ITP Indian Travel Places: Food, Travel, Tourism Business Events and Trade Shows
Phone: +914424917887
Address: Villa 77, 1st Main Road, Gandhinagar, Adyar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Time: 8 AM to 12 Midnight
Meals for two: Rs. 1,500
Cuisines: Modern Indian
Facilities: Home Delivery, No Alcohol Available, Valet Parking Available
Bombay Brasserie, Adyar, Chennai: Decor
A small space under a construction on LB Road opens up and I see Bombay Brasserie Adyar — like an oasis: away from the noise and traffic of the buzzing city. Inside, the blue and textured white reminds me of the Mediterranean… the comparison stops right there, as I spot colorful accents and very Indian artifacts.
Single storied, with five dining areas, each bearing a different name, Bombay Brasserie even has an atrium right by the live kitchen. Comfortably large, the restaurant gives me a feeling of space. Brown wooden tables, an antique wood and brass pay phone, old, beaten-metal cooking utensils make each room a study in intrigue.
Bombay Brasserie, Adyar, Chennai: Food
My meal begins with a lavish six-chutney papad ki tokri. Let me warn you, this one is addictive, and you will find yourself reaching out for more. I particularly enjoyed the onion strips mixed in green chutney over the other five.
If you like pina colada, here’s your chance to try its virgin counterpart, called Go Goa Gone with its coconut and pineapple flavors, all brought together from different tetra packs. Going along with the drink, is a tiny cane supada with the crunchiest sukha bhel.
Calcutta club fish fry has crumb fried maha mahi filets, with whole pepper corns. The accompanying mango salsa pales when compared to the kasundi, which lifts the fish right out of its fishiness, letting it lurk as an after taste.
Crackling tomato soup has lost its crackle, and is quite the bland one, with soggy maida crisps not doing anything to enhance the experience. Home-style chicken and almond soup, on the other hand, is semithick, flavorsome with bits of shredded chicken, almond pieces and strong overtones of pepper to clear any ailing throat.
Never ending, the Kashmiri naan kebab makes up for all lost flavors. Hand-ground mutton mince, red with the Kashmiri masalas, it is meant to be broken and eaten rolled in pieces of the naan that it sits on. I do the needful, adding some creamy yogurt dip, making sure I put some of those walnut crumbs in, and top it up with vinegar onion strips. A medley of flavors and textures coat my taste buds. Is there something I’m missing? Yes. It is the saffron that is supposed to be brushed on the naan. I can see it, but cannot taste its subtle strength even if I eat the naan all by itself from the most “saffron” part. I’ve never had lotus stems this way. Somehow, the combination of soft paneer, aamchoor and strips of sweet / tangy aam papad make an interesting combination in the aam papad paneer.
Biting into my tiny chilli cheese kulcha, I let the cheese ooze out onto my fingers, and enjoy the rich gooeyness and greasiness take over.
For dessert, it is straight down nostalgia lane, with memories of laughing over the ice cream sandwiches at K Rustom, near Churchgate station. This one — the Bombay ice cream sandwich is different nevertheless delightful. It has added elements like jim jams, sticky Cadbury chocolate eclairs, Gems and lots of smiles as I demolish the vanilla ice cream and coconut biscuit sandwich, promising myself a visit the next time I’m in Bombay.
Bombay Brasserie, Adyar, Chennai: Plus & Minus
I get the feeling Bombay Brasserie has lost its mojo. While the dishes sound so lovely on the menu, and look equally good when they arrive, they lack that little something that could make them extraordinary.
