Spice, stops and stories: This new restaurant brings bold South Indian flavours to ECR

When you’re on a road trip, there are four essentials you just can’t compromise on — a solid playlist, chill company, scenic routes, and worthy pitstops. While you’ve probably got the first three covered, let us help with the fourth.

Next time you’re cruising down the ECR, pull over at Satti Kari, a newly opened restaurant dishing out hearty, home-style South Indian flavours — all inspired by the owners’ travel adventures.

Fair warning: this spot isn’t for the faint-hearted (or faint-tongued). The food here packs a serious punch — enough to make you sweat, but thankfully not enough to derail your road trip.

We at Indulge gave Satti Kari a spin, and here’s what we loved:

We kicked off with the Pacha puli rasam, a refreshing uncooked rasam made with tamarind, green chillies, onions and coriander. Tangy, spicy and surprisingly perfect even on a warm afternoon.

Next came the Mutton biriyani, fragrant with seeraga samba rice and an extra hit of pepper. It leaned a bit mushy, but the flavours hit the mark. This paired well with the Mutton sukka, loaded with bold pepper and rich meatiness.

The Keralathu prawn thokku provided a much-needed break from all the heat, with a subtle sweetness that balanced out the spice overload.

No South Indian meal is complete without plain rice, and we went all in with three accompaniments — Naatu kozhi gravy, Naatu kozhi thokku, and Kaatu varuval. The Naatu kozhi gravy was light, watery, but full of flavour, while the Naatu kozhi thokku featured a smooth chilli paste that coated every bite.

Our favourite, though, was the Kaatu varuval — a rustic, slow-simmered dish with shallots, chillies, and cold-pressed oil, packing a fiery punch with every mouthful.

To calm our burning tongues, we ended with a comforting combo — Paruppu podi and Chammandhi. A dollop of ghee, a generous sprinkle of the podi and a scoop of chammandhi made for the perfect finishing touch.

Finally, we wrapped things up with Elaneer payasam, a tender coconut dessert that soothed our taste buds and prepared us to face the blazing afternoon sun as we hit the road once more.

So, if you’re all about bold flavours and road tripworthy pitstops, this spot got you covered.

Meal for two: ₹1,000. Timings: 12 pm to 12 am. At Satti Kari, Akkarai, ECR