You know you're in for a coastal treat when KoKoMMo celebrates its first anniversary, with a delectable new East Coast Special menu. It will have new dishes every day depending on the catch, except the usual suspects which include mackerels, prawns and the like. Helmed by the young and sprightly new Chef Charul Srivastav, at InterContinental Chennai Mahabalipuram Resort, diners can expect a variety of experimental dishes. However, they retain signatures like Gambas Aioli and Scallop Pollichadu among other dishes at the beach-side restaurant.“While in Rajasthan, I worked with a variety of vegetarian food. This is the first time I am getting to experiment with different seafood dishes, based on the catch of the day, which is really exciting for me,” says the Junior Sous Chef, who hails from Lucknow, and has had brief stints at Fairmont Jaipur and Leela Palace Udaipur.
Scoop your scallop
As the skies turn grey, hinting at an impending monsoon in the city, we start with a delicious Swipe Your Plate — spinach tempura with five different colourful dips. Fried crisp, the warm spinach is a perfect combination when paired with the likes of carrot and ginger, pumpkin and mustard. They also have bell pepper and Tabasco, green peas and garlic, and a sour cream dip. A few swipes later, as the first drops of rain greet us on the East Coast, we dig into a serving of scallops, which appears on a bed of greens and cherry tomatoes paired with burnt butter sauce. Cut into small cubes, the pan-seared fish is absolutely mouthwatering with the creamy sauce. After we’re briefly interrupted by rain, the Seafood Platter lifts our spirits while doing justice to the fresh catch concept. It includes a large grouper fish, baby red snapper and the local mullet fish. With a simple spicy-sour marinade of chilli and lime, the fried fish is served with a coriander and mint chutney.
Don’t be shellfish!
A seafood meal in the city is incomplete without a basketful of Fried Anchovies (nethilli), this comes with a meaty fried tiger prawn and a side of baguettes coated with a delicious podi, which we happily munch on. Happy with our meal and our expressions, and hoping we are a little ambitious, Chef Charul asks us if we would like to try Masala Mud Crabs, and we immediately agree. Served in a large white shell, we pop the mud crabs into our mouths as soon as they arrive at the table. While they do not have too much meat, they are crunchy and flavoured perfectly, making it quite an experience for us. Having savoured a variety of fish delicacies, we end our meal with Gianduja Slice, a sweet chocolate and hazelnut pastry. The dessert is complemented by a fruity and citrusy flavour from the orange slice and mango pulp on the side, which we enjoy till the last spoonful.
On till July 21.
Meal for two is Rs 5,000 plus taxes.