food served in a stylish bungalow. Totally affordable and just lovely. Their brunch is extensive and an excellent value. Chicken shwarma of course, piping hot puffed pitas, and try their cardamom maple tea! Kotturpuram Main Road

[el jefe]

Hey Onioneaters,
This was an incredible response and was very useful. I should have thanked you sooner but by waiting til now it means that doing a search for info on Chennai, this thread will come up as current within the last year.
Thanks again for a thorough and outstanding post
el jefe

[klyeoh]

I'd second Murugan Idli Shop. It's expanded quite a bit since your last post, and one no longer needs to endure the half hour wait for a table. Homepage link:

http://www.muruganidlishop.com/defaul...

[krish3377]

Hey! that is awesome! I'd like to suggest this site www.FindNearYou.com where you can find Hotels according to your affordability. Welcome and enjoy! Hope i ve been helpful!