Butterheads in Chennai rolls out a new selection of sandwiches, salads and rice bowls

If you’re looking to cut back on the calories ahead of the festive feasting to come, perhaps grab a panini from the new Butterheads menu. We find ourselves hooked from our first bite of their Americano Chicken option (crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside) with bursts of flavours from red pickled onions and a drizzle of BBQ sauce. Owner Abbas Shahzad, 30, tells us that expanding their horizons from the salad bowls, they initially launched with their takeaway outlet in Adyar last year (you might recall the Thayir sadham salad everyone was talking about), there are now 11 new paninis, alongside a handful of new salads and rice bowls.

This comes on the heels of a subscription meal service they introduced in February, with a separate menu of 20-odd salads that cover everything from Asian Noodles with wonton crunchies to a Fattoush-inspired variant with pita ribbons. But we digress...

Back to our tasting at hand, and we find ourselves curiously inspecting the ‘Butterheads Chilli Cheese Toast’. This twist on the classic is a sandwich (not open-faced as one would expect) comes with a filling of cheese slices, thecha and a red ketchup chilli drizzle. 

Meanwhile, our companions dive into the Roman Mozzarella Salad, which gets extra points for its sustainable packaging. Golden quinoa with pickled sweet peppers, cherry tomatoes and olives is elevated by a vibrant Roma dressing. On the flip side, if you’re one of those folks that simply does not feel satiated without some rice — opt for the Bombay Masala Bowl which serves jeera rice, slaw for crunch and a hearty Bombay Masala Chicken.

Regulars will be pleased to note that new menu aside, crowd favourites like the Asian Crunch and Mexican Beans and Greens bowls aren’t going anywhere. And apart from expanding flavour choices, Abbas hints at business expansion as well, by way of a café in the coming months.

Meal for two INR 800. Subscription prices start at INR 2,300 for one meal, over six days.