A massive archway shaped like a shark's gaping mouth adorns the entrance to the Ahaaram Multicuisine Restaurant at Regency Madurai by GRT. Cut-outs of mackerels, eels, shrimps and crabs swim in the air against bright blue shimmering satin curtains representing the sea. Inside the restaurant, the enticing aroma of the mangai meen kozhambu is unmistakable and umbrellas lit from inside and crafted to resemble jellyfish hang from the ceiling. Clad in a chequered lungi and sporting a flower-print bandana, waiters strut around in the guise of fishermen. 'The Coromandel Coast' sea food festival scores high with its appealing décor and menu. Even before taking a seat, I am impressed and K Andavan, Executive Chef ups the expectation by offering a bowl of steaming soothing prawn soup, tempered with the right amount of spices, herbs and a distinct flavour.
“Since this is the season for tourists, I have curated the menu to an eclectic mix of experimental and traditional dishes. The soup for instance is comparatively bland yet it packs a punch,” says Andavan.
Madurai being an inland is a place for meat-lovers and seafood is only a second option, observes S Subhash, the Food and Beverages Manager. “We ran a weekend promotion as a precursor to the festival and the response exceeded our expectation.”
Even as I slurp on the soup, plates of tawa-fried basa and lady fish arrive. The silky basa marinated in spicy Chettinad masala comes as a perfect antidote to the bland soup. With less or no bones, the slices melt in the mouth effortlessly. The lady fish is a real task with fine bones. “It is deep-fried and the bones are crunchy. So it can be eaten like murukku, ” suggests Chef Andavan. Red snapper or Sankara fish as it's known locally is another delicacy that's difficult to eat for the same reason. However, like a true-blue fish fan, I patiently weed out the bones and ritualistically enjoy every bite.
The assorted menu changes everyday. Standards like biryani, curries and starters are retained while an exclusive live counter for seafood offers four varieties of fish or crabs or prawns. Surprisingly, the buffet spread also accommodates a wide range of vegetarian dishes. “The festival targets both die-hard seafood fans and regular foodies who walk in. The key is the variety we offer. At the live counter, one can also choose the marination and method of cooking. The fish can either be grilled, tawa-fried or deep fried as per the choice of the customers,” says Subhash.
The marinations differ in taste, flavour and spice levels, says Andavan. “The special Chettinad masala we prepare contains 18 kinds of spices freshly roasted and pounded. Likewise, the Kerala-style masala has lots of cumin and coconut in it. The fish is also wrapped in a banana leaf and then tawa-fried to give the authentic taste of meen polichathu recipe. In the Goan fish fry, we add rawa on the top.”
Fish fingers and a tangy achaari prawn salad make for great starters along with the variety of fish fries at the live counter. But it's the crab vada/cake that sounds interesting. Shredded crab is mixed with minced onions, ginger-garlic, chopped green chillies and other spices, shaped into perfect round patties, coated in egg or maida and tawa-fried like cutlets.
In the main course, mangai meen kozhambu and crab gassi stand out with appeasing flavours. The Kozhambu is a sharp tangy fish curry cooked with raw mangoes and tamarind extract that reminds you of home. While the gassi is a yellow curry of full crabs cooked in a range of spices and coconut extract that tastes out-of-the-world. “The fish variety also includes exotic ones like tuna and pomfret apart from locally popular ones like nethli and vanjaram ,” adds Andavan.
The lavish dessert counter is a treat to the sweet-toothed. From fruit tarts, fluffy cakes, creamy mousses and puddings to payasams and burfis, it leave you spoilt for choice. After loading my plates multiple times, I declare the chocolate banana pudding and lauki halwa as my personal favourites.
'The Coromandel Coast' is only on weekend nights from December 1 to 3 and December 9 to 11, from 7 pm to 11 pm.
COASTAL INDULGENCE
@ Ahaaram Multicuisine restaurant, Regency Madurai by GRT, Palanganatham Junction
HIT: Wide variety, appealing décor and authentic taste
MISS: The squid fry was a bit rubbery
MEAL FOR ONE: The dinner buffet costs Rs. 750 Plus Taxes for adults and Rs. 500 plus Taxes for children
TEL: 9994341135
