I have been a fan of the initial and original Krishnavilasam at Haddows Road for quite a while now. They are like our "Go to Destination" when we are looking to savour heirloom cuisine in a rejuvenated and redefined avatar. There is this lovely homely feeling about both the place and cuisine that makes you want to visit them again and again.
I was delighted to hear that they had opened their second outlet in a quite suburb in the Kasturbhai Nagar area in Adyar. We were invited for an on the house meal to try some of the signature offerings and personally for me if the food was anywhere on par with the former, it meant a WIN written right royally around it. The place is big and spread across 2 floors. The Valet system is not yet in place but there is ample space for car parking. Moreover even if you are pressed for space, there is enough and more of it in the passerby streets.
On the ambiance front, it bears a striking resemblance to the Nungambakkam outlet, just that this one seems a little more on the quirkier side with a nice little lighting facility which changes the color tone according to the situation. They also have enclosed private rooms and this comes in extremely handy when you go with a gang of 10-15 people.
We started our foray with the watermelon juice which seemed to be quite a refresher for the heat. And then came along the Moogh Dal ka shorba soup which was palatable. It was mild and spicy and though it didnt impress me as much as the Muligatawny soup which I had in the Haddows Road one, it was still nevertheless good.
On to the starter section, we were served quite a handful of items ranging from Tulasi vada, Vazhapoo cutlets, Kung fu Fungi mushroom, Mughlai Sheek and Sambar Vada. Out of these the chinese style mushrooms and Sheek Kabab's really packed a punch. The Indo Chinese magic worked big time on the mushrooms and the Sheek Kababs had a slight tangy taste with assorted veggies inserted and went jocularly well with the green chutney. The Vazhapoo cutlet was another dish deserving of the brownie points especially the way it was served thoughtfully with love in a heartened shape and a delightful beetroot chutney to go with it. The Tulasi Vada seemed more run of the mill and a cousin of the paruppu vada and the Sambar Vada was pretty good with a lovely thick sambar garnished with onions and coriander. Overall, all the starters worked really well with just some being a notch higher than the others.
For Main course, we got to have the Goduma wheat parota along with the Vasanai curry and Kadala curry for company. The Vasanai was quite a disappointment being pretty watery and nothing much to rave on the taste angle especially being a bit too plain for the liking. On the other hand, the kadala curry more than made up for it by being absolutely riveting. The texture of the kadala cooked in a perfectly brownish gravy was aromatic to say the least. We also got to try the chef special biryani laden with plenty of boiled potatoes and was pretty esculent and good to eat with the raita. Couple of friends also tried the meals option with the Vivaaha saapadu and especially a word of mouth needs to be showered on the Dal which was simply lip smacking. Also got to have a shot at their Onion Rava Dosa which was pretty mundane stuff and not really one to tickle the taste buds.
On the Dessert front, got a crack at the Chintamani Halwa which was nicely made with the essential ingredients to give the sweetened taste and the Elaneer Payasam which was a little watery with coconut pieces floating over and which tasted average.
At the end of it all, the food was really a thumbs up. Most of the items were bordering on the very good category radar which is really a positive sign. The menu and the pricing is the same as the older outlet. The rates may seem a bit high but feels justified considering the premium taste you get in return. The service was amiable and friendly.
Krishnavilasam comes as a great boon for the residential as well as the office crowd (could surely think of it as a nice place for a team lunch or dinner) of Adyar and the allied areas. It surely scores high on my books and the inception of this new Adyar outlet has in fact broadened the horizon by giving me now two Krishnavilasam options at my disposal to choose from. Would surely recommend this restaurant to anyone looking forward to experiencing a homely spread of heirloom cuisine made with a lot of care and love.
P.S: Sharing a pen up of my initial visit at this place below:
This restaurant is still a newbie in the market when compared to some of the illustrious bigwig brand value South Indian food chains in the city but in its short span has managed to capture the people's senses thanks to its captivatingly aromatic heirloom cuisine.
Aptly christened Krishnavilasam with the tagline - The Home of Classics , this restaurant is a refreshingly welcome change from the typical fare you have thrived upon all these years. You feel so much at home coming here in the sense you get that nativity and local touch and accentuated further with the mild classical flute music playing in the background. It is mostly a family place and you would especially see it being converged mostly by people from down south and you would always associate a hustle and bustle about this place.
The menu is a big bound book comprising a plethora of items from the South Indian cuisine and a selective spread of North Indian , Oriental and even Fusion. You would somehow categorize it as an out and out South Indian veg restaurant but having said that the non south Indian spread and taste is no way inferior.
The Krishnavillasam Sappadu is one of their speciality Thali's where they serve a truckload of items to mix and eat with your rice. Its the ideal meal to have for the rice and curry loving afficianado. Their Dosa's of different types are also delightful and goes along wonderfully well with their lip drooling chutney's in a slew of colors and flavors and not to forget the all conqueringly lingering podi masala. Ditto for their Uthapams , Idli's and Vada. Also the Masala which comes with Poori makes you enjoy your oiled golden fried piece more than ever before. Even the soup packs a punch and their Muligatawny soup which is light and spruced up with coriander is absolutely rivetting and a great digester. Not tried too much of their North Indian stuff but did however try their Jodhpuri Paneer which was cottage cheese in sandwich mode with 3 layers and stuffed inside with 2 types of masala - sweet and sour. It wasn't the best what I had but nevertheless was lovely and unique in its own way.
The ambiance isn't to celebrate but apt and idyllic for this kind of setting and decor is nice and warm with comfortable seating. The service was pretty quick barring the time taken for bringing the bill. The rates are quite on the higher side but very much justified considering the location and more importantly the delectable taste of their cuisine.
There is so much here to try that you would surely return to try some of their newer stuff and also to enjoy and relive a redux of what you've already relished :). You find the place always crowded to the brim and that typifies its ever growing popularity and people's love for this restaurant. Nungambakkam has quite an amazing repertoire of restaurants to boast of and this is another feather in the cap for the food paradise of Chennai. Definitely recommended family restaurant!.
