Wine & dine in Chennai...

Chennai had been quite a gracious host for the two weeks that I spent there. Apart from the fairly good weather though, something that really struck me was the awesome food joints sprinkled all over the city. I've really only now found the time to write a bit about em all, and hopefully my memory's still holding those experiences in near totality.

So here goes...

1. Taj Coromandel

Ambience - Fairly well lit. Well decored interiors. Live Indian music (ie flute, violin n the like) playing. Nice, comfortable seats. High ceilings. In short NIIICE..

Food - Only South Indian (various states), but thoroughly enjoyable. Do try the fried fish starters. The soups can be given a miss though. The prices are ok though.. about 800-1000 per head (without drinks)

Service - A bit on the slower side, but what the heck, its a 5 Star.. enjoy it while it lasts :-P

Company - Generally small corporate groups or families. I spotted Narain Karthikeyan as well. Good place to spend some time with the family or a quiet evening with close friends.

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2. Bella Ciao

Ambience - Rooftop. Perfect for a breezy evening. Setup with largeish tables with mosaic kinda tiles, sposedly to give an Italian feel. Well, thanks to the Italian waitress, everything even remotely Italian, looks Italian :-P

Food - Excellent. Reminded me of Little Italy (which is there in several cities in India). Authentic Italian. Loved every bittuv it.

Service - Can get really slow when its crowded as only one person takes the orders for about a total of 10-12 tables.

Company - Young crowd mostly. Couples. Groups of friends. And a few foreigners.

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3. Mainland China

Ambience - Fairly run-of-the-mill. Dullish. They do also keep candles on the table, but that really doesn't lighten up the atmosphere. Some really cliched music playing in the background.

Food - GOOD QUANTITY. :-) Taste's ok to good. But seriously value for money.

Service - Quick n efficient.

Company - Families. Bored couples wanting to get even more bored.

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4. Sparks (Pub)

Ambience - Low light, with those twinkling stars in the ceiling Good music, DJ et al :-P Perfect to settle down with your drink. PS - The couches are goood.

Food - Complementary popcorns go well with beer. Rest's usual. Some really good mocktails for the teetotallers.

Service - Fairly good. No complaints as such.

Company - For some reason, this place was almost completely empty on a Saturday night, whereas its a pretty darn good pub.

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5. 601 - The Park

Ambience - Nothing special. Well lit. Gives a feeling of being outside, whereas its really well inside.

Food - The buffet's ok. I'd have it just for the desserts though. :-P A la carte's expensive and not all that good.

Service - Shabby. Waiters seem strangely under-trained.

Company - Mostly foreigners. Oldies. CxO ish people, reading books while they eat!

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6. Minar (Savera's rooftop)

Ambience - Again, rooftop. But very dark and the chairs are not quite comfortable.

Food - Good north Indian food. Good quantity but a touch expensive for the kind of place.

Service - Ok. Nothing to write home about.

Company - Pretty much all kindsa people.

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7. Malgudi

Ambience - Similar to the Taj Coromandel, but of course without much the grandeur. A magician walks around showing magic tricks. Interiors seem like a room of a palace that wasn't really done up as much as a room in a palace should be done up.

Food - Pukka South Indian, but again can't resist a comparison with the Taj.. its pretty ordinary.

Service - On the slower side.

Company - Big families. Small families. Not really a place to go n hang out with friends, unless ALL of you are crazy bout South Indian food.

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And that's 'bout it.. went to a few others like Northern Spicey, Opal Inn & Tangerine.. all of which were ok ok. Tangerine has a live band though that played some good music.

So Chennai sprang quite a surprise on me by treating me to some excellent lunches & dinners. But I must not forget the "Meals" & "Mini-Meals" available in most restaurants round the corner. They are the closest that I can get to home food, and to me, still the best food available anywhere outsida home.. :-)