Home-cooked tiffin made behind bars

CHENNAI: There’s a pleasant buzz in the air mixed with clamour of bells, as we step out of the Kapaleeswarar temple main entrance, and take a right. It’s 5.45 pm, we’re 15 minutes late! Straining to spot the small blue jannal on the wall, we almost walk passed it. At least a dozen people are already clamouring around the barely two feet wide window effectively hiding it.

We wait for a gap, found one, and then yelled, ‘Anna, oru plate suda suda vegetable bonda’.
J Chandrasekaran takes a plate, places two large bondas the size of my fist and keeps a comfortable amount of freshly garnished thenga chutney. “`30 ma!” he says shortly, before attending to the next set of hands squeezing through the narrow bars. “Anna, can we ask some questions?” we ask in Tamil, he nods apprehensively.

Based in Mylapore for the past 40 years, Chandrasekaran and family decided to open a small homely tiffin centre, right out of their homes. Started just a decade ago, the small home food outlet has not grown in physical size, still serving food out of their iconic jannal.

Chandrasekaran sits behind the bars, from 7.30 am to 10 am, serving steaming idlis, dosas, and vadas with coconut and onion chutney, the latter being the public favourite. “We cook all our food fresh, right in the kitchen behind this,” he indicates the space, and ensyres “We maintain pure hygiene always!”
We take a bite of our bondas. Crispy on the outside, it is filled with a generous amount of mashed potato and carrot filling, the occasional pottukadalai adding a crunch. The thick coconut chutney is yummiliciously amazing, and we understand why the jannal kadai is so popular in Mylapore’s food scene, even among the other iconic mess-type food joints.

“After a visit to Kabali, I always take time to buzz around the eateries here, and the jannal kadai is always the starting point! Near the temple entrance, you’ll find a bunch of people standing in front of a window and munching — that’s the only landmark this place has; no fancy board,” laughs Arun, a self-professed foodie. He explains that the food items vary from time to time. “But my favourite is the vazhakkai bajji, that breaks when you bend it. It’s less oily and tastes best with coconut chutney,” he says, adding that the poori and Pongal served for breakfast are equally good.

We wash our hands with the water placed in a sombu on the window ledge, bidding goodbye to Chandrasekaran and making our way back to the parking. “Excuse me, can you tell me where to find jannal kadai”, a tourist asks us.

We smile and say, “Follow the crowds! They know where the best food is!”

Jannal Kadai is located on the same street as the Kapaleeswarar temple’s main entrance. Meal for two is `100 approx. Timings: 7.30 am - 10 am, and from 5.30 pm - 8.45 pm (Sundays half day only)