Chennai : (Bernama)
Malaysian eateries are flourishing in the Indian city of Chennai, amid its close proximity to the country.
The latest to enter the foray is, Sri Ananda Chettinad Curry House, which offers an array of Malaysian dishes.
“Nasi lemak, mee goreng, Maggi goreng,pasembur, roti bom and roti tisu are among the more famous dishes, on offer for our patrons here,” the restaurant’s owner and founder, V. Harikrishnan said.
The restaurant is strategically located in the heart of T. Nagar’s Pondy Bazaar in Chennai, Tamilnadu’s capital city. It is also approximately 14 kilometres from the airport, six kilometres from the Central Railway Station and 3.5 kilometres from the Malaysian Consulate General.
Opened on May 29, the restaurant cum lodge, “Hotel Malaysia Inn,” has been attracting a good number of customers.
“They are either Malaysians in Chennai or the increasing number of travellers to the city, locals who know and love Malaysian food, as well as those who want to try out a new eatery,” he told Bernama in an interview, here today.
The Nasi Kandar Pelita restaurant was among the first to venture into Chennai about a decade ago, followed by a few other chains, including New Town Coffee House.
The talk of the town is that, there are a few more such Malaysian restaurants, set to open in Chennai in the near future.
“There is room for a few more Malaysian-style restaurants here as long as you provide good food with a clean environment.
“In my restaurant, the advantage is that almost all the workers were trained in Malaysia. Some can even speak Bahasa Malaysia fluently. So, Malaysians will feel right at home here.
“At the same time, some key ingredients are brought in from Malaysia, to ensure the taste is top notch,” said Harikrishnan.
Sri Ananda Chettinad Curry House is also Halal certified.
He said location is another factor, adding, he had been eyeing the market in Chennai since 2007.
“I wanted a good location. It took me sometime before I could find one to house the restaurant and hotel,” he added
On the hotel, he said, it has 24 air-conditioned rooms, with 16 being double room deluxe and the rest, executive suits.
Asked if there are plans to open more such restaurants with a similar concept in the near future, Harikrishnan said the focus for now was on the Chennai outlet, although there was a request to open one in Bangalore.
“With this latest Chennai venture, we now have a total of 12 restaurants, of which 11 are in various places in Malaysia. This is already a handful,” he added.
In Malaysia, the Sri Ananda Chettinad Curry House goes by the name, “Sri Ananda Bahwan,”, established in 1991, with the first outlet in Butterworth, Penang.
source: http://www.bernama.com.my / National News Agency of Malaysia / Home> Business> News / by Saraswathi Muniappan / Chennai – June 23rd, 2013
— BERNAMA