Once you enter the newest watering hole in the city, you leave behind the bustle and dust of the busy 100 feet Inner Ring Road that it is located on, and settle into a time-out zone. The cosy 70-seater is thumping with familiar music, swathed in mellow lighting and is cheerful with popping wall art. Brand consultant Arasu Dennis’ eleventh project (by his firm AD associates), in the city, the Fat Monkey is a friendly, neighbourhood restobar.
Soon you find out what B Murugan, one of the four partners of this venture, meant when he had earlier said that the focus is on good food. “We offer a wide range of cuisines. From Pan Asian and Continental to signatures from South Indian kitchens, it is about food that is filling and satisfying,” adds Murugan as we nibble on spicy chunks of Mirapakaya Andhra-style chicken. We were quick to savour the Nellai Chicken, which is bits of fried meat that is scrambled with eggs. Our favourite is the crisp-on-the-outside-and-succulent-inside — the batter-fried Manga Koontal Roast — squid tossed with slivers of raw mango, this one is a must-have!
Besides classics, the cocktail line-up at Fat Monkey includes the likes of the Russian Arbuza, a delightful watermelon and vodka-based thirst-quencher that has feta cheese and cumin seeds in the mix, and pairs well with the Tiranga Chicken Tikka. Predictably offering three types of kebabs, they are all skewered and served in a smoking clay pot with live embers for that charcoal flavour. The Hara Bara Kebab is stuffed with cheese and delicious. Between the dim sum platter and the peri peri chicken wings, the latter falls off the bone delectably and is our favourite and we wash it down with a cucumber and mint-infused cocktail, a popular flavour at most of the city bars this season. However the Fat Monkey version, the Forest Drink is a fizzy mix of white rum, cucumber, soda and fennel seeds, well-paired with the robust peri peri spice.
The main course comprises wholesome set meal options, where we are quickly won over by the flavoursome and piquant South Indian-style fish curry with steamed rice. Those who prefer milder flavours could try the coconut rice with stew-like chicken curry. Aromatic with roasted coconut and tempered curry leaves, it makes for a filling meal. The Rum Runner is a fine accompaniment here — extra sweet with white and dark rum, this drink has passion fruit in the mix.
Though the menu doesn’t have a dessert section yet, you will discover that this is a matter of semantics. Just peek into their mocktail section and find ample options. The Blue Jay is creamy with vanilla ice cream, lychee and easily satiates one’s sweet tooth cravings. We picked Sunset Breakfast, a sweet, espresso and condensed milk concoction on the rocks — topped with crunchy chocolate cereal.
Meal for two at about INR 800 (not including beverages).