Hotel Sangeeta's @ Trichy, Tamil Nadu, India

The rest of the evening in Trichy was at the hotel as I was meeting one of my old friends. We planned on meeting at the hotel and therefrom heading out to town.

Met My Friend At The Hotel

Visiting One Of The Temples in Trichy

Visiting One Of The Temples in Trichy

Visiting One Of The Temples in Trichy

From the meet up at the hotel, we then went for a drive through the city and did a brief stop at one of the old temples in the city. 

Restaurant Sangeetas in Trichy

Restaurant Sangeetas in Trichy

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Us At The Restaurant

This restaurant is one of the best in Trichy city. Located near the old Bus Station, they serve up some great meals. I have been to this restaurant before and tried out their set  lunch and it was very good. Today, we were here just for a drink. The place was packed with customers both indoors and outdoors. We were seated outdoors as the weather was fine for the evening. We had some fruit juices and coffee, all of which were excellent. I do not know the price as my friend took the bill. Sangeetas is definitely the place in Trichy for a good meal.

Hotel Rockfort @ Trichy, Tamil Nadu, India

From Tanjore, it just took us around 2 hours to reach Trichy which is our last city before we depart tomorrow. Once again, based on the excellent recommendation by my friend Dr. Sridhar, we stayed at this excellent Hotel called Hotel Rockfort which is facing the Rockfort Temple.

The Reception Area

Malar Restaurant

My brother and I were a little tired and we wanted to have a coffee. Having seen their coffee house on the ground floor, we headed there and it was only then that the staffs also advised us that there is a roof top restaurant by the same name too which according to their recommendation, seems like a great place to sit in the evenings. 

At The Rooftop Restaurant

We then arrived at the rooftop restaurant as it was just being set up and yes, the view was spectacular. The only setback at this restaurant is that it does not have a covering and if it rains, then you would get wet.

Rockfort Temple and Bus Station View

City View

Rockfort Temple View

The Rockfort Temple view was the best. It was so close and one would get a great view of this iconic temple.

Filter Coffee

We then had a coffee each while enjoying the breathtaking view. Luckily it did not rain this evening and the weather was fine. We did not have anything to eat as we both had plans to head out into the city later. The coffee was great. Definitely a place that I would recommend. The ambiance is nice and the view is fantastic. 

Best Thevar's Biriyani Non Veg (Halal) @ Tanjore, Tamil Nadu, India

This morning, from Tanjore, we went to Kumbakonam to visit Swamimalai Murugan Temple and Kumbeshwarar Sivan Temple. We finished Kumbakonam around noon and being Deepavali eve, the place was quite busy as Kumbakonam is a market town. As such, since our next destination is Trichy, we decided to head back into Tanjore for lunch. Having finished with all temple visits, my brother wanted to have non vegetarian food and as such, the driver suggested a place in Tanjore that is famous for their Briyani and Tandoori's. 

The Restaurant

Deepavali Special

This restaurant is located quite close to the Big Temple in Tanjore. They have a vegetarian restaurant and a non vegetarian restaurant, both located side by side. Seems that this place is very famous among locals as the place was packed with customers. Being Deepavali season, they had Turkey Briyani, Young Lamb Curry, Mutton Briyani and a variety of Tandooris.

The Cashier

Us At The Restaurant

The restaurant was small and simple but was packed. There were like hundreds of take aways happening when I was there and it took us a while to get a table and subsequently to get our orders through. Not that they staffs were not good, they were shorthanded and all of them were literally running around serving customers. At some point I lost my cool and almost went into like a fight mode with the waiter. He then calmed me down and apologised and then came to us to take our orders. 

Mutton Biriyani

Mutton Biriyani

In about 15 minutes, the food was served. My dad and I ordered the Mutton Biriyani. There was a huge portion with lots of mutton and on the sides, they served Kurma, Onion Raita and Mutton Curry. This was totally different to the Briyani that you get in Malaysia but it was nice. As I was used to the Indian taste, I liked it but my father who is not used to the Indian tastes, did not quite like it. By Indian standards, this is definitely a good preparation. 

Chicken Briyani

My brother and mother went for their Chicken Briyani. This again was served with a huge drumstick a.k.a. leg piece in India, Kurma, Onion Raita and Chicken Gravy. This again was good by Indian Standards. 

Black Pepper Fish

We also ordered a small plate of the above Spicy Fish. It came with chunks of fish prepared with black pepper, onions and chilies making it a spicy dish. The dish was very good. Only complaint would be the portion size, otherwise an excellent dish.

Spicy Prawn Sambal

The Prawn Sambal too was served in a small portion with lots of onions. In fact, it seemed like a dish of onions with some prawns. Taste wise, it was good.

Tandoori Chicken

This dish was the highlight of the day! The Tandoori was so soft, juicy and extremely delicious. Never tasted anything as good as this. It was simply heavenly.

Having Lunch

Besides the food items, you cannot get other drinks variety here besides plain water. Food was good and I liked it very much. The rest did not quite like it and that is simply because they are not used to the Indian non vegetarian items. It definitely tastes very different from what you get in Malaysia. May taste weird if you are not used to it but once again, I found them to be good. The total bill today came to INR 1,100 which is a decent price for the number of items we had. Do note that food is much more expensive in Tamil Nadu compared to even Kuala Lumpur.

Hotel Abi's Inn @ Tanjore, Tamil Nadu, India

Abi's Inn is the hotel that we stayed last night and also the place where we had our dinner which we all enjoyed. 

Abi's Inn in Tanjore, Tamil Nadu

Center Court

Being guests in this hotel, breakfast was served complimentary for all of us. Usually the breakfasts at these Indian hotels are quite good but limited to Indian variety.

Buffet Concept

We arrived at their restaurant around 8.30 am and we were one of the first to be here. Breakfast here was not like other hotels where we had to order individual items. Here, it was a buffet line and I was impressed with the variety. They had Idli's, Uppuma, Vadai, Dosa, Toast, Butter & Jam, Corn Flakes, Pancakes with Honey, Tea & Coffee and Fruit juices. Definitely a very good spread to choose from.

Breakfast At The Hotel

The food here was really good. Not only did they have great variety, each of those items were tasting great too. I must say that this was the best breakfast thus far that I saw in this trip provided in a hotel. Keep up the good work guys!

Hotel Abi's Inn @ Tanjore, Tamil Nadu, India

Finally we reached Tanjore which is our halt for the night and thanks to my friend Dr. Sridhar who had recommended us to stay at this wonderful hotel called Abi's Inn. This hotel is located not very far from the Big Temple and is located just along the roadside and therefore locating it is not difficult.  

The Living Area

Bedroom 1

Bedroom 2

We took the two bedroom apartment which cost us INR 3.600 which is a very good deal. The apartment came with two bedrooms, one living area, one kitchen and a balcony overlooking the streets. All the rooms were air conditioned and they had room service. Having checked in at the rooms, we then head down to their restaurant for dinner.

At The Restaurant

At The Restaurant

At The Restaurant

The restaurant had a very posh set up. This restaurant served both vegetarian and non vegetarian dishes. Their menu was very comprehensive serving both South and North Indian dishes and some Continental cuisines as well. It took us a while to go through the menu and decide on what to eat. The waiters manning this restaurant too were very polished in their approach. 

Garlic Naan

My brother went for their Garlic Naan. As you can see, real garlic slices are visible on the bread. Per basket came with three huge slices which is good to satisfy a very hungry man. Taste wise, the bread was good and it was very soft. Highly recommended!

Dhall Tadka

To go with the Naan, we also ordered a plate of Dhall Tadka. This came in a huge container which is good to serve four pax. Definitely too much for one. The Dhall Tadka was great, really delicious preparation. 

Vegetable Kothu Barotta

The first restaurant that we dined throughout this trip that served Vegetable Barotta. As my dad had never tried this, we decided to order this for the both of us. The Barotta came with loads of vegetables and was slightly spicy. Nice dish and well prepared.

Ghee Dosa

My mother and the driver went for the above Ghee Dosa. This was quite a large Dosa and was served with Sambar, Tomato and Coconut Chutney on the sides. This again was nice.

Us Having Dinner

Filter Coffee

After dinner, we all had coffee except for my brother who had Horlicks instead. The Coffee, just like the food, was very good. 

Back At The Room

Overall, this places is really good. This applies both to the restaurant and the hotel itself. The food was fantastic and tonight's bill came to only INR 689 . The place is clean and cosy and even the room service was very good. Definitely a highly recommended Hotel and Restaurant.

Hari's Veg Restaurant @ Tirumangalam, Tamil Nadu, India

Heading back from Tiruchendur along the highway, just before Madurai city limits, quite close to the Madurai Airport is this highway restaurant known as Hari's Veg Restaurant. 

Hari's Veg Restaurant

Hari's Veg Restaurant

This is definitely a huge establishment. There is ample parking spaces at the restaurant. There are two restaurants side by side, both belonging to the same owners. One is a pure vegetarian restaurant and the other is a non vegetarian restaurant. Since we were vegetarians throughout this trip, we headed on to their vegetarian restaurant. The restaurant was very clean, air conditioned and the staffs were very professional and efficient. 

Tali Set

They had a huge variety here, right from Tali Sets, Full Meals, Briyani Varieties, Mini Meals etc. A string of options to choose from. My mother went for their Tali Set like the one above. First, they served Tomato Soup for starters. The Soup was very good. Then they served two Capati's with one Paruppu Vadai. Then finally White Rice. The Set came with a good variety which included five different vegetables and five different curries. There was also a small plate filled with Plain Briyani rice. Definitely a very good variety. At the end, they served some sweets too. Excellent food.

Mushroom Briyani

The rest of us went for their Mushroom Briyani. Though the portion seems small, it is good for one heavy eater. This was served with Kurma and Onion Raita. After the one that we had in Marudamalai, this was the best Mushroom Briyani. The rice itself was so fragrant and the Kurma was delicious. 

Us Having Lunch

If you are passing this way, then this would be an excellent restaurant to have your lunch. Excellent options to choose from, reasonably priced, super efficient services and the food is good too. Personally, I would highly recommend this place. Our bill for lunch came to INR 720 which includes another four coffees and they were worth every Rupee spent. 

Hotel Thiyagi Mahadeva Iyer @ Tiruchendur, Tamil Nadu, India

Tiruchendur town has definitely loads of room to improve. The town was in a mess specifically from the drainage problems and the current rainy season which creates flash floods whenever it rains for more than an hour. Besides this, there are not many good places to eat as well near the Tiruchendur Temple. We were looking out for a place to have breakfast and there was literally no proper place except for a number of bakeries. As such, we had to settle for this Hotel Thiyagi Mahadeva Iyer which is a Iyer's Mess.

Streets of Tiruchendur Heading to the Temple

The Small Iyer Mess That We Found

This was just a small place along the street heading to the Temple. The signboard outside mentions that they have Idli, Dosa, Ponggal, Puri and Chapati and having read that we went in.

Inside the restaurant

Inside The Restaurant

Disappointed Faces

The restaurant was very simple and on asking they mentioned that they only have Idli and nothing else. The staffs were also very rude when replying. Its like if you want you eat or you can get lost kinda attitude. Not having a choice, we had to have their lame Idli's which were pretty bad. The only curry they had was Sambar without any Chutney's too. Nothing else was available including drinks. And after having your meals, you have to pick your leaves, throw them and clean the table yourself. What a weird culture here. The food was not good at all. Though the price was only INR 90 for the four of us, we left very unhappy. Definitely a no go place for me. Sorry I was too disappointed with the food that I did not take any photographs of the food items.