When it comes to Iftar offerings, Chennai lags behind its fellow metropolitans. However, the options have lately begun picking up, with haleem taking over the humble nombu kanji , a rice porridge that Tamil Muslims have used to break their fast for a good many years.
Ramadhan Bazaar, KNK Road
Probably the closest (by a long way, though) to the festive Iftar bazaars in the rest of the country, this one has about 12 stalls vying for your attention. One serves excellent pazhampori and beef cutlets, while another doles out appams and dosas with gravies. Fried chicken and fish rolls, and stuffed breads along with tiramisu and cakes make up another stall, while kebabs and rice are displayed in another. A variety of dishes are available from ₹35 onwards.
Zaitoon’s Iftar Box
While traditionally, Iftar at home has been a low-key affair with some porridge, cutlets and rose milk, the plethora of boxes has made life easy and choices plentiful for fasting tummies. Along with the staples of dates, drink and fruit platter, this box has a nice and creamy haleem , with a low ratio of bones. Variety is where this box stands out: there is a small shawarma , a grilled chicken, a small box of rice, a paratha and some chicken gravy. The sweet isn’t great, though.
Abid’s Iftar Box
Abid’s has the widest of choices when it comes to Iftar boxes, starting from just ₹100. Their full box, priced at about ₹300, is the only one with nombu kanji . Very similar to a homemade porridge, this one ticked all the boxes in terms of spice levels, flavour and the amount of meat (which should actually be quite less). Interestingly, Abid’s box has all three ‘main’ dishes — kanji , haleem and a large portion of biryani , so the box itself is not well-balanced. The boxed biryani isn’t as delicious as when had at the restaurant, either.
Pista House Haleem
A household name in most places, Pista House has set up a makeshift place in Royapettah and sends out packed haleem in single and family-pack servings, but also has a small place to eat. With posters of Charminar, I’m not sure if they are trying to mimic that atmosphere, which obviously doesn’t cut it. The haleem has a lot less ‘punch’ than the ones in Hyderabad and the spice levels are slightly low. This variation of the haleem also has a few bones in it. Folk from our Northern state do enjoy their haleem this way, but some in Chennai seem to hate this version of it.
Iftar Kareem, Café Mercara, ITC Grand Chola
Surprisingly, the five-star hotels have not capitalised on the Iftar frenzy, choosing to either ignore it completely or throw in a few dishes to their buffet, start it at 6.30 pm and call it the ‘Iftar Special’. Perhaps, the only one with a dedicated Iftar meal is ITC Grand Chola. At Café Mercara, the Iftar set menu is opulent. Starting off with gold-and-silver-foil-laced dates, beautifully-plated cut fruit and a refreshing rose drink, the platter arrives a few minutes later with your choice of haleem or nihari , a bowl of their rich dal bukhara , a choice of breads and an excellent chicken machboos : a middle-eastern variant of the biryani , albeit one that is slightly low on spice and doesn’t need a brinjal or raita accompaniment. The haleem is rich and has no bones at all!
The only chink in this otherwise filling platter is the tad-too-sweet dessert. It’s quite heavy, though, and you can easily skip dinner.
