A Prelude to Restaurant Reviews

Picking a leaf out of my fellow blogger's book (http://eateratti.blogspot.com/) I am starting a short series of posts wherein I shall include reviews of a few restaurants in Mumbai and Pune. At this point, I am not really sure of what my post will tell you; will it talk about the ambience, menu, affordability, service? Can't say.. it will definitely not be a like-to-like comparison. Let's just say it would give you a taste of my experience there. Having said this, I am open to your suggestions. Tell me what you'd like to read (esp. what you would not find on typical sites like zomato and burpp).

I don't quite like to leave this post here.. so here's a plan!
I shall try to acquaint you with eateries at Mahabalipuram - for a tourist, it's an idyllic town between Chennai and Pondi on the ECR. For me and all Great Lakers (from Great Lakes, my B-school).. it's Mahabs! - the place that rocks :)

I hope that where my memory fails me, my fellow Patriots, Gladiators, Spartans (oh yeah, our batches had names and not just Class of 20xx)... will help fill in the gaps.

GRT Temple Bay
Bang at the entrance of Mahabs to your left, this place boasts of a sprawling swimming pool that runs along the length of the premises towards the oblivion of the sea. On weekends they have live music that goes down well with delicious food. Of course, it is heavy on the pocket! But try their breakfast buffet... it is well worth your money. Be sure to arrive early or you'll have to wait endlessly, only to find empty food counters. They did not mind us arriving at their doorstep in an open goods carrier (such is student life.. ) !!!

Guru’s
Chicken and parotha, biryani ocassionally. When money runs low, mess food seems repulsive and your stomach is grumbling for wholesome food, head for this place. Value for money…no doubt about that. But if you are the kind whose could lose appetite because of the ambience ("ambience" is an overstatement!), serious advice, don't visit it. Ask a dear friend to carry a take-away parcel for you.

Nautilus
The owner is Jack, friendly French fellow who prefers to make drinks for his customers himself! Not an elaborate place, it's almost a roadside cafe because that's where tables are set in the evenings when the crowds don’t fit. What we enjoyed most here - delicious, generous mushroom cheese omelet (I vaguely recollect having a baked one?!?), masala chai, gallons of beer (of course!), a concoction of rum and coke (a favorite with quite a few). For me the food almost always felt freshly cooked and scrumptious. Amongst the other regular orders, we had peanut masala, chicken chilli, masala cheese omelet (the omelets were to die for!), french fries. I could visit this place for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

Akshaya
The only USP of this place was the proximity to our college. We walk out of our gates and into the gates of Akshaya. Nothing really strikes me about this place, except that they always had beer in stock when the other places ran dry. And probably peanut masala.. guess no one in Mahabs can go wrong with that.
 
Le Yogi
This was probably the first place I visited in Mahabs. Roof top, few low lying tables… a lazy place; but bustling with people almost every evening. Peanut masala (a common dish in Mahabs) was quite good here. Can’t recollect the specialty here, but I do know we visited this place frequently, in large numbers, sat for long hours stretching into the night and ordered food in hoards! 

Sea Breeze
Mixed feelings about this place. We visited this place quite often; some experiences I could describe as pleasant and almost equal number of others as hostile! Lizards were a menace! You’d never know when one would drop from the roof! I guess we were also denied entry once!! I think paneer chilly was a regular...

A2B Sarvana Bhavan
Haven for the veggies! Only place they could call “pure veg”. When the carnivore in me went into hibernation, I would gorge on masala dosa, chaat, samosa chaat, watermelon juice et al. And the only place I guess where you could get juices and shakes.

Moonraker's
Heard a lot about this place but never been there; so I am going to give it a skip. Fellas, feel free to comment about this one.

I could do another post on the same lines for Pondi as well. But that’s for later.

Meanwhile,
@Mumbaikars and Puneris suggest what you’d like to read
@Great Lakers – please enrich the content :P
@Adi – As promised, special mention for you. Thanks for your inputs J

Keep visiting the blog for more on "moreish food"...