How different can a South Indian cuisine-themed restaurant be? That’s exactly what we thought when we decided to check out Maayaa, the brand new restaurant at Prestige Trade Tower on Race Course Road. We were therefore mighty pleased when we arrived at the diner — that is a part of the The Courtyard by Sublime, a multi-cuisine food arena, offering a range of coveted food brands and restaurants — to see a beautifully designed space that fits into the food court perfectly and yet stands proudly apart. Once seated, we realised that this welcome went beyond just the décor and applied to the service and to the flexibility of the menu.
Deciding to stick to the menu available on this visit, however, we chose dishes that would stand out simply for their rarity. In minutes, we began our meal and were served the holy duo of South Indian welcome drinks — Muneeru (flavoured coconut water) and Majjige (savoury and spice butter milk). We then switched immediately to what should qualify as South Indian ‘soups’ — a Melagu (pepper) Rasam and an Attukal (lamb trotters) Soup. The flavours on point and the servings perfectly sized, what stood out with both these ‘soups’ was the small serving of cooked rice at the side.
Wasting no time, we asked for the Aryanad Chicken Thoran (a chicken poriyal made in a typical Travancore style), an Egg Koora (spicy scrambled eggs made in a semi-gravy with spices typical of Andhra Pradesh), a King Fish Masala Vepudu and some Neer Dosas and Appams. We also ordered a serving of their Mutton Biryani, just to see if the chefs knew what they were upto. We must admit, we were bowled-over by each of the dishes that came to our table. While the flavours were always exactly what we expected them to be, we were wowed that each of the dishes — chosen specifically for the range of cuisines they represent — were all equally good.
Like the proper Bengalureans that we are, we also then asked for a plate of this Telangana take on the humble curd rice — Baghala Baath — and paired it with a Madurai (mutton) Varuval. The creamy curd rice paired beautifully with this spicy dry mutton dish from the heart of Tamil Nadu and all we were left craving for was dessert.
The only way to end this meal respectfully was with an Elaneer Payasam and that’s exactly what we did. As expected, Maayaa’s Elaneer Payasam was also a beautifully constructed dessert, served at just the right temperature and with just the right amount of tender coconut bits for that mouth-feel we all can’t ever seem to get enough of!
Meal for two: INR 1,200 onwards. At Race Course Road.
romal@newindianexpress.com
@elromal