CHENNAI: When you are an omnivore raised in a vegetarian household, options for home-cooked meat delicacies often run slim. Then there are those making their way into a big city, away from home yet in search of a meal that would take them back. Whether you belong to one category or the other, Meen Soru aims to serve you with that sought-after nostalgic authenticity.
The seafood-only cloud kitchen and dine-in restaurant founded by partners T Sivaraman, R Muthuveni, V Loganathan offers a plethora of options from thokku and varuval to family meals and fusion bites. “Many from surrounding cities come and settle in Chennai. They miss home-cooked food. When they come here, they are satisfied as if they were eating their mother’s meals. Even for people here, that touch is gone so we are happy to bring back the authenticity,” explains Gayathri, Sivaraman’s daughter.
Tales of Tirunelveli
The secret to the recipes seems to lie in the in-house masala that began its journey from Tirunelveli, Muthuveni’s hometown. Passed on from her grandmother to her mama, and subsequently her, this masala has seen a loyal fan following at her mama’s hotel, it seems. “He is a chef and ran his establishment in Sankarankovil. When appa went there, he was given the responsibility to look over the store. The masalas’ taste drew in about 100 people in two hours. With such a reach, they decided to bring it to Chennai, and so we did. The masala is still a secret maintained by appa. It has no chemicals and is so pure that people can trust I would feed it to my child,” says Muthuveni, who takes charge of the kitchen.
This was rather assuring when I visited the bare-bones dine-in establishment in Taramani to give the food a go. The eatery is petite, reminiscent of hole-in-the-wall places and while the two-month-old restaurant is still working towards expansion, the food alone is enough to drive in customers, says Sivaraman. Lunch began with Vanjaram fish fry, a mild and shallow-fried option ideal for those who detest fishing for the bones. While the savoury flavour with a kick of spices was a good start, the follow-up of Pomfret fry left a better impression.
A squeeze of lime added a nuanced sour-savoury flavour, a vastly different experience on the taste buds from the fish cutlet next on the plate. Mushy inside with no trace of fishiness, the cutlet was everything you would expect; no more, no less. There was also a plate of fried Nethili served that offered some umami to the palate. But if you must limit yourselves to one item (apart from the meal, of course), we recommend the Kadai Prawn Soru, an earthy rice and prawn dish laced with a subtle aromatic and well-rounded flavour of fennel that plays with the sweetness of the seafood.
One would think copious amounts of seafood may make the heart less fond but the meen soru proved otherwise. A meal complete with rich fish kuzhambu (sala fish gravy), fish fry and nandu rasam (crab soup), the main course offered a hearty, homely taste with various textures and flavours between elements.
Future plans
The establishment had planted roots in the city two years ago but came to a pause, courtesy of the pandemic. Shutting doors, however, did not curb demand for deliveries, says Sivaraman, and so once again began the journey of Meen Soru. Welcomed with a positive response, the eatery is looking forward to branching out. “We have bigger plans of establishing ourselves online and then moving on to other avenues. We aim to create 100 touchpoints all over Chennai (in the form of franchises). When people think of meen, they should come to us.
Currently, we have two chefs but once we begin online orders on delivery services, we will introduce two more chefs who are currently on standby,” he notes, adding, “While we started online, we had a small space so we added one table (to serve people). We get a lot of hostel students and employees from nearby MNCs. This prompted us to add two more tables.”
At the end of the day, it is a place for people seeking a taste of home. “When it comes to chicken or mutton, people try out different places. But with fish, people avoid outside establishments because it doesn’t taste like home or is often fishy. But at Meen Soru, we give you memories that connect you to old days and that is the happiness we give our customers; connecting home, mother’s cooking and memories,” Muthuveni concludes.
To order, visit meensoru.com or WhatsApp at 7200043763.