This Chennai café just gave its menu a bold, Indian-inspired makeover

Pan Sauce Poetry just gave its menu a fresh makeover a month ago, and we went in to try as many of the new dishes as our stomachs would allow. The European café-style menu now comes with plenty of Indian-inspired, playful fusion dishes, turning familiar flavours into plates that are fun to look at and, more importantly, fun to eat. The open kitchen is a nice touch too, giving us a glimpse of the team at work. 

Here's everything we ordered at this continental café with regional Indian flavours

We started with the Crispy corn basket. The spiced corn kernels were crunchy and savoury, while the tomato salsa brought a fresh, tangy sweetness and the queso added creamy, cheesy richness. Somehow, all three worked beautifully together, and we kept going back for more. We still don’t know what they put in that salsa, but we couldn’t get enough of it.

The Gunpowder beetroot croquettes were an unexpected favourite. The sweet-savoury beetroot immediately reminded us of Bengali veg chop, a familiar winter snack from the streets of Kolkata. The soft filling, curry mayo and gentle heat from the gunpowder worked beautifully together. The Thai basil mushrooms were another hit, with batter-fried mushrooms that had an almost meaty chew, coated in a spicy chilli-basil sauce and finished with scallions.

Next came the Lotus stem chaat, which felt like a dressed-up take on classic papdi chaat, swapping the papdi for crispy lotus stem and adding whipped cream cheese, tamarind glaze, mint sauce, sev and pomegranate. It was enjoyable, with the cream cheese balancing the tangy, crunchy elements.

Then we moved on to the meatier options, starting with the Chicken chukka skewers, which were tender, juicy and generously spiced. The Brazilian chicken croquettes were crisp outside and soft inside, with chicken, potato and cheese tucked into the crumbed coating. The little bones attached to them were purely decorative, but made for a fun presentation.

The Chettinad fish fingers were flavourful and nicely spiced, but the real star was the tartare sauce, with mango pickle mixed in it. Creamy, sweet and tangy, it was a delightful contrast to the spiced fish, and we found ourselves going back for more sauce with every bite.

The Parotta chukka tacos tucked spicy mutton chukka, onions, curry leaves, cheese and desi salsa into flaky parotta shaped into makeshift tacos. It sounds a little odd, but the combination came together to make a perfect bite. The Bang bang prawns were another winner, with plump, juicy prawns under a crisp tempura coating and a spicy, creamy sauce.

We ended with the Chicken and cheese phyllo sizzler, easily the most dramatic of the lot. Spiced chicken, cashew and cheese wrapped in flaky phyllo arrived sizzling, followed by molten cheese poured tableside. Although we loved the pizazz, all that cheese eventually became a little too rich and salty for us.

INR 1,000 for two. 12pm to 11pm. At Pan Sauce Poetry, RA Puram.

Email: anoushkakundu@newindianexpress.com

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