If there is one thing that Anna Nagar takes seriously, it is food. With restaurants and cafes in nooks and corners of the area covering every cuisine and introducing world-class flavours from time to time, the neighborhood has cultivated a diverse food culture. Whether it’s a family dinner or late-night dessert, residents of this locality know exactly where to go, and their thirst for new options is never-ending.
On Friday morning, the beats of chenda melam echoed on the 12th Main Road, signalling the arrival of a new, yet established name to the neighbourhood; Nandhana Palace, an Andhra-style restaurant chain that has an exclusive following across two major states of the South — Bengaluru and Chennai. This marks the Nandhana Palace’s 27th branch overall and its fifth in Chennai. “The customers kept asking when we’d open a branch in Anna Nagar, and their questions have finally found answers,” said R Ravichandar, chairman and managing director of Nandhana Group.
To mark the grand opening, the restaurant introduced a special dish, ‘Natti Biryani’, a rustic take on everyone’s favourite, prepared in home-style tradition. “It sounds different, right?” asks Martin excitedly, general manager of the Nandhana Group. “This Natti biryani is different from other biryanis in terms of colour and taste. Unlike the usual biryanis, this biryani is similar in colour to pudina (mint).” He adds that the consistency across branches is maintained through a centralised kitchen where spice blends and masalas are prepared and dispatched to branches. A team of chefs from Andhra Pradesh who have been with Nandhana Palace for over 20 years, bring authentic flavours to every plate. Besides the Natti Biryani, Ravichandar said that there are many other surprising new additions to the menu for the customers, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian.
The inauguration was attended by several dignitaries, including Kalanidhi Veeraswamy, MP, Chennai North, MK Mohan, MLA, Anna Nagar, KT Venkatesan and KT Srinivasa Raja, MDs of Adyar Ananda Bhavan, GV Sampath, chairman, Naurvi Hospital, and N Devarajan, chairman, Chennai Public School, among others.
With the new branch now open, Anna Nagar’s foodies have one more stop to add to their bucket list.