Described by owner Jay Shah as a true “resto cafe”, Robustaa Kitchen has an expansive vegetarian menu that draws on Indian, Italian, Thai and continental dishes for a hearty variety. And their quiet second-floor venue has plenty of comfortable workspace with sockets and WiFi for students that want a real meal while they work.
“We wanted to create the feel of a café but with a kitchen that can also serve families and large groups,” Shah says. Brand-owner Vishal Kumar founded Robustaa with the help of Rajesh Kumar and Hari Krishnan in 2011, but the Robustaa name has now expanded from its start in Kilpauk to Alwarpet and finally to Nungambakkam where Robustaa Kitchen launched in September. As the first of the three Robustaa outlets to have a full kitchen, the 40-seater Robustaa Kitchen is much more than a café.
Starting off with Italian, we have a warm Minestrone soup, full of fresh vegetables and pasta, alongside a platter of Aglio Olio Mushrooms. The bite-sized button mushrooms, tossed and roasted with non-alcoholic white wine and fried garlic, follow up on the freshness promised in the soup. “We take care to make sure that we have both the quality and quantity that people want,” Shah says. We move on to one of the restaurant’s signature dishes, a crispy Chilli Paneer that is paired with a cool mint chutney, whose tanginess perfectly complements the spice of the paneer.
For the main course, we see just a bit of the variety that Robustaa offers with The Body, a creamy pasta dish served with garlic bread, the Overloved Exotica Pizza packed with veggies, as well as a taste of their Charminar veg biryani. With nearly one hundred menu items to choose from, we think that it would take more than one meal to get a taste of everything Robustaa Kitchen has to offer.
The outlet is also hoping to serve both the family crowd and late-night exam crammers, with plans to extend their restaurant hours until three in the morning. This will make it the first in the neighbourhood to provide a late-night veg option.Also in the pipeline, on the menu front, are plans to add Italian Momos to the mix.
Meal for two Rs 800.
Details: 3085-3651