Friendship Day 2025: Brunches, bhels and bonding in Chennai

CHENNAI: For best friends, sharing a meal is more than just sustenance - it's a recipe for connection. From late-night pizza parties to Sunday brunch traditions, the flavours they share forge memories that last a lifetime. As they pass plates, pour glasses, and savour each bite, their friendship is seasoned with every laugh, friendly banters, and all the inside jokes around the table, which becomes a canvas where their friendship is painted with the vibrant colours of taste, tradition, and togetherness. Chennaiites share how food, too, could nurture a better connection with their friends and the crucial role it plays.

Sharing laughter, experiences over food

There is a unique kind of joy that comes with dining together with friends. My friends and I regularly meet at our favourite establishment. We engage in conversation, laughter, and share our experiences, relishing Asian or Indian delicacies. Sharing a meal and exploring new venues help us relax and create new memories. Our recent conversations over food have fostered a sense of camaraderie within our friend circle, enabling us to connect over various topics, including our businesses, discussions on new flavours, and the latest market trends. As most of us are involved in the food industry, we take great pleasure in debating dishes and new ingredients, which consistently yield new insights and ideas.

- Tejasvi Suresh Bala, CEO-founder, The Mayflower

Catalyst for shared joy

Food is an essential element in creating memories. My best friend, Deepika, and I connected over a plate of, bhel puri, at a popular restaurant chain in Chennai. Initially, she hesitated and used to scold me for having chaat items frequently. But, on one fine day, I took her to my favourite place in the Airport metro and insisted she have bhel puri. The only reason she savoured the chaat was because of the trust she had in me, and that is the pure sign of openness in our friendship. It's a shared moment of positive discovery. The bhel puri evolved into ‘our stressbuster’. This shows that the food experience transcends mere taste; it becomes a source of comfort, joy, and a reliable escape from daily pressures. In essence, the Bhelpuri didn't just satisfy a craving; it became a catalyst for shared joy, discovery, ritual, and emotional support, transforming a casual outing into a cornerstone of your friendship. Food engages all our senses – taste, smell, sight and touch. These sensory experiences are deeply intertwined with memory. The act of eating together encourages slowing down, putting away distractions, and engaging in dialogue, moving beyond superficial topics to deeper connections.

- Sangeetha P, student

Breaking cultural boundaries with Kerala parotta, prawn curry

My friendship with my French colleague Carl is unique, bridging cultural and gastronomic differences between our two countries. Despite more than a decade of difference between our ages, our shared passion for food transformed our initially professional relationship into a meaningful friendship. During his first official trip to Kochi, I invited him to dinner to try Kerala parotta and prawn curry for the first time. I was worried it might be too spicy, but I wanted to share my joy for this dish with him. Not only did he love it, but he even finished the parotta from my plate – a gesture that showed me he was open to truly experiencing our culture. That dinner was a turning point; we started hunting for restaurants in Chennai, from meals, biryani to Sabha canteen food, we had it all. In my view, food plays a huge role in enhancing a bond. This is especially true in India, where it is a big part of our culture. For us, food helped break the ice, build rapport, and ultimately turn our professional bond into a beautiful friendship, creating unforgettable memories along the way.

- Viji, press and protocol attachée, Consulate General of France

Ice-breaker to start conversations

I am an avid traveller and a photographer. I have a couple of friends who love to feast on a wide variety of dishes. Four years ago, I met my closest buddy, Hariharan, at Kannur, while shooting Theyyam, a vibrant ritual art in Kerala, combining dance, music and mime. We started conversing, when he stepped in to take me to a popular diner there, as he loves seafood. That’s how we bonded over food, and now he is a trustworthy, understanding and dependable family friend. As I am a traveller, I get to meet several strangers on my journey. To break the ice and start the conversation, my first question would be about the famous dishes in that region. When the topic is about food, people will also feel comfortable speaking, and that’s how companionships are built during travel. I also discuss the native ingredients and traditional cooking techniques with the locals, which then helps me in delving deep into their culture.

- Ramya, travel photographer

Backbone of our friendship

As I am a chef and food consultant, most of the ties in my life will have a strong foundation of our common love for food. One such cherished buddy is Deepika Rajadas, a food photographer and baker. Over a decade ago, the first time we met was at my restaurant when she came to interview me. We started discussing everything, and with time, I realised that we are a kind of friends, who do not need the compulsion to meet daily. Even without frequent meet-ups, we still share a deep bond. If we meet, our favourite spots would be an Asian restaurant, where we would order dimsums and satays and talk about life, different varieties of food, trends and more. Beyond our personal bonding, now we are working together to create an illustrated cookbook. Food has been the backbone of our friendship, and I cherish this tie as it is hard to find a friend sharing similar passion.

- Mathangi Kumar, culinary consultant