When I think of Grand Sweets, I’m reminded of my school days, and the authentic place in Gandhinagar, Adyar, where the place started out in a household front yard sorta setup. I studied nearby, and my mom used to like to pickup Indian sweets and snacks from there. Often we’d stop by there post school, and they would have the practice of giving complimentary rice around lunch time in leaf cups.
I guess it fair to say that Grand Sweets and Snacks (GSS), has come a long way. It is now a popular brand, with outlets all over Chennai. On Spurtank road near my place, they have a huge outlet and several others all over the city. The one that I am reviewing here is near my office, and a place I've gone to a few times for an evening snack or lunch. It’s located on route to Mylapore, and though the road gets very congested and chaotic further down, it’s fairly okay at the GSS location. They have some car parking spots, and I have never had trouble parking thee. The outlet is built inside what was once an independent house, with the first floor being the air-conditioned restaurant. There is one main room, and one smaller room. There is also one tiny single table room. The place is okay, and feels better maintained and clean when compared to the Sangeetha franchise. For location and ambiance, I’d give them a 6/10.
Service is decent, and if you get some of the more senior staff, you will find that they understand what you want, and are flexible to help. While the service didn't blow me away or anything, again in comparison to the Sangeetha franchise, I found the service better. I’d give them a 7/10, for a restaurant of this type.
In the past I've tried their Ghee roast dosa, and also some chat. More recently I've had lunch once, and today I had their mini meals. My colleagues from office tried the Punjabi Thali. I zeroed in on the mini meals as it had sambar rice and curd rice, among other things, which are my usual favorites when it comes to south Indian rice. There was also variety rice, probably coconut rice, which I didn't have. The sambar rice was standout, both the consistency and flavor being excellent. I am not a fan of eating south Indian food like this outside of home, unless I am forced to, at work, or on a budget. That said, this was probably some of the best sambar rice I have eaten in a while. It was so soft and went down so easily. The curd rice was also excellent, with cut green chill’s and ginger for seasoning. Along with the provided pickle, it was perfect. The chapatti and the gravy were nice, and I also tried some of the paneer masala gravy from the Punjabi Thali which was quite nice. My appetite was poor, and being full I didn't have the beetroot kootu, and variety rice. I did have the sweet though, which I liked and finished. The Punjabi Thali had a bigger spread, and came with a tomato soup. I tried the soup and liked it. At the end of my meal, feeling full, I was very sure about one thing, GSS clearly focuses on quality. The food was good, felt high quality, and I’d rate it 8/10, for good vegetarian South Indian style cuisine.
In terms of pricing GSS is not trying to be a value player; their USP is quality. But in today’s day and age where everyone is hiking up their rates, GSS works out to be a good deal. The mini meals were a little over 80 rupees, and the Punjabi Thali between 120 and 130. All in all, good pricing for the food we had. From a value proposition perspective (cost vs. quality of food), id give GSS 8/10.
If you’re looking for a quick and quality bite, and want south Indian vegetarian, you cant go wrong with Grand Sweets and Snacks!
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