We take our seats at the bar counter, right in the middle of all the action. Plates move in and out with precision, each assembled with such care. We watch plates for other tables come together before ours, each movement building anticipation in us. Skip it if you’re impatient, but opt for the bar counter if you want an experience that feels more like being part of a living process than just a meal.
At Chettinad Canteen, menus change with every Tamil month, and we tried the one for Panguni. Our meal begins with a rasam, poured tableside from a carafe. The broth is well balanced, its spices gentle rather than sharp.
The Vellai appam with dangar chutney and vengai arisi urundai arrives plated with symmetry in mind. Two soft appams sit alongside neat streaks of chutney. The appam itself is light, though slightly oily to the touch, something a quick dab could have fixed. But the chutney carries the dish. Intensely savoury with a faint, lingering heat, it fills in the neutrality of the appam beautifully. The urundai, made with rice, jaggery, and cardamom, has a faint mochi-like chew. It is pleasant in small bites, though the cardamom comes through strongly.
From here, the meal moves into heartier territory. The raw mango chicken pirattal with kara kozhukattai shows promise, with well-balanced gravy and tender, juicy chicken, while the kozhukattai holds its own. The baby corn milagu pirattal is visually modest, almost reminiscent of a familiar bar snack. Batter-fried corn sits coated in gravy with lemon and onion on the side. The corn retains its crunch beneath the softened batter, this sogginess works because it is soaked in flavour.
The meal finds its emotional centre with the Pichu potta parotta paired with chicken salna and keema, followed by a sigappu arisi dosa with mutton kuzhambu. These dishes feel like home cooking, but plated at a gourmet level.
Desserts are indulgent here. The kantharpam with chocolate is rich and heavy, almost overwhelming by the end of the meal. The kavuni arisi panna cotta with jackfruit compote is more experimental, though the pairing feels slightly disjointed, perhaps an acquired taste.
Meal for two: Rs 2,709. On till April 13. 12 pm to 3 pm, and 7 pm to 10 pm. At Chettinad Canteen, Teynampet.
Email: shivani@newindianexpress.com
X: @ShivaniIllakiya
For more updates, join/follow our WhatsApp, Telegram and YouTube channels