Berry Cheesecake
| Photo Credit:
Thamodharan B
For a month and a half now, a jali work facade on Montieth Road has been the object of much intrigue. Morning walkers, passers-by, residents of the locality, have popped their heads in to find out what this massive space encloses within. This is The Madras Taproom, a new addition to the growing list of resto bars in Chennai.
Started by Vinodh MV, the taproom is spread across two floors and over 17,000 square feet. As soon as you enter, a cafe welcomes you. This is open all day and admits all age groups. The space then segues into a lounge setting with a bar, couches, a DJ console and a life-size floor-to-ceiling beer barrel with a tap and the words The Madras Taproom. A door leads to the patio, where smokers can dine without non smokers having to endure the hazards. The first floor also has an alfresco area called the Sky Deck, and indoor seating. The resto bar has quite a few private dining room options.
The patio
| Photo Credit:
Thamodharan B
“The idea is to bring a Bengaluru kind of ambience to Chennai and make it a place where people can hang out regularly rather than just weekends. Other than beer, we will also have a cocktail on tap,” says Vinodh. “We wanted a place where you can meet, eat, vibe with friends and have great food without worrying about the price,” says Chef Koushik Shankar, consultant chef, adding that prices start at ₹99.
The menu features 100 dishes, 45 beverages and five desserts. It is a diverse mix of cuisines — while on one hand it has spanakopita with sour cream and parsley oil, kung pao chicken, and salt and pepper zucchini, on the other there are absolutely local flavours like batter fried muttai 65 and avakkai urulai. The avakkai urulai is delicious with a tangy flavour. The potatoes are smoked and cooked with avakka. Since they do small plates here, we overestimate ourselves and order a number of starters. We start with the very 80s-style cheese, cherry, pineapple for a hit of nostalgia. Our other favourites are the Kundapur ghee roast mushrooms, seasoned with Byadagi chilli, coriander, and cooked in organic ghee that comes from a farm; beef ularthiyadu, and roasted chilli pork. Meanwhile it would do the lotus stem good if it lets go of its overly sweet disposition. Despite the herbs, onions, parsley, micro greens, garlic and olive oil, the Spanish mushrooms lack flavour.
Almost every dish on the menu has a story, says chef Koushik. For example, the wings, he says, come in six varieties, each a degree hotter than the other. These are ranked from one to six, with the latter namedVanda Azhudiruven,after a Vadivelu dialogue. “For number four we use bhoot jhalokia, so you can imagine how spicy number six would be,” he says, adding, “Not many would be able to handle it. I finished a piece and then had to have half a litre of milk.”
| Photo Credit:
Thamodharan B
The thought alone makes us take refuge in the Karonda Colada, a mocktail sweet with coconut milk, pineapple, and berries. Equally refreshing is Satisfaction, a cheerful red drink with watermelon juice, basil leaves, celery, rock salt and sparkling water.
Our main course arrives in the form of a chunky burger bursting with beef patty, caramelised onions and cheese, which we quite enjoy. The flavourful red Thai curry redolent with galangal and keffir lime is also a winner. “We start by cooking the chicken thigh in the curry, rather than adding it in the end, and this gives it a good umami flavour,” explains chef Koushik.
Wall of Chocolate
| Photo Credit:
Thamodharan B
“Are you ready for dessert?” he then asks with a gleam in his eye. Out comes the Wall of Chocolate, a 450 gram slice of cake. It measures around seven inches and has eight layers of chocolate — white, milk, and dark — and ganache, soaked in espresso to offset the sweetness. “The idea behind this dessert was to see how much of it one could go through in a session,” laughs the chef. Now, if that is a challenge you are willing to accept, you know where to head to.
The Madras Taproom is located at 37, Red Cross Road (Montieth Road), Egmore. Meal for two, including alcohol, costs ₹2,000.
| Photo Credit:
Thamodharan B
Published – August 07, 2024 05:04 pm IST
