I go chasing after the menu when it’s blown away from the table. My friend’s cucumber slice flies away too, but she decides to just let it go. Thankfully, the kebabs on our plate are resistant to the advances of the wind and stay put, so we happily dig into them.
We eat tender multani paneer tikkey, juicy bhatti ka murga mughlai and a bhuttey ka kebab which is sweet, even though the description says it’s blended with green chillies. Sitting on white chairs laid out on artificial grass, with a roof-top bar to our left and an expansive view of Chennai’s nightlights to the right, it hardly feels like the setting to indulge in North Indian fare. But here we are, drinking ambi panna and helping ourselves to dahi vadas.
The newly rebranded restaurant, Curry Town, at Savera Hotel offers more than a single ambience to choose from. We could have dined in an enclosed air-conditioned space on bright pink and yellow sofas, with interiors that reflect Mughal style architecture. Or, we could have opted for the three-seater tables on the corridor outside, lit by the warm yellow light streaming out from the main restaurant. We choose instead to sit under the stars, breathing in the cool night air and letting our hair toss in the wind. A choice we feel immensely pleased with over the course of our meal.
Chef Jugesh Arora, who designed the new menu, says the only dish he retained from the menu of the 38-year-old restaurant Minar (now Curry Town) is the kakori kabab lucknowi. We see why; the minced lamb, cooked with spices, is moist and practically dissolves in our mouths.
The restaurant focuses on healthy fine dining and slow-cooked food. No colour, cream or butter, says the chef, and we realise what he means when the murgh kali mirch wala, cooked with milk and cashew, lacks the flavour and texture that comes from using cream. The spicy laal maans, however, is silky, deriving its texture from yogurt, even if the lamb chunks are not succulent.
The makhmali paneer also comes in a silky tomato sauce, with delicious slices of cottage cheese. The breads that accompany need reworking though — the methi paratha is bitter, the ajwaini paratha has too much ajwain, and the stuffed kobi paratha and naan don’t make an impression.
For all we know, the food laid out in front of us is spectacularly presented; but with only a small red lamp to light our table, we can’t be sure.
Even though the restaurant is just a few days old, it fills up quickly. The waiters are still getting the hang of things, and stumble around; but they are courteous and help us fend off a clutch of men who’ve had too much to drink.
As we scoop out the creamy reduced milk in our angoor rabri and leave the corn flour noodles in our kulfi falooda untouched, we talk, sit back and relax.
It’s a great time of the year to dine out in the open and the view only adds to the experience.
Curry Town at Radhakrishnan Salai is open for dinner. A meal for two is approximately Rs. 2000. Details: 28114700
