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Mountain View gets new South Indian restaurant

Uploaded: Mar 13, 2018
Two family friends have opened a South Indian restaurant together in Mountain View.

John Annachi and Suresh Seenichamy soft opened Annachikadai at 80 W. El Camino Real in late February.

Annachikadai is inspired by a restaurant Annachi's parents owned in his native Tamil Nadu, a southern Indian state. He grew up in the restaurant watching his mother cook and his father serve as host.

"Watching her (his mother) grinding spices and getting the best creative dishes out of it everyday has always been a fascinating experience," Annachi writes on the restaurant's website.

At Annachikadai, all spices are also ground by hand, and the kitchen uses Annachi's mother's recipes, he said in an interview.

The menu includes appetizers like pakora, or vegetable fritters; deep-fried cauliflower; masala fries; lamb chops and other dishes. For entrees, there's biryani (a rice dish), dosa and curries, with plenty of vegetarian options. Naan is unlimited, Annachi said.

Traditional desserts include gulab jamun, a doughnut soaked in syrup, and kesari, semolina reduced in milk and ghee.

Annachikadai is open Tuesday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 6-10 p.m.; Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.; and Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
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Comments

Posted by MV resident, a resident of Old Mountain View,
on Mar 13, 2018 at 9:08 am

It is Tamil Nadu... simple google search seems to be the least a journalist can do.


Posted by Other MV resident, a resident of Old Mountain View,
on Mar 13, 2018 at 9:18 am

"Tamil Nagu" is just an ordinary spelling or typing error. Pointing it out courteously and constructively seems to be the least a commenter can do.


Posted by Elena Kadvany, education reporter of the Palo Alto Weekly,
on Mar 13, 2018 at 9:18 am

Elena Kadvany is a registered user.

MV Resident: Thank you for catching that. It was simply a typing error!


Posted by Resident, a resident of Embarcadero Oaks/Leland,
on Mar 13, 2018 at 3:43 pm

Thanks for the tip, Elena. I've seen that place driving by, but didn't know they had dosa. I especially love masala dosa, so am looking forward to trying it.


Posted by MV resident, a resident of Old Mountain View,
on Mar 13, 2018 at 4:01 pm

@ Other MV resident - well played and point taken.
@ Elena - You are welcome.


Posted by IdliDosaLover, a resident of Old Mountain View,
on Mar 13, 2018 at 4:24 pm

Elena, any comments on what they consider their specialty or what you thought was particularly good there?


Posted by Elena Kadvany, a resident of another community,
on Mar 13, 2018 at 6:28 pm

IdliDosaLover: Thanks for asking. The owners did not say what they consider their specialty. My blog is meant to be an objective news source for the local dining scene, so I do not review the restaurants I write about. Restaurant reviews run in the Mountain View Voice and Palo Alto Weekly's dining sections every other week.


Posted by LA Resident, a resident of Los Altos,
on Mar 13, 2018 at 8:11 pm

I went there last week and it's pretty promising. Small place though, where the taqueria used to be.


Posted by Diner, a resident of another community,
on Mar 13, 2018 at 11:24 pm

Could someone esplain to me the difference between South Indian cuisine and North? Seems like all we have in this area is South!


Posted by Member, a resident of Mountain View,
on Mar 14, 2018 at 11:39 am

North Indian cuisine is wheat heavy - rotis, naan breads etc. The spices are different too - no coconuts are used. Red chilis are used; so is garam masala. Paneer cheese is used a lot traditionally. Creamy gravies are mostly the mainstay here.
South Indian is rice heavy. Coconut, green chilis are used. Idli dosa and such items made out of fermented rice and lentil batter are all South Indian.
I would say that the Mountain View Sunnyvale area has restaurants of both types. Aapakadai & Annachkadai (of the South Indian state Tamilnadu), ugadi and amaravathi (South indian state: Andhra Pradesh) are all South Indian restaurants. Chaat house (and any other name variant), shan, satkar, passage to india etc are all north Indian.


Posted by Menlo love, a resident of Menlo Park: The Willows,
on Mar 15, 2018 at 6:19 pm

Indian restaurants in MV: 13. Indian restaurants in MV: 0 (0.5 if you consider the Singaporean place). Where's the love?


Posted by Menlo Park, a resident of Menlo Park: The Willows,
on Mar 15, 2018 at 6:20 pm

Oops. Indian restaurants in MP: 0.


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