Never tired of having Burmese food from the food carts in the Second Line Beach Road, Chennai. This is one of the most authentic places to try Burmese food in Chennai. There have been quite a few restaurants that sprung up serving Burmese food, but the charm of these food carts is something that has withstood the test of time.
I remember eating here many years ago and till date, there hasn’t been a time when we had to return unsatisfied. Every single experience has been very satisfying. After trying a few other places in South Chennai, I’m of the opinion that this one is a league apart! While I’m not blaming these other newer outlets in South Chennai, viz. Madipakkam, Velachery, etc, they still have a long way to catch up with these places in terms of taste.
As always, went to the usual shop. This street is full of Burmese food carts, at least 5-6 of them and you need to find the correct one. I have always been visiting the place opposite to Madras Stock Exchange Building. There are two shops exactly opposite to this buildig, and I tried the one in the corner of that junction. Its very easy to spot, just remember the one exactly opposite to the Indian Overseas Bank ATM. 🙂
Myself and a friend started with usual Atho. We shared all dishes so we could taste more than one. Since he saw I was clicking pictures, there was an additional garnishing with coriander 🙂 I asked for some extra onions too. As soon as I had the first mouthful, it was damn yummy to say the least. The burst of flavors of garlic, chilly flakes, a slight tanginess, right spices, the crushed Peijo pieces and the crunchy onions took it to another level ! Loved every spoon of it.
Next was the stuffed egg aka Muttae Masala! Boiled Egg slit and filled with fried onions, and a little bit of couple of oils are poured into it and you should eat it in one mouthful 🙂 It was no big deal with the size of my mouth :p It was absolutely awesome ! My friend and I had one each.
Next we asked for a Fried Atho. This is a variant of Egg Noodles, just that they use the Burmese noodles. Lots of cabbage, onion, masalas, salt to taste, egg and noodles and it was a very familiar sight to see it being made. While we were served from the existing batch, we also saw that a fresh batch was being made. Their experience of handling demand vs supply was mindblowing ! While a small portion was still left from the existing batch, he started to make a fresh one. Perfectly right timing when he exhausted all of the existing batch and new one was ready to be served to the next customer!
Couldn’t resist, had another Boiled egg 🙂
Wanted to taste a small portion of the plantain pith soup, and it had a wonderful flavor and taste. It was very yummy and we finished it in no time! Specifically checked with him if it was Vegetarian and he assured me it was.
Quite full by now, we did not manage to taste the Mohinga, we had to save it for a later visit ! Paid 150 bucks in all and this is one of the places that defines VFM 🙂 Cleanliness and hygiene freaks, seriously please stay away. There are quite a few things that you may have to overlook before you enjoy this, please don’t complain about this and that. Street food carts are bound to be like that. One word of advice, please carry your water. That will help to keep you safe to a great extent. Never had any issues with my stomach after eating here and there’s no reason to worry.
I would definitely say this place is one of the best places for Burmese food in Chennai and my opinion may be a little biased, but then, I love it and I can’t help it 😀
No Comments