I’ve had a LOT of very good Indian in London and New York, but Chennai stands out... certainly the best in central NJ. For years we’ve gotten takeout every 2 weeks or so from Cross Cultures, which does excellent North Indian on a menu that...literally hasn’t changed since it opened. We tried Chennai Chimney for the first time two nights ago. It was astonishingly different from Cross Cultures and at least as good, which is saying a lot. So I went back the next day for the lunch buffet to try more things, and then I oddly returned for lunch the next day. I couldn’t believe that every dish on the buffet, save one, was different from the day before. Unlike other Indian places which tend towards tired sameness each day or cliche, the food here seems freshly imagined or perhaps drawn from a wider range of localized cuisines than other places I’ve visited. Highlights among over 20 different dishes I’ve sampled during the past three days: Kaalan Manchurian (mushrooms),
Ennai katharikai, Aatiraitchi varutha araicha curry, karikudi curry, Fried fish street-food style, Karnataka fried chicken, gobi manchurian and kaoai vegetable. I’ve reviewed dozens of restaurants on TripAdvisor, and this ranks among my favorite inexpensive places anywhere.More