Happy Bday Chennai..

Chennai celebrates its 369th birthday today *claps* *claps*... On this very day, August 22nd 1639,British administratore Francis Day is reported to have recieved the grant for privileges in Medraspatam, the then Chennai. It was official granted that day and the rest as they say is history.

I for one person is born and brought up in Chennai and I'm totally in love with this place. Be it shopping in T.Nagar/Spencers/Citi Center , The Saravana Bhavans that i'm always faithful to thou' how many ever eateries come by, The Beach, ECR and ofcourse Anna nagar(which was once a quiet residential place is now buzzling with activities) and Kilpauk where I spent all my child hood. In connection with the Madras/Chennai Day celebrations a lot of events and competitions have been planned including heritage walks and nature walks , quiz competitions and a lot more. For more details you can check out the Madras Day site here

It is my love for Chennai that I started to blog about it. I know I'm not being all that regular. But, starting on Chennai's 369th bday I'm planning to write a weekly column called 'The food Factor' on every Friday starting next week in which I will be sharing my experiences in the various eatries in and around the city.

For the foodie in you after dusk

There were numerous times when I have felt hungry late night say after midnight or so and all that i could find was some snacks at home.. How I wish I had those yummy Tandoori dishes or Noodles or burgers and what not all from the comfort of my home.. Ya, I'm one lazy goose. But, now my prayers have been answered.

Twilight takeout is the newly opened take away restaurant in Chennai, whose timings are 7pm - 7am. Yup, its in namma Chennai. Aptly located at Nungambakam. They also home deliver to places within 3km radius. Yummy pocket friendly food is just a call away. You can place your orders by dialing 43081222 / 43081333.

Haven't tried the place yet, but it looks like a wonderful place to check out. And a wonderful business idea as well. As Chennai is only in its early stages when it comes to Night life and the city has a lot more way to go.

You can check out the menu here.


Addres: No.1 Park Side Street, Lake Area, Nungambakkam, Chennai - 34

Phone: 43081222 / 43081333

The Indian Premier league

A lot has been happening in Chennai lately and so is it with me.. Sorry for the lame excuse, I will take all efforts i can to post regularly at this blog space..

The much hyped Indian premier league has started and the storm is to hit Chennai on 23rd April.. To catch the action at M.A Chidambaram stadium at Chepauk grab your tickets right away if there is any remaining. The first match is between Chennai super kings and Mumbai Indians . The company behind Chennai super kings is India Cements and the brand ambassadors include actors Vijay and Nayanthara .

Im sure the match is gonna be power packed as well as entertaining with a number of kollywood stars to be present at the stadium cheering for their team .. If your free unlike me :( be sure not to miss the action..

Watch this space for more updates !

Oxford book store

When one wants to get any book, the first thing that will hit any Chennaites (including me) thought would be Landmark. But here is a book store with a difference when compared to other book stores in the city. If you want to enjoy a lazy sunday after noon with a book and tea in a cozy place (hold your breath...) in the heart of Chennai city .. yes, you read it right. There is one such place called Oxford book store situated at the Apeejay House in Haddows Road.

The place is not very crowded usually , there are also a few couches and chairs all over the bookstore, where you can take time to browse through the books. Apart from books they also see stationary and gift items . They have some wonderful collection of books which under normal conditions we might not be able to spot in other book stores . The interiors of the store is trendy and cozy , but mind your steps as there are a couple of places where there is a staircase leading to the basement without an indication , if your too engrossed into seeing all the books around ,you might miss a step or two and land in the basement automatically (like I did) :D

They also have a cafe area in the first floor called the Cha Bar , this place narrates the entire story of tea . If you want to find some wonderful books on travel, Hospitality, places and those kinda stuff . OBS is the place to be , well this is my personal opinion as I had experiences of spending hours together serching for books on Hospitality in many other book stores and could hardly find any pertaining to my interest. So, if you love books and have some time in hand head to Oxford book store for a relaxing and a refreshing experience.

This is there website .

Pitstop - Restaurant review

Last weekend I was out with my family to catch up Kannamoochi yenada movie at Mayajaal .. On the way back we stopped at Pitstop ( a family restaurant is what they call it , but its more like a hang out kinda place .. more like Marrybrown , Pizza corner and its likes) ..

The variety of food they serve is good ranging from Pizzas, burgers , salads to noodles, coleslaw et all.. They also have a variety of ice creams and milk shakes to choose from . The restaurant has an F1 theme and the ambience is good for a restaurant in its category .. It's jus' that the AC did not work that well when I visited one sunday afternoon.. May be the temperature was too hot.. The service of the people has over shadowed the food .. The people are really warm thou' a little bit of improvisation can be done when it comes to the food.

The place also has a party area to hold bday parties with a play area for kids and a conference area with provision for projection . Overall it was a good experience with the warmth of their service topping the other factors .. Pitstop was started a couple of months back , it is an unit of Parveen travels. This restaurant is situated in the famous ECR before the toll gate when your on your way to Mahabalipuram from the Chennai city .. If your on your way to ECR and wondering where to stop for a quick break/snack.. Pitstop is an ideal place.

A rush of Adrenaline...

This adventure sports and the first thing that comes to my mind is Bungee jumping.. Though I have not tried it out till now, I surely will someday...

Here is a piece of info I came across which would help adventure lovers like me ...

I putting up a few links here from where you can find bungee jumping spots in Chennai and other cities in India as well..

www.maps-india.com/adventure/bungeejumping.htm
www.fettke.com/bungee
http://www.bungeezone.com/
www.comeconnect.com/sports/adven_sports9.htm
www.bestonhealth.com/travel/india/adventure/adven_travel.asp?id=45

Dining with a difference

The Woodlands Drive-in in Cathedral road is one such place where dining is a whole new experience. This place has got a lot of greenery (thou' not properly maintained) that too in the centre of the city. I was here last weekend,on the way back from our second round of Diwali shopping.

This restaurant turns out to be a very nice place for snacking in the evenings especially when your with a group of friends or family members . There are more than one options on how you can dine here
It can be either

1.In your car
2.Under the banyan trees
3.Inside the restaurant

We opted to do it under the banyan tree and it turned out to be a whole new experience from the usual waiting for seats in one of those regular crowded restaurants.I enjoyed every bit of it ... The food here tastes real yummy .
The cost works out to be very very economical compared to other places in the city.. Its a pure vegetarian restaurant ..

Thou' the place is not very clean,its not all that bad either.. The food is served in the car park area for those not dining inside the restaurant.. This is one place in Chennai where you come across all kinds of people.. I got to see a few Mercedes Benz also .. This is a lot surprising to me is cause this is not a very classy place,but truly a very beutiful place to have your meal with the flora and fauna around.. Ya, you get to see a few crows , dogs here and there.. typical of Chennai rite? :)