Brunch Heaven In Pondicherry

Colloquially known as ‘Puducherry’, Pondicherry was a former French Colony. It still shades a colonial vibe through its boulevards, cafes, bakeries and Mediterranean style houses. But in a very soothing manner, it has blended in with the Indian Tamil culture. It is a calming affair of East and West.

While White Colony is very famous for its eateries, we will take you out of it to explore the raw Pondicherry. Getting in touch with the locals gave us an advantage of touring the place as more of their own and less as a tourist.

Let’s go!

French Delicacies Concept Store- In Pondicherry, no food tour is complete without relishing the french delicacies.

We tried the Tandoori Chicken Croissant. It had a fluffy, flaky outside and the inside was stuffed with tandoori chicken, lettuce, chopped tomatoes and ring onions.

Then, we hogged Egg Quiche with Ham and Cheese. It had a soft and cakey texture. Unlike the previous snack, this one’s not spicy as it is not a fusion.

Back to the colonial cravings!

Price- INR 400 for two people approximately.

Murugan Cafe- Here, Mundri Uttapam is a must try! It is basically uttapam (grainy pancake) made with cashews. It is super fluffy and fulfilling and is served with Vada Curry. Vada Curry, evident from its name, is curry which has crushed pieces of Vada in it. The Uttapam smells strongly of ghee and has a nutty texture because of the crunch of cashews.

It is served in a big banana leaf with Kara and Coconut chutneys along with a bowl of spicy Sambar.

Price- INR 150 for approximately two people.

Shri Sai Ram Coffee Bar- “This is one of the best coffees in the town” said the local hosting us. It is Filter Coffee. South Indian Coffee is Filter Coffee. It is made by mixing boiled milk with the decoction obtained by brewing finely ground coffee powder.

There’s a live counter and to visit the entire process of making this coffee is very interesting! There’s a whole lot of juggling and mixing that goes behind serving just one cup of it. It is very strong and has a good level of froth in it.

Fun Fact- They serve it in a dabara set. It is basically a small vessel along with a cup so that a person can cool it down and drink it at the temperature they like!

Price- INR 20 per cup.

JA Arcot Biryani Hotel- In huge vessels they cook loads and loads of Biryani. It is cooked in bulk and tastes a lot of ginger and garlic. Cardamom, cloves and other flavours which are usually dominant in the North Indian basket seem suppressed here. This is South Indian Biryani for you!

One hot steamy plate of well cooked and spiced up rice will leave you satiated. With chopped onions and soft pieces of meat in it, even better!

Irfan Restaurant- This place is a paradise for non-veg lovers. Here, you must try Nai Parotta, a layered paratha deep fried in ghee. It is soft, chewy and crispy.

The typical way to eat it is, tear the Parotta into pieces, pour some Mutton curry and put scoops of Nathi Kozde on top of it.

Nathi Kozde is country chicken and they make it in a way that it has a very strong minty flavour.

All in all the entire combination of Nai Parotta with Mutton Curry and Nathi Kozde is finger licking good!

Price- INR 200 approximately for two people.

RK Juice Centre- Tired walking in the heat of Tamil Nadu? Grab a glass of Paal Sharbath. The most truthful mixture ever! It has Sabja Seeds, Almond Gum, Nannari, Almonds and condensed milk.

It gives a cooling effect to the brain and energises the muscles. A Real Deal.

Price- INR 30 per glass.

To catch a glimpse of all these drool worthy items, watch the video below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7mZPI1d3Jg