CHENNAI: For John Alan Fernandez, a Goan settled in Chennai, Café Amin at Royapettah, has been a destination for more than 30 years. With their delicious menu of multicuisine fare, and a recently added dessert display, it is little wonder as to how this space has stayed popular for so many years. John says, “I love the idiyappam and paya served here. Even after several years, they serve authentic chicken biryani.”Started in 1963, Café Amin, very close to the Pilot theatre, belongs to a Goan family and was inaugurated by the then chief minister, Annadurai. The establishment takes pride in the fact that they were the first to introduce a jukebox, which played your favourite songs for just 25 paise. Currently owned by Mohammed Shoaib, Café Amin was named after his uncle, Amin. This place has a reputation for great food, and appears to be remodelled with AC rooms and a change in the menu also; from South Indian delicacies to multicuisine. However, the hotel does have one old thing to that was retained — the tables, which are made of original rosewood. According Shoaib, Café Amin was frequented by actors Shammi Kapoor, Jaishankar and Feroze Khan. He shares, “Most of the celebrities who frequented our hotel liked the Ceylon parotta, falooda and biryani. Café Amin was one of the biggest restaurants in this locality, but now we had to shrink the place and a lot of renovation has been done to suit the taste of today’s generation.” From the narrow streets of Royapettah, it is time to head towards the new Secretariat, where you will find another Chennai best — Sri Bombay Halwa. With a faded sign board that reads Sri Bombay Halwa, this age old hotel has not undergone much of renovation. When it came into existence in 1956, Bombay Halwa was owned by Gopichand and Gordhandas. As you walk into the hotel, the aroma of basundhi wafting through the air will immediately draw your attention towards the old modelled racks that display an array of sweets, packets of savouries. In fact, according to its current owners, Bombay Halwa was the first restaurant to introduce chapathi with sabji in the city, and was frequented by NT Rama Rao just for its Masala Milk! Now the hotel has introduced many new delicacies like the Chinese combo, vegetable biryani and gobi manchurian. Back in its hay day, it was once the hotspot for many celebrity families, especially for their samosas and sweets. Sadly after the shutdown of the textile market in that locality, the hotel is not doing well and is at the verge of closing down.Another restaurant that is known for its good food is the ever popular, Hotel Sangam. The dimly lit restaurant with a mix of stools, chairs and more formal dinner tables, has undergone a lot of changes over the decades — from décor to menu. The hotel stands as a great landmark on the busy Anna Salai. For Hari Chandran, (65) who has been frequenting the restaurant from its opening day in 1965, the place holds memories of many a dinner well spent.“The first time I came to this restaurant was after my wedding, this was in 1960s. Even now, I go to this restaurant with my grand children, and the staff who have been there ever since the ’60s can still recognise me. This was the only restaurant apart from Hotel Billal (shut down now) and Buhari that was famous for its non-vegetarian food.” Though the restaurant has seen perhaps a dip in their clientele, ever since the opening of the new Buhari hotel and other vegetarian hotels in the same locality, Sangam still has its regulars, doing the rounds for lunch and dinner.
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