Want to have some yummy biryani with family or get a bite of the best bun butter jam in town late night? Anna Salai is where you should be. Anna Salai was one place where nightlife began during the late 1950s itself. It continues to this day, with thousands of people flocking here each night. Those tracking the food and hospitality industry say it was Mount Road Buhari which set the trend of keeping hotels open late at night. Local people, college and school students, traders, film personalities and bureaucrats visit Anna Salai after sunset to sip a cup of tea, along with bun butter jam, which is a rage here.
This is one junction which houses popular outlets, including Sangam Hotel, Coffee House, Dindigul Thalappakatti and Mount Road Bilal. This stretch is also home to prominent buildings such as the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) and Higginbotham’s, a bookstore, which attracts a lot of people at evenings.
After sunset, thousands of people also visit the Dargah-e-Hazrath Syed Moosa Shah Qadri Baghdadi, also known as Mount Road Dargah. “We were the first hotel to keep our shutters open until early morning. People coming to Devi and Casino theatres always came here after the late night shows,” said Nawaz Buhari, managing director of Mount Road Buhari. “Those visiting the surrounding areas like Marina Beach and GP Road (a hub for automobile parts) also come here late at night,” he added. The Mount Road Buhari is open until 3 a.m. and the management now intends to add new items to its menu focusing on the night crowd. “We will be rolling it out soon,” Mr. Buhari said.
Fond memories
Abdul Rahim, founder of Mount Road Bilal, said, “People visit this area, especially to recollect old memories. I have had families coming here and standing in the balcony to get a breathtaking view of Anna Salai. People craving for a late-night snack come here to have bun butter jam and tea. We also have traders and customers who visit Ritchie Street walking into out hotel.”
According to R. Chandalia, secretary, Chennai Electronics and Infotech Traders Association, Ritchie Street, the electronics grey market hub, was started in the early 1950s, with roughly 10 shops. Now, thousands of youngsters and techies flock here. The lights are on late in this area, which has grown to a clutch of streets behind Anna Salai.
Sangam Hotel is another place that pulls in crowd until 2 a.m. Started in 1973, it is known for its Appam Paya and Mutton Nalli Biriyani.
Suresh Kumar, 68, of Tambaram, recollects, “Those days, I used to run a small shop at Thyagaraya Nagar [T. Nagar] and twice a week I had to go pick up consignments that came from Mumbai at Central (Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central Railway Station). While returning, I always stopped at Buhari to have their signature dish — chicken 65. People used to sit in cars and have food,” he noted.
The demand and growth in this area has led to smaller eateries establish businesses here. Two paan shops also operate here until late at night.
Raja, who works in a paan shop right next to Coffee House, says people come here even after 11 p.m. for a bite of paan. Those running businesses at night say that night has never been dull on this road since the Central station is nearby and thousands of people cross this area.
