If you thought "dabbawallahs" were typically Mumbai, think again. The concept of delivering piping hot, home-cooked meals to homes is catching on in Chennai as well.

What can one expect in these dabbas, you ask? Well, depending on your taste, north and south Indian meals are prepared. If it's south Indian you looking for, expect rice, sambhar, rasam, and two vegetable dishes. The north Indian meal consists of chapattis or phulkas, dals, two types of vegetable dishes, and curd. If it is a special meal, a papad and pickle are thrown in for good measure.



Those making ample use of this service are senior citizens, single professionals, and young working couples. "Chennai is no longer what it used to be," says Narayana Prasad of Bhagyalakshmi's Kitchen. "People are realising the usefulness of the dabba service."

Bhagyalakshmi's Kitchen supplies typical south Indian fare like idlis, uthapam, dosas for breakfast, and lunch meals consisting of rice, kuttu poriyal, rasam, appam, sambar, varatha koyambu and pickle. Affordability and tasty home-cooked meals make this a popular service.

Geetha Mehta, a housewife-turned-home-food-caterer in Anna Nagar, prides on making her north Indian dabba food "healthy" by providing a palak or methi dish in every meal. Being a veteran in this business, she also supplies evening snacks like dhoklas, kachoris, and samosas. Her night-time meals to bachelors and old couples are a hit as well.

However, if you're looking for something more up-market, you can dial Vinita Lath.

Before zeroing in on any of the dabbawallahs here are a few things you need to find out.

Location: Most of them deliver to homes in and around their area. So you need to confirm whether they have service in your locality.

Hygiene: Ensure that the food is hygienically prepared.

So, the next time you're sick of eating out, and long for some home-cooked food, just call any one these places!

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