Aadhirai - Shining South Indian!

Aadhirai is a new restaurant which has cropped up in a quaint location off Nungambakkam constructed out of a olden day vintage property. The first thing that strikes you is that it infuses the homely feel evidently. The handicrafts and wood work largely give it a very regional as well as authentic feel. The cuisine is largely South Indian and predominantly bordering into Chettinadu.

We were here on a weekend afternoon to soak in some of their special offerings. We started our foray with a delightful thirst quencher in the form of a Panagam Granita. The icy instincts didn't condense the taste one bit and this sweet traditional drink was as delicious as ever with the ice essence just adding an extra twist to this ever popular summer special. I had portions of the drink all through the meal and it acted as the perfect beverage.

On the soup side, the Malli Rasam soup was delightful. It had a subtle hint of flavours which worked very well. In the starter section, we were served a yam loaded nachos. To be frank I'm not a fan of Yam but this was done up in a renewed manner with salsa sauce and cream in the form of a nachos. It was bang on crispy and turned out to be a great opener. The karuvepillai panneer was simply sterling. This one was tossed and diced up in this traditional leafy powder and the essence it brought out was sensationally slithering.The Gobi ghee roast was again quite an eye turner. The pieces of cauliflower were cooked in ghee and a chilli based masala and were served on thin coin like pieces of paratha thatched with a touch of honey to slightly lower down the spice content. If you're a spice lover you'll love this and more so some of their special offerings loaded with abundance of chillies and spices. The Vazhapoo Vadai was one more starter which we tried. This was however more of the usual stuff and the paruppu flavour out did the vazha poo. Nevertheless it was crispy and bitesome.

In the main course we tried paratha with a well made up panneer peas combo gravy. Apart from this we had a crack at the trademark pulliyodhare which they served us tied in a green leaf potalam. The aroma and smear of this Puliyodhara is something I tell you. It was simply a delight to just feel the flavours hitting on you as it's slitheringly opened up from the green leaf enclosing. The Thogaiyil just enhances the taste. Seldom have I sampled a lovely version of this temple delicacy served in any restaurant.

The ending was in the form of a bucketful of desserts served in malayali style Nair wala tea glasses. 6 slurpy mousy desserts that simply butterly dutifully induces the instincts to dig in
1) Pomegranate Payasam
2) Coconut Souffle
3) Falooda
4) Kubani Ka Meetha
5) Black Forest Akkarivadasal
6) Karupatti Panacotta
Each of these not only looked appealing but had a lissom lusture to it and riveting in taste and texture. Such toothsome delights in small portions were indeed the perfect meal-ender enabling our sweet tongues to punch in pure excitement.

The service was quick with the items reaching our tables at regular intervals. The staff were very courteous explaining each dish in detail and also helping us with our orders. I must also mention the vadam which they serve with 4 different side dishes which complements so well namely a tomato thokku, mirapakaya pachadi (green chilli infused), Avakai Mayo and a garlic dip. From a holistic picture, if you're looking for exquisite south Indian cuisine done in traditional style yet throwing up innovations but not compromising on the taste, you should certainly check out Aadhirai for a rich home grown South Indian meal.

An esculant Chettinadu Experience at The Raintree, Taj Vivanta

The Raintree at The Vivanta by Taj will rake in as perhaps one of the finest Chettinadu restaurant's in the city. There is such a sense of serenity and quietitude here and it is a perfect getaway to have a lovely fine dining experience. Seldom would you find such a calming influence within the city and this place is certainly an exception on that front.

It's located in the interiors of the Taj Hotel and you would have to do some walking to get there. But what you would witness will delight you. It's spread across a vast space and the outside enclosure looks like you're in the woods. There is sufficient distance between the tables and nicely divided over the large surrounding. If you're the one longing for a perfect private feel, it doesn't get better than this. The inside portion gives the vintage native olden day feel with thatched roofs and decorations depicting the vintage cuisine of down south. Whether it's the outdoor or indoor there is a lot to smile about for the ambiance lovers. There is also some nice mild classical music and the gloomy lights gives the desired feel.

As we were going about placing our order, they served some fry yums as appetizers to go along with a sumptuous spread of chutneys - coconut, tomato, onion, peanut, coriander, gongura and chilli urga. The chutneys were just lip smacking and I just couldn't have enough of them. They also gave papads and chillies as add-on.

And then we got going with the food. Listed below is a brief summary of how each of them tasted:

- Murungakka saar soup:
Set the perfect tone for the dinner. It was liquidy with an aromatic flavoring of drumstick. With the spices crushed in it gave a lovely lingering taste. Great start.

- Kalaan Milagu:
This was a mushroom starter sauteed with spices aplenty and fragranced with karuga pillai ezhai and chillies. The texture made it look more like a semi gravy but it tasted fabulous and a perfect foil for the spice loving afficionado. Definitely not recommended for the spice conscious.

- Paalkatti Pattani Mundhri Parattal:
This was a main course gravy comprising a mixture of cottage cheese, peas an cashewnuts cooked in coconut cream. It was creamy and had a tinge of sweetness to it. It was a mistake on my side to order this as it didn't really go well with the appam and idiappam. From a spiced up start, the direction changed u turn and it wasn't really welcoming.

- Egg Aapam:
It was made really well with the bulging piece of egg right at the center and spruced up with herbs. It was mellow and felt nice on the mouth.

- Idiappam:
It was as soft as a feather. Just like how you would expect to be.

The food overall packed a punch. There was nothing really to complain barring the main course dish which was more a mistake on my side for ordering something off the hook. The portions were large and felt complete. We refrained from having desserts.

The price was however one of the grey areas. To say this place is expensive is an understatement. It can literally burn your credit card hollow. The service was top notch. The servers were very helpful with our orders and had good knowledge about the food at the restaurant.

Be prepared to spend a bomb but rest assured it will end up being one of your finest ever dining experiences.