Top 10 must-eats in Chennai

Ok, so i love food. And i love Madras. And in just 21 days, i will be homeward bound! I am starting a new series of blogposts, to celebrate the delicious torture of the next 21 days - the waiting, the anticipation, the nervousness and excitement! Its going to be about all the things i want to do when i'm home.

Madras is a gourmand's delight, and here is a list of my personal favorites -

10) Keerai vadai and paneer tikka at Alumni Boat club - best enjoyed in the open air, with the smell of the adyar river wafting around you!

9) Idiyappam and sambar vadai at Dasa Dosa - This is a really classy restaurant, opposite LIC

8) Badam milk at Ambikas appalam depot (and their fiery peanuts to take home) - How do they make it that thick? Ofcourse, best enjoyed after shopping for some leo coffee and bangles at the road side shops near the tank

7) Vegetable pulao at Baahar - I dont know if this restaurant still exists (its opposite the music academy) , and i really hope it does for the sake of their wonderful mint flavored pulao

6) Gobi manchurian and veg fried rice at Saravana bhavan - Its kinda oily, but a truly great celebration of indo-chinese cuisine

5) Fourteen idlis and finger chips at Saravana bhavan - I've eaten fries everywhere in the US, but nothing comes close to Saravana's giant spicy chips

4) Bhel puri from Ajnabis (and some north indian pickle to take home) - This joint is a favorite to many north indians in Madras. Tucked away in a tiny corner, the tastes are truly authentic

3) Channa samosa at Gangothri - Their pani puri stand is too crowded, and the fragrant channa samosa is more enjoyable

2) Kaara kozhambu at Sangeetha - This comes with their thali meal. I dont have the right words, you have to taste this to believe how good chettinad cuisine can be

1) Phulkas and aloo mattar at the Bombay halwa house with a side of hot jalebi and samosas with green chutney - We used to trek all the way to their old location in mount road and were heart broken when they shut it down. And then, miracles do happen. They opened a new branch in luz., and it is almost as good as the old one (and they have also reopened a branch in mount road). Not many Chennai-vaasis know about the Bombay halwa house, but the aforementioned dishes are truly amazing. The phulkas are big and light as air, the aloo mattar is spiced in the most subtle and flavorful manner possible.