Chennai
Chennai is fascinated with Oriental cuisine. The demand from local foodies as well as the burgeoning expatriate population from the Far East have led to a spurt in pan-Asian eateries in the city. Eest at The Westin Chennai was a popular choice for Asian food. But they recently decided to revamp the place and expand on the Chinese menu by giving a contemporary interpretation to Sichuan flavours. Replete with red colour, dragons and the serving staff dressed in traditional attire, Five Sen5es (the new name of Eest) sets the perfect mood to enjoy a cozy dinner with your loved ones.
We started our meal with a lovely khimchi salad and a round of crackers prepared in sweet chilli sauce. This was followed by an assorted sushi platter. Although not a huge fan of fish (and that too raw!), we actually found them to be pretty good. While the rice was sticky enough to hold the condiments together, there was that slight crunch essential for the perfect sushi. Executive chef, Yatendra Rawat informed us that they have imported a special bamboo vessel from Japan for it. The aroma from the bamboo envelops the sushi and makes it more delectable.
While sipping on a warm cuppa of Jasmine tea, we also tried the golden fried prawns, crispy lamb and some honey glazed lotus stems. An Oriental feast is incomplete without dimsums and we decided to try the vegetable crystal dumplings with celery, babycorn and ginger. The paper thin coating of the dumpling transparent enough to show the filling inside. This was complimented by a bowl of fiery Tom Yum soup with a dash of herbs. For the main course, we opted for chicken with dry chillies and pepper, chilli garlic vegetables along with the Thai drunken noodles. The latter has an interesting story behind the nomenclature. Chef said the story goes that a drunk man took all the veggies and meat that he could lay his hands on around him and mixed them with rice noodles to create the dish.
We finished the meal with a delicious Oriental pumpkin pudding that had coconut cream tossed over it.
FOOD TRAIL
Five Sen5es, The Westin Velachery
Cuisine: East Asian
Cost for two: Rs 2,000
Must try: Sushi platter, golden fried prawns, Thai drunken noodles, pumpkin pudding
Contact: 044 6633 3777
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