[sbkumar]

Originally Posted by hserus

The original Star Biryani is packed in "Mandhara Elai" leaves, which adds a distinctive aroma to the Biryani. But yes, it is fairly cheap Biryani and pretty much mediocre. The same with Dindigul Thalapakatti as well.

Don't mind me, I'm a Hyderabadi by upbringing so I prefer that style of Biryani to the type here where the meat is fried separately and then mixed with rice. If the Thalapakatti type of Biryani works for you, go for it - though the one time I tried it, the chicken had been overcooked and was stringy and dry.

Of course, everyone has a different taste and I do have some Hyderabadi friends who refuse to acknowledge anything else as Biryani Honestly, I never tried their chicken biryani because my friends who introduced to me said it's no good.
AAh.. "Mandhara Elai" leaves -- probably that's their secret ingredient and all along i was wondering why I was not to appreciate the taste while eating out of normal containers/plates.

[hserus]

Originally Posted by sbkumar

Of course, everyone has a different taste and I do have some Hyderabadi friends who refuse to acknowledge anything else as Biryani Honestly, I never tried their chicken biryani because my friends who introduced to me said it's no good.
AAh.. "Mandhara Elai" leaves -- probably that's their secret ingredient and all along i was wondering why I was not to appreciate the taste while eating out of normal containers/plates.

There are many many fake star biryanis and these have astonishingly bad biryani at times. The original Star always serves in Mandhara Elai - and quite often they only support takeaway because of lack of space.

If they served it in just a plate, then you may have gone to one of the numerous knockoffs around.

[aquarian1502]

Suggestions needed.

Will be driving to Mahabalipuram with stopover for a night at GRT, Kanchipuram as wify wants to shop sarees. We also want to visit a silk weaving centre to watch the weaving process, so any recommendation on any reliable Saree shop as well as a weaving center would be helpful.

[arun_josie]

Originally Posted by hserus

No use at all, overrated.

If you go to Ambur go to the original Star Biryani near the Ambur station, not the numerous copies. https://g.co/kgs/q6hyML

As for Vellore try Tom's Diner in a small lane opposite VIT.

In my opinion, Dindigul Thalapakatti is much much better than Star Biriyani(I am comparing the branches of these two on the highways). The quality of Star Biriyani has come down drastically.

However, I have not tried the one near Ambur railway station. Is this different from the chain which is on most of the highways, http://www.amburstarbriyani.com/ ?

Tom's Diner is a very nice option but we will have to enter Vellore.

[hserus]

Originally Posted by aquarian1502

Suggestions needed.

Will be driving to Mahabalipuram with stopover for a night at GRT, Kanchipuram as wify wants to shop sarees. We also want to visit a silk weaving centre to watch the weaving process, so any recommendation on any reliable Saree shop as well as a weaving center would be helpful.

Not in Mahabs but if you want to stop by Kalakshetra see this - http://www.kalakshetra.in/site/handloom-weaving-unit/

Not a commercial unit so they focus on the art form and the knowledge behind saree weaving.

Saree shopping - try Prakash Silks which is bang opposite GRT. Not bad at all. And of course there is the heavily advertised and age old AS Babu Sah.

Originally Posted by arun_josie

However, I have not tried the one near Ambur railway station. Is this different from the chain which is on most of the highways, http://www.amburstarbriyani.com/ ?

It is the original and is quite shady when it comes to atmosphere but the taste is much better for mutton biryani than these other johnny come lately namesakes spread all over Tamil Nadu.

[Prodigy07]

Hello All,

Can someone tell me the toll charges at Sriperumbudur toll for single and return journey?

[tilt]

Originally Posted by Prodigy07

Hello All,

Can someone tell me the toll charges at Sriperumbudur toll for single and return journey?

55 and 80.

http://tis.nhai.gov.in/tollplazasonmap?language=en

You can use the above website to check other plazas when you need to.

Cheers

[rajinibm]

Had been to Chennai over the weekend.Had taken the Hoskote-Kolar- Ranipet route while going.Left from Yelahanka at 10:30 am and reached Adyar at 5 :30 pm.The roads were really bouncy in stretches with the road widening work going on and to be avoided for a while.
While coming back left from Adyar at 5 pm and reached Yelahanka by 12:40 am! I left chennai at this time thinking the tolls would be jampacked and the Attibele toll took 20 mins to cross and after that from the toll till E-city took almost 50 mins with choc a bloc traffic.The tolls would probably get more crowded as the night goes by with buses also joining in. Happy to have reached and get some sleep before heading back to work in the morning.

[tomchacks]

I plan to drive from Hebbal in Bangalore to Guindy, Chennai on 28th Nov via NH 48, leaving by around 7 am. Will it make sense in terms of time saved, if I take the following deviation route from Sriperumbudur. Take SH 113 till Porur and then by Poonamalle High Road (SH 55) till Guindy. Please note that I am not familiar with Chennai roads. Your valuable advice will be appreciated on this query and on any other recommended route.

[aravind.anand]

Originally Posted by tomchacks

I plan to drive from Hebbal in Bangalore to Guindy, Chennai on 28th Nov via NH 48, leaving by around 7 am. Will it make sense in terms of time saved, if I take the following deviation route from Sriperumbudur. Take SH 113 till Porur and then by Poonamalle High Road (SH 55) till Guindy. Please note that I am not familiar with Chennai roads. Your valuable advice will be appreciated on this query and on any other recommended route.

Yes, certainly. Any other route will be longer and more time consuming as well. Leaving at 7 AM, you would probably reach Porur junction by noon, and traffic at those times on a weekday shouldn't be much of a bother.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by tomchacks

Take SH 113 till Porur and then by Poonamalle High Road (SH 55) till Guindy.

Last one year, my regular route has been Sriperumbudur-Manimangalam-Mudichur (SH110)-Tambaram-GST-Mount Road (for T.Nagar as a destination, which is a few kms beyond Guindy). Route is peaceful barring 2 major bottlenecks:

1. Turnoff from NH at Sriperumbudur (this is common with SH 113 and SH110). This will take 10 min
2. Pallavaram bridge construction (5-10 min).

Rest is free flowing.

Budget 2-2.5 hrs from Chennasamudram toll to destination.

[binand]

Originally Posted by tomchacks

Will it make sense in terms of time saved, if I take the following deviation route from Sriperumbudur. Take SH 113 till Porur and then by Poonamalle High Road (SH 55) till Guindy.

I'm not too sure you gain anything by taking that SH 113. Surely Sriperumbudur-Poonamallee-Porur-Guindy is going to be quicker. Because:

1. Where SH 113 meets Mount Poonamallee Road (not Poonamallee High Road!), coming from Poonamallee you have a flyover whereas coming from Kundrathur it is a messy junction, if I recall correctly.

2. SH 113 is single carriageway, no?

If you take my suggestion, the single point to remember is this: Coming from Bangalore side and after crossing Chennai ORR (no interchange/junction; just two grade-separated roads) take the left marked Maduravoyal instead of going straight into Poonamallee via flyover. Then under the second subsequent flyover, take a right turn. A km or so down you hit Mount Poonamallee Road with a sharp left turn towards Porur.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by binand

A km or so down you hit Mount Poonamallee Road with a sharp left turn towards Porur.

Also, once you take the sharp left at the signal, another couple of km ahead the bottleneck used to be the unfinished porur flyover at the Arcot road junction. This was completed sometime last year and I think it could now be better and help in reaching Guindy quicker.

Originally Posted by tomchacks

Please note that I am not familiar with Chennai roads.

You can use the above route mentioned by @binand and just follow that road to St. Thomas Mount (almost just one long straight stretch with a few signals in between) and then you get to Kathipara flyover from where you can get to your destination in Guindy nearby.

[binand]

Originally Posted by binand

1. Where SH 113 meets Mount Poonamallee Road (not Poonamallee High Road!), coming from Poonamallee you have a flyover whereas coming from Kundrathur it is a messy junction, if I recall correctly.

Originally Posted by NPV

Also, once you take the sharp left at the signal, another couple of km ahead the bottleneck used to be the unfinished porur flyover at the Arcot road junction.

We are talking of the same junction here. The left at this junction goes to Nungambakkam/Gemini flyover and the right to Kundrathur. Straight from Poonamallee to St. Thomas Mount there is a flyover now (whose construction was stuck for several years, hence many of us regulars started looking for alternatives via Oragadam/Mudichur/Kelambakkam/Tambaram/Medavakkam etc.).

[swissknife]

Originally Posted by binand

Straight from Poonamallee to St. Thomas Mount there is a flyover now (whose construction was stuck for several years, hence many of us regulars started looking for alternatives via Oragadam/Mudichur/Kelambakkam/Tambaram/Medavakkam etc.).

If you are referring to the flyover at the Porur junction, it has been completed and open to traffic for quite a while now.