Savour exotic flavours under one roof at T Nagar's Olive Greenz

CHENNAI: Nestled in the heart of the city amid the bustling crowd of T Nagar, Olive Greenz offers a neat, spacious, and well-lit ambience, providing a cosy setup.

Since 2023, we have been witnessing a shift in people’s food preferences. They have started embracing traditional cuisines while also being open to experimenting with global dishes. This phenomenon has led to the launch of several specialised restaurants. At some point, this affected multi-cuisine diners, which traditionally aimed to serve everything under one roof.

To bridge that gap and demonstrate the versatility of multi-cuisine dining, PRS Saravanaraj and his son PSS Nirmal Raj founded Olive Greenz in November last year. Talking about it, the restaurant’s general manager, M Jayakumar, says, “The trend is shifting again and multi-cuisine restaurants are finding their place in this new space. Weekends are jam-packed with people. The rise of food courts in Chennai, which operate similarly by offering distinctive flavours in one place, has affected the market. People preferred those because they were quite pocket-friendly. The advantage of multi-cuisine restaurants is that one can enjoy great food, an aesthetic ambience, and good service, all under one roof.”

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Olive Greenz serves pan-Asian and continental dishes, without forgetting its Indian roots. The general manager also adds, “A couple of years ago, people were crazy about the unlimited buffet culture. But now, that trend has faded. Diners have become more selective and are leaning towards global cuisines, thanks to social media.”

Currently, the restaurant is running a pan-Asian food festival until the end of September. Dishes in the spotlight include handmade sushi, dim sums, rice noodle salads, and more. The mocktail-making counter and live sushi station, where guests can customise their orders, are especially appealing.

When it comes to food, the rice noodle salad is unique and flavourful. Even those who dislike salads will be won over. Among the beverages, the strawberry tropical delight with vanilla latte is a perfect ten out of ten. It is ideal in texture, consistency, flavour, and quantity. The mutton brain fry stands out for its soft texture, while the liver fry is succulent and bursting with spice. Among the appetisers, the lotus stem honey chilli crisps take the top spot for their balanced flavour.

The chilli cheese roti pairs beautifully with the mutton salli, with the crisp topping adding an extra layer of taste. Their alfredo pasta is decent, though not particularly novel. The dragon maki sushi looks tempting, though its texture doesn’t fully convince.

On the sweeter side, the blueberry cheesecake is heavenly, with a tangy punch that rounds off the meal perfectly.

Olive Greenz definitely earns a thumbs up for the variety of flavours it serves and the overall dining experience. A meal for two at the restaurant costs around ₹1,500.