Chennai’s newest vegetarian café keeps things simple, until dessert steals the show

Pink Potato, Kilpauk’s newest vegetarian spot, arrives with a name that promises something a little playful and a look that backs it up. The interiors are cheerful and easy, no pretension, no drama, just somewhere you can sit down and eat.

From safe plates to a stunning dessert, this Chennai meal shifts gears

We started with the Pink potato beetroot cream soup, a chef’s special and it set a decent tone for the meal. Thick, earthy, and with a garlicky pull that you don’t quite expect but appreciate. The garlic lifts what could have been a one-note bowl and gives it something to hold onto, making it a warm, quiet opener.

Next came the Creamy cheese paneer tikka, which is exactly what it sounds like. Big squares of paneer swimming in a malai-style cheesy cream, milk on milk, smooth and soft with a little bit of nutty goodness from cashews.

The Panko crusted paneer with sweet chilli sauce had a bit more going for it, mostly because of the crust. Catch it the moment it hits the table and there’s a satisfying crunch and the faintest stringy quality inside that briefly makes you think of mozzarella sticks. That window is short. The sauce, sharp and sweet, is arguably the main event here, and the paneer is happily along for the ride.

The Mushroom strudel was the table’s most debated dish. Traditionally a German preparation of sautéed mushrooms wrapped in phyllo pastry, this version is reimagined with an addition of rice and a mushroom sauce. We couldn’t quite land on a verdict. There’s something interesting in the idea, but the execution doesn’t quite take it anywhere memorable.

The Avocado paratha arrives visibly green and earns quiet points for sneakiness. It doesn’t taste overwhelmingly of avocado. As a way to get vegetables into a child who would otherwise object, it works beautifully. As a dish that stands on its own, it’s mild and pleasant and best paired with something else.

And then the Saffron panna cotta shows up, and everything shifts.

It comes with a strawberry coulis, and the combination is genuinely brilliant. The panna cotta is delicate, just barely set, with a faint flavour of saffron running through it that is subtle enough to intrigue and present enough to linger. Against the brightness of the coulis, it becomes something that actually surprises you. In a meal that has been consistently fine, this dessert lands like a complete left turn in the best possible way.

Meal for two: Rs 1,200 +. From 11 am to 11 pm. At Pink Potato, Kilpauk.

Email: shivani@newindianexpress.com
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