After years and years, a food post. And what could be more appropriate than a new take on Tamil cuisine, viz. Tamil Nouvelle. Last week saw a trip to the aptly named Swaha restaurant in Besant Nagar. Right on the beach, next to Chandralekha's famous bungalow, this typical Besant Nagar bungalow has nice outdoor space as well as indoor space, and in this sweltering weather, air conditioning which works. Astonishingly, this is Chennai's first take on Tamil Nouvelle, and perhaps the first anywhere.
Meals start with an amuse bouche, a pastry shell with tiny onions, yes precisely, vengai onions, and a dash of tamarind, with a sliver of rava dosa on top. Works well. Drum stick soup is anyway a tried and trusted staple. Since this is a vegetarian restaurant, mock meat prevails. Hence kola urundai ends up being jackfruit urundai. Now who would know that stuffed katrikai, koshambari and sambar rice and appalam could look so fancy and fashionable! Deserts depart from the Tamil theme, and hence do not live up to the hype, despite generous sprinklings of jaggery. Maybe they should try ada pradhanam with vanilla ice cream. Italian and Pan Asian food is on the menu, for them as want it. Svasa is the outdoor area for those spirited types who like innovative bar plates. In short, very well worth a try. Upcoming guests, interested? Come soon.
This blog post is by Neelima Gupte and Sumathi Rao.
P.S. Yes, Sumathi, I know you didn't go. Will take you. Ashoke can stick to the spirits supplemented by a steel dabba from home!
