WITH an increasing number of restaurants and pubs sprouting up in Anna Nagar, diners in Chennai will not have to travel too far to savour appetising meals. Rosewater Fine Dining is the newest restaurant in the neighbourhood with three floors, dedicated to seafood and an a la carte menu, buffet and a party hall, respectively. From grills to large feasts, it will serve a variety of cuisines on a menu curated by chefs from all around the country.
The restaurant is a tale of two countries — Abu Dhabi and India. In 2015, Pugazhenthi Boominathan’s interest in food made him convince Murali Nair, both engineers in Abu Dhabi, to start a restaurant. Two years later, in December 2017, the engineering duo finally flew down to Chennai from Abu Dhabi to make their dream come true with a sprawling 8,000 sq foot restaurant. The initial plan was to set up a restaurant in the Gulf itself. “But the recession prompted us to shifted our focus to Chennai because of the diverse food culture,” Murali tells us, as a chilled Fresh Lemon Water Mint makes its way to our table and quenches our thirst instantly.
A steaming cup of Chicken Lemon Coriander Soup replaces the beverage on our table; loaded with shredded chicken coupled with a hint of lemon and coriander, it leaves us delighted. The insistence on authentic food made them handpick a team of four Indian chefs from their favourite restaurants in Abu Dhabi. The chefs are from Lucknow, Mumbai and Kolkata and for those who like their food local, a chef from Thanjavur will soon be joining the team. The soup is followed by a serving of meaty Chicken Tikka which is grilled to perfection and Murgh Malai Tikka which is mouth-wateringly creamy; for vegetarians, the Crispy Baby Corn is a must try as it is deep-fried Indo-Chinese style.
When we are told a Goa-style Prawns Curry is next, the Goan in me couldn’t help but jump with joy. A milder version of the traditional prawn curry, it is served with Indian handbreads, unlike the usual pairing with rice, but we relish the curry anyway. Diners looking to explore vegetarian food can ask for the Achari Aloo — baby potatoes cooked in a spicy red masala and garnished with green and yellow bell peppers, best eaten with rotis. Counting on their love for mutton, Murali excitedly tells us to taste the Gosht Yakhni Pulao, which arrives next and the first bite explains it all. Small fried mutton pieces are cooked with a variety of spices like clove, cardamom and cinnamon to make us fall in love with it.
However, the Gosht Masala stole the show all because of large succulent pieces of lamb cooked in a blended masala with spices, making our Indian palate rejoice with every bite. The one dish we cannot say no to is more biryani, so when the Dum Chicken Biryani arrives, we find ourselves gorging on the flavourful feast.
With our bellies full, the Angoori Rabdi aided our need for a sweet treat as the milky rasagulla dish garnished with pistachio and saffron strands, leaves us wanting for more.
Rosewater Fine Dining will open to diners on August 1
Meal for two: Rs 1,500.
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