Chennai hasnt been this lovely in a long time.. The weather was just perfect, we were sitting outside, near the infinite pool, and the gentle breeze kept us company through the evening. We were at The Crown in Residency Towers, Chennai. They have introduced a new menu, limited items, but quite a few choices for both the Vegetarians & Non vegetarians, an experiment they were running for 2 weeks, a fortnight, and one that had received a response far better than what they had anticipated.
Chef Shaktivel who chatted with us on and off told us he was quite surprised at the response, especially since they had thought it being Dussehra/Navaratri, crowd might not be that much. But, they were pleasantly surprised. This menu had been introduced at The Crown in the 20th Floor & Southern Aroma on the Ground floor ...
Vegetarian meal was priced at Rs500, while Non veg was at Rs600. What did it include? Soup, Main dishes, Desserts and one drink [ Gin/Vodka/Rum/Whiskey] and this menu is on till the 28th of October
So, there we were, the 3 stooges- Deepa, Shadir and yours truly, all set for an evening of fun and good food... Well, we were not disappointed... but did learn a few inside information.. :-)
Ok, time to get down to business, err food that is. While we waited for Shadir, we decided to order a drink, both of us opted for something with Vodka, and it was quite good, just that our drinks had a lot of orange peels, which kept clogging up the straws and i requested the waiter to strain the drink, which he did promptly.
Our evening began with an elaborate selection of starters [ mind you, it is not part of their Fortnight menu and was offered to us from the main Crown Menu].. the 1st round was Indian starters -
Stuffed mushrooms- which were absolutely yumm- well, i do love mushrooms in any form and these were cooked to perfection. The tandoori paneer & cauliflower were good, and so was the Hara bara kebab. One other item on our plate was potato patty of sorts, it was a bit bland and had a funny dosa dough texture. The chef told us they used chickpeas flour for the outer coating [ as a policy they dont use cornflour or any starch] Oh, how can i forget, we also got to taste some delicious baby corn starters- cooked with tomatoes, curry leaves and spring onion, it was gooood
Then came the platter of continental starters- bruschetta with Basil & tomatoes which was good and simple, stuffed zucchini - i loved this one and finally a slice of tomato with a mozerella slice on top and a basil tucked between. It was alright, nothing great.
Shadir was having a feast, with his plate piled on with a wide variety of meat starters, and he seemed to enjoy them all.. ;)
Phew.. we were quite stuffed, and so requested the chef to bring us just a sampler of the main dishes. We had quite an interesting chatting session with the Chef. He was curious about how we write reviews, especially since we were not catering students or had catering backgrounds. We explained how we wrote reviews, clarified any doubts we had while at the review and the main aim of writing the reviews. Shadir also showed a sample of his blog, explaining the post, style of writing, purpose of the blog and so on. Even though some questions from the Chef surprised us, we were glad to have had this open chat with him.. Showed that the review mattered to them, a lot.
And it was time for the main dishes... They arrived in style, laid out in a make shift table next to our seat. There were 3 types of Indian Bread - Garlic naan, plain naan and stuffed kulcha . Alongside were 4 side dishes - Dal makhni [my favorite], Rilli milli sabzi [with mixed vegetables], a paneer gravy and one more mix veg gravy. We also got to taste Vegetable Biryani, served with onion raita. I enjoyed the Garlic Naan, Daal makhani and the biryani was not bad. The Paneer was bit rubbery, and the other dishes were a bit salty [tangy and pulips]...
Oh boy, we couldnt get enough of the lovely view and the amazing breeze. As the chef spoke to us about Desserts, we nodded happily, requesting they bring one of each, while we sat back and enjoyed the breeze. The ambiance is to die for, especially in a city like Chennai, and combine it with pleasant weather, and you are in heaven....
First to arrive was a long white plate with different desserts neatly laid out- There was an apple crumble [yumm, need you ask], mudpie[ was it made of bitter chocolate?], Kala jamun[ cut into 4 pieces and served on a spoonful of rabdi] and finally, the Cheesecake with blueberry sauce.. No two ways about it, my favorite was the apple crumble... There was also a rasmalai, which was fresh and divine, but i am not a big fan of this dessert. And last but not least, came the brownie sizzler served on a single slice of pineapple[ the big puzzle that went unanswered was why the waiter placed a small cube of salted Amul butter as he placed the brownie on our table and why we dint get chocolate sauce and the whole drama]
We stuck around for a while longer chatting with the Chef, while he explained their menu, plans for the coming festive season and new changes we should expect to see soon at the restaurant. He also gave us a small tour of Southern Aroma before bidding us good night.
As always, it was a fun evening... the 3 of us spoke about the others who were missing, and of how each experience is different, interesting and amusing....
Would i recommend you visit The Crown? Absolutely. Apart from today evening, have been here couple of times earlier, and all my experiences have been good.. Make sure you go on a day like today, sit outside, enjoy the lovely ambiance while sipping on a drink and enjoying some good food.
Address:
The Crown
20th Floor, The Residency Towers,
#115, Thyagaraya Road,
T. Nagar
Chennai- 600017
Ph: 044 28156363
Disclaimer:This was part of a CFG Showcase that I attended and was conducted by
Chennai Food Guide.
The reviews posted on this blog are based on my personal experience. Also remember that restaurants and eat outs sometimes change with time, so does their food and service. So, kindly consider these factors while visiting the places. Remember, no two palates are the same. Bon Appétit :-)
