Urban geometry

 

Urban geometry

 

Chennai colors

 

Random clicks on the way...

Manjal restaurant

 Yesterday was my wedding anniversary. We happened to be at Chennai and my wife suggested that we try 'Manjal' at Poes garden for our dinner. Manjal has been making a noise in social media with visits by many film stars, cricketers and politicians...

From the moment we stepped in, we were welcomed with a smile and immediately guided to a seat. The ambience was very soothing and authentic... The ordering was unique here.. The staff present you with the entire platter of non vegetarian dishes that makes your selection easy. By the time you are done with the selection of dishes, they serve you the complementary mutton soup! The service here is what impressed me the most... extremely quick and prompt, always attentive and helpful. Everything we ordered came in a jiffy!

The food did not disappoint... it was moderately spicy and well cooked. But i will still rate the "messes" of Madurai far above in taste. Nonetheless we enjoyed the evening of good food and even better service.

Seafood platter

The full mutton and chicken platter in display to select !

The complementary mutton boneless soup 

brain fry

Seer fish puttu

Crab lollipop 

Idiyappam and stew

Elaneer payasam

We started with Prawn lollipops as starter... followed with Brain fry and Seer fish puttu. I really loved the seer fish puttu.  We wanted to keep the main course light and went with Idiyappam, idly and egg dosai. All of them were good. Unfortunately they did not have any choice of desserts. The elaneer payasam was totally watery and below average.

On the whole a very worthy place to eat. The pricing was very reasonable. Lot more to try hopefully in our next visit...

The window

Window, St Mary's church,  Chennai

 Photography group- MUPAM 

Colors of Chennai

 Few Random clicks on the way...

St.Marys Church at Fort St George

 The St Mary's church is the oldest building constructed by the British in India housed at Fort St. George in Chennai. This ancient British Anglican Church is also called as the “Westminster Abbey of East”.

Sir Streynsham master, who was representing the East India Company in Madras (now Chennai), realized the need of a Chapel for the religious practices and rituals. So he started the construction of a Church on the Lady Day, that is, on 25th March 1678. The consecration ceremony was conducted on 28th October 1680. Within such a short span of time, the magnificent building was constructed in the British style of Architecture. As the building had a bomb-proof roof, it was used as a barrack and granary between 1758 and 1759 during the Second Carnatic War with the French.

St Mary’s Church is one of the finest examples of British Architecture in India, designed to catch even the slightest hint of a breeze off the sea; a haven of relative coolness in the sweltering heat of a south Indian summer. Inside the church is a plethora of memorials to officers and civilians of the East India Company who died far from home, sometimes in battle but more often from the combination of tropical heat and disease

At the west end of the nave is a 

 gallery, resting on carved Burma teak pillars, which 

 housed the seat for the Governor..

In 1753 Robert Clive married Margaret Maskelyne at this church.

An unsigned portrait of the last supper, an Altarpiece which was said to be a pure betray of Raphaelite school where Raphael himself sketched the figures, itt was brought to Chennai after it was spoilt by the British troops.

On the 15th August 1947 the 1st Battalion of the Essex Regiment marched out of the Fort and was replaced by the 3rd Sikh Light Infantry. Since then the Church has been administered by the Church of South India and it is beautifully maintained.