One of the joys of eschewing the highway and taking interior roads is the chance of discovering small, basic restaurants serving tasty local food.

Which is why we took the Chengam-Tiruvannamalai road to Pondy. We stopped for lunch at Ananda Bhavan, perhaps half a kilometer down the road from Ramanashramam in Tiruvannamalai. I had to have three helpings of everything on the plate (except for the greenery you see in that bowl) – so good was the food. The meal cost us Rs. 80/- a plate. Definitely worth a halt the next time I come this way.