ITP Indian Travel Places: Food, Travel, Tourism Business Events and Trade Shows
Phone: 044 66776969, +91 7397499373
Address: 4, 129, Mount Poonamalle High Road, Ramapuram, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Time: 6 pm – 11 pm
Meals for two: Rs. 1,500
Cuisines: Asian, Modern Indian, Japanese
Facilities: Full Bar Available, Indoor Seating, Live Music, Table Reservation Not Required, Live Entertainment
Tamak, Ramapuram, Chennai Restaurant: Decor
Tamak’s tag line is ‘Lifestyle dining for all’. The interiors have been created keeping that laid-back feel in focus. Dark, yes. But beautiful. Plants, turquoise and sand-colored upholstery cover comfortable sofa seating. A bright, live, busy kitchen and wood and rustic marble flooring complete the picture. The black and wood-grained table I’m sitting at holds my attention till my Kasuri Tart arrives.
Tamak, Ramapuram, Chennai Restaurant: Food
Paneer mince with makhni flavors sits on a crisp base that reminds me of mathri, which it is. Usual flavors, unusual combination.
I settle in to be charmed as I listen to the bartender telling me about the drinks he has created. All syrups are made inhouse, I’m told. And all drinks have very local names. I’m sipping on Sungudi, meaning the tassels tied together at the edge of a sari. It has schezwan peppers, basil, watermelon, a little sparking water for fizz and a twist of lemon for tang. Sweet beginnings.
Turnip Cake makes its entry. Grated turnip blends well with the potato starch and maida before being steamed and deep fried to a beautiful gold, forming the perfect foil for the colors of fried onions, garlic, schezwan peppers, bird’s eye chillies and spring onions. Many flavors come together in my mouth, but that slight chilliness in the end lingers on. Soft Shell Crab is a favorite at Tamak. I’ve got to eat the tempura coated beauty quickly before it sogs up. Gari salt, green ponzu in a rice vinegar base with spring onions makes the soft shell crab quite the hero.
I simply must tell you about this mixed breed vegetable called the Broccolini. A deep green, it had the colour of broccoli, but the heads are smaller and the stalks, longer, reminding me a little of asparagus. Served with Maple sambal and hazelnut, this one has taste and health benefits.
Popular among Tamak’s Asian guests, the Pork Belly is poached for three to three-and-a-half hours, with many ingredients, including star anise, coriander stem, onion and cinnamon. It’s mild sweetness comes from the barbecue glaze used on top during the grilling.
Chef is very proud of his Delhi street food replica: the Anda Paratha. And he had reason to be. The egg, mixed with onion, ginger, yellow chilli, turmeric, tomato and green chilli is poured into the Paratha pocket and roasted to a crisp using desi ghee.
If there is one dessert I enjoy here, it is the green Matcha Tira Miss. Bitter sweet and tangy it contains exotic, heady ingredients: Korea’s national wine, Japanese lime and of course, Matcha among other things.
Tamak, Ramapuram, Chennai Restaurant: Plus & Minus
Tamak has spared no effort to get their act together. The decor is plush yet relaxing and the food had been in the planning / trial phase for a long time.
