I am quite surprised that Basera has not been reviewed yet . It is situated in the east coast road closer to Thiruvanmiyur , so not very far from the city so to speak.
It possibly has one of the better ambiences among hotels in Chennai , it sprawls across a large area with trees , tree trunks and similar carpentrywork serving as chairts and dining tables with a mosquito repellant burning under you during evenings. There is a fountain with a few ducks and swings and such stuff to keep the kids occupied.
Food - North Indian is quite good , I have eaten there many times , I still have not left disappointed yet. Main thing for me though is the Roti Basket , one gets there. You get served a basket of 12 odd pieces ranging from the ubiqutous Tanddori Roti to Naan to partha to Kulcha to Rumali Roti etc etc. It works the best if you are 3 or more in number.
You also are served Beer there , that is important in Chennai in the heat.
You also have an AC hall if you are a creature of comfort and if at all it rains in Chennai.
It gets crowded over the weekend . There are several rooftop houses which are good fun if you are a gang of people. You get tremendous privacy thyere and yet can be noisy to your hearts content without disturbing anyone else or getting disturbed.
Some continental stuff too are available - have tried once or twice. Adequqte nothing out of the world , not bad too either. I would recommend old fashioned Punjabi stuff only to be tried here.