Southern Spice TraiL

The South Indian food festival at Taj Chandigarh goes beyond dosa and sambhar.

The South Indian food festival at Taj Chandigarh goes beyond dosa and sambhar.

When it comes to the peculiar dining habits of Chandigarhians,theres little doubt that South Indian fare is relished with excitement on both sides of the Madhya Marg. The citys many foodie areas are dotted with outlets,both stand-alone as well as food courts that dish out the likes of dosa-sambhar and vada-sambhar in large numbers. It wouldnt need a survey to reassert the fact that in a family of four,at least two members will happily settle for a crispy rava dosa or idli dunked in sambhar on a meal out. That said,South Indian fare has been restricted to just snacky fast food with the exception of Swagath in Sector 26. If one wants to have an authentic,main course,South Indian meal at a restaurant,its almost always during a food festival. So its with a lot of expectations that we arrived at Taj Chandigarh thats hosting a food festival at its Cafe 17.

The Cafe is always a pleasure to visit during the monsoons as the large glass panes let in the light and provide a view of the water body outside. The menu is served promptly and dont be fooled by its slim presentation. Inside,the three pages offer a good selection of cuisine culled from four states in the south Andhra Pradesh,Karnataka,Kerala and Tamil Nadu. To make it simpler,there are two options. One could choose a vegetarian or non-vegetarian pre-set menu or order a la carte. Those familiar with South Indian cuisine,will instantly spot popular dishes such as Chicken Chettinad,Avial (a Kerala dish made from a mixture of vegetables,curd and coconut),Chicken 65 (an Andhra delicacy) and Meen Varuval (typical Chettinad fried fish).

Spotting a live counter that had a chef rustle up fresh appams,we decided to savour those first,followed by a non-vegetarian platter. To start with,rasam arrived in shot glass and was fiery but nice. The starters (from our pre-set platter) arrived soon after. The portions are very good and we lip-smacked on the Meen Varuval. However,the Chicken 65 and Attukal Varuval combination was unfair as all three starters were similar in taste and flavours. The main course offers a selection of chicken,fish and mutton curries that are served with a choice of either Malabari paranthas or rice. For us,more than the curries,the real winner were the appams served with stew. The flavours were spot on and the appam is the best we have had so far in the city. It would be a delight to see it find permanent space here or in South Indian menus across the city. There are plenty of desserts on the menu. The Semiya Payasam more than made up for the slack service during our visit.

Meal for two: Rs 2,000 Location: Cafe 17,Taj Chandigarh,Sector 17 Contact: 6613000

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