Mazemen
Mazemen

The Summer House Eatery in Chennai has a no broth ramen that is to die for

Expect some of the hippest trend foods on their all-new breakfast menu

The Summer House Eatery’s new breakfast menu that launches today however, offers us a bowl with a bit of a twist. Enter the Mazemen or no-broth ramen — a first for us, since it is isn’t easily available in Chennai. Although, ‘rameniacs’ will tell you it has been trending in the West all through 2018. 
Our degustation bowl has udon noodles with a base of tare (a slow-cooked apple and onion sauce)  — topped with crispy sweet bacon, shitake mushrooms, scallions, Togarashi and truffle oil. A poached egg which looks like a white cloud, sits pretty amidst all of the colour. And owner Mathangi Kumar kindly offers to have it mixed for us by her team of chefs. Hence the breakup of the word: Mazemen. ‘Maze’ means to mix and ‘men’ means noodles. 

We politely turn her down, and dive right in. That poached egg splits in two, leaving us with yolk-covered, pork-covered noodles, sans soup. Very, very satisfying.

<em>Cortado</em>
Cortado



We politely turn her down, and dive right in. That poached egg splits in two, leaving us with yolk-covered, pork-covered noodles, sans soup. Very, very satisfying.

We move on to an eclectic list of other offerings to get a comprehensive tasting of the menu. Kaya toast (hugely popular in Singapore and Malaysia) is another dish you won't find too often. Kaya is created with sugar, coconut milk, eggs, pandan and butter. And this version, made with Nonya kaya jam and cold butter is both sweet and subtle.

<em>Caramelised onions, spinach, feta & mozzarella crêpe</em>
Caramelised onions, spinach, feta & mozzarella crêpe


Between sips of a Vietnamese cold coffee — we scan the menu that is rather elaborate compared to most breakfast offerings. Look out for individual sections of skillet eggs, French toast, waffles, crepes and sandwiches. A Turmeric Scrambled Tofu (the vegan alternative to eggs) catches our eye, but we decide to continue on our Asian exploration and opt for a Mee Goreng Mamak instead. Pan-seared noodles tossed with a chilli peanut sauce, vegetables and tofu — this dish is not easy to put down, nope not even if you have a Nutella-filled crepe, staring at you — which is saying something!

Again, we jump from sweet to savoury — wrapping up with a classic Eggs Benedict. The only difference with this one? The hollandaise, is made with cashew! Different, oh yes. But creamy and golden — just like its counterpart. 

<em>Mee Goreng Mamak</em>
Mee Goreng Mamak



But why put a vegan sauce on top of an egg? The reason, we’re alarmed to find out, is a measure to prevent diseases like salmonella. “We avoid the egg yolk altogether because the temperature at which a hollandaise sauce is cooked (between 62 and 65 degrees) is not enough to get rid of possible bacteria like salmonella. An egg yolk actually only begins to cook at 65 degrees and sets at 70 degrees. As finding the best quality free range eggs has been difficult and to prevent common infections caused due to bacteria like salmonella, we have made a cashew hollandaise. And it’s not vegan as we use a fair bit of butter!” Mathangi shares with us.

From 8.30 am, every day. Meal for two INR 600.

sonali@newindianexpress.com | @brightasunshine
 

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