Madras cuisine is essentially vegetarian and the food is extraordinarily cheap. The staple diet is the tray of assorted vegetables and spices, often served with a dollop of rice, called thalis or ‘meals’; also the folded pancake filled with spiced vegetables called masala dose. Both are cheap (around Rs5) and although it takes a while to get used to them, extremely nourishing. There’s also the famous south Indian coffee, generally served in two beakers. The idea here is to ‘cool’ the scalding brew by pouring it back and forth between the two utensils from increasingly high elevations until it’s fit to drink.Losing half of it down your lap is an appalling loss of face, and very painful.Since thalis and dosas may be all you’ll find elsewhere in Tamil Nadu, it’s worth eating as well (and as much) as you can in Madras. The Rs335 buffet lunches at the Taj Coromandel’s Pavilion coffee-shop (32.30-3 pm daily) are ideal for budget travellers; arrive early, to be sure of a seat. For authentic chettinad south Indian cuisine (very hot and pungent, but it wakes up the jaded palate), try the Connemara’s Raintree restaurant.It’s an open-air establishment, set in ‘sylvan surroundings’, where a meal will cost upward of Rs200 per head and local people love it. Slightly out of town, the Oberoi’s Trident has a fine Indian and stylish Chinese restaurants.A final upmarket option is Chola Sheraton’s Peshawri—the only restaurant in the city serving meaty North-west Frontier food: a last repast of tasty tikkas, tandooris, birianis or marinated meats before you plunge into the vegetarian heartland. Peshawri is open 32.30-3 pm, 7.30 pm-midnight, and meals cost from Rs200 per head.Cheaper ‘quality ‘ fare is available at Spencer Fiesta restaurant (tel 830053). Local rich Indians come here to savour baked beans on toast and chilled glasses of filtered water. Westerners turn up for Indian/continental food, milk shakes and ice-cream I and to sit in the shade! They often move on to Dasaprakash ice-cream parlour, 300 Poonamallee High Rd, which is open until after midnight.Of the many restaurants in Mount Rd, the adjoining Delhi Durbar and Sri Krishna Vilas (patronised respectively by Westerners and local Indians) are among the best places for cheap, reliable south Indian, continental and Chinese food. The former has a roof garden.
The latter is famous for ‘ vegetarian cooking. Also worth a visit is the Agra near TTDC tourist office, another popular local eaterie, specialising in inexpensive south Indian food. Chung-King Chinese Restaurant, 67 Mount Rd (tel 840534), is good for chicken, chips, springs rolls, for under Rs50 per head. The nearby Southern Chinese Restaurant at Whites Road junction is of similar quality.
Up in Triplicane, there are a couple of interesting eating places near to Broadlands Lodge. Best is Hotel New Maharaja, 307 Triplicane High Rd (opposite Star Cinema), with a cool air-conditioned lounge and perhaps the cheapest and best vegetarian food in Madras. Ask for the ‘limited meal’ (served lunchtime only, and not on the menu), which is actually unlimited and costs less than Rs50 . The Maharaja also offers good tandooris, ice-cream and Indian sweets.
