Banana leaf vegetarian meal at Anandam Restaurant, Chennai

Anandam Restaurant at Hotel Maris has long been a dependable spot for a hearty vegetarian lunch on Cathedral Road. I dropped in on a Wednesday afternoon with two friends. Thanks to a mid-week crowd, every table was taken and we waited about ten minutes before being shown to our seats. The restaurant itself is on the ground floor, just off the car park.

We chose the regular meals—served on a fresh banana leaf in classic Tamil Nadu style. The spread was generous: poori-masala, appalam, onion pachadi, curd, two kinds of sambar, rasam, paruppu, keerai koottu, poosanikai koottu and vendakkai curry, rounded off with buttermilk. Rice and the side dishes kept coming as and when he asked for a refill.

Flavours were homely and satisfying. The lone waiter on our side of the hall tried his best, yet juggling several tables meant refills took a lot longer than ideal. We also ordered a couple of extra cups of curd, a bottle of packaged water and finished with strong Madras filter coffee. The total damage for three hungry people: ₹855 (about USD 10).

Alongside old favourites like Hotel Palmgrove and New Woodlands, Anandam remains a reliable choice in this part of Chennai when I fancy an unhurried, traditional feast.

Disclosure: I write reviews about restaurants that I have visited and paid in full. There were no sponsorship or advertisement, or commission of any sort involved in this post.