A six-month culinary expedition brings the legendary Spice Route to Chennai

What if a six-month journey along the legendary Spice Route could begin at your dinner table? At C-Salt, Sheraton Grand Chennai Resort & Spa, that idea has been brought to life with The Spice Route Chronicles- India: Origins of the Spice Trail, a six-month culinary expedition inspired by centuries of spice trading, seafaring and gastronomic exchange.

Chennai’s new Spice Route feast takes diners on a journey across India

At the helm of this culinary voyage is Aravan, a fictional merchant with an appetite for adventure as formidable as his appetite for food. Each month, he drops anchor at a different destination—beginning with the Malabar Coast and sailing onwards to Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Morocco—with diners invited aboard.

Our own voyage began on the spice-laden shores of Kerala. Despite Chennai’s sun beating down like a hammer, the moment we reached C-Salt, the weather seemed to change course. Surrounded by lush greenery, the restaurant offered a welcome respite from the heat, and soon enough, we were ready to set sail with Aravan.

We began with Pineapple chilli margarita, a pepper-laden cocktail that woke up the palate and hoisted the sails for the meal ahead. The soup that followed was Nandu rasam, a warming first port of call. Then came the starters, arriving thick and fast like vessels making their way into a bustling harbour. Andhra kodi tawa fry, Punugulu, Ulli Vada and the particularly enticing Aranmanai kari milagu chops formed a lively flotilla of small plates. Each brought its own interpretation of the region’s love affair with spice. We particularly relished the royal-style meat black pepper chops, historically associated with the royal kitchens of the Thodaimaan dynasty. Deep-roasted and intensely aromatic rather than fiery, the chops delivered a peppery warmth. The Punugulu and Ulli vada, meanwhile, made for perfect starters, with a gentle touch of pepper adding just the right amount of zest without overpowering their flavours.

Every now and then, executive chef Saravanan would come aboard to share stories behind the dishes and the journey. His anecdotes gave the meal another dimension, turning what might have been a straightforward dinner into a voyage of culinary storytelling.

The mains arrived with equal generosity. Appam, idiyappam, parotta and rice formed the sturdy cargo of our culinary vessel, ready to soak up an assortment of curries and gravies.

The Vendakkai kara kuzhambu, one of our favourites when nothing else quite hits the spot, brought its characteristic tang and spice, with the okra adding a softness to the piquant gravy. The Vegetable gassi offered a gentler, coconut-rich passage, mellow and creamy with a subtle sweetness from the spices. The Yeti gassi steered us towards the coast, its delicate seafood flavours lifted by fragrant, mildly spiced coconut gravy. The Nellore mamsam kura, meanwhile, came in with a robust, meaty punch, slow-cooked and richly spiced, with a deep savouriness that lingered on the palate.

By this point, we had sailed quite some distance without ever leaving our table—proof, perhaps, that good food can be the shortest route to another shore.

For dessert, we dropped anchor with Pootharekkalu, the delicate Andhra sweet made with wafer-thin layers and a sugary filling. Light, crisp and almost impossibly fragile, it was a fitting final port of call after a meal that had taken us through a veritable atlas of flavours. The Malabar Coast had given us a promising start, and we leave Aravan to chart his next course to Sri Lanka.

The festival is on till September 30.

Meal for one: `2,000++.

6.30 pm–11 pm .

At Sheraton Grand Chennai Resort and Spa, ECR

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