Looks like Chennai has got caught in an alternate weather paradigm instead of its hot, hotter and hottest weather. This new found weather makes the evenings really pleasant. I have found dinning outdoors in the usual Chennai weather to be a pain. I end up sweating all over, which makes me look like a drenched buffalo. With the weather becoming better, I was about to find out if this has changed my outdoor dinning experience.
I was at the Crown, Residency Towers for CFG Bloggers Meet, along with Deepa and Aarthi to try-out their revamped menu and their new Set-Meal. This new set menu is on till the 28th of October and is available in both The Crown and the Southern Aromas. The Veg set- menu is priced at Rs 500 and the Non Veg at Rs 600. For this price you get a soup, choice of either chicken/fish/mutton prepared in either Indian or Continental style, roti and herbed rice, dessert and a choice of either a Non Alcoholic/ Alcoholic drink.
We started off by chatting with the chef Sakthivel, who gave us a preview, as to why this menu has been launched. He also explained to us the future plans for the Crown. He was really interested in knowing how our reviews are done and also the criteria with which a restaurant gets a thumbs up or a thumbs down.
Food:
We kick started the evening with a masala papad, while we waited for our drinks. I had gone in for a mock-tail (bartenders choice) which I did not regret. An orange drink with a hint of pineapple. The perfect drink for the perfect weather.
While I was sipping on my drink, I was served with a Non-Veg Platter. A Non Veg Platter all for myself, since I was the only non vegetarian at the table. The platter is priced at Rs 950/-. The platter had a solid 7 different kebabs - assortment of chicken, mutton and fish. This platter is not part of the set menu, but this is the one you need to go in for, if you are a kebab lover. I started digging into them, one by one. The Chicken Tikka was soft with perfect marinade. The Mutton Goluti Kebab was served along with a small parotta. The parotta looked really cute, the goluti was super soft, it was like breaking apart a vegetable cutlet. The combination of parotta and goluti was fabulous. It just vanishes in the mouth in no time. Next I tucked into the Tangri Kebab, this was delicious with nothing going against it. It had good flavor, with the nice tandoori aroma to it. I sampled a bit of a chicken which was made with curry leaves. A very different kebab, which had a wholesome flavor. But I am not a big fan of the curry leaves, so this did not get me going. I also sampled the Fish Tikka, the flavours of which were fine, but overall a little dry. By the time I was done gorging on the kebabs, there was only one thing on my mind: the heavenly Goluti Kebabs!
After taking a small break, I dug into the prawn, which were dusted with bread crumbs and fried and served along with tartar sauce and cheese bread sticks. The prawns were king sized, soft and grilled to perfection with a bread crumbs. This is the kind of dish which I like. The tartar sauce was an added bonus. The chef latter informed me that the panko bread crumbs were used in making this perfect dish. Panko is a variety of bread crumbs used mainly in Japan, which is of much smaller size than the regular crumbs, which coats the meat evenly and imparts a better taste.
We were quite stuffed after the array of starters, so we requested the chef to serve us a sampler for the main course. For main course I was served with Cajun Fried Chicken and Fillet of Fish. A few bites into the Cajun Chicken I realized it had a sharp flavor to it, which could not be rated as Cajun. It lacked the late spicy feel to it. The mashed potato which was served along with it was more like mashed rice.Wish it had been better. But the Fillet of Fish was outstanding. Sear fish was marinated in olive oil and lemon juice, perfectly grilled and silky smooth. Since the company was raving about the garlic naan, I had a bit of the naan along with the fish. Brilliant combination, I must say.
Finally for the deserts, the chef suggested he would give us a desert sampler. First to arrive was a platter of deserts consisting of a Blueberry Cheesecake (not so great, more like blueberry mousse), Kala Jamun with a drizzle of Rabdi (my favorite, more rabdi would have helped), Apple Crumble ( the company raved about it, me not a big fan of apple crumble) and finally Chocolate Mud pie (not the best). Next we were also served with a Rasmalai which was perfect. Also worth mentioning about is the cup in which it was served in. The cup was crooked in an interesting funky way. The last dessert to arrive was a sizzling brownie, which I am disappointed to say, was salty and less on the chocolate ratio.
Ambiance:
The Crown has both indoor and outdoor dining. The outdoor dining seats you in the top floor of the hotel which gives you a beautiful view of the city. The open air dining, plus the infinity pool all around and awesome Chennai skyline with the fantastic weather- what more would anyone want? The perfect ambiance for a perfect date.(Guys take note)
Service:
Since this is an invited review, I would not be rating the service.
Price:
The set meal is priced at Rs 500/- for the veg and Rs 600/- for the non-veg. But apart from the set menu, the rest of the menu seems to be priced in par with the rest of the fine dinning restaurant in town. But the thing which sets it apart from the rest of the joints, is the ambiance.
Food -7.5/10
Ambiance -9/10 ( This outdoor would work against them if it were to be raining, or during the hot summer)
Price - 8/10
The Crown is located on the top floor of Residency Towers, which is next to Globus in T-Nagar.
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*A review about a place holds good only for 6 months as there can be a change in quality and quantity of the food, the service and the staff, due to reasons best known only to them. So kindly consider these factors while visiting the places.
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