Today morning I had vada at Veena stores in Malleswaram. It was to say the least as always heavenly. Their karabath and idly are good too but my favourite is the ubiquitous south indian vada. that taste is unparalled.Crisp on the outside and soft on the inside it melts in your mouth. Even home doesnt come a close second and not even when the vada is made in the grinding stone or the kalloral.i have lived in three cities the past three years and all three are a south indian gourmand’s delight. Chennai,Bangalore and Mangalore-Surathkal.Over the years I have come to have my own favourite places. Though i dont look the part, i love food when delicious. I am the kind who will walk a mile to eat vada in one place and idly in another place for the taste. Here are a few places worth going to grab a bite or just reminiscing those glorious days when they did exist.
The adyar bakeries are everywhere in Chennai like their Iyengar counterparts in Bangalore but one such adyar bakery made the best bun butter jam i have tasted.Even now most of these bakeries make good stuff; far better than the Mcrenetts anyday. While on bakeries there is one next to psbb tproad called choice bakery.An all time PSBB favourite it makes the best pizzas i have had in Chennai. Full of cheese and floating on sauce they come cheap and hot.And the small samosas and chole batturas in that tproad canteen always hold a special place.Then come the idlies and dosas and Murugan Idly kadai makes them best. Saravana Bhavan with its sambar and chutney comes a close second.The best butter masala however goes to Kamath hotel in Udupi.
I love chaats and generally try out pani puris in most shops in a locality however I am not the kind who swears by the roadside paanipuri wala.If you are in chennai have chaats in Gangotree .try their paani puri and dahi puri. they are the best i have hadtill date. The best bhelpuris i have had is from chitchat in pondy bazaar. their noodles are also the best.I do however swearby the roadside bhelpuri wala and preferthat to anyother.Sai Ram chats in bangalore did not impress me much.There is one small van which makes chineese foods by the road behind barista at 8th main and 18th cross street in malleshwaram. Their mixed noodles and spanish(act spinach) manchurian are the best. The best gobi manchurin however comes from IISC s kabini canteen at 12 rupees a plate.I dont like mangalore food much. it has too much sweet with some wierd dishes like mango curries,cashew pallya and buns.However while in the city try cheese naan at amazon in empire mall foodcourt. it puts mosts pizzas to shame. Chinese at Moti mahal and sandwiches at Crumbs. My favourite place is though Bittu’s with the best panner pepper fry i have tasted coming from there.
i must however round this piece off with desserts. Here goes ; chocolate trouffle at sweetcharriot, death by chocolate at corner house,sweets at brijwasi’s in chennai ,blackforest and kulfi at the Taj and if you ever get the chance wheat halwa from irrutu kadai in tirunelvelli.
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