It’s easy to think you know everything there is to know about Besant Nagar. For most people, the locality is all about spending sun drenched days by the beach, walking along quiet, shaded lanes, grabbing a bite to eat along the seaside and driving down Eliot’s promenade. But there are secrets that this quirky, off-beat part of the city still holds, and they come in the form of food, in different cuisines. Tucked away in small streets and corners, here are five tiny, off-the-radar establishments to check out after a visit to the beach.
Bubbles
You can’t talk about Bubbles without addressing the auto in the room. With transport as the theme, the place boasts deep purple walls, tires that double up as seats, and a bright auto smack in the middle of the restaurant; all the stuff of Instagram-worthy dreams. Bubbles brings the pride of Taiwanese and Malaysian street food to Chennai — bubble tea. It’s essentially a tea-based drink, laced with fruit flavours, jellies and chewy tapioca pieces, which make up the eponymous bubbles. They offer a variety of flavours, starting with the traditional pearl milk chai, made with special Hong Kong milk and added to flavours like mango, strawberry or peach. The drinks are thick and bursting with flavour, added to milk that’s tinged with the right amount of tea.
Where Bubbles stands out is in its introduction of western flavours to those of the Orient with their Oreo snowcap series. With a range of drinks like choco banana, berry and mocha to choose from, they feature crushed Oreo cookies, blended with a thick shake of chocolate and jellies, and come topped with a mousse cap made from cream cheese. They’re not the standard ingredients you’d expect to go well with tea, but they do, and remarkably so.
Address: E-147, 2nd Avenue, above Asian Hospital; Price for two: Approx. Rs. 300; Call: 42654584
Y Cook
Y Cook will lure you in with its promise of basic North and South Indian meals, but make you stay for the authentic flavours from our southern neighbour — Sri Lanka. The interiors are minimalistic, but the spotlight is taken by what’s on the table. The place specialises in sea food and their fish cutlets, made with ground fish, mashed potatoes and pepper, are a true palate pleaser. Fish also dominates the main course with a signature tamarind-based fish curry, cooked with imported cinnamon, cloves and garlic. The dish is full of fiery flavours and is eaten according to tradition — with a side dish of red puttu, a ghee-soaked combination of rice and grated coconut. Another dish that stands out is the 10 piece iddiapams; soft, perfectly steamed string hoppers that go well with a side dish of chicken, prawn or paneer or the island’s speciality, sodhi, a rich potato and coconut milk based gravy. Dessert stays close to home with the Sri Lankan speciality, Wattlapam. The overtly sugary flavour of the coconut custard pairs nicely with a blend of various spices like nutmeg, cloves and cashews, which is added to a particular type of jaggery available only in Sri Lanka.
Address: 13, 3rd Avenue, Sai Ram colony, above Cafe Coffee Day Lounge; Price for two: Approx Rs. 350; Call: 24460183
Jelly Belly
Jelly Belly works on two ideals: life is always on the move and good things come in small packages and spaces. Crammed in between busy stores, the tiny vegetarian eatery is perfect for a quick bite to eat. The menu is inspired by deserts and dishes from across Europe —salted caramel walnut pies, double chocolate mousse and flan. Their cheesecakes boldly abandon the usual Philadelphia cream cheese, and instead use cured cheese, cream custard and sugar. The flavour available depends on the fruits of the season — strawberry, blueberry, and as a summer special, plenty of tangy mango cheesecake. But it’s their brookie that makes a trip to Jelly Belly worth your time. The blessed meeting of a cookie and brownie, where very few things can go wrong, is one of their specialities. It is made up of a moist, rich chocolate brownie, topped with a chewy, melt-in-your-mouth layer of chocolate chip cookie. If you want to balance the sweetness, their vegetarian savoury choices are diverse too — there’s cheese borek, a thin pastry stuffed with cheese and chillies; mushroom and spinach quiches; and nachos with a three layer dip to choose from.
Address: 2nd Avenue, GOCHS Colony; Price for two: Approx Rs. 300; Call: 24463777
Harry’s Wrap and Roll
Harry’s Wrap and Roll is, like its menu, a mix of many different things; part American diner, part deli, and part fast food joint. The restaurant works at a fast pace; enter at its peak time, usually around 5 p.m., and watch waiters yelling orders at each other. The place is packed with people lining up for their turn to place orders, with upbeat music blaring in the background. The place offers excellent Mexican food; their burritos, packed with huge chunks of beef and chicken, beans, cheese and fresh, spicy salsa will keep you filled for hours. They also offer the Middle Eastern favourite — the shawarma — wrapped with shredded chicken and laced with sauces of your choice. As far as signature dishes go, their hoagies are worth the title. Also known as a submarine sandwich, it’s gargantuan in size, with two long pieces of bread stuffed with chicken or beef meatballs and topped with sauces.
Address: Shop A, E-135 6th Ave; Price for two: Approx Rs. 500; Call: 30205656
Zea Popcorns
Zea is for everyone who’s sick of sneaking flavourful popcorn out of theatres because it isn’t available anywhere else. An endeavour that aims to celebrate the goodness of corn, the place sells gourmet popcorn in a variety of flavours.
If you look at popcorn as comfort food, and not as something to experiment with, then there are the usual suspects — ‘salted zea’ and ‘cheese licks’, which come flavoured with exactly the right amount of salt, butter and cheese. Then, there are a few unexpected ones. The ‘tipsy tomato’, though a little disconcerting at first, offers sweet, tangy flavours which aren’t over the top. Their sweet flavours stand out most; the ‘candy crush caramel’, coated in buttery, not-too-sugary caramel, gives the popcorn the perfect amount of crunch. But the cherry on top is their ‘fruit pop’ series. Popcorn is infused with the flavour of fruits — choose between pineapple, strawberry and orange — offering a distinctive taste that’ll make you rethink everything you thought you knew about popcorn. With gourmet food usually associated with filet mignons and caviar, Zea brings to the table a very welcome addition.
Address: 4th Main Road; Price for two: Approx. Rs. 150 for two people; Call: 9600154695
