This popular Chennai restaurant celebrates South Indian flavours with ‘Dakshina Katha’

The Madras Pavilion at the ITC Grand Chola has just inaugurated a South Indian food festival called ‘Dakshina Katha’, or stories from the South. Now some of you might think this is akin to carrying coal to Newcastle, but then the creative genius of chef Santosh Shetty has ensured that no region here goes unrepresented. It is a buffet experience, so we started gathering things on our plate.

On the Chef’s recommendation we first tried Aritha Pundi, which are tiny spherical dumplings are made with steamed rice flour and seasoned with curry leaves, coconut, cumin, and mustard seeds. A bit of an acquired taste, the subtle flavours make you appreciate the art of delicate spicing. Next, we tried the Kodi ghee roast. A well-known Tuluva Mangalorean chicken dish, Kodi ghee roast has its roots in the town of Kundapur, which is near Udupi. Chicken, curd, onions, ghee, jaggery, tamarind, ginger, garlic, and local spices and condiments are some of the main components of this food. It may look fiery, but overall the flavours are quite balanced with the presence of jiggery and tamarind. Highly recommended by us. You could try the fish cutlets too – the Meen cutlets were quite tasty in themselves too.

If you are a vegetarian, you will love the Tarkari Gassi. This is a medley of seasonal vegetables in a delectable curry originating from the coastal region of Mangalore, made with coconut and red chillies. The fenugreek seeds' bitterness and the spicy flavors of the red chilies, peppercorns, and cloves are counterbalanced by the sweetness of the coconut milk. There was a delicate balance to this dish, and the vegetables gave a nice underlying crunch to the curry.

Time to add more gluten, so we took a helping of the Beeja Pulav. Another lovely one pot dish, this too had a very generous amount of vegetables added in, thereby making the combination with Tarkari Gassi quite a healthy one as well. The Dal Tughe was a yellow dal, with coconut and mild spices, that tasted quite nice as well.

Back to non-vegetarian again, so we decided to try the traditional chicken biriyani. Cooked with subtle spices, the meat was falling off the bone and we loved its taste and texture. There is a strong culture of biriyani especially in Chennai and although there are many variants, the ones here stand out due to their subtle flavouring and a brilliant, meaty taste.

When we initially headed to ‘Dakshina Katha’, we were somewhat apprehensive. But after tasting the food there and seeing the repertoire on offer, we are thoroughly convinced that this deserves to be on your weekend options to dine out.

Price: INR 2,400++ per person. Dinner only, On till December 22. At Madras Pavilion, ITC Grand Chola