Chennai Food Guide

on 31 Aug, 2013

aruna narayanan

I was very thirsty and all I wanted was a thirst quenching Indian drink!!! (read no coke, pepsi, fanta types) I rarely visit Egmore, and every time I am in that area, I just find an excuse to drop in to Ajnabi ;) Ajnabi brings me back memories from school days, when I used to pester my sister to take me there. My sister used to travel to Egmore daily, as she studied in Ethiraj. Her favorite past time would be to rave about, then Milkyway, Ajnabi and irritate me. Her inclination to take me to these places were inversely proportional to how much she liked them. So visiting Ajnabi used to be like a "forbidden fruit" for me, in those days. Coming back to the present, as we parked our vehicle in Fountain Plaza, Ajnabi looked, still the same from outside. But when we entered, the whole place was revamped. I last visited Ajnabi, a few months ago and it has changed so much. The owners have renovated the place. It is completely air conditioned, squarely designed space. Dining at one side, chat corner at one, ready to go snacks at one and the billing counter at the other side; with lots of space to walk in between. Must say, good job with the renovation. Since I was thirsty(yes, that's why I came here in the first place), on seeing many children carry masala cola, I ordered that ;) It looked very thirst quenching :P Then we ordered for a Paneer roll, dabeli aloo and took home one of their chips packets. The paneer roll - 1 long piece for 40 bucks, din't give us a good impression in the first bite. But from the second bite, it was bang on. I just didn't want it to get over. Crisp on the outside, with balance spiced paneer mixture in the inside, it was delicious as you ate it. The more you ate, the more you wanted it. The dabeli aloo, was very tasty. It was nothing like the authentic gujarati dabelis, but its a winner in its own way. A good replacement for the dabeli or vada pav starved chennai crowd. The masala cola was absolutely fabulous. It was very chill, tangy, spicy all at the same time. The chips packet I bought, was not all that good. It was dried up and not crisp. Ahh,who cares as long as you can go there and eat their chat. :) I paid just 110 for all this. Food - 3.5/5 Service - Self service Ambiance - 3/5 VFM - 4/5

on 31 Aug, 2013
aruna narayanan
I was very thirsty and all I wanted was a thirst quenching Indian drink!!! (read no coke, pepsi, fanta types) I rarely visit Egmore, and every time I am in that area, I just find an excuse to drop in to Ajnabi ;) Ajnabi brings me back memories from school days, when I used to pester my sister to take me there. My sister used to travel to Egmore daily, as she studied in Ethiraj. Her favorite past time would be to rave about, then Milkyway, Ajnabi and irritate me. Her inclination to take me to these places were inversely proportional to how much she liked them. So visiting Ajnabi used to be like a "forbidden fruit" for me, in those days. Coming back to the present, as we parked our vehicle in Fountain Plaza, Ajnabi looked, still the same from outside. But when we entered, the whole place was revamped. I last visited Ajnabi, a few months ago and it has changed so much. The owners have renovated the place. It is completely air conditioned, squarely designed space. Dining at one side, chat corner at one, ready to go snacks at one and the billing counter at the other side; with lots of space to walk in between. Must say, good job with the renovation. Since I was thirsty(yes, that's why I came here in the first place), on seeing many children carry masala cola, I ordered that ;) It looked very thirst quenching :P Then we ordered for a Paneer roll, dabeli aloo and took home one of their chips packets. The paneer roll - 1 long piece for 40 bucks, din't give us a good impression in the first bite. But from the second bite, it was bang on. I just didn't want it to get over. Crisp on the outside, with balance spiced paneer mixture in the inside, it was delicious as you ate it. The more you ate, the more you wanted it. The dabeli aloo, was very tasty. It was nothing like the authentic gujarati dabelis, but its a winner in its own way. A good replacement for the dabeli or vada pav starved chennai crowd. The masala cola was absolutely fabulous. It was very chill, tangy, spicy all at the same time. The chips packet I bought, was not all that good. It was dried up and not crisp. Ahh,who cares as long as you can go there and eat their chat. :) I paid just 110 for all this. Food - 3.5/5 Service - Self service Ambiance - 3/5 VFM - 4/5
on 27 Aug, 2013
Aarti Krishnakumar
I have been going here since the day is discovered Fountain plaza. The small chaat shop hasnt changed much over the years, except for the staff who work here. I love their Bhel puri the best and also the falooda, lassi and the range of ready to eat items. I have picked up packets of thepla more than once, and it has helped me get through a long tiring day. The owner knows me quite well, to a point where when I walk in now he knows that i will order a bhel.. Mom and sis also enjoy this place, infact everytime I visit, i invariably do a doggy bag for the house. :-) The best part is the guys will tailor make the dishes for you- if you dont want onions, dhania or want more spice and so on. It is served in a potlam made with newspaper lined with glass paper, that is how simple the place is. They also offer a range of soft drinks, falooda topped with nuts and a wide range of products such as masalas and khakdas as well. everyday evening if you head here, you will see how popular it is based on the crowd you see here. I used to be a major fan of the garlic pickle, used to buy a packet for my cousin in Blore as well.. :-))

Ajnabi Mithai