A relaunched seaside café on ECR brings global comfort food and cosy vibes

Chennai rarely gives us weather worth romanticising, so when there’s a nip in the air, you grab the moment and a table near the sea. That’s exactly how we found ourselves heading to the newly relaunched The Mayflower Café at Palavakkam on ECR.

Comfort food by the sea: A cosy cafe relaunched on ECR

The drive there tested our patience and our car’s suspension, with Google Maps leading us through roads that felt more like dares than directions. But the second we walked in, every pothole disappeared from our memory. The café felt warm, the kind of place where time slows down and conversations linger. And yes, for those who love the gram, there’s a selfie corner too. There’s also a brand-new kids’ play area, which means the little ones are happily occupied while parents get to sip, snack, and breathe in peace.

We kicked things off with a Vietnamese pho, a soothing bowl of noodles and fresh herbs, lifted by a sharp squeeze of lime, comfort with a kick that washed away the fatigue of the long drive.

What followed was nothing short of a starter marathon. First to hit the table were the Kandhari chicken skewers that were smoky, sticky, and glossed with a pomegranate glaze that nailed the sweet–tangy–spicy balance. Then came the Paneer satay skewers, grilled beautifully and generously coated in a creamy peanut sauce. Normally, paneer doesn’t get our heart racing, but this one was something we would go back to.

They say there’s a dumpling for every mood, and the Purple chicken dumpling clearly matched ours. Ginger-soy chicken wrapped in purple dough, warm, comforting, and easy to eat one after the other. The Vietnamese prawn summer rolls offered a crisp, fresh counterpoint with paper-thin rice rolls packed with herbs and veggies. While every starter held its own, the undisputed star was the Steamed fish basket. A delicate seabass fillet, steamed to perfection in a soy-ginger broth, cradled in a dim sum basket, each bite silky and tender, with a subtle umami punch from the soy, a gentle warmth from the ginger, and a whisper of sweetness that lingers on the palate.

We even got a taste of turkey for the first time— juicy and perfectly seasoned, with a subtle smokiness.

And then arrived the Mayflower exotica paneer pizza, which was topped with sweet corn, broccoli, mushrooms, and feta, and each bite was a cheesy explosion with a perfect balance of textures. The Thai green curry, with velvety coconut milk, zesty lemongrass, green chilli heat, and aromatic herbs, paired with jasmine rice, too, was utterly soul-soothing in every bite. We wrapped things up with a tiramisu — light, creamy, coffee-kissed, and the perfect sweet full stop to a meal that clearly didn’t believe in portion control.

Meal for two: INR 600++. From 11 am to 11 pm. At Palavakkam.

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