Aadhirai - Shining South Indian!

Aadhirai is a new restaurant which has cropped up in a quaint location off Nungambakkam constructed out of a olden day vintage property. The first thing that strikes you is that it infuses the homely feel evidently. The handicrafts and wood work largely give it a very regional as well as authentic feel. The cuisine is largely South Indian and predominantly bordering into Chettinadu.

We were here on a weekend afternoon to soak in some of their special offerings. We started our foray with a delightful thirst quencher in the form of a Panagam Granita. The icy instincts didn't condense the taste one bit and this sweet traditional drink was as delicious as ever with the ice essence just adding an extra twist to this ever popular summer special. I had portions of the drink all through the meal and it acted as the perfect beverage.

On the soup side, the Malli Rasam soup was delightful. It had a subtle hint of flavours which worked very well. In the starter section, we were served a yam loaded nachos. To be frank I'm not a fan of Yam but this was done up in a renewed manner with salsa sauce and cream in the form of a nachos. It was bang on crispy and turned out to be a great opener. The karuvepillai panneer was simply sterling. This one was tossed and diced up in this traditional leafy powder and the essence it brought out was sensationally slithering.The Gobi ghee roast was again quite an eye turner. The pieces of cauliflower were cooked in ghee and a chilli based masala and were served on thin coin like pieces of paratha thatched with a touch of honey to slightly lower down the spice content. If you're a spice lover you'll love this and more so some of their special offerings loaded with abundance of chillies and spices. The Vazhapoo Vadai was one more starter which we tried. This was however more of the usual stuff and the paruppu flavour out did the vazha poo. Nevertheless it was crispy and bitesome.

In the main course we tried paratha with a well made up panneer peas combo gravy. Apart from this we had a crack at the trademark pulliyodhare which they served us tied in a green leaf potalam. The aroma and smear of this Puliyodhara is something I tell you. It was simply a delight to just feel the flavours hitting on you as it's slitheringly opened up from the green leaf enclosing. The Thogaiyil just enhances the taste. Seldom have I sampled a lovely version of this temple delicacy served in any restaurant.

The ending was in the form of a bucketful of desserts served in malayali style Nair wala tea glasses. 6 slurpy mousy desserts that simply butterly dutifully induces the instincts to dig in
1) Pomegranate Payasam
2) Coconut Souffle
3) Falooda
4) Kubani Ka Meetha
5) Black Forest Akkarivadasal
6) Karupatti Panacotta
Each of these not only looked appealing but had a lissom lusture to it and riveting in taste and texture. Such toothsome delights in small portions were indeed the perfect meal-ender enabling our sweet tongues to punch in pure excitement.

The service was quick with the items reaching our tables at regular intervals. The staff were very courteous explaining each dish in detail and also helping us with our orders. I must also mention the vadam which they serve with 4 different side dishes which complements so well namely a tomato thokku, mirapakaya pachadi (green chilli infused), Avakai Mayo and a garlic dip. From a holistic picture, if you're looking for exquisite south Indian cuisine done in traditional style yet throwing up innovations but not compromising on the taste, you should certainly check out Aadhirai for a rich home grown South Indian meal.

A foodie's Guide on Novelty Tea House!

This is the first and oldest Novelty Tea House outlet having a rich history associated with it. They began operations in this small by lane of Sowcarpet way back in 1958 and have well and truly served delightful food over the years for more than a golden jubilee.

I was here in Sowcarpet for some dry fruit shopping and then for lunch decided to check in this place. Instantly I ordered the Pav Bhaji which was jaw droppingly riveting. This is an evergreen item on their attic and provide a whole layer of bhaji to go with your bhaji. It was a lovely masala mix submerged by a dollop of butter and it was such a joy consuming the softish bread buns with this juicy gravy.

Other than this, I ordered one of their recommended items Pure Ghee Aloo Tikki. This was done up really well with the tikkis being very crispy and smudged over with oodles of curd. The presence of curd didn't hinder the crispiness and it proved to be very tasty.

Ended the meal by ordering a cheese molagapodi onion dosa. This was again jaw dropping. The mix of the cheese and red powder with onions for that extra zest worked wonderfully well. To be frank the chutney and sambhar were just an add on and you could very well have the dosa standalone.

The prices are pretty reasonable and the service is quick. It may not be the most cleanest place around but if you're willing to get down and dirty with great food, Novelty should certainly tickle the taste tongues. Not often do I get a chance to come by this neck of the woods and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed the fare on offer.

Old Review of Closed Mylapore Outlet - July 2014
Before even entering the restaurant , you are greeted with a Graffiti board in front of their gourmet store stating "Serving with Love since 1958". The brand Novelty Tea House i believe has been in existence for a good 50 + years catering to the needs of the localites in Mint Street , Sowcarpet and Purasalwalkam and the one opened in RK Salai , Mylapore is a new branch of theirs to perhaps target a bigger presence in the upmarket of Chennai.

For those not aware of their history from the name of the restaurant , you might be tricked into thinking that this place is a beverage place serving some mediterranean snacks or something along those lines. But in reality it is an authentic Indian Veg restaurant whipping up some delightful Indian food which will leave your tongues craving big time.

The restaurant is located in the same place which used to house Kabul before and the ambience is pretty decent albeit not great. Somehow you instantly get a Northie feel and flavour by looking at the waiters , crowd which predominantly seem to be comprising of Jains , Marwadi's etc and the brownish Dhabba kind of setting adorning the restaurant.

The menu was an intriguing mixture containing a wide variety of items to choose from North Indian , South Indian and Chaat. We started off our journey by ordering Papad Churri and one of their signature starters Palak Cheese Rolls. The former comprised of small broken pieces of Papad tossed up with the rightful masala ingredients to give a nice crispy feel to the mouth. It set the ball rolling and our tongues wagging. The latter was a bunch of small brownish breaded rolls stuffed inside with a creamy paste mixed of spinach and cheese and it was jaw dropping. It was something new that i had tasted and only wished they had served a special kind of cheese sauce to make the lusciousness a bit more invigorating.

We also tasted their Bhel puri which was large in quantity spruced up with all the requisite toppings to appetize the taste buds and the Cheese Masala Pav Bhaji was totally a winner where the Pav was laced with a tinge of masala coating and the Bhaji was decorated with a layer of cheese floating over signalling the enticement :). Also tried their Dosas which were thumbs up - the Cheese Molagapodi Dosa was simply put absolutely brilliant and the way the Masala , Podi and melted cheese were diced upon made it totally alluring and their Novelty special Dosa which was embellished with Green chutney and Masala Aloo on the one side and spicy red podi , onions etc on the other was a thumbs up. The Dosa's standalone were exceptional no doubt but they could do with some amelioration on the Chutney and Sambar which i found to be pretty watery and bland. Polished off dinner with Badam Kesar milk shake which was the perfect fillip to end to the meal. Loved the yellowish drink and the assortment of dry fruits inside the drink made it rivetting.

The rates seem to bit on the higher side but you feel justified since most of what you are served seem to fit the bill atleast on the mouth :). The decor is decent but it isn't a place where you can enjoy a quite meal as its very noisy. The serving of the food was pretty quick but we had to call and there seemed to be confusions as to who was taking the order. The minor quibbles apart , there are a lot of positives which far outweighs the negatives. Wish to dine here more often to taste some of their North Indian stuff and also the Lunchathon concept buffet where you get to choose what you want from about 50 items on the card. All in all , another fine Veg Restaurant to satisfy the always craving Chennaiites appetite.