As MetroPlus Melange turns one on April 18, we take a break from all things luxe and hit the streets in search of food that brings us joy

Over the last year, we’ve worked on redefining your weekend reading, putting together a product that’s both informative and entertaining. Granted, the main focus has been luxury. (But then, we can all do with a little dash of luxe in our lives.) Which is why — after many meetings, arguments and multiple changes — we finally decided to concentrate on the most expensive experiences Chennai has to offer. Then, we changed our minds. Again. After all, all of you already know about the best spas, restaurants and getaways: We tell you every week.

This time, for an issue that’s extra special, our entire team headed out to hunt down the city’s culinary secrets. And here they are: tiny, earnest, basic little places run by passionate people who routinely feed hoards of customers every day with a smile.

Bajji parcel

Getting a plate of freshly-fried bajjis as a snack to eat on Marina beach? You amateur! While the bhajji ‘stations’ by the sea, with their spitting flames and fragrant scents, are undeniably alluring, the food is fairly lacklustre. Instead, pop into the tiny Mak ‘n’ Bajji shop at Nalla Thambi Street in Triplicane, just 10 minutes away from Marina and get a parcel ‘to go.’

Wrapped in the powerful aroma of Kumbakonam filter coffee, this enterprise runs from what looks like the living room of its founders, M.A. Kaliesraj and K. Selvarani. The couple makes special keera vadais, potato bondas and samosa here. But their most popular snack is the bajji, which explains why they sell about 600 a day.

Open from 3.30 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Bajjis: Rs. 10 each.

Address: Old No. 30, New No. 58, Nalla Thambi Street, Triplicane

Tel: 97908 78377

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Home-style from Madurai

Charming. And not just because of the kitsch décor, chatty owner and inexplicable Mickey Mouse spoons. In the heart of crowded T. Nagar, this no-frills restaurant draws everyone from harried office-goers on a budget, to five-star chefs thanks to its straight-forward, home-style cooking. The menu offers all the usual pop-Chettinad food, from fish fry to mutton sukka fry. There are also a plethora of ‘Chinese’ options from mutton fried rice to prawn noodles. Spices are subtle, flavours are balanced and oil is restrained. Try the sukka, served in a thick gravy generously flavoured with small onions, garlic and coriander. Or the liver fry, which is dark and meaty. However, the best item is undoubtedly the mutton kola urundai, meticulously formed spheres of fine mince, padded with grainy chana dal, boasting a crisp caramelised onion-studded exterior.

Address: Madurai Arulanandam is at 94/1, Usman Road, T. Nagar.

Meal: Approximately Rs. 250 per head

Tel: 2431 5223

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Chicken 65, plus 25

Sure you know all about Chicken 65, reportedly invented at Buharis in Chennai. If you’re a trivia geek, you probably know all the theories that support this claim as well. The team from Buharis list the most popular ones. That the marinade for the dish originally took 65 days to prepare. That the chicken was served by being cut into 65 pieces. That it contains 65 chilli peppers. And the most imaginative — that it was made from 65- day-old chickens. There are more popular, and probable, theories on this juicy, delectable deep-fried chicken as well. One claims that it was the 65th item on the Buharis’ menu, the other that it requires 65 ingredients. The truth, as always, is far more prosaic. Apparently the dish was introduced at the restaurant in 1965. But here’s our secret insider tip. Don’t order it.

Over the years, the restaurant introduced three more styles of chicken. Chicken 78, 82 and 90. We recommend Chicken 90. It’s also deep fried, and additionally — is boneless, with a deep red masala and crispy corners.

Address: 83, Anna Salai, Mount Road, Triplicane

Tel: 4202 8892

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Follow your nose

You can smell the ghee from a distance. That’s how we locate this street vendor with a rockstar status. The owner, a man in a white shirt and veshti, stands there overlooking the proceedings as his second-in-command takes orders and quickly dishes them out. Stacks of lacha parathas, stringy white idiyappams and chubby idlis occupy most of the cart. But the winners of the popularity contest are the gleaming channa parathas and the ghee podi dosas. The channa is neatly wrapped and you can’t really tell what’s inside till you break through the soft layers of paratha. It’s served with a watery kurma, but tastes delicious without any accompaniments. The most popular item, here, however is undoubtedly the crisp dosa. Made fresh and handed over to customers within minutes, each is slathered with a fiery red podi, and generous sprinkling of ghee. This stall has been around for about 30 years, and we can see why.

Open from 4 p.m. - 11.30 p.m.

Rs. 30 each.

Address: Kannadasan Street, T. Nagar (Opposite Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam)

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An ideal idli

The bland idli gets a makeover here. It also moves from its size zero avatar to a much bigger size. All this at Vaishnavaa’s Bangalore Special, the tiny joint with a massive queue. They specialise in thattu idli, and you get one idli per plate — soaked in flaming, rusty red podi and ghee.

Open from 2 p.m. to midnight.

Address: 4/9, Ormes Road, (Near Paramount Hotel) Kilpauk

Rs. 30 per plate

Tel: 98402 98419

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Dip dip dip

Jalebis are heavenly... so is rabri. Imagine what a treat it is when you combine the two. At Chat On Chaat they have cleverly done just that. The yellow sticky, crunchy jalebi dunked in a bowl of thick white rabri is perfect for those with a sweet tooth. It also conveniently saves you the hassle of deciding which of the two to pick from the menu. The restaurant also features suji pani puri and dal kachori.

Open from 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Address: First Floor, Ispahani Centre, Nungambakkam High Road

Rs. 67 per plate

Tel: 2833 3900

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Chettinad special

While kuzhi paniyaram is standard fare at sabhas during Margazhi season, the good news is that you now have easy access to it, depending on how you travel to T. Nagar. Here’s a hint: take the bus. On Usman Road, take a turn into Venkatesan Street where you’ll spot a small thattukadai that serves paniyarams, roughly the size of tennis balls, in two flavours. The spicy paniyaram, fried to a golden-brown crisp on the outside, is soft and pillowy on the inside. It’s paired with white coconut chutney dotted with flecks of green chillies and tangy tomato chutney. Meanwhile, the sweet paniyaram’s taste is accentuated with caramelised jaggery, sugar and small pieces of coconut. A plate of two for evening tiffin is enough to keep you going till dinner. Or, it can be dinner if you want to keep it light. We meet people who have come all the way from Chingleput to sample these delicacies, so what are you waiting for?

Address: Venkatesan Street, Usman Road, T Nagar

A plate of four is Rs. 50.

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Triangle delights

First things first. This 40-year-old stall is not associated with the legendary Karpagambal Mess in any way, or so owner Munnusamy assures curious customers. Sri Karpagambal Kapali Sweet Stall is instead known for its outstanding onion samosas, which are tiny, crisp and run out by 4 p.m. Munnusamy says that they make two batches a day: “One that’s available from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. and another from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.; both get sold out within minutes.” While the deep-fried casing is delicious, it’s the caramelised onions that give these samosas their tantalising savoury-sweet flavour. Customers who don’t make it in time for samosas usually settle for mint pakodas. Loyalists even order one kg takeaways of both for train journeys.

Address: Mathala Narayanan Street, opposite Jain temple, Mylapore

Rs. 20 for 100 gm of samosas and Rs. 28 for 100 gm of mint pakodas

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King kulfi

The kulfi, it is said, travelled with the Mughals to India sometime during the 17th Century. Its recipe also finds a mention in the Ain-i-Akbari (a document recording the administration of Emperor Akbar). Prepared in the royal kitchens, sweetened milk (sometimes condensed milk) is continuously stirred over low heat, flavoured with spices and frozen in moulds. Tewary’s, opened in 1982, does exactly that. Of course it offers a range of flavours as well, including strawberry and banana. The recipes are all R.K. Tewary’s, the man behind the brand and his kesar kulfi is one of their most popular flavours. The matka kesar is creamy and delicately flavoured with saffron. It is perhaps the best way to beat the heat.

Address: 7, Corporation Market building, Lake Area, opposite the Tennis Stadium, Nungambakkam

Prices start at Rs. 20.

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Not just samosas

Most foodie insiders know about Bombay Lassi, even though this out-of-the-way shop is nestled behind Devi Theatre, thank to its deliciously flaky samosas. And if the name has you puzzled, it’s because they do have on their menu an amazing lassi. For over 40 years, they have served up numerous glasses of this thick and creamy concoction to patrons who travel long distances just for this. Even with a dollop of malai on top, it’s not overly sweet. The jalebi is another revelation: characteristically bright orange, it’s tart, crisp and dripping with sugar syrup. There’s no place to sit, and hardly any place to park, but no matter what the time of day, it is always packed.

Address: 7, Barber Agan Street, Ellis Road, behind Devi Theatre

Rs. 10 for 50 gm jalebi, Rs. 22 for one glass of lassi

Tel: 2851 0364

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Taste of Tibet

There’s a wonky, easy-to-miss board that says ‘Kailash kitchen, Taste of Tibet’ on Choolaimedu High Road. Enter and you’ll see about 20 people waiting their turn to be seated. Further in, in the dining area lined with bamboos and colourful prayer flags, are another 20 waiting to be served. The room accommodates just four tables, but customers cram in, even using the counter to place their bowl of steamy thukpa or plates of spicy shapta. Try the beef mothuk — a peppery broth with soft noodles, meat and momos or sample the blast of flavour and spice offered by the chicken chowmein. Order the juicy, steamed momos or deep-fried ones with crispy, golden-brown edges. Started over seven years ago by Rincsen Tashi and Lovsang, the haunt is all the rage among college students, who are willing to wait a minimum of half-an-hour, just to get their fix of Tibetan fare.

Open from 12.30 p.m. to 7.30 p.m., though most items on the menu sell out well before 4 p.m.

Address: 2/247, Perinbavilas Complex, Choolaimedu.

A meal for two is approximately Rs. 250. Take-away available.

Tel: 98402 61399

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Comforting puttu

“Ennadhu sevappa?” a passer-by stops at Ismail’s aluminium tray that holds a mass of tiny ruby-like granules. He straightens himself and answers “puttu”. Ismail ladles some aside, sprinkles on it a handful of scraped coconut and sugar, scoops the puttu into a plastic packet and holds it out to her. The 52-year-old has been selling puttu made of kavuni arisi or black rice under the North Usman Flyover for over 10 years. What makes this puttu special is its simple flavour — the gentle blend of soft black rice cooked just right with crunchy coconut and sugar is comforting. Ismail prices a packet at Rs. 10; he sells two kilos of puttu a day. “I soak the rice overnight and boil it the next morning,” he says. He arrives at his spot by the flyover from his home at Ennore at 1.30 p.m. every day and catches the 9.45 p.m. train back home. “Its hard work,” says Ismail. “I have to keep scraping coconuts all afternoon; I cannot afford to rest.” “My family loves it,” he grins. “We eat it every morning.” Ismail has raised his five children on the puttu. “I once saw a lady in a suburban train selling puttu and decided do the same,” he says. Who taught him to make it? “Varumai,” he smiles sadly — poverty.

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An affair to remember

“Sit, sit,” orders Lakshmi. Her customer, a young girl, obeys. Lakshmi doesn’t like to keep her customers standing. There’s nothing much at her stall but a few plastic chairs; but her hospitality more than makes up for it. She has been selling tiffin in front of Ramakrishna Mission Sarada Vidyalaya in T-Nagar for 10 years now. But her specialty is simple: sweet and kara paniyarams. Lakshmi makes them from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m — head there at 5 p.m. if you want to taste them at their best. For, her iron pan will be sizzling hot by then, rendering the edges of the paniyarams crispy. If you have 10 minutes to spare, watch her at work. She sets the pan to heat and drizzles oil onto it. She scoops rice batter, embellished with cut onions and coriander leaves, into the hollows and waits for a minute or two till one side is cooked. She turns them over with a skewer and waits till the other side is browned. Once done, she transfers four of the white circles, that look like gold-tinged snowballs, onto a plate along with a spicy, watery coconut chutney.

The secret behind the success of her delicious paniyarams? Her love affair with food.

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No one can eat just one

A lot of people associate Elliot’s beach with fried fish. But at the far end of the row of stalls selling fish, molaga and cauliflower bajjis, is ‘Annai Fish Fry,’ which serves addictive fried prawns. Kokila, who runs the stall, is from nearby Odai Kuppam. She prides herself with a secret masala that she stores in a plastic box. Fried prawns are available at most of the food stalls at Bessie, but Kokila’s is among the best, mostly because you can eat these fresh off the tawa. The marinated prawns are displayed at the front and are shallow-fried (you can also ask her to deep fry them) once you place your order. Kokila seasons each plate with chopped onions that add a crunch to the dish. Remember to keep a glass of water within reach — the prawns are fiery and you can’t stop with one plate.

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A crunchy sandwich

If somebody traces the origins of Murku Sandwich in the city, the search is likely to lead them to Links in Purasaiwalkam. This tiny outlet, opposite Dharmaprakash is always crowded with customers from across the city, especially for these sandwiches. Harshad A. Sheth claims he created this dish to utilise excess murukus. He spread the murukus on a plate, generously garnished them with typical sandwich ingredients. Then, he placed another layer of muruku on top. ‘Why not eat it like a sandwich’, he thought and that’s how it started. This unique dish is now a part of almost every chaat outlet’s menu.

There is no proof to the claim but the regulars, who have been coming here for 18 years, say that they had it here first. They have been several modifications to the dish since then and now his cheese muruku sandwich is a hot-selling product.

Address: Raja Annamalai Road, Purasaiwalkam (Opposite Dharmaprakash)

Tel: 2532 3390

(With inputs from Shonali Muthalaly, Apoorva Sripathi, Priyadarshini Paitandy, Akila Kannadasan, Susanna Myrtle Lazarus, Raveena Joseph and Vipasha Sinha)