Breakfast menus seem to be in vogue right now. Begin your day with Singaporean kaya toast. Or a big, bright grain-free bowl. Or even Japanese miso soup. Perfect for those days when you wake up and run a 10K. Or, if you’re significantly less virtuous, an ideal caffeine-and-carb stop before staggering home from partying all night. Either way, we’re loving the trend. And, in the hope of getting all of you out of bed earlier to enjoy Chennai’s cool December mornings, here are our favourites.
Nasi And Mee (Breakfast from 8.30 am to 11 am)
We demolish a pile of kaya toast in minutes. Sandwiched between pillowy slices of bread, it is slathered with freshly made coconutty kaya and generous blocks of rapidly melting butter. Deliciously decadent; especially if you eat it with a bowl of warm eggs spiked with dark soy sauce.
The dish is a great poster food for Nasi and Mee’s recently-launched breakfast: simple, indulgent and clever. For, although it looks straightforward, the clarity of flavours and orchestrated textures are the result of fervent experimentation by young Singaporean Chef Daniel Chin and his team. The kaya jam, which is an unusual pastel green, is made by blending egg yolks, coconut milk, palm sugar and pandan leaves, then stirring it over a double boiler. Chef Chin uses sous vide to make the eggs, resulting in gooey yolks and translucent whites.
Founder, Singapore-based Ravindran Nahappan, calls the food “authentic Straits cuisine,” explaining how they add a contemporary twist and use local ingredients wherever possible. With three restaurants in Chennai and Bengaluru already, he’s now planning on opening in Mumbai and Kochi.
The Teh Tarik lacks the froth and flavour of its Malaysian inspiration, and though the Thai Eggs Benedict, featuring tom yum woven through the hollandaise, is clever, its chewy sourdough bread base needs to be strenuously sawed through. And the chia pudding heady with sweet gula melaka is a superfood with an identity crisis.
Nevertheless, the menu is succinct with a clever mix of comfort food and hipster staples. So dive into spicy sambal cheese toast first, then order a nifty smashed avocado toast, served with wild arugula and a balsamic glaze to impress your Instagrammer friends.
Location: 18/24, Yafa Tower, 1st Floor, Below Belgium Consulate,
Khader Nawaz Khan Road, Nungambakkam, Chennai
Call:48548222
Pumpkin Tales ( Breakfast from 7 am to 11.30 am)
CHENNAI, 12/12/2017: For Metro Plus: Break Fast Hash food with Piccolo Capuccino display at Pumpkin Tales Restaurant , Alwarpet on Tuesday. Photo: R. Ragu
First take a deep breath. Bright and spacious, the restaurant is cloaked in the gorgeous scent of baking bread. Chindi Varadarajulu, who grew up in Singapore, then moved to Vancouver (where she worked in an American diner before opening a restaurant), has created a menu that brings together all her experience and shows off her strengths: From hot bowls of congee to the tofu scramble she grew up eating in Singapore.
For Eggs Benny fans, there are a slew of options. The poached eggs with hollandaise sauce sit on a buttery brioche and are served with smoked salmon, chorizo and sausages. There’s even a vegan version with grilled pumpkin and orange glazed beet.
Although the menu is deliberately small, there is something for everyone, whether you’re pescatarian, vegetarian or vegan. Gluten-free, lactose-free or low-carb. Bacontarians: look out for the BELT (Bacon, eggs, lettuce, tomato). Lacto-ovo-vegetarian, you get a PELT (Pumpkin, eggs, lettuce, tomato).
Unfortunately, the coffee is weak and the tea wan right now. However, Marc Tourmo, the Spanish coffee roaster and trainer from Auroville, is working with the team to improve their cappuccinos, moccachinos and espressos. Tea drinkers: you’re on your own.
The eggs are a hit or miss, depending on who’s at the stove. After lacklustre cajun scrambled eggs, we turn to the morning glory bowls. The Mexican breakfast bowl is fresh and crunchy with julienned vegetables, topped with a fried egg and cheddar cheese. However, it is eclipsed by the warming breakfast hash, an inspired blend of potatoes, mushrooms, eggs, mutton, cheese and herbs.
Brace yourself for the service, which is absent-minded, slow and often forgetful. They do smile though.
Location: 37/20, Bheemanna Garden Street, Alwarpet, Chennai
Call: 30853765
Surf Turf (8 am to 11 am)
Living by the sea has many advantages. Eating idlies by the beach is one of the more pleasurable ones. If you’re a surfer, then you’re bound to have worked up a ravenous appetite after a morning spent riding the waves at the scenic Pearl beach. Which is precisely why Surf Turf, the charming little café at Covelong Point Surf School, serves up a hearty breakfast for surf students and their families, who often come along to catch a glimpse of the rising sun glinting off the waves.
Choose from Surf Turf’s selection of breakfast platters that offer you a choice between The Madras Breakfast and The Classic Breakfast. While the latter has your usual suspects, such as eggs (cooked any style you’d like), sausages, toast, fruits and fresh juice, The Madras Breakfast boasts fluffy idlies , dosas , freshly ground chutney and sambar . The chef also churns out a mean muttai dosa (egg dosa) with a robust meen kuzhambu (fish curry).
The a la carte breakfast menu features classics like pancakes and bacon. And for Christmas, they’re introducing a special Cinnamon French Toast, as well as pancakes served with fresh cream and strawberries. These will be served from the Christmas weekend till New Year’s Day. The menu was put together by consultants Julio and Enrica, an Italian chef couple from Auroville.
If you don’t intend to surf, kayak or scuba dive at Covelong Point, and instead plan to spend a languorous morning watching your friends burn calories, you have the choice of opting for a healthier breakfast, such as their Fruit Bowl, which is basically a luscious smoothie topped with muesli, nuts and fruits. These are usually tropical fruits, such as bananas and mangos (when in season), to ensure that the ingredients used are fresh. And if you lose track of time over multiple cups of masala chai and end up staying for lunch, don’t forget to order the jumbo prawns!
Location: Plot No 10, Pearl Beach, Ansari Nagar, Kanchipuram District, Kovalam
Call: 9884272572
(inputs by Ranjani Rajendra)
