The new outlet of Chai Nasta in Chennai keeps it easy with an all-day tea-time menu

Expect desi burrito bowls and dosa plates with Chinese flavours on the menu. And pair snacks with some delicious kadak adrak chai
Cheesy Pow
Cheesy Pow

A colourful truck cut-out right at the entrance sets the mood for what’s to come at the new Chai Nasta outlet off Khader Nawaz Khan Road. A cosy 17-seater, this is the second outlet in the city and smaller than the two-year-old outlet at St Mary’s Road. With a smaller menu albeit boasting new additions, the owner Shitija Nahata, tells us that the USP for the chain is small spaces offering Indian tea-time snacks, hence the new place has fewer main course dishes. Known for snacky staples like poha, pavs and dosas, expect some interesting fusion notes here. “We always wanted to have small, cosy places with a menu that has typical snack items from across the country. For instance, the Chings Gives You Wings dosa with Chinese flavours is a Delhi-inspired dish,” says Shitija, who started The Cupcake Company back in 2011.

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Say, cheese!
We start off with a perfect kadak adrak chai as we wait for the food to arrive. A delightful new addition, the Utterly Butterly Delicious is a cheesy dosa that is shining with Amul butter, and that gets a shot of spice and crunch with the side of roasted peanuts that is dotted with sesame. The Cheesy Pow is warm and melt in the mouth cheese topped pav bread — and works well with the hot tea. Things get cheesier with the Indi-Mex which is a cheese and potato-stuffed quesadilla.

<em>Indi-Mex</em>
Indi-Mex
<em>Gajjar ka halwa</em>
Gajjar ka halwa



Fill it up
The Desi burrito bowl is an Indian-flavoured rice dish that has a topping of black daal, a side of roasted papad and a fringe of salsa. The salt lassi is the ideal sip-along for this dish and also works for the typical Maharashtrian dish, Life of Poh(a). While we would have wanted the Gajjar Halwa to be a tad sweeter, the Bun Maska Aur Jam is a perfect comfort food. Served warm, all buttered up and speckled with tutti-frutti — this one is a welcome bite at anytime of the day, we declare!

Meal for two at Rs 600.
 

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