THE MADRAS KITCHEN Company at The Westin Chennai Velachery was packed to the rafters last weekend, with foodies trooping in to savour their newly launched menu. We, too, joined the party with a chilled glass of rejuvenating rose milk even as two youngters played the lilting tunes of llaiyaraaja on their guitars.
The first thing that caught our attention was the catchy menu card, which resembled a tabloid. As we sifted through the pages, we couldn’t help but notice the diversity in the menu, which packed in flavours from different regions of India, along with some enticing Oriental culinary delights.
As we dug into the series of starters, what won our hearts instantly was the delicious Jackfruit Cornetto, which made us question, ‘is meat really necessary,” (an ironic question coming from someone who can’t have a meal without it). Not only was it eye-catching, but, also scrumptious.
We then dived into the spices and flavours of India with gusto. The Manathakkali Mutton Varuval with coin parotta turned out to be a comforting pairing, as the tender and juicy slices of lamb were cooked to perfection without going overboard on the spice wagon.
This was followed by a delicious plate right from the heartland of Rajasthan, boasting Ker Sangri, Aloo Mangodi and Methi Theplas. If you are a fan of spices, this one’s right up your alley. The theplas were soft, and paired well with the tangy potato curry. The star of the show was the Ker Sangri, a typical Rajasthani dish made of Ker berries and Sangri beans. Often served at festive occasions in the state, the dish was well prepared, with the berry providing tang and the strong mustard oil flavour adding a rustic touch.
The Sindhamani Uppu Kari Kattu soru with Chinna Vengaya Pachadi and vadams, arrived beautifully encased in a plantain leaf. Giving it apt company was the Railway station chicken biriyani. For someone who can never resist a good biriyani, this one turned out to be a tad bland to our taste.
As we took the plunge into the culinary ecstacies of Oriental cuisine, we were impressed by the Penang Hokkien Mee, which made an appearance in a vibrant white bowl containing a slightly red-coloured broth housing seared prawns, an egg, and rice noodles. This won us over with its subtle taste and finely cooked noodles. Garnished with microgreens and chopped spring onions, which brought the crunch (although some fried noodles would have made it nicer), the broth was spicy and had a perfect shrimp flavour.
We washed it all down with Thanga Manjal, a heady concoction of tequila, palm sugar, orange juice, lime juice, curry leaves, and turmeric powder. We were also quite chuffed by the Inji Malli Martini, a ginger-infused vodka charged with pineapple, coriander leaves, ginger, lime, and honey.
Gulkhand Kunafa, loaded with some chilled vanilla ice cream, provided the perfect ending to our hearty meal.
`1,200++ per person.
Available for lunch and dinner.
At The Westin Chennai Velachery.
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