ITP Indian Travel Places: Food, Travel, Tourism Business Events and Trade Shows
Address: No. 90, Gopathi Narayanaswami Chetty Road, Near Jeeva Park, T Nagar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600017 India
Time: 11 AM to 12 AM
Meals for two: Rs. 1,500
Cuisines: Continental, Chinese
Facilities: Full Bar Available
Watson’s, T. Nagar, Chennai: DECOR
Up on the fifth floor, with a vantage view of the GN Chetty Road flyover, Watson’s is large, made larger with its different levels. A small smoking balcony, a large smoking area and a pool table complete the resto-bar with origins in Bangalore. Arches and bare bricks, plants hanging from the ceiling, light movable furniture, Watson’s is quite the stunner. Complete with loud, earsplitting music – even in the afternoon!
Watson’s, T. Nagar, Chennai: FOOD
A gastropub, Watson’s has a menu that’s vast: snacks and proper meals. Little chef’s hats next to dishes, show me what the chef recommends. I have to try the cheezling bhel. Quite interesting how they’ve chutneyed up the little puffed squares, thrown in some chopped onions, tomatoes, peanuts and hoped they retain their crispiness. Eating them quickly, I do enjoy the flavors from the cheeselings. Afterthought: cheeselings stay crisp longer than puffed rice, but I prefer my sogged up bhel, with sev and papdi.
Cornflour-coated, the chilli sesame spinach is deep fried to a crisp before being tossed in honey and soya sauce. Dark brown, it comes to the table heavily dotted with sesame seeds and spring onions forming a pretty contrast. Nice.
Classic bruschetta would have been so much nicer if the baguette was toasted crisp instead of getting all soggy with the chopped tomato and a little swirl of feta cream cheese. It does have strong garlic overtones, if I want to look at the good side.
The paneer skewers make up for the bruschetta disappointment. I like their unabashed pungency, the strength from mustard oil and the fact that they have been tawa grilled instead of being tandoored.
In the middle of all this food, I sip on the bartender’s pride: filter coffee margarita. What the name does not say is that its got kahlua and vanilla ice cream. And it works. Both the filter coffee and tequila try to elbow the other out for taste bud dominance. To make sure this is true, I have a bite of the lightly maida coated, deep-fried crispy masaledar prawns. I am happy to report they haven’t lost their succulence to the deep frying and have lived up to the crispy in their name.
I leave without trying the outsourced dessert.
Watson’s, T. Nagar, Chennai: PLUS AND MINUS
I like the interiors. This place is not cramped, and its unfinished chic look goes very well with the unfinished building it occupies.
