CHENNAI : It is not often that Chennaiites get a chance to enjoy rooftop dining on summer afternoons. But when the weather gods decided to smile down on us and wind gushed through the city, on a mid-week afternoon, I took a leap and jumped to Sky. The month-old rooftop restaurant of curated Asian dining at The Residency Towers in T Nagar offers traditional and modern Japanese, Oriental, and Indian cuisines.
Till 2022, Sky was known as Crown. Revamped, both in terms of ambience and menu, Sky claims to be the highest restaurant in Chennai. I choose to sit by the newly-opened seaside terrace of the restaurant that can seat about 26 people. Apart from the view of the city that flanks you on either side, the open kitchen in the front is where you can catch glimpses of the magic that unfolds. The other two sections of the restaurant — dome and aqua terrace — can seat 40 and 56 people respectively. While aqua terrace on the west side is similar to seaside terrace but with the addition of an open waterbody on the fringes, at the dome, you can lounge with a glass of your preferred beverage or avoid the outdoors for a quiet setting to enjoy your meal.
From Crown to Sky
“Crown served grill and barbecue; we wanted to explore the venue we had. It didn’t make sense to serve the same things again, nor repeat what others are offering. So we are focussing on doing things with what we get locally and also give it a more global appeal, make it more healthy and gourmet. It should tickle the taste buds, yes, but it should also look appealing to have that newness to it. So, we have included Japanese, Oriental, a little bit of Thai and Chinese, and also kept Indian, and tried and explored newer ingredients. For example, for dim sums we use bok choy leaves instead of maida or potato flour. We make use of coconut shoots in several dishes,” shares culinary director Ajeet Janardhanan, who has curated the food and beverage menus.
In the current market, ingredients like bok choy are not new anymore as they are being grown locally in Kothagiri or Bengaluru, says Ajeet. While many run an authentic Chinese or Japanese restaurant, he believes, the choice of Chennaiites often gets sidelined. Sky promises to present dishes that the Chennai makkal would enjoy, he assures. “We are following authentic recipes here. For example, we might add the Japanese togarashi powder for spice. Our makkal will like it but the Japanese won’t prefer it. All the recipes are authentic, but we give it a twist to make it more palatable to the Chennai crowd. We have paid great attention to how we are presenting,” he explains.
For this, Ajeet has tapped on local sellers of microgreens and edible flowers. “I propagate something called Responsible Cuisine. I look at it as my ownership, at giving back to the city where I am working in. If I buy things from people who are growing it here, there are two benefits. It is as fresh as possible, and secondly, the local business flourishes and our economy gets better,” he says.
Eat, drink, make merry
The tables are adorned with terrariums, and the crockery, mostly stoneware, is kept in shades of blue to complement the name of the restaurant. I start by cleansing my palms with a cold towel infused with cherry blossom essence.
Ajeet accompanies me for lunch, which is a pure vegetarian preparation, keeping my request in mind. Often in a pan-Asian restaurant the options available for vegetarians are restricted. Perusing the menu I ask him about the ratio of vegetarian to non-vegetarian dishes at Sky, and he is quick to point out that here they have tilted the scales a bit more towards vegetarians, giving them some “interesting” options. “Chennai is a society that enjoys its vegetarian food. Most restaurants avoid it as vegetarian food is the most difficult food to make interesting. From the beginning, I have been particular that we need to make our vegetarian food interesting. There are more and more options for vegetarians to come repeatedly and dine with us,” says Ajeet, pointing out that for vegetarians a lot of lotus stems, leaves, bok choy, and shiitake mushrooms are used.
Every meal begins with a drink, and here, I am presented with a dramatic one — Kollywood. One of the special curations by Ajeet, which he takes pride in, this is a glass of savoury drink with complex curry leaves delicate and refreshing tender coconut water. Kollywood spells drama and that is offered here by the smoke from the dry ice the glass is presented on. The natural-tasting drink serves as a great palate cleanser amid the series of dishes that is expected to come my way. Apart from this, Ajeet has given special attention to cocktails and mocktails on the menu. There are interesting flavours in mocktails — one even made with masala tea!
The first dish to make me fall in love with Japanese cuisine is Lotus Petals & Pickled Shiitake where the petals are filled with pickled shiitake, lotus stem, mint leaves and onions. Shiitake mushroom is cooked in light hoisin sauce to maintain the chewy texture, and lotus stem is pickled. Ajeet asks me to pick a petal, roll it and eat. A seemingly pink-coloured starter, it is a burst of sweet and sour flavours. I feel unstoppable, but Mawii, my attendant for the day, soon brings a bamboo basket of Edamame & Coconut Shoot in Bok Choy Leaf dumpling and bao buns and Medley of Vegetables & Mushrooms.
The tiny bao buns are made using lotus flour and served separately along with stir fried cabbage, sweet shiitake mushrooms and bok choy, with a side of Japanese mayo. Ajeet puts it together for me, folding the bao in half, leaving a little space in between to add the filling. First goes the mayo, and then the other vegetables, which are topped off with some bird’s eye chilli paste. The last step does the trick and the bao buns are now my favourite.
Dumplings, a staple in Oriental cuisine, here have the fillings palced in the bok choy leaves and steamed. Pouring a spoonful of chilli oil, Ajeet advises me to pop it in, in one go. The bok choy leaves render an added softness to the already-soft filling of coconut shoot and edamame.
Taking a slight detour from the Japanese delicacies, I am offered a paneer dish unique to Sky — Kunafah Paneer. In this, strips of luscious soft paneer are wrapped in a thin coat of kataifi pastry and fried. The appetiser is unlike other paneer dishes I have tasted as it is a wonderful play of flavours and textures in your mouth.
A Japanese meal is incomplete without a plate of sushi/maki and jasmine rice. And soon enough, a plate of four Blue Orchid & Asparagus Tempura Maki is served along with soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger. The orchid petals wrap the tightly bound rice and crisp asparagus. With this, I am convinced that vegetarians will no longer be deprived of the quintessential Japanese dish that everyone raves about. I end my lunch with jasmine rice served alongside Coconut Shoot and Whole Cashew Curry.
What’s more?
Besides these, Sky also offers Roboto-Yaki Grill, Teppanyaki Grill, rice and noodles cooked on Teppan grill, Ramen bowls, curry bowls and stir fries. For desserts, the menu seems simple with just three options — Vattalappam, Namelaka with Fresh Berries and Brown Butter Sable and Elderflower Berry Pavlova with Mascarpone Cheese & Orange Zest. But the presentation is sure to take your breath away and the quantity will leave you gasping for air. While Vattalapam is the quaint dessert with an elaborate caramelised garnish, the Elderflower Berry Pavlova is a pretty-looking dish that you would think twice before digging into. But, I am quite taken by Namelaka that has a dark chocolate sauce, topped with toffee-tasting brown butter sable, a scoop of chocolate mousse with gold foil, with blueberries and strawberries, and the whole presentation covered with a chocolate mould. Any chocolate loving soul is sure to be satisfied, just like I was.
Ajeet has interesting plans in his kitty for Sky. One of them is inviting chefs and having them cook their speciality. “I would like to invite upcoming chefs, creative chefs who have their own restaurants, do their speciality under their brand name but utilising this space. I am looking at dining more as an experience that has the best view of the city and best food in the city,” he signs off. Sky is located at The Residency Towers, 115, Sir Thyagaraya Road, Parthasarathi Puram, T Nagar. It is open from 12 noon to 11 pm. For reservations, call: 7010123000