Tucked away in a corner of the Cholamandal artist village is a canteen that has been serving scrumptious food to artists and the public for more than two decades.

Sixty-five-year-old Augustin Raj had come here in 1990 from Puducherry and started selling tea and snacks in the locality. Little did he know that he would befriend some of country’s well-known artists. “At any given time, one can find artists coming here for tea and snacks. During shows, they order for food in advance,” he says.

Here, one can find dishes like puri, barota, chapatti, pongal and varieties of rice. Fish items are however the most popular, says Aughustin.

Though the canteen has been around for a while, it was only eight years ago that it was thrown open for the public.

“Now, people can make their purchases from outside. Our prices are easy on the pocket and have people from all sects coming and enjoying food here,” he says.

All the food is cooked here and the canteen is run by the family. “We start our day early in the morning and keep the food fresh. We follow authentic recipes and that is the reason we have earned some regular customers,” he says.

The best time to come here is the weekends, after a nice drive along the East Coast Road.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> DownTown / by Vipasha Sinha / Chennai – May 31st, 2014