As I entered Crimson Chakra, I
was greeted by a serene Buddha sculpture with a cascade of water spouting out of his
hands. The sound of water dripping in to the pool really calmed my senses. When I
entered the restaurant I noticed the space was roomy with eclectic and funky
paintings on the wall, antique chests, cane chairs diffused lighting and Buddha
busts. This place certainly has an old world charm to it and belongs to Nikhil Moturi. I’m meeting him for the second time now. He told me that this bungalow
belonged to his grandparents and Suresh Menon (director and cinematographer) was the long time resident of
this place, before being converted into Crimson Chakra. Nikhil carries the
legacy of this place quite lightly on his shoulders. He is approachable and
friendly. I will certainly ask him for a tour of this place through his eyes
next time.
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| An electric Ganesh painting |
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| A cool cane chair |
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| The water or pool table...do take a table right inside next time!!. |
We were sitting near the water
table. For those who seek a little adventure you can dip your dainty feet in
one foot deep water with a waterfall in the backdrop and your table bang in between all this. Cool idea during the
sweltering summer heat. They also have a candle room for the love birds and a
pet zone.
Celebrity Chef Jacob is the man
behind the menu at Crimson Chakra. He serves South Indian fare with a twist.
For starters we were served stuffed grilled potatoes, cottage cheese squares
and baby corn fritters. What stood out for me was the baby corn fritters. It
was firm and crunchy and the twist came in the form of curry leaf paste. The
firm baby corn had a liberal taste of curry leaves. This was the first time I
was eating baby corn in this avatar. The stuffed grilled potatoes and the
cottage cheese starters were also yummy.
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| Stuffed and grilled potatoes with mint chutney |
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| Firm baby corn fritters |
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| Paneer Starter |
For main course we were served
appams and string hoppers. I really loved the delicate taste of appam. I could
taste a slight hint of coconut milk in it. They were soft lacy and spongy and
one of the best I have had till date. We were served a drumstick gravy and
potato okra masala. I preferred the potato okra masala to the drumstick gravy.
I have always liked North Indian bhindi masala and this fit the bill. From the
rice section we were served smoked rice. This was smoking hot. The rice was
cooked to perfection with a yummy smoked flavour. I have not chanced upon this
anywhere in Chennai. This was the dish of the day for me. To dunk all these
heady flavours I was ably assisted by the lemonade . Even this drink had a twist;
it was spiked by cinnamon I think. This drink had to grow on me because I'm so
used to lemon being the main flavor. But I did settle in quickly with this too.
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| Drumstick Gravy |
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| Divine Appams |
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| Okra and Potato Masala |
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| Smoking hot smoked rice |
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| Yummy lemonade with a twist..the straw was right inside the lemon slice.. |
Desserts were the highlight for
me. The three desserts served were the Yelaneer souffle, Mango cheese cake and Mississippi
mud pie. The Yelaneer Souffle tasted delish. It was like eating the “makhan” of
the coconut mixed with cream and sugar. soft and melt in the mouth and not
cloyingly sweet. This was another first for me. The Mango cheese cake clearly
won hands down. It was refreshing to taste mango towards the end of the meal.
It was tart and sweet with nice glaze and firm crust. Bliss indeed. The mud pie
had a base of chocolate cake topped by vanilla ice cream which was enrobed by chocolate ganache. What a sinful way to end a meal.
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| Tender coconut Souffle |
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| Mississippi Mud pie |
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| Mango Cheese Cake |
On the whole the menu lived up to
the “Food with a difference USP”. I will go back there for their relaxing ambiance, Appam, Smoked rice, Yelaneer Souffle and Mango Cheese cake.So head
there for a laid back dinner. The bungalow also houses Cornucopia (Continental,
Indian) and Azzuri Bay (Mediterranean, Multi-cuisine, Italian, and Chinese). Do
check out Crimson Chakra for more details. Thank you Nikhil for having us over.
Thank you CFG for another fun
dinner meet, food does taste good when shared between friends. Fellow CFGians
it was awesome meeting you all. Looking forward to more food and fun
conversations.
