Staying true to the idea of an artist’s colour palette, Southern Crest Hotel’s long-awaited restaurant The Palette, in T Nagar, is painting the town with a variety of colours —in terms of décor and food. The casual dining restaurant is situated on the first floor and its well-lit interiors highlight every single detail of the dynamic pastel hues adorning the interiors.
Pining for pineapple
The menu has a mix of cuisines from across India and the world that boasts about being authentic and innovative while also remaining true to the taste. The restaurant does not serve alcohol but the choice of thandai's or coolers are refreshing. Blended with cardamom and black pepper or pit-roasted pineapple with cumin, the milk-based drinks are a hit but one can also simply order the chilled sherbets, to beat the heat.
Kesari murgh?
Choosing salad over soup, we decide to start light with Curried Chicken Baby Potato salad (Rs 170) and it proved to be the ideal appetiser. Baby potatoes are tossed in curried mayonnaise and chicken to get our mouths watering immediately. The delicately flavoured Mozzarella in Carroza (Rs 200) is deep-fried bread stuffed with basil and cheese, and perfect to nibble on while selecting dishes from the large menu. The Kesari Murgh Tikka (Rs 300) has tender pieces of saffron milk-soaked chicken chargrilled but with a creamy texture, we instantly relish. La Gee Gee Prawns (Rs 425) are made in a typical pan-Asian soya chilli coriander preparation. The prawns are fried crisp and coupled with soya sauce, make for a perfect example of Thai flavours.
The Diwani Handi (Rs 260) in the main course is a no-brainer, especially for vegetarians looking to keep it simple. A mix of fresh vegetables tossed in a curry of fenugreek leaves and Indian spices, it is cooked in a thick onion cashew gravy. Eaten with rotis, it makes for a typical Indian choice for a meal. The Meat Beliram (Rs 400), on the other hand, is a complete Awadhi-style treat of meaty lamb shanks cooked in a traditional potli masala — making it spicy and best had with a roti basket.
High on chocolate
The classic Nasi Goreng (Rs 320) is a treat for Asian food lovers — being the spicy chicken and prawn fried rice, which is served with a fried egg on top. It is served with a fine kimchi salad and a subtly spiced chicken satay on the side, which definitely appealed to our palates. The Long Standing Chocolate Vertigo (Rs 190) is a towering piece of soft and rich chocolate cake, and makes for the perfect cherry on the cake moment for us.
Meal for two is Rs 1,200.