BENGALURU: If you are the fan of spices, then The President Hotel in Jayanagar is the right place for you. Here veggies and meat are cooked with authentic Chettinad spices.
You can start your meal with the chef recommended soups. Try the Murunga Keerai Thakkali Rasam. Cooked to perfect thick consistency, the tomato flavour drumstick leaf soup is creamy and delectable. The drumstick leaves lace the spicy soup with a bitter taste.
The Chettinad cuisine served here offers a wide variety of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. For starters, there are Palkatti Chukka, Kaikari Kola Urundai, Chettinadu Egg Roast, Chicken Leg Roast and Kuvepoo Kara Varuval.
Palkatti Chukka is batter-fried paneer cubes tossed in Chettinad masala. The crunchy cubes are served along with generous amount of lightly fried curry leaves and shallots. The Kaikari Kola Urundai are fried balls of minced vegetables coated with bread crumbs. They are laced with Chettinad spices. Boiled egg is fried crispy for Chettinadu Egg Roast. They taste zesty.
The Chicken Leg Roast is tawa roasted. The sounf-flavoured chicken drumsticks are juicy. Marinated with spices, the drumsticks are pan fried. This crunchy appetiser has a blend of ground masala and curry leaves. The Kuvepoo Kara Varuval has some crispy fried cauliflower florets tossed in Chettinad spices. Though the name suggests Kara, meaning spicy, it is not spicy at all.
All the preparations are garnished with curry leaves lending them a strong aroma and flavour to the food. Though the Chettinad cuisines are believed to be spicy and rich, these food preparations are made less spicy, customised to the taste of the Bengalureans. Though, towards the end, everything tastes the same.
For the main course, there is the Chicken Biryani and Veg Biryani. Both look appetising and colourful but, on tasting, the dish is mediocre. The chicken pieces in the biryani are bland. The Kothu Parota is a better option with tangy and moist tomatoes and caramelised onions.
The desserts are the best. The uniqueness of every dessert surprises you and The Attipaza Halwa, prepared with fig, is served warm. It has a mild sweetness and the jelly-like fig halwa leaves you craving for more.
The Jil Jil Jigarthanda reminds you of falooda. The cold sweetened-milk is served with nannari syrup, basil seeds and ice cream. The Paruthi Pal, made of jaggery is like the jack fruit payasam, but it is milk prepared with cotton seeds, spices and herbs. The Chakkara Appam is shallow fried dumplings dipped in ghee and soaked in sugar syrup. It is an answer to every sugar craving.
The Pal Kozakattai is steamed rice dumplings served in sweet milk and with shredded pista and badam