A homely feast at a friendly price: Madras Paya House expands to Anna Nagar

CHENNAI: Two best friends, united by their common love for food, came together to serve excellent cuisine to Chennaiites. Madras Paya House is the result of their search for a place that serves a non-vegetarian breakfast. Unable to find one, the duo decided to fill the gap and began serving breakfast — idiyappam and paya — in Mandaveli. However, they wanted to go beyond just paya and explore more options.

Though they are newcomers to the industry, Thanigai Arasu and Shantha are determined not to follow the conventional path but to carve their own niche. “There is a myth surrounding Chettinadu cuisine that it has high spice levels. But the truth is, mastering the cuisine lies in balancing all the flavours and not just focusing on spice,” says Shantha, co-founder of Madras Paya House. The duo curated authentic recipes from Chettinadu cuisine and crafted a mouth-watering menu offering a diverse range of dishes.

“Though we are here to make profits, that is not our prime goal. Our main goal is to serve tasty treats without compromising on quality. Shantha is very particular about using high-quality ingredients and personally goes to the field to handpick them. I believe this helps us stand out from the rest,” says Thanigai Arasu. “Before starting our day at the restaurant, we personally taste all the delicacies and enhance the flavour of the dishes.” Sharing insights about the challenges in procuring quality ingredients, Shantha reveals that the market has divided ingredients into two categories: home-use and commercial-use. “Compared to home-use ingredients, commercial-use products are of lower quality and priced less. But we chose the former, as we have customers from all age groups and cannot risk their health,” she notes. The kitchen is predominantly run by women at Madras Paya House, and Thanigai Arasu believes that offering good food and great service will be etched in people’s memories, encouraging them to return. “As we aim to serve food that meets home-cooked standards, we avoid excess oil, preservatives, and food colouring, always opting for natural ingredients to bring out the original taste,” he adds.

Nestled in one of the quiet lanes of Anna Nagar, the founders have renovated a house to establish Madras Paya House. It’s not just the food; the ambience also contributes to the homely vibe.

As we sit down to begin the feast, a large banana leaf is placed before us. The parotta and pepper aatukkal paya combo is heavenly, with tender pieces of meat. The chicken 96, named after Thanigai Arasu’s 96th batch, is something unique. The mutton chukka is appetising, featuring balanced flavours and scrumptious meat. The non-veg thali consists of unlimited rice and a variety of chicken and mutton starters, including mutton liver, mutton kola urundai, kozhi milagu varuval, and more. The mutton kola urundai tops the list of best flavours. The portion of prawn pepper masala is quite surprising, with juicy meat and intact flavours highlighting the pepper.

They serve seeraga samba biryani and also offer ghee rice, which pairs well with Chettinadu chicken gravy and Karaikudi mutton. Now, the diner has a variety of parottas and has started offering naatu kozhi rasam as well. For beverages, the nannari sarbath is a must-try.

Interestingly, Madras Paya House’s vegetarian dishes are also on par with the non-veg delights. The taste of white rice with paruppu podi, ghee, and sambar is indescribable. One of the best parts of the entire experience is how the founders interact with the guests, similar to how we speak with friends at home.

Serving such delicious food at a reasonable price, along with a good ambience, is something new in Anna Nagar.