A place in Chennai where you can find almost everything that you want. You can find commercial and institutional houses on one side and coffee shops and malls on the other. If you can witness all these, then you have come to the right spot - Nungambakkam High Road.
Mahatma Gandhi Road or the Nungambakkam High Road as it is popularly known is at the heart of Chennai, is an extremely busy and highly commercialised stretch of Chennai.
From commercial establishments to shopping malls, educational institutions to coffee shops and from the road-side tea stalls to Five-Star Hotels, N.H. Road cater to every single individual. The road stretches from Village Road on one end and meeting the arterial Anna Salai at the Anna Flyover. The road continues on till the Marina Beach but is renamed as Dr. Radhakrishna Salai past the Gemini Circle.
This long stretch of road can definitely make heads spin. It's not just the traffic here that will give you with this effect but also the umpteen shops and establishments that this road houses. If you want to look at it from the point of view of a youngster, then this road can be a sure way to heaven. Ispahani Center is one such shopping mall which is every student's hangout. This mall has the ever-famous Cafe Coffee Day which always sees a constant crowd. There is also Marry brown for burgers, Sweet Chariot if you have a sweet tooth and Cool Nature to quench your thirst.
Apart from these eateries, there is also something to soothe a girl's frazzled nerves - shopping! Jealous Jeans and Titanic will cater to your fashion senses. And Casablanca, Anmol, Hide Sign and Florsheim will add on to your list of accessories and footwear. If you want designer wear, then you have a Ritu Kumar showroom to help you out. Also present in Ispahani Center is a gym, a crystal shop and a Singapore Education Center. If you have a sudden problem in your mobile, then the Mobile Store is there to help you out. And of course, if you're in need for some cash, you have an HDFC Bank cum ATM.
Opposite Ispahani Center is Barista, a coffee shop. If you're looking for some good coffee and a place to kill time, then that is where you should head. In fact, there is yet another Barista further ahead on Khadar Nawaz Khan Road as well. This road also houses the so-popular Mocha and Casa Picola. And if you're looking to shop some more, you have Man Mandir for saris and United Colors of Benetton as well. And in case you're looking to have a proper meal, you'll find Cascade to your liking as also Subway further ahead.
There is also Marks and Spencers and a bowling alley as well for the young crowd. Other restaurants include Anjappar and Sangeetha further down the road.
And not to forget, the Taj Coromandel Hotel as well as The Park whose presence there cannot be missed. And then there are the number of cobblers ever present on the pavements and the 'ellaneer' supplier to quench our summer thirst.
Be it cobblers, the tea stalls, the malls and the shopping, the coffees and the fun times, the college and the other institutions or the five-star hotels and the number of eateries, Nungambakkam High Road is the place to turn to!
Rashmi Kumar