India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) - Keith Bain [275]
Bay View Point SEAFOOD There’s nothing like eating seafood with your feet in the sand, watching a moonrise creating a glittering crease in the swirling velvet black of the ocean. This is one of the most romantic restaurants in India, the best seafood restaurant in/near Chennai, and reason enough to book into the Taj Fisherman’s Cove (or head here for lunch). Seafood, prepared in open-air kitchens, is delicious, and can be as spicy as your taste buds require—ask the chef to hold back, as the delicacy of the seafood can be obscured by a heavy hand with spices.
Covelong Beach, Kanchipuram District. 044/6741-3333. Reservations essential. Main courses Rs 275–Rs 725. AE, DC, MC, V. Daily 12:30-3pm and 7:30pm–midnight.
Krishna @ New Woodlands Hotel SOUTH INDIAN Delicious, unpretentious, and cheap, the Krishna Restaurant at the New Woodlands hotel is a Chennai institution, serving excellent South Indian thalis along with dosas, idli, uthappam, vadas, and so on, to its very loyal locals as well as newcomers to the state. For the latter it’s the perfect introduction to South Indian cuisine, with prices so low you can order a ton of stuff and get to know what it is that you really like. You can eat with your hands (everyone else does) but will be supplied with cutlery, so there’s no pressure. Most of the staff don’t speak English but there is always someone in the dining hall who can explain in halting English some of the ingredients. This is also a good place to sample typical South Indian filter coffee. (Note: The hotel offers very cheap rooms, from Rs 900, but unlike the food, not recommended.)
72-75 Radhakrishnan Salai, Mylapore 044/2811-3111. Main courses Rs 40–Rs 115 AE, DC, MC, V (only for bills above Rs 250). Daily 6am–10:30pm.
Raintree CHETTINAD It was in this atmospheric outdoor restaurant that this unique South Indian cuisine first emerged from the Chettiar family kitchen and into the commercial arena. The rain trees were sadly swept over by a massive storm some years back, but a number of palms still bravely screen off Spencer mall, and the ambience, lit with fairy lights and candles, is very pleasant indeed. Try to book a table in front of the stage, featuring a slick classical dance and music program. Sipping on a wide-brimmed copper goblet of vasantha neer, honey-sweetened coconut water, flavored with mint leaves, you can’t go wrong with crunchy Karuveppilai year, prawns marinated in a spicy curry paste and deep fried, as a starter, along with Urugai idli vathakkal (pickle-filled cocktail idlies) and Kuzhi paniaram (rice and lentil batter tempered with spices and shallow fried on a special griddle). Leave space for mains, of which the kozhi Chettinad, tender boneless chicken in an authentic Chettinad gravy, best had with appams (rice flour pancakes) and Meen kozhumbu (spicy fish curry with shallots, garlic, onion, tamarind pulp, and fresh mango—have this with lemon rice, or soak up with a dosa), will blow you away. Even if you don’t have a sweet tooth, do not leave without trying the elaneer paayasam—tender coconut kernels, coconut milk, and condensed milk—arguably the best dessert in the state.
Taj Connemara, Binny Rd. 044/5500-0000. Reservations essential in winter season. Main courses Rs 275–Rs 525 (Prawns Rs 725). AE, DC, MC, V. Daily 7:30pm–midnight.
CHENNAI AFTER DARK
Unlike Bangalore, Chennai doesn’t have much of a nightlife, thanks to its rather orthodox values, and a police force that keeps a strict eye on official closing time: midnight. The only real options are located within upmarket hotels, making access relatively easy for foreign visitors. If all you want is to have a drink, one of the classiest places to do so is still the Leather Bar ( 044/4267-6000), at The Park hotel on Anna Salai. Afterwards, saunter over to The Park