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Introduction
SWEET DESTINATION It's variety galore at The Grand Sweets and Snacks, Adyar
Please bear with me for writing about a well-loved institution in Chennai about which you know much more than I do. A grand old tradition that has been sweetening your life for over a quarter of a century. Where else can you find a truly unique shop in which complimentary sweets are generously distributed? Or where along with sweets and savouries, religious books and cassettes are sold? By now you must've guessed that I am referring to The Grand Sweets and Snacks.
I have several reasons for writing about it: One, it sells freshly made sweets and savouries. Second, many of them are my favourites. I am including it in my column because I'd like to know more about it from you. Do let me know about the sweets and savouries that you like at Grand Sweets. Also do let me know about other such shops which you think are worth checking out. It will be good if they are unknown and hidden away. However, if they are well-known and well-loved then it is magnificent. I confess that my love affair with The Grand Sweets began over a decade ago, even before I'd been to the shop. My friends would send me boxes of a melt-in-the-mouth sweet. My friends insisted on calling this heavenly delicacy "Mysorepak". And this went on for years. I used to visualise how this shop would look like. But never did I imagine that it would be situated in a sprawling compound and canopied by a leafy tree with many chairs placed outside where customers sat and waited patiently. And what a range of ghee sweets, milk sweets, halwas, urundai items, dry fruit mithai and Bengali sweets! As for the savouries, there's a choice of mixtures, murukkus, chips, pakoras, seers and more. Then there the powders — paruppu, thengai and karuvappilai. Also available are Chettinadu snacks and a range of pickles. No artificial colours and preservatives are added in any of the items.
My favourites? Athirasam, mellow with cow ghee, sweetened with jaggery and somewhat chewy. I also enjoy the murukku and the thattai. Even the humdrum potato chips taste crispy and delicious here. Amongst the rice mixes you'll do well to get the pulikachal and the vathakuzhambu thokku, I still have a long list of tasting to do. I'd like to end with my compliments to G. Natarajan, his father and grandfather for this grand gift to us!
Open 9 a.m. to 7.30 p.m. Located at 24, 2nd Main Road, Gandhi Nagar, Adyar, ph: 24915662/ 24914213.
Am really looking forward to hearing about your favourite sweet shops. In the past few days, due to problems with the telephone line, our number was inaccessible, which is why we were unable to receive your messages. That has been set right, so please do call.
Dial 22462710 or mail us at Good Food Line, Metro Plus, The Hindu, Kasturi Buildings, 859/ 860, Anna Salai, Chennai 600002 or e-mail to gfl@rashmiudaysingh.com
By Rashmi Uday Singh
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