The Feathers hotel in Chennai has a magnificent rooftop terrace restaurant called the Skyloft, that is famous for its rather comprehensive menu, but the hotel is now promoting a grills special menu for the month of November and that is what precisely we turned up to sample.
We kicked off the evening with vegetarian Mexican Quesadillas. Grilled refined beans with Monterrey cheese were packed with Mexican rice, sautéed peppers, avocados in a spicy Pico De Gallo relish. Must say that the salsa was as fresh as can be and imparted sharp and tangy flavours to the tongue. The tortilla itself tasted quite fresh, and the addition of bell peppers gave it an extra crunch. The avocado used was of good quality, so there was a sort of creaminess that did well to coat the refried beans in a subtle and smooth taste.
Next up was the herb marinated chicken steak. The chicken was quite tender, and was served with asparagus, haricot beans, broccoli and caramelised pineapple. What I liked was the jus accompanying it – gave a lovely flavour to both the chicken and the garlic mashed potatoes. We followed up with a flank of Scottish Salmon, that was grilled to perfection – neither overdone, nor underdone. It was also accompanied by garlic potato mash, asparagus, a Caper Dill Emulsion and crispy leeks. The Caper dill emulsion was outstanding – it had just the right hint of mayonnaise and lemon tanginess, which gave a nice creamy taste to the fish. Of late, a lot of people are using coconut milk to substitute for the mayonnaise but that’s more of a personal choice!
Finally, the dish I had been waiting for – Rosemary braised lamb shanks. I have always enjoyed lamb shanks, and this time round too, the experience was quite pleasing. There were three large pieces of shank in the plate, which is enough to satisfy even those of vociferous appetite. The grilling was superb, with the meat falling off the bone and giving a super refined taste to the meat. Accompanying veggies included broccoli, asparagus and leeks, which played the role of supporting cast quite well. Again, the jus here was of a different a d quality and gave a nice subtle flavour to both the meat and the veggies.
Chef Jaishankar, the creative genius behind the truly gourmet food at Feathers wanted us to try some more food, but we had reached the limits of our stomach’s capacities and could not eat any more. There is however no doubt that both the quality and quantity of the food at Skyloft is amazing. You can sip a nice wine here as you dine under the stars and savour the finest grills from Chef Jaishankar. Overall, a visit is highly recommended.
Cost: INR 3,500++ for 2 (Without alcohol)