On the nights that you are tempted to break-free from the dreariness of the everyday, there is nothing quite as comforting as digging into a warm bowl of egg fried rice and chilli chicken. Today, there is no dearth of choices if you want the Asian dine-in experience in Chennai, from Korean bbq to good old Indo-Chinese.
Tucked away in a corner of VR Chennai mall in Anna Nagar is the latest addition to the city’s burgeoning Asian food scene. There are warm orange lights on the wall, wood accents, cosy cane furniture by the bar, and soft music playing, perfect for an evening of drinks, conversation and sushi at Tapasme.
With the focus on wanting to offer something for every palette, Tapasme’s extensive menu has a blend of European and Asian options. It includes dimsum, sushi, and hot pots alongside pastas, pizzas, and pides (Turkish flatbreads).
Pide at Tapasme | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
“We want to offer a different dining experience with European and Asian cuisine and a cosy ambience. People can just walk in, sit and relax with a drink,” says K Balachandar, who is one among six partners for Tapasme. When asked what sets Tapasme apart from the many Asian dining options across the city, Balachandar says their food and ambience will be the main draw.
“In Chennai, people are ready to travel for food and I expect people to keep coming back to dine here. The restaurant’s location is inside a mall too, we’re hoping, will give us footfall,” he adds.
To go with your meal, the alcohol menu has a few interesting cocktail options. The Harmony Highball, which brings together whiskey, lime juice, jaggery, cinnamon syrup and ginger ale is fizzy and light. But we prefer the more heady Jazzed Up — a gin cocktail with martini fiero, triple sec, soda and gin.
Prawn Har Gao dim sum | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
First on the platter to taste, is a crunchy Thai raw mango and avocado salad, followed by a Thai seafood salad with a sweet and spicy sauce. Seafood is tricky to get right, but Tapasme manages this across all the Asian dishes we sample. The Sichuan style crispy prawn, the sunshine sushi with prawn and salmon, and an offbeat tuna pizza— with tuna and jalapenos on thin slivers of tortilla, with a wasabi mayo are all delectable. The savoury Prawn Har Gao dim sum however, is my pick from the seafood line up. Stuffed with juicy, small prawns, they come plated on a yellow curry sauce with sprigs of fresh basil.
Tapasme also gets the basics right. Their Thai basil chicken fried rice is perfectly representative of Asian comfort food. From among their more elaborate main course offerings, we sample the Indonesian lamb rendang curry with roti prata. Plated theatrically, the meat is succulent and the flaky pratas are the perfect accompaniment.
Compared to their vibrant Asian flavours, their European fare does not stand out as much. The pollo-de-bufala, is generously coated in a spicy tomato sauce and blue cheese dressing, but the flavours feel too overwhelming. The pides, or Turkish flatbread too are not as tasty as the inventive tortilla pizzas we sample earlier.
We end the night on a rather dramatic note with the tub tim grobor sweet coconut cream and rose dessert which arrives in a cloud of dry ice fog.
Given how the restaurant wants its patrons to sit down for a relaxed dinner, Tapasme’s dishes are best enjoyed as a group of at least four, given the extensive menu and generous portions of their main courses.
Tossed udon noodles | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
A leisurely dining experience at Tapasme, with its Asian flavours and cocktails, feels like a welcome addition to the mall and after some heavy-duty weekend retail therapy.
@VR Chennai Mall. Tapasme opens on March 2. A meal for two including alcohol, approximately costs ₹2,500. Contact 9092282727 for reservations.
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