CHENNAI: With a large Telugu-speaking population in the city, Chennai has many restaurants that serve Andhra food. But often, the flavours are altered to suit the preferences of the locals. If you are looking for a right spot to get your fix on authentic Andhra cuisine, then the newly opened ‘Pulusu’ at OMR food street in Ambattur might be the right choice.
With Telugu songs playing in the background of the tiny café decorated with hanging lights and chalkboards, and the aroma of traditional Andhra food wafting through the aisles of the restaurant, Pulusu lets you experience all of Andhra Pradesh in Chennai at pocket-friendly prices.
As we indulge in mouth-watering Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani, their speciality, the co-owner Bollineni Kishore Kumar says, “I come from a family of restaurateurs. Two decades ago, my grandfather had an Andhra restaurant in the city. I started this venture with the same chefs on July 15 and it turned out to be an instant hit.”
Kishore opened the restaurant with his brother, A Dinesh and another partner, V Muralidharan. Kishore’s love for restaurants began when he was working on several projects as a consultant in the city including Diff 42, Evoke Bistro and Bobby’s Bistro.
Apart from authentic Andhra food, the specialities of the restaurant include Chicken 65 in Hyderabad style with the right amount of spice and a dash of lemon; prawns slow-cooked in Andhra Spices, and mutton that melts in your mouth.
“There is always a demand for Andhra and Kerala food. The reason we opened the restaurant here is that there are many Telugu-speaking people living in the vicinity. This is also the reason that we didn’t spend much time on marketing,” said Kishore.
His personal favourite is Ragi Sankati(Kali) with Chepala Pulusu or fish curry. Pulusu in Telugu translates to gravy based on a broth made with tamarind and spices.
The texture of Ragi Sankati served in the restaurant is spongy, sticky, juicy, but almost devoid of flavour which makes it perfect for eating it with any curry. Snip off a tiny piece, soak it in gravy till it’s fully glazed and slide it down your throat. Pulusu also offers various combos with Kali and rice. The restaurateurs have plans of opening a branch at Anna Nagar in Chennai and one each in Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
Specialities
Apart from Andhra food, specialities of the restaurant include Chicken 65 in Hyderabad style with the right amount of spice and a dash of lemon; prawns slow-cooked in Andhra Spices, and mutton that melts in your mouth