In a city where summer overstays its welcome, DOU Brew Room & Bakehouse responds with Summer Fields, a limited-time menu that embraces the season through bright produce, tropical notes and leisurely, shareable plates.
We started with the Bay prawn and arugula salad, and it made a strong early case for the whole menu. The Alphonso mango carpaccio is the thing here. The slices aren’t quite ripe, holding back just enough sourness to cut against the sweetness you’d expect. The arugula comes through sharper than it might in a heavier-dressed salad, so that light, peppery bite stays present, contrasting the mango’s brightness and the umami depth of the prawns. The caramelised walnuts, cherry tomatoes, bacon — they all add, but it’s that mango-prawn relationship you’ll keep coming back to. You will be tempted to order a second bowl. Not even tempted. You just will.
Next, the Smoked chicken and wild mushroom salad, and this one surprised us more. Sautéed shiitake and button mushrooms sit on a bed of hung curd with mayo, and there are orange segments in there that do something remarkable: they lift what could easily read as a heavy, wintry dish into something genuinely summery. The arugula is sharper here too, that light spicy bitterness arriving clearly before the cream mellows it right out. What lingers is the earthiness of the mushrooms soaking into the chicken; it becomes quietly, satisfyingly filling.
We also tried the Avocado and orange soup, a cold soup finished with burnt chilli salsa and croutons. We’ll be honest: it wasn’t our favourite. Thick, creamy, tipping more orange than avocado in both flavour and character. On a menu this confident elsewhere, it felt like the one dish still finding its footing.
The mains, though, are where Summer Fields really earns its name. The Confit chicken legs, served with a couscous risotto and mixed bean salad, are an unambiguous must-order. The moment it arrives, herby warmth fills the table before you’ve even reached for your fork.The chicken arrives impossibly juicy, the result of patient cooking, paired with a creamy couscous risotto that feels warm and deeply comforting. The beans add just enough texture to keep it from becoming too rich. It is, in the truest sense, the dish on the menu.
The Linguine aglio e olio, made with homemade pasta, asparagus, olive oil, garlic, chilli flakes, sundried tomato and parmesan, is the menu’s safest, most reliable pleasure. It is simply done with care, and that’s genuinely hard. For anyone at the table who keeps things classic, this is their summer. For everyone else, it’s a welcome anchor between bolder plates.
A note on the Spiced beer braised tiger prawn: the elements were thoughtfully conceived, the prawns themselves juicy and well-cooked, and the organic red rice and snow peas adding wholesome intent — but the sauce, for us, ran too salty, and it pulled the whole plate off-balance. A shame, because the idea behind it is genuinely interesting.
Meal for two: Rs 1,800++. From 12 noon – 10 pm. On till May 31. At DOU, Nungambakkam and Alwarpet.
Email: shivani@newindianexpress.com
X: @ShivaniIllakiya
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