CHENNAI : Veggie treats
kilpauk, Purasaiwalkam and Chetpet have been the hub of vegetarian restaurants for many years and continue to be so. However, 2019 did not see many vegetarian restaurants opening up in other areas. The Patiala House is one of the few places, which was launched in March 2019. It serves north Indian cuisine. The restaurant is founded by Shahiba Parwani. Some of their specialties are cheese corn balls, dal makhni, paneer varieties, rotis and pulao. The eatery sports an ambience with vibrant hues and bling wall art. They will be launching another outlet in 2020. Besides this, put other vegetarian places such as Utsav - Celebration of Thali at VR Mall and Eastern Wedge serving Japanese and Thai at Alwarpet on your must-try list for this year.
Pub hopping
A 360-degree view of the city, live music, a pool by the alfresco. KooX, the Asian rooftop grill at Novotel Chennai is the latest to join the nightlife spots. The 74-seater space, founded by Ashish and Shweta Gupta, was opened in September 2019. The fine dining bar serves sushi, bar food, cocktails and mocktails. Their sumptuous menu has a mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. The list comprises flavoured sushi such as black forest avocado with salmon, lazy spicy maguro with tuna, and crunchy yogurt with cream cheese. Small mall bites like Alaskan kind crab, beef tacos, and crispy tofu steak. Big plates have tenderloin, kung pao chicken and Sichuan noodles. Wrap up your meal with green tea tiramisu and baked yogurt brulee. Chennai is currently on par with other metros in terms of pubs and resto-bars. Lord of the Drinks, Mechanics, Lower Deck, Hix and Kommune are other places that make the list.
Doing it the vegan way
veganism is becoming increasingly popular and more people have chosen this way of life. Earlier restaurants used to have a small portion of their menu dedicated to vegans. With time, we have standalone vegan restaurants catering to the crowd with their alternative and an exclusive menu. The recently opened Tamu Tamu in Gopalapuram joins the list of existing options like The Pumpkin Tales, Soul Garden Bistro and Sante Spa. The 20-seater eatery is run by BG Shivakumar and serves Lebanese cuisine. Hummus, falafel and pita are part of the menu. The restaurateur feels that the market is still small but expects a big jump in the next two to three years. He plans to open a branch or two in other areas in Chennai. The other area of focus is catering to the WFPB community (whole-food plant-based) which is fast-growing since a WFPB diet helps reverse lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.
Munch and roll on
Eat while you play. The fun and quirky trend has picked up speed since the launch of The Board Game Lounge in Gandhi Nagar, Adyar early 2019. The place is run by two boardgame lovers — Chitra Bianca Appasamy and Arjun Sukumaran. From Uno to Game of Thrones, the place has more than 250 games to offer based on varying levels of challenges opted by patrons. The place is thronged by families and youngsters during weekends for hours together. The air is filled with a competitive spirit. Office-goers find it to be apt for team building. The hourly packages and day packages work out to be cost-efficient. There are gaming events held once a while for a community gathering. Two other gaming cafes in the city are The Board Room in Mylapore and Gameistry Entertainment on Montieth Road.
The trick with themes
themed restaurants have always been an eye-candy to patrons. The relatively older concept has been played on by entrepreneurs with the advancement in technology and resources. Locofeast in Nungambakkam was the first-of-its-kind to function without waiters. A moving 64-foot electromagnetic conveyor gets the job done here with a click of the button. The 3,500-sq-ft multicuisine space’s crowd-puller is honey chilli chicken. There are also traditional varieties inspired by different parts of the country. The ambience is Instagram-worthy. Sports cars adorn the interior decor of the restaurant. Locofeast will be expanding to other cities in 2020. Ramesh Velu along with his brother and friends set up this place. The restaurateur feels that the concept of themed restaurants never goes out of style. Patrons are looking for attractive decor beyond good and that’s the way forward. The Black Pearl restaurant inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean on the OMR also falls under the category.
Cuisines calling
Chennaiites love to experiment. It’s evident from the number of multicuisine restaurants that are opening in the city. While staples such as Chinese, Italian and Asian are common, newbies such as Hungarian and African are a delight to foodies. Nikhil Nath, Akhil Nath and Paul Raymond own Kabuki, a 58-seater space. The restaurant-cum-bar serves Japanese cuisine. The decor is inspired by cherry blossoms. Hot-selling items are the Japanese hot pots — Shabu Shabu, Aburi (flaming Sushi), Pork Shogayaki, Salmon Teriyaki, Chicken Karaage (fried chicken) and Gyu Tataki (seared beef salad).
Bond over food
Acommunity space for events, an amphitheatre for movie screenings, and an orangery. Fika was launched in September 2019. The 10,000-sq-ft place is dotted with lights and greenery making it one of the most charming attractions among restaurants in the city. The interior decor is done with rustic furniture, thoughtfully curated artworks and carries a relaxing and ever-evolving vibe. Fika has three event spaces that can accommodate different sizes of a crowd for different events. The restaurant serves continental cuisine and some of the crowd-pullers are burrata mozzarella, salt and pepper chicken, smoked chicken pizza, refresher pizza, tiramisu, fish and chips, and miso paneer sticks.
North meets south
north Indian cuisine has influenced our palette with its smoky flavours and colourful varieties of chutneys for many years now. Keeping up with the trends and expectations, The KNK Project in the heart of Khader Nawaz Khan Road serves up delicacies from different parts of the country. The three-month-old, 2,000-sq-ft food joint was co-founded by Shreyas Asthana and Mukesh. The cosy space wears a warehouse-inspired ambience, fancy lanterns suspended from the ceiling, elegant artwork and rustic furniture. Ranging from beef bone marrow salli to spicy masala fish, the menu offers a range of options to devour — all of them plated in am Instagram-worthy manner. Their hot-selling items are chukka tacos uttapam, jingha tawa masala made of prawns grilled with spices served with a kadai masala, Andhra spicy chicken, spicy paniyaram frittata and smoked chicken curry. Eateries with cuisines inspired by north Indian regions keep opening up now and then. Via Mumbai is another place that serves Parsi and Goan delicacies.
Address: No 33, Rutland Tower, Shafee Mohammed Road, Thousand Lights West, Nungambakkam
Staples for radition with a twist has been the catchphrase among chefs and restaurateurs. And Aadhirai, a three-month-old restaurant in Nungambakkam fits this bill. One of the prime reasons is chef Koushik S, fondly called the Mad Chef, who is known for his experiments with south Indian food. Heirloom recipes have made a comeback with funky names on the menu. Check out their delicacies like sheermal roti (from Lucknow), kozhi (chicken) ghee roast, and classic chicken lollipops in varying levels of spiciness. Wash them down with their panagam granita. Way forward, the chef wants to include a 79-item menu comprising an array of items from appetisers to desserts. Run by Chithra and Ramu Subbiah, the place was previously known as Mango Tree. The newly opened Chettiar House in Egmore and Savya Rasa in Kotturpuram also stand testimony to the fact that 2020 is probably going to see an unusual marriage of cuisines. Address: Aadhirai, Jambulingam Street, Nungambakkam