Madras hotel ashoka: clean, vegetarian, home like food
Hello Friends,
If you are tired of all the food that you have been having lately – such as pizzas, sandwiches, burgers, subzis, pilafs and craving for some simple sambar, rasam and curd rice – then I have a place for you.
If you are not familiar with the Egmore side of the city or have recently moved into to the city then Madras Hotel Ashoka may be a tad new to you. But this hotel is one of the oldest places of Chennai and has been functioning apparently from the 1970s. If you are travelling from other cities, you could stay here as well as they have lodging facilities (not sure of the quality of the rooms). And if you are hosting a party or any other event, they offer spacious multi-purpose halls as well. So the the Madras Hotel Ashoka is the multipurpose place for a quick bite, overnight stay or if you want to throw a party.
Takeaways are quite popular I guess, as there were quite a few waiting with large dabbas. The Madras thali was wholesome, simple and non-greasy. Large dose of vegetables, subjis, piping hot rice, tasty dhal, ghee, delicious sambar and rasam with thick curds were all part of the thali. It was very tasty, filling and did not have any oily dishes at all. Even their appalams were dry, no oil anywhere. The lunch is unlimited so it is really a good deal when compared to the other hotels that cringe on serving extra portions. They served two sweets – sago payasam and iceream with beeda. This is indeed a budget hotel that does not compromise on quality.
Abhinandan restaurant at the Madras Hotel Ashoka
A lovely little fish pond at the entrance
Parking:
Very convenient, large well maintained parking area is available. This is a refreshing change from the other hotels that hardly have any space for parking two wheelers, let alone cars.
Parking area
Timings:
Open from 6am to 11pm.
Address:
47, Pantheon Road, Egmore
Chennai–600008
TamilNadu, INDIA.
Phone: 91-44–28553377
Directions:
If you drive past the Museum Theatre and get onto the bridge and come down, it is just a block away from the bridge.
Menu:
Breakfast comprising of Idlis, Dosais, Pongal and Vadais etc are served. For lunch they offer Madras, TamilNadu and Andhra meals, which are really well spread out fares. And guessing the same options along with a la carte would be available for dinner.
Cost: A lunch meal for two costs Rs.300.
Useful Links:
https://www.zomato.com/chennai/abhinandan-egmore
All pictures were shot exclusively for this blog. Only the Thali photo is from the Zomato site.
Cheers
Bhuvana Rajaram
