It all began at around 6.30pm today evening. I called up a dear friend who lives in Adyar. I live in Mylapore. Meandered through the traffic, got past Thiruvanmiyur on ECR. Plan was to go catch a movie at Mayajaal. Like always, I can never stick to a plan. We did hit Mayajaal at 8.10pm, too late for any movie or rather too early. We decided to head to Mahabalipuram. I insisted on it for 2 things viz. the Food and the Drive. Headed straight down, was always on Gear 5, 100km/hr on my Swift, a rarity in the city. The drive was awesome, with ‘New York Nagaram’ playing. Initially I wanted to head to GRT Grand Days for dinner, but I was beginning to get bored of it. A friend had suggested Moonraker’s and I didn’t waste any time. We took a left before the Shore Temple. Drove 100 metres and to your right is Moonraker’s. Found a little difficult parking my car, finally managed in one of the by-lanes. The whole area has an old-world charm. Much like Goa. Never seen so many foreign tourists even in the city. The restaurant was fairly well lit. Reminded me more of a quaint cafe in the streets of Bath, U.K.

They have a ground floor, this is where the kitchen is too. And 2 floors on top. We headed to a quiet corner on the first floor. Wooden chairs and tables, the walls filled with frames. From Gandhiji to Shirdhi Sai Baba. A nice friendly waiter came up to us and took the order. He suggested that we order one shot as the place was already packed and it would take time. The group of people next to me were examining the fresh catch and choosing from a selection to be cooked straight away. Being Saturday, my friend doesn’t eat non-veg (i think the idea was really stupid) so we settled for some basic vegetarian fare. Pretty good. Ofcourse the beer flowed and my lime-soda. I’m not getting into the food as it wouldn’t be fare as these guys specialise in Sea Food and I didn’t have them at all. Apparently their Calamari’s are supposed to be really good. But the ambience rocks. Sorta calm, serene, a certain degree of old-world charm. You are sitting amidst a truly global, multi-cultural crowd. The waiter flourishes in French & English with ease. The laid-back approach and the air that surrounds hits you. No one’s asking you to hurry or no one is anxiously looking at when you finish your food so that they can hijack your table. I highly recommend this place for a nice romantic dinner or one with friends. Don’t expect opulence but expect realism where you can be you. And don’t bother about the distance, it is a much easier and plesant drive than from say Adyar to Nungambakkam.