It’s so sultry that even three strategically placed table fans don’t do the trick. J. K. Madhan, who takes care of the place, hints more than once that there is air-conditioned space available inside, but we are adamant. The Café at Madras Square on ECR is so charmingly laidback that even the Chennai summer won’t keep us inside.
It is a 45-minute ride down an incredibly congested ECR to Sundeep Road. But once inside, the world quietens and for a minute, you wonder whether you are really just two minutes away from a serious case of road rage. The café is at the far end, down a private road. And once inside, the only noise you will hear are your own footsteps.
There is a card titled ‘health drinks’ on our table but we avoid looking at it, even when the waiter picks it up to let us know it’s there. Instead, we order an Iced Frappe, Moroccan Splash and Sweet Lime Juice. The frappe is deliciously strong with huge chunks of ice in it and the Moroccan Splash is tangy with a hint of fresh mint — perfect to beat the sweltering heat.
For starters, we try Mezze, a platter of fluffy (but cold) pita bread with four delicious dips. Although the hummus needs a bit of salt, the garlic cream and bademjam more than make up for it. The Potato Wedges with peri peri are a delight, with the wedges dusted with a coat of chilli powder. It’s not too hot and goes well with the creamy sauce. The Sambusik Jabneh is so exotic that it is not available; and there are no crabs for the crab cakes and no cream for the smoked salmon. Instead, we try Garlic Prawns and Smoked Salmon with Pesto Sauce. The prawns, floating in a delicious mix of olive oil and garlic are crisp, cooked to perfection and well soaked in the mix. The pesto sauce with the salmon is fresh and fragrant, and the salmon is smooth as butter.
For the main course, we order the Mozarella and Grilled Vegetable Salad. A dollop of fresh mozzarella parades on the top. The grilled vegetables are soaked in tangy sauces and go incredibly well with the creamy cheese. The Falafel Burger is another crunchy surprise, fried to perfection. The portions are generous, even if the waiter shakes his head guiltily when a couple of other things on the menu aren’t available. The Elbow Pasta kindles a friend’s curiosity so we order a Pasta Arabiatta with Chicken. This is the usual fare, and the flavours are good but not enough to remember fondly. The Grilled Chicken Breast, which another meat lover at the table orders, is soft with creamy mashed potato on the side.
Finally, we arrive at the best part of the afternoon: the desserts. We pore over the menu but again, the waiter announces that only Apple Pie, Citrus Cake and Carrot Cake are available. We order one of each. The Citrus Cake arrives, cheerfully yellow, dusted on top with lime shavings. The fresh citrus flavour bursts in your mouth at the first bite. The flavours are fresh and tropical. The Carrot Cake arrives with a molten sugar coating on top, to provide a nice crunch to the texture. The cake melts in the mouth. The Apple Pie arrives with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The pie is crunchy on the ends and gets soft towards the centre. The apple on the top is fragrant and well done.
