Curls of cucumber adorn our goblets and a whiff of the clear drink confirms that there is more to the concoction than meets the eye, at the new resto bar in T Nagar. Notes of the refreshing summer vegetable hit the palate as if muddled in the tonic water along with the gin and we cannot stop from taking quick gulps of the thirst quencher. “All our botanicals for the mixes are made in-house,” admits Swati Chauhan, one of the partners at Sin & Tonic. Further enquiry yields that the homemade botanical used the sous-vide technique and an in-house cucumber tonic — setting the tone for recreating exciting gin-based cocktails.
Say cheese!
Located on the busy Thirumalai Pillai Road in T Nagar, the new restobar has 270 seats offering ample space — and ample food and drink, we soon find out! With the IPL season upon us — it is a perfect time to explore the options. To start with, the deepfried sticks of Cottage Cheese Cigarillos dunked into a four-cheese dip surprises with an explosion of flavours in every bite, thanks to bits of peppers and herbs in the tempura. The trending Mutton Roast on baby parottas is juicy and the topping generous. Now is a good time to try their Clarified Milk Punch. Though the name had us sceptical — one sip of the gin-based cocktail had us joyously savouring the aromatic delight of fruity port wine, lavender tea and aromatic bitters.
High spirits
A pâté of mushroom on another paratha makes for a melt-in-themouth galouti kebab. Meanwhile, dumplings black with squid ink, stuffed with fish and prawns are a seafood lover’s delight. Not for the faint-hearted, the True Union is the perfect pairing for the oriental dish, and has a combination of scotch, dry vermouth, sweet vermouth and plum syrup. Meanwhile, teetotallers may guzzle on delicious and light, highball cocktails (Fluere Collins) made from the distilled spirits of Fluere.
Rice and easy
Bars have lately conceded to the irrefutable demand for a rice-based dish in every menu, in Chennai. And sure enough, in the mains we find a delicious potlum of biryani. Wrapped in banana leaf, the long grained rice is fragrant and the chicken pieces are succulent. Sips of the Seedlip Martini are apt now, a non-alcoholic martini-style drink, it is subtle and delicate, balancing the strong flavours of the dish. The pearls of ruby-red water chestnuts in coconut milk is an old favourite and works as a perfect end to the meal. However, being a dessert junkie, their wobbly Blueberry Cheesecake ensured we stayed longer than planned.
Meal for two at INR 2,000 approx