New menu review: A southern food odyssey

As we entered the eatery that serves specialty dishes from Andhra, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, we couldn’t help but notice how it has retained its very elegantly done interiors strongly influenced by Chettinad architecture. Intricately-carved teak pillars, neat and comfortable furniture, warm, earthy colours and traditional folk music by a live band give you a sense of comfort and familiarity. However, a certain unfamiliarity took us by pleasant surprise. The restaurant has a revamped menu, crafted by Chef Deena Dayalan who has also added a twist to the existing dishes. 

From neikarapatti vazhakai vadai and idicha malli milagu vanjiram varuval to yeral Nilgiri perattal and Alleppey koondhal roast, the elaborate new menu consists of several indigenous dishes straight from the kitchens of our households placing equal emphasis on both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food. 

We started our meal with a portion of drumstick soup. The fuss-free clear soup with the strong aroma of pepper and cinnamon and subtle flavour of drumstick, was a refreshingly light start. 

For the starters we were treated to kaalan porichathu. The stir-fried mushrooms were perfectly cooked with the right balance of spices and could make for a great tea-time snack. We also tasted the triangle-shaped malli vada. While the vada seemed visually appealing, the chunks of cashew in it didn’t quite impress us. They seemed to be out of place. We wrapped up the starters with thalicha vadu manga paniyaram. While I’m not a fan of paniyarams, the tangy burst of vadu manga had me pop a couple of these well-cooked but oily treats. 

We hit the main course with meen pollichathu — tender and flavoursome cobia fish slathered with coconut oil tempered with the heat of authentic Kerala spices is a must try — we devoured it in no time. Next in line was the Kerala parotta accompanied by scallop moliee curry. The creamy coconut milk curry with scallops was a clear winner. Just when we thought we couldn’t binge further, the chef insisted that we try idiappam and Kerala prawn curry. The delectable curry was mildly flavoured and soothing to the palate. This one’s a must-try for sea-food lovers. 

We finished the meal with cheesecake jamun and a bowl of the classic gulab jamun. While the combination of the subtlety of the cheesecake and the strong sweetness of the jamun didn’t quite work for me; the soft and melt-in-the-mouth warm gulab jamuns garnished with pistachio were a sheer delight. 

Cuisine: South Indian 

Contact: 044 2815 6363 

Rating: 3 out 5 stars