Eggs in a skillet. Pumpkin soup. And a riot of colours in a bowlful of bibimbap. Three reasons we’re definitely going back to Pumpkin Tales. The spacious 2,900 sq ft space in Alwarpet is less than a month old, and throws up an eclectic Asian-meets-Continental menu to fit their working hours of 7 am to 6 pm, which piques our curiosity even before we roll up to their driveway. It gets better. As we step into what feels as close to autumn as we’ve seen in Chennai, with the restaurant’s fall-coloured decor of orange and yellow — it occurs us to that there’s not a single male waiter in sight.
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“Our entire front office staff is of women only,” says owner Chindi Varadarajulu, whom you may recognise from L’attitude 49 at the Grande Bay Resort in Mahabalipuram. Bhuvaneshwari Ja, who comes with a background in interior design and Rajarajeswari R, who is transitioning from a decade of real estate into hospitality, make up the rest of the femme fatale trio that run the show here. “We met at a party and have been planning this place for a year now,” says Bhuvaneshwari, as we settle into a spree of yolky bliss.
Two mini skillets filled with baked eggs arrive in quick succession — one that is Southern inspired with bits of chorizo and chilli flakes, and a second that is Asian-style with a smattering of green onion, ginger and of course soya sauce. For someone whose favourite meal of the day is breakfast, to say we’re giddy with delight would not be an exaggeration. And unbashedly, we’re partial to the chorizo. “All our eggs are free range, we think that helps with the flavour,” Chindi chimes in, as we move on to the Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon. They source them at a pricey `15 per egg, which explains the price point of `275 for solo egg-inspired breakfast choices that aren’t buffed up in quantity with the likes of toast or baked beans, as is the case with a typical Continental breakfast.
We also recommend their PELT, an eggetarian spin off on the popular BELT — replacing bacon with pumpkin. Packing in eggs, tomatoes and lettuce for some crunch on a brioche — this sandwich checks off all the boxes of healthy, wholesome and filling at one go. “This one can be made vegan as well,” Chindi adds, much like the Vegan Shepherd’s pie.
For the main course, we sample portions of pumpkin soup and the highly recommended bibimbap. The soup is delicately flavoured, creamy and light, while the latter has a myriad taste triggers from the assorted veggies and gochujang chilli paste used in Korea.Dessert is a first, a Canadian Nanaimo bar, which we discover is a decadent square of melted chocolate, custard-flavoured butter icing and wafer crumbs, layered in that order. The name doesn’t roll off your tongue, but the dessert melts on it quite effortlessly.
At 37/20, Bheemanna Garden Street, Alwarpet. Meal for two Rs 1,000. Details: 30853528
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