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September 14, 2023 12:56 pm | Updated September 15, 2023 04:20 pm IST
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Chettinad Canteen | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Chettinad cuisine needs no advertisement. Connoisseurs of this cuisine have paid tribute and contributed to it in several ways. Now, Sethu Subbiah, Meyyammai Ramanathan and Vivek Chidambaram have set out to package the traditional flavours and dishes of the region in a new format.
Chettinad Canteen opened its doors in Coimbatore in February 2021 with an aim to serve Chettinad cuisine through a tasting menu. “Although we all have experience in the culinary space, this was a challenging experiment to take on what proved successful in Coimbatore. But we can’t take that for granted in Chennai so we have started small,” says Vivek.
With a capacity to seat only 20, the restaurant opened in Chennai, in June this year. As the wait staff in veshtis and Crocs take us to our table, the quaint yet classy ambience with glass doors, a slope roof with ornate tiles, simple furniture and garden view prepare us for the meal to come.
Amuse bouche | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
There are two menus to choose between and we choose the seven course option, which begins with an amuse bouche comprising rice vathal, mango, bitter gourd and a slice of orange, all to be eaten in one bite, for a surprising burst of flavours.
Rasam french press | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
We look at the martini glasses in front of us and try to imagine a Chettinad-themed drink when a French press of piping hot tomato rasam with bright green coriander stems floating on the surface is brought in to fill them. It is a simple and spicy aperitif which is bottomless.
Adai with rose petal thugaiyal and prawn thirakkal | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Then we are served prawn thirakkal, a semi gravy like preparation, served along with a slice of coconut blossom sprinkled with demerara sugar. For vegetarians there is adai with rose petal chutney, and brinjal that has been stuffed with a blend of ground lentils and spices, then fried, reminiscent of the popular ennai kathirikai preparation.
“We have a lot of dishes that can be reimagined to construct this type of a menu and have worked on keeping the flavours as authentic as possible. At the moment, the options available in Chennai and Coimbatore are different but soon we will bring the full menu here as well,” says Vivek.
Try the button parotta, served with white kurma with vegetables or chicken, and potato masala or mutton chops. The potato masala packs a heat laced with flavours of fennel and sweet caramelised onion slices while the mutton chop, coated in egg and fried was flavourful but very tough.
Mini Aapams in coconut milk | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
The mini aapams floating in a bowl of mildly sweetened coconut milk with pomegranate pearls is a gentle dish that showcases how less is more. The aapams, although drenched in liquid, have crisp edges. It is a tantalising blend of familiar flavours and comes with a pineapple coulis which is sweet and mildly sour.
The soup bowls are underwhelming. They consist of mashed rice served in a mutton broth with a mutton kola urundai, and for vegetarians, a cauliflower broth with a plantain kola urundai.
The simple curd rice that comes with a crispy mor milagai and chicken chukka, which again is tough, or shallot and garlic semi gravy is comforting.
Ice cream with Adi Kumayam | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
For dessert, we have the creamy and aromatic rose petal payasam and ice cream with Adi Kumayam. The combination of ice cream with the traditional urad dal koozh sweetened by jaggery and enriched with ghee was unexpected, but taking on the characteristic of a chocolate fudge sauce, this sticky topping paired well with the humble vanilla ice cream adding toasted nutty flavours.
Chettinad Canteen is at 50, Lubdhi Colony, Seethammal Road, Teynampet. It costs ₹890 for five the course option and ₹1190 for the seven course meal.
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The Hindu MetroPlus / food and dining (general)
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