Fondues, mousses and caviar befuddle our senses at Chennai’s latest North Indian eatery that is located down Nungambakkam High Road. As I scoop up my ‘drink’ with a spoon, the guava flavour with a sprinkle of chilli powder is spot on, and sets the pace for what to expect at Spice Klub. Called the Peru Mousse, though from their drink section, it feels like a foamy jelly and tastes like guava chaat! “We wanted to bring something different in vegetarian fare to the city. Molecular gastronomy and the authentic flavours associated with this brand worked for us,” says Sonali Ramesh Dugar, who has partnered with Dimple Anil Jain to bring down Spice Klub, a brand of Gupta foods, from Mumbai. Opening on June 6, the tasting session at the 76-seater is loud with gasps of surprise as liquid nitrogen and the tricks of the trade create drama at the tables.
Bun toting
The next drink looks like frozen yellow-hued rock chips that begins to smoke fiercely once mango juice is added. While we enjoy the show, once the smoke settles one does wish for sweeter mango pulp. Soon we are spearing crusty cubes of bread and dipping into a fondue pot. One bite and you know it is Pav Bhaji gone Swiss. The usual bhaji seems to have been blended to create the creamy fondue mix. Since the bread is made in-house, it is bite size and fresh from the oven — which also works for their version of vada pav. The tiny buns come with a choice of stuffing — as the vada has been deconstructed into a creamy potato mousse, khara boondi and a packet of that spicy masala in edible plastic. Once piled up — must be eaten in one bite! And then repeat.
Dessert diversion
Their Nannza though nothing like a pizza is delicious with paper thin naan envelops stuffed with moist juicy paneer scramble and addictive seasoning. A bite of the Chole Kulche tells us that the green foam on top was impersonating the mint chutney; the buns were the puris, however, the channa masala had come to the party as herself. The chilli caviar beads in the Aloo Bharwan are tame but the smoky coal grill melts the cheese filling perfectly, and each forkful speaks of balanced flavours. With molecular gastronomy as their calling card — it is apt that the dessert is a smoking bowl of kulfi crystals that needs to be smothered with one of the toppings to get the real taste. We picked blueberry from the five choices — but soon realise that we were going to go through them all as the portion is generous and not waste-worthy.
Meal for two at about Rs 1,200.