This place does not even need a review of any sort. I am sorry to say that you seemed to have gone with a 5 star mentality and expectation. The man clearly says mess, so if you are expecting a cosy, comfort seating arrangement then what can he do. Remember he serves awesome food in a “dungeon like place” (to quote from ur review) for years and nobody has complained about it. When they ran out of Pongal, it should have told you about the place. People go there for food not for anything else. Terrible review for a brilliant joint…
murali
November 30, 2013 at 5:45 pm
Just not to leave an open end, pasting the same comment that I posted as reply to your comment on facebook –
Hey Hey !!! Guys…chill….been away from my PC the whole day couldn’t reply earlier…
To all the pro-Mylapore guys who have been jumping after reading my review…C’mmon read my review again…
1. Pongal wasn’t available, I said that was my bad luck.
2. I hate Idlys, thats my choice. But in spite of that I said it was truly awesome.
3. I said vadas were crispy and tasty that I forgot about the pongal and started to relish the breakfast.
4. I said waiters were helpful.
5. I said there was a steady stream of people coming in for eating and take away. So a busy place indeed.
What I said I did not like was the ambience. That doesn’t mean I expected a 5-Star ambience, it means it was just not good enough to go with my two kids aged 8 and 3.
They don’t understand the love for food, they probably look for a comfortable place to eat. The place (at least the table we sat) was closest to the kitchen and was really really warm that I was sweating all over. Imagine when one of them had to be fed too? So my review says it is not kid-friendly. When you have people waiting to take the table after you, you do not have the luxury of having a slow breakfast. How fast would you expect your kid to eat? So I said it is not kid-friendly.
Will I go there again? I said not with my kids, but I would definitely like to go and eat again if I am alone.
What was so wrong with my review that it has to be called Terrible?
I can understand for some people, this place is close to their heart, but not necessarily the same for everyone. Removing that parameter out, it is just another place to eat out and review
All said and done, I am happy so many have taken time to read my review and discuss. Thats a positive Thanks !
Kapaleeswaran
February 7, 2014 at 12:42 am
In my opinion, the banks are more practical in that , every citizen cannot be expected to have only BSNL account. Further, a telephone bill of any organisation is good enough to show that the person resides there and that should be proof enough. The passport authorities, as you rightly pointed, are shrugging their responsibilities and are interested only in looking for a location to point a finger, should they be in any trouble. So much for security!!
You could have done Chennai-Arcot-Arni-Peralam-Thiruvannamalai. The road is super good. I thought you are aware of this route, otherwise would have informed you. I go to Tiruvannamalai at least once a month and i always take the Arni route.
Thanks,
Cheeka
murali
March 17, 2014 at 3:02 am
Oh, Thanks Cheeka. Will take that the next time. I didn’t know that.
It took sometime for me to get through your stuff here .. but i must admit it was worth it .. atleast for an absolute foodie this place is a must read .. Good Work Murali !!
I like the way you enjoy writing as you enjoy eating. Well written review and it definitely provokes the reader to make a dash to the place. The restaurant owes you for such a honest feedback. Looking forward
I have not visited this , though have been planning for long. Need to have a rethink. But wisely, I have been planning only for the cooler times. Anyhow, this post will help a lot in planning. Thanks
[…] Overall, this place is wonderful and would be one of my favourites! Again to reiterate my point, Grill box, that is an imitation of Barbeque Nation, doesn’t even stand the slightest chance […]
Lovely Blog. For a foodie who misses Chennai with all my heart and soul, this blog is Chennai food heaven. Thanks for spending your time and effort on a blog like this.
I can say, u were lucky enough. Have dined here ~10 times here and all were sort of disasters.
1. During 8-9pm restaurant will be jam packed and just a waiter will be serving.. If u ask them to bring soon since its train time, and they say then u better leave.. Good hospitality..
2.cramped up with more tables and less walking space.. Acceptable since u get more ppl and less space in Central
3. Rice items like sambar rice are just a paste of coloured stuff..
Oops ! I should say I am really lucky then !
Have eaten here at least 3-4 times, but most of them really late in the night, around 10PM. Rest of the times, it was wading through the queue and getting a parcel. Food was always good 🙂 Lucky me !!!
Kapaleeswaran
May 19, 2014 at 5:13 am
Nicely written and I am becoming a fan of your writing. Whatever it be, I have decided to check with your blog before I venture on vacations whether it is within Chennai or Thiruvannamalai or Bengaluru. Keep it up Murali
Sir.
Your reviews are really good .it may be nice if u can add a point about the hygiene and standards they maintain inside their kitchen. Because what comes out is actually what is prepared inside. .. . I also live in velachery . Tasted their food . Its good .Thanks . Regards. Prabhu .
Sure Prabhu. For the next showcase, I will try to take a look at the kitchen and add a few points on that. For normal dining reviews, I will not be able to get access to the kitchen, but for showcase, I think I can. Thanks for the suggestion.
Hey, I love your blogs and reviews.. Your site is bookmarked on my mobile 🙂 I have one suggestion.. It would be great if you have an index of the restaurants you have reviewed. Navigation would be so much easier!
Thank you 🙂
I will look at that and see how I can add Index to my page!
Vipin Sachdev
June 27, 2014 at 3:50 am
Thanks a lot for participating in the pizzarazzi contest held by us. It is a true satisfaction seeing our food through your photos. Contest like these allow me to get in touch with people with whom I share my passion – love for good food. Congrats on winning the contest and I trust you had a hearty meal at Tuscana. See you soon in our sister restaurants – Kryptos Vegetarian on KNK road which serves global vegetarian fare and Burgundy’s in MRC Nagar which is an all day dine-in restaurant. Keep up your awesome clicks and serve you soon. Have a good day!
Hi Murali,
I am not a fan of Star Bucks either.. I only wish the young ones do not get carried away with the hype and feel that drinking in starbucks is a matter of pride… Quoting a Vijay song here ” Bandha ethuku da.. Konjam adanguda.. Nethu vara nair kada bun thanada”
It’s a phase and this too shall pass. Soon they’ll realize that it is not everything and its just a coffee shop! The same hype was there when KFC and McD opened shops in Chennai ! Youngsters thronging the place like crazy 🙂 Now they probably realize there are better vfm options here ! It’s good that we have more and more options to decide 🙂
Majid
July 14, 2014 at 1:09 pm
Hahaha….good one…probably they should name the place NA…as you rightly said.
Hi Majid, Not necessarily so. 🙂
Yes, to some extent it is like wearing a branded shirt or a watch and that element of showing off exists. A visit to Starbucks will sound great probably for the first few times, and soon that is going to fade away and people will start to enjoy the coffee too !
MajiD
July 14, 2014 at 2:10 pm
Yep what you say seems right, once the initial buzz dies down….then you’ll have the actual fans of SBX turning up.
Being a coffee conn myself…..i like SBX once in a while.
For one who has been in Mylapore for over sixty years and who has seen the Mess start , the review sounded really provoking the taste buds as I am yet to visit it. Thanks for a wonderful review and a visit to this place is not very far off. You rightly mentioned about another mess which is not far off from this, but certainly at a far behind distance in terms of ambiance and price.
Monica Wadera
November 28, 2013 at 9:16 amI want to go here!
Ravin
November 30, 2013 at 7:06 amCan you give directions?
murali
November 30, 2013 at 5:43 pmNot sure of the directions, but it is Arundale Street. We asked an auto driver to take us there and that worked !
Praveen
November 30, 2013 at 9:06 amThis place does not even need a review of any sort. I am sorry to say that you seemed to have gone with a 5 star mentality and expectation. The man clearly says mess, so if you are expecting a cosy, comfort seating arrangement then what can he do. Remember he serves awesome food in a “dungeon like place” (to quote from ur review) for years and nobody has complained about it. When they ran out of Pongal, it should have told you about the place. People go there for food not for anything else. Terrible review for a brilliant joint…
murali
November 30, 2013 at 5:45 pmJust not to leave an open end, pasting the same comment that I posted as reply to your comment on facebook –
Hey Hey !!! Guys…chill….been away from my PC the whole day couldn’t reply earlier…
To all the pro-Mylapore guys who have been jumping after reading my review…C’mmon read my review again…
1. Pongal wasn’t available, I said that was my bad luck.
2. I hate Idlys, thats my choice. But in spite of that I said it was truly awesome.
3. I said vadas were crispy and tasty that I forgot about the pongal and started to relish the breakfast.
4. I said waiters were helpful.
5. I said there was a steady stream of people coming in for eating and take away. So a busy place indeed.
What I said I did not like was the ambience. That doesn’t mean I expected a 5-Star ambience, it means it was just not good enough to go with my two kids aged 8 and 3.
They don’t understand the love for food, they probably look for a comfortable place to eat. The place (at least the table we sat) was closest to the kitchen and was really really warm that I was sweating all over. Imagine when one of them had to be fed too? So my review says it is not kid-friendly. When you have people waiting to take the table after you, you do not have the luxury of having a slow breakfast. How fast would you expect your kid to eat? So I said it is not kid-friendly.
Will I go there again? I said not with my kids, but I would definitely like to go and eat again if I am alone.
What was so wrong with my review that it has to be called Terrible?
I can understand for some people, this place is close to their heart, but not necessarily the same for everyone. Removing that parameter out, it is just another place to eat out and review
All said and done, I am happy so many have taken time to read my review and discuss. Thats a positive Thanks !
Kapaleeswaran
February 7, 2014 at 12:42 amIn my opinion, the banks are more practical in that , every citizen cannot be expected to have only BSNL account. Further, a telephone bill of any organisation is good enough to show that the person resides there and that should be proof enough. The passport authorities, as you rightly pointed, are shrugging their responsibilities and are interested only in looking for a location to point a finger, should they be in any trouble. So much for security!!
Shobana
February 11, 2014 at 6:10 amA nice personal space of your own is always good to have!! Good going!!
murali
March 23, 2014 at 6:03 amThanks Tobs 🙂
Vasudevan
March 17, 2014 at 12:15 amMurali,
You could have done Chennai-Arcot-Arni-Peralam-Thiruvannamalai. The road is super good. I thought you are aware of this route, otherwise would have informed you. I go to Tiruvannamalai at least once a month and i always take the Arni route.
Thanks,
Cheeka
murali
March 17, 2014 at 3:02 amOh, Thanks Cheeka. Will take that the next time. I didn’t know that.
Venkatesh
March 23, 2014 at 5:50 amHi Murali,
It took sometime for me to get through your stuff here .. but i must admit it was worth it .. atleast for an absolute foodie this place is a must read .. Good Work Murali !!
Cheers
Rep
murali
March 23, 2014 at 6:03 amThanks Rep 🙂
Kapaleeswaran
April 12, 2014 at 2:45 pmI like the way you enjoy writing as you enjoy eating. Well written review and it definitely provokes the reader to make a dash to the place. The restaurant owes you for such a honest feedback. Looking forward
murali
April 12, 2014 at 3:57 pmThank you very much 🙂
Ramaraja Ramanujan
April 13, 2014 at 10:57 pmHow much did it cost you totally to savour all those delicacies? 😉
murali
April 14, 2014 at 2:07 amBadam Milk – 75, Pineapple juice – 90, Murukku Sandwich – 45, Gol Guppa – 30, Masala Tea – someone else paid 😛 , Grilled Sandwich – 70 and thats it !! Totally 310 rupees
Yogesh
April 14, 2014 at 6:50 pmThe photos are good, few are amazing ,I see that you had a good time ,that matters a lot ,nice work
murali
April 14, 2014 at 7:24 pmThank you! It was wonderful.
Kapaleeswaran
May 4, 2014 at 4:23 amI have not visited this , though have been planning for long. Need to have a rethink. But wisely, I have been planning only for the cooler times. Anyhow, this post will help a lot in planning. Thanks
Taqueria Americana
May 7, 2014 at 10:02 amGood post
Nice blog
Thanks for share…!!
murali
May 7, 2014 at 10:16 amThanks 🙂
Barbeque Nation in T-Nagar | MUKASASH blogs
May 13, 2014 at 6:39 pm[…] Overall, this place is wonderful and would be one of my favourites! Again to reiterate my point, Grill box, that is an imitation of Barbeque Nation, doesn’t even stand the slightest chance […]
Aj Narayanan
May 13, 2014 at 8:43 pmLovely Blog. For a foodie who misses Chennai with all my heart and soul, this blog is Chennai food heaven. Thanks for spending your time and effort on a blog like this.
murali
May 14, 2014 at 3:15 amThanks for the nice words 🙂
Karthi
May 19, 2014 at 3:34 amI can say, u were lucky enough. Have dined here ~10 times here and all were sort of disasters.
1. During 8-9pm restaurant will be jam packed and just a waiter will be serving.. If u ask them to bring soon since its train time, and they say then u better leave.. Good hospitality..
2.cramped up with more tables and less walking space.. Acceptable since u get more ppl and less space in Central
3. Rice items like sambar rice are just a paste of coloured stuff..
murali
May 19, 2014 at 4:04 amOops ! I should say I am really lucky then !
Have eaten here at least 3-4 times, but most of them really late in the night, around 10PM. Rest of the times, it was wading through the queue and getting a parcel. Food was always good 🙂 Lucky me !!!
Kapaleeswaran
May 19, 2014 at 5:13 amNicely written and I am becoming a fan of your writing. Whatever it be, I have decided to check with your blog before I venture on vacations whether it is within Chennai or Thiruvannamalai or Bengaluru. Keep it up Murali
murali
May 19, 2014 at 5:23 am🙂 Thank you very much !
Siva
May 21, 2014 at 1:15 pmelaborate review 🙂
Few questions… The delivery is available in all places in Chennai ?
what is the minimum bill for delivery?
Regards,
Siva
murali
May 21, 2014 at 1:19 pmYou might want to check their facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/sarvsri
Ramki
May 21, 2014 at 3:38 pmPrice for SI & NI Thali ?
murali
May 21, 2014 at 6:05 pmSouth-Indian – Rs. 100
North-Indian – Rs. 125
Nilesh Naidu
May 25, 2014 at 5:41 amThanks very much Mr.Murali.
Beautiful line in your review “not just a review ,its an experience
murali
May 27, 2014 at 4:38 amThanks Nilesh. Will drop in sometime with a friend of mine, who is a true foodie too 🙂
nilesh
June 16, 2014 at 7:24 amsure Murali,
drop in any time …just call me before coming 9003116260
Aroon Ramarajen
May 26, 2014 at 11:38 amAwesome blogs. Simple and straight-Just the way they are supposed to be! Been a silent follower of your blogs for close to 6 months now 🙂 keep it up 🙂
murali
May 26, 2014 at 12:34 pmThank you very much for the appreciation ! 🙂
Shrinidhi Hande
May 27, 2014 at 3:16 pmGood to know. Nice brief review
murali
May 27, 2014 at 6:43 pmThanks ! 🙂
prabhu
June 18, 2014 at 5:32 amSir.
Your reviews are really good .it may be nice if u can add a point about the hygiene and standards they maintain inside their kitchen. Because what comes out is actually what is prepared inside. .. . I also live in velachery . Tasted their food . Its good .Thanks . Regards. Prabhu .
murali
June 18, 2014 at 5:49 amSure Prabhu. For the next showcase, I will try to take a look at the kitchen and add a few points on that. For normal dining reviews, I will not be able to get access to the kitchen, but for showcase, I think I can. Thanks for the suggestion.
Ahalya
June 25, 2014 at 6:18 amHey, I love your blogs and reviews.. Your site is bookmarked on my mobile 🙂 I have one suggestion.. It would be great if you have an index of the restaurants you have reviewed. Navigation would be so much easier!
murali
June 25, 2014 at 6:22 amThank you 🙂
I will look at that and see how I can add Index to my page!
Vipin Sachdev
June 27, 2014 at 3:50 amThanks a lot for participating in the pizzarazzi contest held by us. It is a true satisfaction seeing our food through your photos. Contest like these allow me to get in touch with people with whom I share my passion – love for good food. Congrats on winning the contest and I trust you had a hearty meal at Tuscana. See you soon in our sister restaurants – Kryptos Vegetarian on KNK road which serves global vegetarian fare and Burgundy’s in MRC Nagar which is an all day dine-in restaurant. Keep up your awesome clicks and serve you soon. Have a good day!
murali
June 27, 2014 at 7:07 amThanks for the nice words Vipin! Sure to visit again soon!
Logesh
July 10, 2014 at 3:11 amHi Murali,
I am not a fan of Star Bucks either.. I only wish the young ones do not get carried away with the hype and feel that drinking in starbucks is a matter of pride… Quoting a Vijay song here ” Bandha ethuku da.. Konjam adanguda.. Nethu vara nair kada bun thanada”
murali
July 10, 2014 at 4:14 amIt’s a phase and this too shall pass. Soon they’ll realize that it is not everything and its just a coffee shop! The same hype was there when KFC and McD opened shops in Chennai ! Youngsters thronging the place like crazy 🙂 Now they probably realize there are better vfm options here ! It’s good that we have more and more options to decide 🙂
Majid
July 14, 2014 at 1:09 pmHahaha….good one…probably they should name the place NA…as you rightly said.
murali
July 14, 2014 at 1:13 pm🙂
Majid
July 14, 2014 at 1:13 pmDont you think its gonna end up being an outlet….you just wanna SHOW OFF being at …rather than enjoying the coffee experience…
murali
July 14, 2014 at 1:36 pmHi Majid, Not necessarily so. 🙂
Yes, to some extent it is like wearing a branded shirt or a watch and that element of showing off exists. A visit to Starbucks will sound great probably for the first few times, and soon that is going to fade away and people will start to enjoy the coffee too !
MajiD
July 14, 2014 at 2:10 pmYep what you say seems right, once the initial buzz dies down….then you’ll have the actual fans of SBX turning up.
Being a coffee conn myself…..i like SBX once in a while.
Kapaleeswaran V
July 10, 2018 at 12:35 pmFor one who has been in Mylapore for over sixty years and who has seen the Mess start , the review sounded really provoking the taste buds as I am yet to visit it. Thanks for a wonderful review and a visit to this place is not very far off. You rightly mentioned about another mess which is not far off from this, but certainly at a far behind distance in terms of ambiance and price.
murali
July 10, 2018 at 12:50 pmThank you very much 🙂