In 1962, during the Indo-China war, power cuts were a frequent phenomenon in Madras. The city would be plunged into darkness and trains would come to a grinding halt on the tracks and remain there for hours. They would finally draw into the station, with hundreds of exhausted and hungry passengers, hours past schedule, and sometimes, during the late hours of the night. It was during this time that Mathsya, then called Udipi Home, decided to leave its doors open post-midnight, to serve the rudimentary idlis, dosas, juices and hot beverages to this hungry populace.
Cut to today, the profile and demographic of those who experience post-midnight hunger pangs and the array of options available to indulge their cravings have changed, and how! There’s Twilight in Nungambakkam for sandwiches, Shaack in Anna Nagar for Pan-Asian options, Food Out in Thiruvanmiyur for kothu parotta, Midnight Express in Alwarpet for hot keema dosas, Mr. Hongs in Kottivakkam for seafood and tens of other options, spread across the city, offering the sort of cuisine one wants, well into the wee hours of the morning. Apart from these, there are also star hotel coffee shops and midnight buffets, and nameless roadside stalls that operate all night. The hungry, needless to say, are spoilt for choice.
Some places — Twilight, Foody Call, Midnight Express, Dawn and Dusk — are open exclusively during the graveyard shift. But others, like Moonlight, Le Diner, Mr. Hong’s and Aasife Biryani, are regular day restaurants which have chosen to keep their kitchens open after hours to tap into a growing market. “In this area, there aren’t many places that offer Continental and Pan-Asian cuisine at night. So we deliver to Anna Nagar, Mogappair and Ambattur till 4 a.m.,” says Deepak William, owner, Shaack. The restaurant, also famous for desserts, particularly a creamy tender coconut soufflé, doesn’t draw as many orders as others in Nungambakkam on week nights, but the weekends, says Deepak, are brimming with orders.
Aasife Biryani has been in business since 1999, but the decision to stay open came about four years ago, when they realised that there weren’t enough places to eat late at night, even though there were enough people who wanted to. “On the weekend night shift, we have about 15 people working the call centres, and apart from that, people also order through the app,” says Japa Ghosh, marketing consultant, Aasife Biryani. Just late night deliveries, he says, account for 30 per cent of total deliveries.
Midnight Express, which is open exclusively at night, offers dine-in, car service, take away and home delivery. “Even on slow days like Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, we have at least 30-50 people coming in,” says Mahesh Kumar, general manager, Amaravati group.
This trend, obviously, has been around for years. And now, with many new places mushrooming in the city, it is only growing. The recently-opened Cream Stone, for example, keeps its doors open till 1 a.m. with select offerings, including a cup of steaming hot chocolate. And should anyone call before midnight to place an order for their signature cold stone creations, those, too, are whipped up for the customers in advance. Jack and Jill, in Anna Nagar, operates along the same lines, only they serve fast food and tandoor.
Biryani seems to be a hot favourite amongst the late-night customers, followed by sandwiches, rolls and tandoori food. “People prefer chilli cheese toast, bread peas masala, aloo paratha and pav baaji. These dishes are available throughout the day, but their demand goes up 10 times post-midnight,” says Ram Bhatt, owner, Mathsya.
Movie-goers, merrymakers, students burning the midnight oil, people working into the wee hours of the morning, someone craving a drive and perhaps, a dosa to go with it… the customer base of these places is growing and changing. “Even a decade ago, the crowd that got out to grab a bite were typically bachelors and people who worked into the night, like journalists and advertising professionals. Now, things have changed; we get a good mix of families, groups of women, travellers and revellers coming in,” says Ram, adding, “On a Saturday night, we easily have 300 customers.” While the majority of these places are open only for takeaway and delivery, the number of orders that pour in, they say, keeps them on their toes till shutters down. “Even though the last order is placed at 2.45 a.m., delivery boys are flying across the city — from Vysarpadi to Porur and from ECR to Anna Nagar — till 3.30 a.m.,” says Japa.
What's out there
Twilight – take away and delivery
Specialites: Sandwiches, biryani
Time: 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Address: 1, Park Side Street, Lake Area, Nungambakkam
Call: 43081222
Dawn and Dusk – take away and delivery
Specialities: Biryani, sandwich, pizza
Time: 7 pm to 6 am
Address: Khader Nawaz Khan Road, Nungambakkam
Call: 9943937878, 9786655845
Foody Call – take away and delivery
Specialites: Chilly beef, tandoori chicken, fuket fish
Address: 2nd Street, Rutland Gate, Nungambakkam
Time: 7 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Call: 9688577022
Moonlight – dine in, take away, delivery
Specialities: Biryani, fried rice
Address: 1/7, Gopalakrishna Street, Pondy Bazaar, T. Nagar
Time: 11 a.m. to 5 a.m.
Call: 43506660
Le Diner - Take away and delivery
Specialities: Tandoori and Biryani
Address: 45, South West Boag Road, T. Nagar
Time: Till 4 am
Call: 9025245245
Mr. Hong’s Chinese restaurant - Only take away and delivery
Specialites: Fish, prawn and squid
Address: 3/155, 1st Main Road, Venkatesapuram, Kottivakkam
Till: 1 am
Call: 8807777766
Burger Point - dine-in, take away, delivery
Specialities: burgers, sandwiches, pizza
Address: Rohini Complex, Lakshman Nagar, Kandanchavadi
Time: Noon till 4 a.m.
Call: 97899 69695
