Reef - Igniting the Buffet Vibes!

It was our second visit to the Sheraton Grand Resort after having first gone there to experience their fine dining restaurant C Salt. This time we wanted to engage on the buffet in the restaurant titled "The Reef". It was an evening rendezvous with the restaurant being quiet and giving a peaceful yet inviting vibe. We were one of the first to arrive and were greeted to a sumptuous buffet spread.

This one ticks the box on almost all counts. Apart from having various multi cuisine options, there were also live counters ringing in the fray with respect to options such as Dosa, Chaat, Pizza and Pasta. Though it's set up at a distance away from the beach the blow of the breeze just outside the restaurant gives a comforting feel. The ambience inside is cozy and dim. It's quite a large enclosure with well spread out tables and the pastel shades of the seating ignites a comfortable vibe with the interiors being quite tastefully done up.

I've been to a bunch of buffets at star properties within the city as well to these resort type settings. It's quite a call as to where to place this one but this definitely can be said to be belonging in the top tier category. The first thing you look for at a buffet are the options at hand and this one was lavish virtually catering to all sections at hand. I enjoyed the Greek fare with variety of Hummus and pita bread. The salads had a large offering with plenty to choose from. The starters alone could have been a tad better. They had some nice cutlet tikki type entres but we missed the good old Panneer and Gobi which has kind of become a staple.

A few dishes stood out being on the unique side. The first one among that was the Hasselback potatoes with saffron sauce. The potatoes felt jocularly joyful when submerged in that yellow saffron gravy. Another item which stood out was the poached pears with ricotta and nuts. This looked pretty appealing with the pears engraved in red cut over and inserted with pieces of nuts and smudged ricotta. The apple & pear waldorf salad also passed the colours in fine fashion both on looks and taste.

On the main course side, I got myself a nicely done up podi dosai. They had various kinds of podis available. Apart from that went for a standard veg pizza and pink sauce pasta which tasted decent. Also had a small shot at a Dahi Papdi Chaat. On the North Indian front, got myself a cheesy garlic Naan and to accompany was Paneer Butter Masala, Dal Makhni and an Aloo Dum gravy. The dessert section did see it's share of finely curated pastries and sweets.

The service was par for the course. Just felt the replacement of plates & refilling of water could have been done a tad quicker. The pricing is definitely at the high end but we did get a flat discount yet we still ended up paying 2200 bucks per person.

Overall the experience is worth it. It's a lovely sea facing resort where you can relax and laze around. Also at the restaurant it infuses an insouciant vibe which makes it laidback, appealing and comforting. It's a lovely space to spend some quite time with family with a bristle of calmness around that you don't get in most of the city buffet restaurants. If you're heading over this neck of the woods and on the mood to gorge on a delectable spread, "Reef" can certainly satiate that to your heart's content.

C Salt - Coastal Cuisine by the sea shore!

         

C Salt is a fine dining restaurant predominantly serving South Indian cuisine and located as part of the sprawling Sheraton Grand resort. You could see patches of greenery all around with the main entrance being constructed under a thatched roof like setting. It gives a laidback atmosphere and the blowing of the breeze from the beach side from just across the corner gives it the much needed tranquil environment. Sunday drives in Chennai to the serene beaches and hogging along some glorious cuisine is surely a great getaway to spend the weekend and C Salt amply caters to that requirement.

The menu is well rounded bringing the curated best of South India from 4 coastal regions covering the belts of Malabar, Konkan, Coromandel and Andhra. These areas are known to dish out supreme stuff making primary use of coconut and the aroma can be inherently felt as you step in. It is largely a limited menu comprising of an interesting array of small plates, a few combo based meals and a few mains to go along with side dishes.

Even before we could set the ball rolling, we were served some crunchy tapioca chips to go along with delightful cilantro and lemon dips. We started our foray with the button cakes which were fluffed up pieces of idly generously topped with abundant pieces of podi masala topped with layers of chilies and curry leaves for that enhanced zing. It was absolutely delicious and dwells up as a superlative cocktail based appetizer. Next up from the starter section we had a droolworthy malai brocolli. These florets were drenched along with the rightful dose of cream to get the ammunition soaring and came along with pink onions and a dollop of soya sauce. The pieces were just about perfect both in texture and taste.

                                       

In the main course section, we chose to have a combo meal in the form of a rich creamy gravy comprising of cashew nuts, asparagus and potatoes simmered in a coconut cream avatar coming along with couple of chunks of Aki Roti. It had a wonderful effervescence with the dreamy gravy being suffused with a beautiful blend of coconut cream and going along perfectly well with the rice breads made famous in Karnataka. One minor blip in the gravy was the fact that mix of the ingredients making up the curry seemed a bit one sided. An abundance of cashews made up almost a whole of the mix relegating the potatoes and asparagus to play a distinct second fiddle. Just felt the combination of the three could have been a little more judicious thus avoiding the over powering of cashew nuts in the overall scheme of things. Apart from this we also tried a paratha infused with cheese to go along with a tangy egg gravy mingled with spices aplenty to get a signature taste. The parathas were nice though not dolled up with that much of cheese and also being a little too hard on the surface. The egg curry hit all the right spots on every angle with all the add-ons elevating its taste to another level. Only gripe that was felt was on the quantity which seemed a little less from the bowl being served. We skipped having desserts as there wasn't really more space to take in any further intake.

Overall it was a relaxing meal soaked on a smooth Sunday afternoon setting with the sound of waves providing for some great company to go along with the food that was largely wholesome on substance and flavours. The service was apt and we were helped with some wonderful choices to go with. Time taken for the food seemed a bit on the longer duration but it didn't matter much as we were anyway here to just kill time and enjoy the calmness of this sea side resort. Rates seem fair for the course and definitely in line with what is served at a 5 star property. On the whole, if you're looking for a well deserved yearning weekend afternoon in Chennai wanting some unbridled peace and food to relish, you don't need to look much beyond C Salt which is certain to ensure meeting expectations with aplomb.