Wild Garden Cafe – Amethyst, Royapettah, Chennai Italian Restaurant

Phone: 044 45991633 / 044 45991634
Address:  Whites Road, Next To Corporation Bank, Royapettah, Chennai, Tamil Nadu India
Time: 10 AM to 11:30 PM
Meals for two: Rs. 1,400
Cuisines: Cafe, Italian, Continental
Facilities: No Alcohol Available, Outdoor Seating, Pet Friendly, Brunch, Wifi, All Day Breakfast

Wild Garden Cafe – Amethyst, Royapettah, Chennai: DECOR

Meandering pathways, ponds and greenery. Occasionally a bird twitters, interrupting the silence. To me, Wild Garden Café, Amethyst is the sort of place where time stands still in the middle of the city. And I see many others agree as most of the tables are full. Comfortable wicker furniture, wood and marble tables, greenery all around. I spy a lotus pond hiding behind tall foliage.

‘Inside’ seating, surrounded by custom-made wallpaper, inspired by the small patch of wild greenery outside, is quite like bringing the outdoors in.

Wild Garden Cafe – Amethyst, Royapettah, Chennai: FOOD

I must confess, the food at Wild Garden is good on some days and not so on others. I’m keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best. I’m not disappointed. My first Mulligatawny Soup of the year arrives in a large bowl, with rice, flat, crisp applam and some hot and sweet mango pickle. I mix them all into my generous soup along with a few drops of lime.

Equally interesting, the Bruschetta with Onion Compote and feta cheese, reminds me a little of those triangular samosas we would buy from the street cart outside school. Only this one is far more stylish on French baguette toast and comes with feta, adding a different saltiness and texture.

There’s a lot on the menu, but the mains that simply floored me were:

1. Spinach and Goat Cheese Crepe
2. Gnocchi Both are made in-house. The chef has gone all out with the crispish, curly edges of the crepes that stick out of the tomato gravy. Stuffed inside the crepes, the bland spinach, when paired with goat cheese, marches straight to my heart via my palate.

Now for the Gnocchi. Only a master can make it this way. I don’t think I’ve had such soft gnocchi in a long time. Tang comes from the sun-dried tomatoes. Any time, any day, I’m willing to go the waffle way. This one, called Cheddar Jalapeno Waffle has a name that says it all. Hot, sweet, tangy with a smattering of chilli flakes. I like it on its own, but to mute that sharpness a bit, I do smear on some maple syrup that comes on the side.

Wild Garden Cafe – Amethyst, Royapettah, Chennai: PLUS AND MINUS

Amethyst has done a great job of converting a warehouse into a restaurant that allows people their ‘me’ time.