Restaurant Name: Amsavalli Bhavan
Location: Anna Nagar
Dishes tried: Mutton biryani, chicken 70, chicken Mongolian, gunter chicken, chicken Chettinad, mint chicken, chili parotta, Gobi Manchurian, chili gobi, chapatis.
Veg food rating: 3/5
Non-Veg Food rating: 4/5
Amsavalli Bhavan is a non-vegetarian specialty restaurant, popular in and around Madurai, that has recently opened in Anna Nagar, Chennai. Without a doubt, this is a place for Biryani lovers.
The restaurant is situated in a cozy little road in Anna Nagar, so be prepared to search for some parking space. As you enter the restaurant, you already feel the decor speaks to you as an authentic south Tamilian non-vegetarian hub. They have displayed on their walls with pride – some celebrity customers of theirs – say from MGR to Periyar!
The service is very polite and the waiters are very enthusiastic in responding to customers or making suggestions to try their specialty dishes.
We ordered the Chicken 70 (something similar to Fish Fingers) and Gunter Chicken (Deep-fried Boneless Chicken) for starters. They also suggested the Mint Chicken (you can give this a miss if you are not a fan of mint overload) and Chicken Mangolian which were not yet a part of the menu. The food tastes very good and the various types of spicy Chicken are a must-try if you plan to visit this place.
We also gave the limited vegetarian menu a try. The Chilli Parotta was really good, and we polished off the plate pretty quickly! The Gobi Manchurian and Chilli Gobi had little difference in taste and looks, though the gobi Manchurian was an oily version of the Chilli Gobi ironically. All the vegetarian dishes were very masala-ish and not really meant for pure vegetarians.
Now coming to the best part – the Mutton Biryani is the ultimate dish over here – made with “Seeraga Samba” rice and boneless Mutton – cooked on woodfire. They also provide Chicken and Mutton gravy along with Raita for the Biryani, which makes it a much more delicious dish to taste. The mild ting of Coconut in all their gravies adds to the aroma and taste. Another spicy gravy one must-try here with white rice is the Chettinad Chicken gravy.
Note: This is one of the very few restaurants in Chennai that provide non – veg breakfast (only on Sundays for now). Also, they do seem to have plans to start two more branches in Chennai soon.
Chennai Location:
U-75, 5th Main Road, U Block, Anna Nagar West, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600101