In a nutshell: Far Better & surely more authentic than most South Indian Vegetarian joints in Gurgaon – quite behind big boys of Chennai like Murugan Idly , Saravana Bhawan & others. Address & other details: Vanakkam Meal for 2: Rs. 150 onwards Cuisine type : Vegetarian Short Description – In case u r in a Hurry: The name of the restaurant reminded me of my … Continue reading Vanakkam (F 8, Qutab Plaza Market, DLF Phase 1, Gurgaon)
In a nutshell – Run by Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC), Anantha Restarant serves some almost authentic & YUMM to super YUMM food. Address & other details: Dilli Haat Meal for 2: Rs. 300 onwards Cuisine type : Vegetarian & nonvegetarian Short Description – In case u r in a Hurry: Like all other stalls in Dilli Haat, one has to sit under the open … Continue reading Kerala food stall, Anantha Restaurant (Dilli Haat, Aurobindo Marg, opp INA market, New Delhi)
In a nutshell – Loved the overall dining experience at Amaranta including the splendid food – contemporary take on traditional food from 9 coastal states of India. Address & other details: Amaranta Meal for 2: Rs. 5000 onwards Cuisine type : Vegetarian & nonvegetarian Short Description – In case u r in a Hurry: Amaranta is an Indian Coastal food specialty restaurant that serves food … Continue reading Amaranta (The Oberoi, 443, Phase 5, Udyog Vihar, Gurgaon)
In a nutshell:
I was told about Raja Café’s impressive Culinary heritage & we liked food that they served – Inspite of a decline from the time it was a ‘Legendary Restaurant’. It is surely not the best in its category in the current day but surely worth a visit.
Meal for 2: Rs. 600 onwards
Cuisine Type: Vegetarian & Nonvegetarian
Short Description – In case u r in a hurry:
I had heard a lot about this place from friends who had visited Khajuraho before – ( 8 – 10 yrs back). As I started chatting with people in Khajuraho, many mentioned the Legend of Raja Café – started by a European couple & used be be a superb place to eat & hang out….in those days. I was also told that it was much better earlier than today.
I was pleasantly surprised as I entered the place. Very nice & casual décor – options to sit outside as well as inside the a/c dining hall. There are two entrance gates on two sides & they r beautifully done. The ‘sit outside’ section has beautiful Garden chairs & the area was dimly lit. The ‘sit inside’ area was brightly lit – good for me coz better lighting means better food snaps. Before coming to this place I thought it wud b plastic chairs & tables like Mediterraneo & other eateries in Khajuraho but it turned out to be pleasantly different.
The staff member who served us was good, quite prompt & served us with a smiling face. He handled our queries (about the menu) well. I wud say that he was as good as one cud get in this part of country.
They had quite a huge menu card – ‘Fresh from our Bakery’ section starts with apple pie, croissants, muffins, lemon tart, Brownie etc. drinks like different kinds of coffee including the likes of cappuccino hazelnut, different kinds of tea, many options of shakes, vegetarian & non vegetarian club sandwiches, the usual list of beverages, Indian, Continental & English breakfast, omelets of diff kind – European & indian, Chinese soups & main course, a huge section of continental – 16 to 18 dishes & a list of North Indian approximate 10 vegetarian & 10 nonvegetarian options. In Tandoori section they had approximately 12 diff tikkas, nans & kababs. Apart from this they offered 4 kinds of south indian dosas. For desserts one cud choose from a long list of pancakes, waffles, banana flambé & banana fritters. They also had Indian Fixed menu & the most interesting named item – ‘European thali’ (grilled mixed veg, pasta with tomato sauce, rice pudding, mashed potato)
The large menu was very balanced menu with almost equal number of vegetarian & nonvegetarian food on offer in each section.
Food was good but not outstanding. Good place to spend some time & eat some good food when in Khajuraho – Food at Mediterraneo was far better.
Detailed Description – In case u have the time to njoy reading:
Continue reading “Raja Cafe (Opposite Entrance, Western Group of Temples, Khajuraho)”
In a nutshell:
I just hope someone opens an eatery in Gurgaon that serves such good food as Madras Coffee House, Khajuraho.
Meal for 2: Rs. 120 onwards
Cuisine Type: Vegetarian
Short Description – In case u r in a hurry:
If u talk location in Khajuraho, nothing can get better than this – situated bang Opposite the Ticket counter of the most popular Western Group of temples. In other words, the place where this restaurant is located is like ‘the Times Square of Khajuraho’.
The owner & his family stay in the same premises – in rooms besides the Dining Hall. I had a brief chat with him post I praised the taste of the food here. He said he came from Southern part of India in the 1950s, briefly ran a shop in Malviya Nagar Delhi & then moved to Khajuraho & has stayed back ever since.
The facade has not been painted quite long & the interiors are also as basic as it can get – but neat & clean.
The traditional food is awesome & I found it better than most Delhi & Gurgaon Restaurants. They also serve fusion food like Cheese Dosa, cheese utthapam etc , which seems to be very popular with the European tourists.
In fact, they also serve non South Indian Food like different kinds of Omelet, scrambled eggs, poached eggs, different kinds of pancakes, porridge, sandwiches, thali, South Indian curries, North Indian curries & even egg Biryani, veg chowmein & egg chowmein!!!!
We stuck to basic South Indian food & it was awesome.
Detailed Description – In case u have the time to njoy readin:
In a nutshell:
Simple interiors, fast service & good South Indian Nonvegetarian food
Meal for 2: Rs. 250 onwards
Cuisine Type: Vegetarian & Nonvegetarian
Short Description – In case u r in a hurry:
The restaurant is located inside Hotel Southern & as the name suggest, this place seemed to be occupied only by people from the Southern states of India. The hustle – bustle of this place is seldom seen in any Hotel in Gurgaon. The restaurant has nice, neat & clean, basic interiors that is surely less spacious as compared to the number of people frequenting this place – resulting in queues. Unlike the excellent managed ‘token number’ based queue at Andhra bhawan, the queue here was managed just about OK. At times it felt that the guy who came in later wud get a seat earlier. Like at Andhra Bhawan, no one here gets a table just to themselves. The table needs to be shared with unknown guests. e.g. if u r 2 of u , u will have to share a table of 4 with another 2 people, if u r 3 people, the 4th seat will b oupied by a stranger….
The service, as I mentioned earlier is fast. The people here were quite knowledgeable & answered almost all queries satisfactorily.
The menu card surely surprised us – we had expected pure South Indian Nonvegetarian but were surprised to find North Indian dishes as well. The menu card looked good & had a collage of food pics at the bottom. We stuck to South Indian food only, as per plan.
The food was good but non of them except the prawn were ‘wow, this is outstanding’. We tried 4 dishes – an Andhra style fish fry, a chicken of the day – chilli chicken kuttu (that is what I think I heard on the third attempt), mutton of the day – Kerala style mutton & a prawns masala.
If u r just nonveg hungry & are already around Central Delhi & do not really care for AC or ambience, Chandni chowk / Ashok & Ashok is a better deal for nonveg food. However, if u want specifically South Indian nonveg, this is a good choice.
Detailed Description – In case u have the time to njoy reading:
Continue reading “Amravathi (18/2, Hotel Southern, Arya Samaj Road, Karol Bagh, New Delhi )”
In a nutshell: Good compared to most Delhi South Indian eateries but falls far short when it comes to comparison with the likes of South Indian Biggies like Saravana Bhawan or Murugan idly. Address & other details: Google Map Meal for 2: Rs. 100 Cuisine Type: Vegetarian Description: He is not just a roadside thelawala – Quite organizd. U buy coupons, pay cash to a … Continue reading New Kanagam Fast food (thela in saket, New Delhi)
Meal for 2: Rs. 20 onwards Description: I was waiting in front of Alipore Post Office – noticed a roadside thela on the footpath. The guy was making dosas & talking to customers in Bangla & Hindi. Suddenly another guy came & they started talking in Tamil………..and that…….increased my interest manifold. So I decided to check out what was on offer (assuming that if the … Continue reading Thela serving South Indian Food outside Alipore Post Office, Kolkata
In a nutshell:
Stood the test of time – excellent south Indian vegetarian food – one of the best I have had in Kolkata so far.
Google Map: Jyoti Vihar
Cuisine Type: Vegetarian
Meal for 2: Rs. 100 onwards
Short Description – In case u r in a hurry:
YUMMRAJ’s favourite South Indian Restaurant is Murugan Idly Chennai. So, any good South Indian restaurant gets compared to Murugan.
If ur usual lunch time is 1.00 in the afternoon, pls plan to reach 20 – 30 minutes before coz that is the waiting time. There is a fruit vendor in front of the restaurant who does good business while u wait, cut in front of u & served. The empty ground floor of the restaurant also serves as a waiting area. I wonder why that empty place is not used for seating people!!!!
The food is very good – dosas, idly, vadas, uthapams etc & very good filter Coffee – I maintain Murugan is still better. But if we do not compare with Murugan, this place is super good. A must try.
Detailed Description – In case u have the time to enjoy reading:
Continue reading “Jyoti Vihar (3A/1, Ho Chi Minh Sarani, Kolkata – near US Consulate)”
In a nutshell: Very good & authentic South Indian Vegetarian fare at prices that r unthinkable in other Metro Cities of India – surely worth a try when ur pocket is not in a good mood. Meal for 2: Rs. 50 onwards Cuisine Type: Vegetarian Description: As u enter this place u realize that the restaurant is just a small 200 sq ft room. A part … Continue reading South Indian Coffee House Restaurant (besides Panna Sweets, Bramho Samaj Road, Behala, Kolkata)
