A Written Apology to Chennai
I love talking to people who travel. And I have been told people enjoy those conversations with me too… something I carry as a small badge of pride. When travellers talk passionately about a place, they do not just talk about destinations… they talk about people, food, culture, language, customs… basically life.
Coz of all those conversations, I have always respected Chennai a lot. The temples, the people, the traditions. There is something about this city where the air itself feels like a mix of sea breeze, temple bells and strong coffee.
Now you must be wondering… where does the apology come in?
The food.
In all my earlier visits, Chennai and I had a bit of a complicated relationship when it came to food. I just never had those “wow” experiences everyone spoke about.
But this time… Chennai decided to put on a full theatrical show. Maybe it took my earlier opinion to its pride… and the rest is history. 🥰
Every dish I ordered arrived like it had its own dramatic entry… almost like an old Tamil song playing in the background telling me:
“Give me one more chance…”
It started with Thenga Paal Congee (Coconut Milk Porridge). Smooth, comforting and quietly brilliant. I am a huge lover of food with slightly more salt than necessary… and this was exactly how it was made.
Then came Kavuni Arisi Pongal and Mapillai Samba Arisi Pongal with crispy Vadai, and suddenly I am sitting there wondering why no one warned me this could be this good.
Next was Idly Kadappa… and I genuinely paused for a moment thinking,
“Where has this been all my life?”
But the real character arc in this story was the Jalapeño Coriander Idly from Geetham.
When I first read it on the menu my immediate reaction was:
“What kind of nonsense is this… jalapeño in an idly?”
One bite later…
“Okay… who came up with this crazy combination and why is it working so well?” 😂
And finally… the hero of this entire story, coffee. ❣️
Special mention to the coffee from Upavihar. For a coffee lover like me, every cup felt like it was made exactly for my mood. Perfect strength, perfect sugar, rich milk… just flawless.
So yes… this is my apology.
Chennai, I judged you too early.
You stole my heart again… 🥹 but this time not with your beaches… with your glam food and your coffee.
And trust me, I am going to be telling this story to a lot of people on my travels.
Coz this trip? Absolute masterpiece 🙌🏼❣️
PS: I realise I never mentioned that I had my cousins with me… so all that food was shared, FYI 😬
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