It has been a while since I visited a rooftop restaurant, so I am quite excited about trying newly opened Coconut Grove at Santhome. This Bengaluru-based restaurant chain focusses on sea food. It also boasts dramatic sea views: so my expectations are high.
As we reach the fifth-floor restaurant, sweeping views of the sea, Marina promenade, Santhome Basilica and Mylapore catch my attention. Certainly a treat for sore eyes.
Soon, steaming bowls of paya rasam are brought to kickstart the evening. The trotters soup has a nice balance of flavours, with zingy ginger and pepper notes.
According to the chef, their highlights are authentic Kerala-style dishes, though they also serve Chettinad and Coorg cuisine.
Hence, I decide to explore the Kerala dishes and start my meal with squid roast and fried karimeen . The karimeen arrives wrapped in a banana leaf and seems promising. But one bite and I realise that it is oily, with an overdose of chilli powder. I turn to the squid for solace, which is better in comparison.
This is followed by kozhi porichadhu and nadan chemmeen curry. Unfortunately, the chicken is overcooked and the prawns could have been fresher.
A warm squiggly serving of idiyappam saves the day. Combined with zesty nadan kozhi curry, it is comfort food at its best.
Between courses, I wander around the space and soak in the charming views: you can see the tower of Kapaleeswarar temple on one side and the Basilica on the other, glistening in the moon light.
Back to the meal, a portion of barotta with chicken curry is next — however, be prepared to go on a treasure hunt for the meat.
The steamed rice and meen moilee that follow would have been perfect if the fish hadn’t been fried separately before being added to the gravy.
The dish is rather low in flavour, unlike the spicy, coconuty version one finds in the neighbouring State.
Being an optimist, I soldier on. And decide to try the mutton biryani instead. After all, how can one go wrong with biryani ?
So is it good? Well, its provenance is a bit of a mystery. That’s when one of the chefs let slip that they predominantly cook their Kerala cuisine in sunflower oil and only add a little coconut oil for flavour.
Getting back to the view, the Marina promenade twinkles and shines bright as automobiles whizz past and ships docked out at sea glitter in the night.
I decide to give dessert a miss. I’ll probably come back another day.
Admittedly, not for the food. But the view certainly warrants another visit.
