Ponnuswamy restaurant is arguably one of the most popular outlets in the city as far as Chettinad cuisine goes, going by the rush even on a weekday afternoon.
We settle down for a meal and start with munching on portions of the starters; the talakari chicken, mutton masala and prawn fry.
The prawn fry was excellent, high on flavour and spice, and the prawn was fresh and tender. We also enjoyed the talakari chicken, which would be a great accompaniment with any meal. It is fairly spicy, the chicken is soft and the flavours are not too overwhelming.
The South Indian foodie in me leapt at the chance to dig into the full meals, comprising two chappatis, porial, sambar, rice, kara kolambu, more kolambu, curd, rasam and assortments scores for the simple fact that the food reminds you of afternoon lunches prepared at home.
Each of the items stands out and complements the meal.
As far as non-vegetarians are concerned, Ponnuswamy is a gourmet heaven, offering dishes ranging from the regular chicken, mutton, fish variety to rabbit, crab and brain curry for the more adventurous carnivores. The crab masala and the nethili fry also go well with the meal preparations.
The food will transport one to the hinterland of Tamil Nadu, with the authentic spices used contributing to that feeling a great deal.
We also go on to sample the large mutton biriyani, which is another not be to be missed item from the menu.
Heady mix
It is not very spicy, but is flavoured well. The rice mixes well with the rest of the preparation and also provides you the smell of a hint of saffron that adds to the taste of the preparation. Needless to say, the mutton is also done well.
The preparation tastes best with the raita and the gravy that is offered along with the dish.
If you make it to the restaurant in the evening, you could try out the tiffin preparations such as idiyappams, the famous kottu parotas, kal dosai and the famous paya dish — trotters dunked in a spicy gravy.
Despite the crowds, service was fairy quick. We managed to get most of the items in quick time. Some of the waiters were able to choose and provide us a sample of the best in the menu.
It is located in Fraser town. For more information, call 41535604, 41535605.
