Modern Asian cuisine is the in thing at a lot of restaurants and that's what Tamak presents. Cheery, bright, cosy and trendy, the 70-seater restaurant at Feathers Hotel is just the place you go to when you want to forget your woes for a little while, for the warm and soothing ambiance and the food there does just that.
 |
| Scenes outside and inside Tamak |
 |
| Mocktails and cocktail |
When the drinks are named after towns and localities of the city, that will surely bring a smile to your lips. That's another trend these days and that's how the Kanjeevaram, a mocktail, rolled in. Made with apple juice, tamarind and jaggery, the tamarind sweets that accompany amp up the flavour. My choice of cocktail was Triplicane, made with white rum, fresh pineapple and orange juices and coconut water and it was so refreshing. At Tamak, all the juices are freshly made.
 |
| Tamak team - Associate F&B Director, Ankit & Rajya |
 |
| Amuse-bouche |
We had been invited for an afternoon of conversation and food tasting. Behind the glass-enclosed open kitchen, there's plenty of action. Rajya, one of the partners at Tamak, talked about the menu that features small plates, meal bowls and Asian BBQ. When the amuse-bouche - tiny paneer canapes arrived, she pointed out that India was also very much a part of Asia ...that's so true! The chilli cheese toast coated with sesame seeds, was equally engaging.
 |
| Grain chaat |
The grain chaat had 4 kinds of grains that included black rice and a dressing with just the right balance of mustard paste and sweetness from pomegranate arils. It didn't look pretty but this is one dish where looks do not matter at all. One mouthful and you'll be reaching for more!
 |
| Iranian lamb kebab; steamed prawn wantan; chicken kebab; scallion sesame cake |
From the small plates listing, we were served Iranian lamb kebabs that just melted in the mouth. Steamed prawn wantons had fluffy skins but the chilli oil was rather mild. Crisp scallion sesame cake had to be an exercise in restraint - the bun was so crisp and the shiitake mushroom filling within was so delicious that it was so difficult to stop with just one portion.
 |
| Spicy Thai pomelo salad |
The spicy Thai pomelo salad with lettuce and yam beans is something you can tuck into without any misgivings. The spice was rather subdued but the pomelo is sweet and I loved the crunch of yam bean and peanuts. Such a refreshing salad it was.
 |
| Anda paratha |
Anda paratha was the one that that stole the show. Straight off the tawa, we almost burnt our fingers trying to tear it apart. I was told this is street food in Delhi but whatever the provenance, this is a must order dish. The paratha was fried so crisp that it was almost like a puff, the egg filling spicy. Together, they made for a deadly combination.
 |
| Grilled eryngii |
The eryngii mushrooms were sliced really thin. Miso butter gave it an umami flavour but because of the thinness of the slices, parts of it got charred more than they needed to, resulting in a slightly leathery texture. Still, they tasted good and probably they would have been a fabulous accompaniment to some sticky rice. Achaari broccoli has a mix of kasundi and caraway seed which add a lovely pungency to the rather bland veggie.
 |
| Stir fried chicken with green beans |
 |
| A selection of Indian bread, kali dal; sarson sag |
Two main courses - the first was stir fried chicken with beans but it seemed to have lost the plot somewhere. The other main was Indian bread and we selected
makki roti and
mattar paratha, with
kali dal and
sarson sag as accompaniments. The breads were good, the
dal and
sag, passable.
 |
| Rhubarb tres leche; triple chocolate mousse with berry compote |
 |
| Matcha tiramisu with soju and yuzu syrup |
Of the 3 desserts, the most appealing was the triple berry mousse. A little less setting agent would have made it even more appealing. As for the rhubarb, it's not a vegetable that's seen in the local markets but I think it is a good way of toning down the sweetness of a tres leche.
At Tamak, it's the appetisers that score on all fronts. They are innovative, addictive and so darn tasty!
Tamak is at Feathers A Radha Hotel
4/129 Mount Poonamallee Rpad
Manapakkam, Chennai 600089.
Reservations at 07358018814.
