Habibi, Anna Nagar West, Chennai Mediterranean Restaurant

Restaurant Name: Habibi, Anna Nagar West, Chennai
Phone: +919962158570
Address: New S 71, Old 5, 6th, Avenue Road, Anna Nagar West, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600018 India
Time: 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM
Meals for two: Rs. 600
Cuisines: North Indian, Lebanese, Arabian
Facilities: Delivery Only

Decor:

Since Habibi is a delivery only space, there really is no decor to describe. The food comes well packaged in attractive indigo boxes with sand-colored lettering to remind you of the Mediterranean sea and its golden sand. The containers are cleverly planned with tabs, so no ugly Sellotape is needed to seal them shut. The dips and hummus come in round, white containers topped with similar indigo-and gold labels. All containers are biodegradable and some, I’m told are microwavable.

Habibi, Anna Nagar West, Chennai: Food

Since it is packed, and comes from a cloud kitchen in Anna Nagar, the food does lose temperature due to transportation. But the flavors are intact. Especially since Chef Mani, who co-created the menu with Chef Navin Prasad, brings to the table years of experience cooking in different parts of the world, working alongside Lebanese and Egyptian chefs in countries like Morocco, Spain, Qatar, UAE etc.

Almost everything I eat, except the rice, I place in pita pockets. I find it quite practical, as the pita holds it all together in one place. So, into my pita goes a salad from the cold mezze section of the menu. I mix together the veggies, a few deep-fried pita chips (they add chewy body), harissa, garlic mayonnaise and some of the olive oil and lemon dressing. The top is layered with the accompanying strips of chilli onion. It has a burst of flavors and textures. Juiciness from the fresh veggies and some tang laced with distinct olive oil flavor. The second half of the pita pocket, I reserve for Zaatar and Rosemary Paneer. As expected, although smoky, the paneer is not so great by itself. But right in front of me are an assortment of containers. One of them has the spicy Muhammara, along with the sliced, chilli-ed onions. When I use both those, the paneer in my pita pocket simply rises a few notches.

My next Pita pocket is layered with creamy stuff: two varieties of hummus — both the classic and beetroot. Then, I add a few dots of Muhammara before placing two rather large chunks of Olive and Parsley Potato, topping it with one final layer of cucumber and parsley wala baba ganoush.

Plus & Minus:

on the whole Habibi’s food is good, nutritious and light. Perfect for the summer. However, I do have a gripe. The vegetable chopper was in a great hurry to finish and leave. Veggie chunks are so large, that flavors don’t reach the core. Potatoes included. Also, said potatoes remain hard in the middle.