Salt.Co.531 - salt of the earth

Is salt healthy?

Sitting at Salt.Co.531 at Radisson Blu Chennai, it's a recurring thought. We know that it should be had in moderation but at the restaurant, we're told it's actually healthy. I'm talking about Himalayan salt. It contains a staggering 84 trace elements including iron, magnesium and calcium. How did salt get up there you ask?

Well, not exactly from the Himalayas. Millions of years ago, there was a shallow sea in the the province of present day Punjab in Pakistan. Due to geological changes, the water evaporated leaving behind a salt range. Legend has it that these underground deposits were discovered at Khewra by the horses of Alexander the Great when he and his army crossed the Jhelum region.

Pink salt lamp

Not only is salt used to season food but if you chance upon a block of this pink salt, you can use it to serve food. Rock salt lamps produce negative ions. If the rock salt lamp on our table was any indication, we were indeed a couple of happy campers by the end of the meal after inhaling all that energy!!

Artwork

Artwork on the walls of Salt depict salt mines and figures emerging from it. It is a peaceful space that overlooks the swimming pool. Tables are arranged between full length wooden slats that afford privacy. At regular intervals are planters that hold succulents.

Various salts used in the restaurant are on display. In addition to the salt blocks, they have 15 gourmet sea salts that are used for seasoning. The only kind missing is processed table salt!

Salts used at Salt; salt bowls

Salt.Co.531, Radisson Blu Chennai is one of the participating restaurants in the 3rd edition of Restaurant Week that starts on Friday 22nd April. But first,  F&B Manager Makendra Kumar and Executive Chef Gona explained the concept of Salt. Marinated meats or vegetables are first partially cooked on the grill and then the cooking finished on heated blocks of salt. The timing is crucial so that the food cooks and the seasoning is perfect. At the end of the day, the salt blocks are cleaned with warm water and a different set used the next day.

Watermelon and Feta Salad on salt block

Salt's Signature Appetiser is Watermelon and Feta Salad. On a chilled salt block, melon triangles sit on lettuce leaves. Spear the melon with the fork and lightly draw it along the salt block. It tastes like a salt sandwich - the sweetness of the melon so beautifully balanced by the salty feta and the hint of salt from the block.  Absolutely simple but stunning flavours. This appetiser is available on the RW menu.

Cooking on salt

I watch the chefs cook the meat on salt. The block is heated to a temperature of about 200 deg C. The meat sizzles as it's placed on it, a minute later, it's turned around. A minute more and it's done. Just like that! The cooking is precise and any added salt, including those present in, for example, bottled sauces  is taken into account in the final product.

Shredded Kolhapuri Chicken Salad

Shredded Kolhapuri chicken salad has barbequed chicken marinated with Indian spices. Served with avocado koshimbir and tempered coconut, kala namak (black salt) lifts it up to another dimension. It's served in a basket made of shredded carrots.

From top: Podi idlis; karuveppilai meen kuchi varuval; nachos; Texas buffalo wings; coconut prawn; teriyaki edamame

We have a selection of starters - a trio of tiny podi idlis, karuveppilai meen kuchi varuval, nachos with melted cheese and jalapenos, Texas buffalo wings, coconut prawn and teriyaki edamame. Each one of them tasted delightful. (Karuveppilai meen kuchi varuval and Texas buffalo wings are also available on the RW menu.)

Dips with different salts

The eye for detail is interesting. Each of our starters had its own accompaniment. The podi idli had a tomato and coconut chutney, salsa, sour cream and guacamole for the nachos, Thai sweet sauce, a curry sauce and a delicious Chettinad aioli. Once again, each starter and sauce is flavoured with a different salt.

Wasabi fried rice, ribs, bacon wrapped prawn, meen varuval, grilled veg; curry sauce

Our main course is a non vegetarian's delight. All the meats and vegetables were finished on the salt block - an absolutely fresh slice of Meen Varuval, Bacon Wrapped Prawn and super-tender Grilled Pork Ribs. A slice of pineapple, carrots and broccoli fulfilled the dinner's vegetable quota. A wasabi-flavoured fried rice was served with the platter. It was made with fat red rice and it tasted just brilliant. The only drawback was that the vegetables were almost uncooked.

Dark chocolate mousse with EVOO and Maldon salt flakes; beer battered Mars bars

We had 2 desserts - a scoop of dark chocolate mousse topped with Maldon sea salt and olive oil and a calorific beer battered Mars bar with ice cream. Let me tell you that both were simply luscious! And available on the RW dessert selection!

The evening's entertainment

It was an absolutely fun crew that served us. In between courses, they livened the tempo by breaking into a dance. They even serenaded us.

A meal at Salt would work out to around 3000/++ per head.

But here's good news: Restaurant Week is happening from Friday 22nd April to Sunday May 1st 2016. Reservations for Ola Prime customers  are from noon on Friday, April 15th. For the general public, reservations are from noon on Monday, April 18th - which means you can choose from a 3 course dinner menu at Salt at 900/++ per head, OR upgrade to RW Signature Appetiser for 100/++ more, OR indulge in the RW Signature Main course at 200/++ more per head. Check out more details at: www.restaurantweekindia.com

Salt, Radisson Blu Hotel GRT Chennai
531, GST Road
St. Thomas Mount
Chennai 600016.

Do call 044 2231 0101 for reservations.

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Fishin' at Jonah's Goes Fishin'

Chennai has a long coastline but surprisingly, there are only a handful of dedicated seafood restaurants in the city. Not that there is a dearth of seafood - if you take a walk along any of the beaches around 8 in the morning, you will see fishermen bringing in their catch to the shores. And those are the ones who set out from fishing colonies that line the coast. Trawlers bring in their catch much earlier.

A new restaurant has come up on the ECR, very close to home - Jonah's Goes Fishin' with Chef Willi. It looked interesting but before I convinced the family to dine there, a friend and I decided to test the waters, in a manner of speaking!



That's how we found ourselves there that very hot Saturday afternoon. It's on the first floor and thankfully, was cool inside. There's no nautical theme to suggest fishing or boats or seafood in the decor though the wooden seats had nice ultramarine coloured upholstery on them and the lampshades reminded me of very chic lobster pots. There are what looks like rods that line the walls, at certain angles, they form a pattern. It's a large room and the big window along one side lets it a lot of light. Very nice!

A display case with books and curios is placed near the entrance. At the other end, there is a counter with desserts on display. On weekdays, they have a buffet but on weekends, the menu is a la carte.

Books to read; in house desserts

Being the only customers in the restaurant at that point of time, we had the place to ourselves but soon enough, more people came in.

Laksa soup

The menu has been crafted by Chef Willi and knowing that he has worked in restaurants in Asia, we did look forward to the experience. We decided to order only dishes with seafood and started with a bowl of laksa soup. Having grown up on laksa, this one didn't look alright. Oh well, I know getting Asian ingredients in Chennai is a bit of a challenge so some things can be excused. I would have liked a little more lemongrass and galangal flavours in it. It had wheat noodles, fish cubes and prawns. Strangely, it was served with a thick slice of a baguette but the flavours were mostly all there.

Grilled prawn satay with peanut sauce

Grilled prawn satays were good, juicy just-right cooked prawns on skewers, crushed peanuts were sprinkled over the prawns and there was none of it in the dipping sauce. The prawns were garnished with sliced spring onions that kept rolling off.

Southern seafood cakes

According to the menu, Southern seafood cakes were a mix of fish and crab along with peppers and herbs. Four in a plate and served with thousand island dressing, the cakes were too soft and kept breaking up though the crust was nice.

Sambal baked fish

Sambal baked fish was served with a bowl of fragrant rice and a tasty dhal curry. A strange combination but it did work well. There was a large slice of seer fish generously coated with spicy sambal, a thick blend of onions, chillies, tamarind and palm sugar, cooked down and coated over the fish, the whole thing wrapped in a banana leaf and baked. The let down was that frozen fish had been used. No amount of delicious sambal could hide that fact.

Steamed crab wontons

Steamed crab wontons had 6 pieces to a plate. We had ordered it specially because the menu listed it as a crab filled wonton with water chestnuts but there was no crunch of chestnuts and some fish had been mixed into the crab meat and that mixture didn't taste nice. There was also a tad too much salt. Here too, the garnishing was sliced spring onions and we had a time removing them. The dipping sauce came with more spring onions.

Seafood spaghetti

We opted for the appetiser portion of seafood spaghetti and it was a visual delight - spaghetti twirled through a rich tomato sauce and artichoke hearts and topped with large juicy prawns, fish and a mussel. It tasted as it looked - delightful!

Hungarian apple pancakes

Dessert was Hungarian apple pancakes. A trio of apple pancakes served with a delicious toffee sauce. The pancakes were unsalted and bitter in parts - probably the result of baking powder not being mixed well. But we could overlook this minor hiccough because they and that sauce were made for each other.

Service was good, the staff know the menu and is obviously trained to make suggestions but the restaurant needs to work on certain aspects of hygiene. It would also be nice if the garnishing can be more creative. The pricing is moderate but some of the portions are small. Freshness of the catch is an essential in any seafood restaurant; Jonah's Goes Fishin' needs to work on that as well.

A meal for 2 would be around 2200/++. Weekday lunch buffets are priced at 499/-

Jonah's Goes Fishin' with Chef Willi is at 92, East Coast Road, Palavakkam.
Phones: 04443838315/ 044 42858533.

*Update

This restaurant no longer functions

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Kerala Food Fest at Spice Haat, HRC

A strip of land situated along the Malabar coast, better known as God's Own Country...where else but Kerala. Well known for its backwaters, abundance of seafood and spices, Kerala is also famous for its cuisine, notably the Onam sadya that can feature up to 28 dishes, all vegetarian.

Spices used in Kerala food include pepper, cumin, coriander seeds, dry chillies, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom, among others. Coconut is used extensively as it is what gives texture and flavour to the food. Depending on the recipe, it could be grated or crushed coarse, ground fine, cut in thin slices and fried before being added to meat or desserts or the milk extracted and used to thicken gravies. Shallots, ginger, garlic and curry leaves are the other ingredients that form the base of a good Kerala dish. Coconut oil is the preferred medium of cooking. Kokum is the de facto souring agent though tamarind is also used extensively.

Chef Gourab

Vishu, the new year for Kerala Hindus, is celebrated in the month of April. Gourab Pattanayak, chef-de-cuisine at Spice Haat, Hyatt Regency Chennai is helping Chennai folks celebrate Vishu with a menu that showcases popular dishes from Kerala at the Kerala Food Festival. He's from Calcutta but has mastered the flavours and nuances of the Kerala cuisine and cooks like a native!!

Pineapple breeze, Sparkling coconut; chakka varatti

Two drinks were served - Pineapple Breeze and Sparkling Coconut. Both drinks were refreshing, in fact we got so into the spirit of Kerala that we convinced ourselves that the milky white coconut drink was a tad fermented. Of course it wasn't! There was also chakka varatti, a halwa made of jackfruit and jaggery.

Pazham pori, ulli vadai; Kerala-style fried chicken; mutton ularthiathu

Appetisers were served at the table - pazham pori - crisp batter-fried bananas that are extremely popular all over Kerala, ulli vadai - deep fried shallot fritters, a very nice Kerala-style chicken that had been marinated with spices and deep fried, and a Central Travancore speciality, meat ularthiathu. This is usually made with beef but Chef Gourab had made it with mutton. The flavours were spot on, the tender cubes of meat took on a dark hue after being slow cooked, almost roasted, on a low fire and it was garnished with curry leaves and fried coconut slices.

From top; parippu kuttan; snakegourd peera; avial; puliserry; mutton kurumilagu ittathu

The main courses had been set up on the buffet counters, though we were served at the table. Vegetarians can rejoice - plenty of choices. There was snake gourd peera, cooked with grated coconut, parippu kuttan - a mash of lentils and mixed vegetables, avial - a mix of vegetables cooked with ground coconut and yoghurt as well as puliserry - a yellow, deliciously tangy yoghurt and coconut gravy. To add to the tang, pieces of raw mangoes had been cooked along. All these are served with rice and if you want to eat like the Malayalis, the rice has to be the fat-grained red rice variety.

Meen vattichathu

For the non vegetarians, there was the Kerala favourite, meen vattichathu - seer fish cooked in a deadly red gravy, but no, not very spicy. Fish cooked this way is another Central Travancore specialty, I so missed the mashed tapioca that it is always served with.

Mutton kurumilagu ittathu; Malabar paratha

There was also mutton kurumilagu ittathu - literally translated as 'pepper put into mutton'... or perhaps the reverse! Whatever the translation, it was delicious. The mutton in the thick gravy was tender and the slight heat from the black peppercorns gave it a wonderfully earthy flavour and aroma, an excellent accompaniment to the not very flaky Malabar paratha.

Red rice; injipulli; pappadam; banana chips

Along with the rice was a bowl of injipulli - a thick, spicy, sweet, sour and tangy sort of chutney made with tamarind paste and ginger. Of course, no Kerala meal is ever complete without banana chips and puffy crisp fried pappadams!

Ada prathaman; chakka prathaman

We had two desserts - the classic ada prathaman made of rice flakes, jaggery and coconut milk and chakka prathaman - jackfruit payasam. This one is especially for those who love jackfruit. Both were extremely well made and perfectly sweetened.

The Kerala Food Festival is on till April 25th, from 6.30 - 11.30 pm and only for dinner. The dinner buffet is priced at 1550/++ and you can have the run of all that is on offer at the restaurant. The Kerala Vegetarian Thali is priced at 1000/++, non veg at 1200/++.
Do call +91 44 61001234 for reservations.

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Chef Willi's Signatures at the Crown, Residency Towers

Twenty floors above sea level sits the Crown, The Residency Towers' rooftop restaurant. It's a 60-seat restaurant and adjoining it is an alfresco deck that can seat another 60. The view of the city from here is worth a trip to the hotel. The restaurant opens at 6.30 in the evening and the sight of the sun setting in the west amidst the twinkling of the city lights is stunning - the perfect setting for a Sundowner.



Walking into the restaurant, you'd think you've walked into a wealthy aunt's dining room, except that there are more tables here. The room is circular, drapes on long windows are pulled back and fastened but you can still see the evening sky through them. Tables are covered with crisp white tablecloths and set with dinnerware, striped upholstery of the chairs are in muted shades of brown and cream and the lighting is dim. In the centre of the ceiling is a cupola with a beautiful chandelier. Very elegant, very stylish, very welcoming.

The invite was for the launch of Chef Willi's signature dishes at the restaurant. For unknown reasons, we didn't get to try out those specialties that day but I did get to chat with the chef for a few minutes. We talked about New Zealand, Chennai, kitchens and of course, food.

A week later, I was back at the Crown. This time, my friend and I were going to try out those promised signature dishes, at least, some of them. The menu has plenty of variety, even for the vegetarians and has a distinct European flavour. We sat out on the deck for some time and then retreated into the cooler confines of the restaurant though other patrons seemed to enjoy the great outdoors.

Selection of breads

Deliciously soft breads were served at the table, I wish a dip had been served with them rather than butter chiplets. The lime mint cooler I ordered was perfect for the weather, bits of ginger cut down on the sweetness and made it even more refreshing.

Lime mint cooler with ginger

Don't ask Chef Willi what he would recommend for your appetiser and main courses - he says he'd probably have to cut off your tongue to see what your taste buds are like (!!) (no no, he wasn't serious!!) but he did hint I should try the Calamari in Tomato Butter.

Calamari in tomato butter

Certainly a good hint. Batter fried crisp calamari that looked like pillowy clouds sat on a deliciously light and tangy tomato butter sauce. A phyllo pastry cup, crunchy and full of the delicious goodness of butter and with more calamari and sauce in it added a whimsical touch to the presentation. The calamari had been cooked just right and was tender.

Pasta squares with smoked chicken

My friend had ordered Pasta Squares with Smoked Chicken. Creamy sun dried tomato sauce drenched the pasta, the smoked chicken filling was really good though the pasta was quite doughy.

For mains, it was a toss up between Smoked Chicken Cannelloni and Open Chicken Lasagne. Cannelloni won. We also ordered Breaded Fish Fillets and Braised Lamb Shanks which was highly recommended.

Smoked chicken cannelloni

The cannelloni came topped with finely sliced beans. I do like my greens but these were a tad underdone but a total contrast to the extremely well made cannelloni. The filling was creamy and dreamy, the smokiness of the chicken providing a beautiful contrast to the subtle sun dried tomato and cream sauce.

Breaded fish fillets

Coated with breadcrumbs, herbs and Parmesan cheese, the pan fried fish fillets were served with a light butter herb sauce and decorated with asparagus spears. I could hear my friend crunching through the potato crisps, a nice change from the usual fries.

Braised lamb shanks

The lamb shanks, braised to tenderness in a red wine sauce had the meat almost falling off the bone. Diced carrots added their sweetness to the amalgamation of flavours and there was a serving of ribbon pasta as well to twirl through all that delicious sauce.

Stuffed to the gills, we were told not to miss their desserts. Five desserts are on offer and we chose Pineapple upside down cake and Tiramisu. The pineapple cake was served warm, dipping forkfuls of the vanilla scented cake in that delicious syrup was extremely satisfying.

I seem to be on a mission to find out places where the best tiramisu is served in Chennai. Happy to report that the Crown has got it almost perfect - almost - because for me, it's not tiramisu unless it is layered with savoiardi biscuits, modern interpretations notwithstanding.

Faces and facets of Chef Willi

Going through the menu for the 11 day festival, I notice each main course is served with rice, pasta or potatoes and a side of vegetable. That covers all the food groups, right? And yes, the chef cooks all his signature dishes himself! Portions are really large, including those of the desserts. A meal for 2 should work out to around 2500/++

Signature Dishes of Chef Willi is on till 17th April only for dinner at the Crown, The Residency Towers.
Sir Thyagaraya Road, T'Nagar.
Call 044 2815 6363 for reservations.

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Birthday blog and a brownie white chocolate pannacotta recipe!

Four years of Baketales! Four fabulous years!

Isn't it fun to celebrate a milestone? There's cake ... err... brownies... and chocolate and a lot of good wishes blowin' in. Thanks folks, I feel your love so do keep them comin'...!

Summer's back in Chennai and there are times when you crave a cold set dessert. For me, pannacotta is always the answer and the easiest thing to make. So I decided to put a bit of a baketales spin to it. I had some brownies sandwiched with strawberry jam. You could do it without the brownie but I think a little texture in the super smooth pannacotta is fabulous. Even more fab is if that brownie has some nuts in it. Slice the brownies into small batons and line the glasses with them. Pour over the prepared pannacotta and leave to set in the fridge. When set, top with stewed strawberries. That's it!
If you'd like to make it extra special, stir a couple of tablespoons of strawberry liqueur through those stewed berries.

Brownie batons

Be warned - this recipe will be enough for only 6 shot glasses so if you want more, double or even triple the recipe. You could, of course, demould them and arrange the stewed strawberries over but but why meddle with something perfect??

Brownie White Chocolate Pannacotta 

Ingredients

400 ml dairy cream (Amul)
25 gm sugar
150 gm white chocolate, chopped (couverture is best)
6 gm gelatin sponged in 2 tbsp water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
50 gm of chocolate brownie, sliced into batons
Strawberries and dried blueberries to decorate

Method
Put cream and sugar in a saucepan.
Place on medium heat, bring to just under boiling point.
Remove from heat immediately and stir in white chocolate and gelatin.
Stir till smooth, strain through a sieve.
Mix in vanilla essence.
Leave aside to cool to room temperature.
In the meanwhile, arrange brownie batons at the bottom of 6 shot glasses.
Pour the pannacotta over and leave to set in the fridge for 3-4 hours.
Decorate with stewed and halved strawberries.

To stew strawberries, slice 8-10 strawberries into quarters.
Sprinkle over 1 tablespoon sugar, leave for about 10 minutes.
Warm the berries over a gentle heat till it just about begins to come to a boil.
Remove from heat, leave to cool to room temperature.
Stir through 2 tablespoons of strawberry liqueur. (This is optional.)
Divide the stewed berries over the pannacotta and top with the halved fruit.

PS. Do let me know how yours turned out!

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A Kumaravel Chettinad meal

The young man at the counter ushered us into the small dining area at Kumaravel Chettinad Meals. It was 2.30 in the afternoon and the timing was perfect - the restaurant was empty. My friend had called ahead and asked them to keep a plate of biryani and batter fried fish. It was a smart move as the rest of the biryani was sold out by the time we reached.

From top left - chicken Chettinad; chicken podimas; natukozhi roast; prawn fry; shark puttu; mutton botty; mutton liver; mutton thalakari; mutton chukka  

They brought out a large tray with nine small serving dishes that contained the day's specials. The specials consist of seafood, chicken and mutton and the sum of the goat's parts!

Military hotels are very popular in Tamilnadu. Kumaravel, the young owner and grandson of the owner of the erstwhile Velu Military Hotel explained that there was a time when men serving in the military were used to eating non vegetarian food wherever they were stationed across India. When they came back to their hometowns on leave or retired, they missed meat dishes as food made at home was vegetarian. Small establishments cropped up in these towns where meat would be cooked and served. In course of time, they came to be called military hotels. Meat like quail, rabbit, chicken and goat, would be cooked in large quantities. Nothing of the goat would be wasted, including the head, liver and offal which were regarded as delicacies. And seafood, of course!

Chicken biryani

The biryani we had reserved was brought out, served with onion raita and a small bowl of chicken gravy. Cooked in typical Chettinad style, the rice was long grained and there were flecks of fennel seeds. It was spicy and aromatic and the pieces of chicken were tender. The gravy was a good accompaniment.

Chicken podimas

Not just meat but fish and prawns are on the menu. Flaked and cooked shark meat is very popular, so also chicken podimas. The chicken is cooked with spices till dry and then the meat is flaked, almost like floss. It was a winner of a dish, small bones were the only irritants.

Prawn fry; batter fried fish; mutton chukka

We ordered mutton sukka and prawn fry. In the kitchen, small prawns in a thick peppery masala are tossed in a hot pan till heated through and a handful of curry leaves are added, both for flavour and as a garnish. The mutton was similarly anointed and a  gravy served separately. While the prawns were delicious, I felt the mutton lacked flavour. The gravy also failed to impress.

Vegetarian thali

Along with the biryani, we ordered a vegetarian thali that consisted of a huge serving of rice, chicken, mutton and fish gravies, two kinds of vegetables, sambar, rasam and buttermilk. True to the Chettinad tag, the gravies were aromatic with the scent and flavour of spices, chilli and tamarind. The fish curry was simply outstanding, having been cooked for long on a low heat, the flavours had mellowed beautifully into a mildly tangy gravy.

Batter fried fish

The piece de resistance was definitely the crisp batter fried fish. It is a house special and you need to place an advance order for it - a big slice of kingfish coated with a batter and fried. The crust was crisp and the fish within it perfectly cooked yet moist. Squeeze some lime juice over it and you could just make a meal of it.

The day's specials are listed on a board outside the restaurant

The restaurant is clean and service is snappy. Which was good for us as we could photograph the food and enjoy the meal at leisure in spite of tears streaming down our faces and runny noses. Well, that's what a good Chettinad meal is all about!

Kumaravel Chettinad Meals is located at 130/2, off Eldams Road, Teynampet, Chennai.
Call 044 42066673 for details. A meal for 2 would cost about 1000/-

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