Mar 13, 2006 05:06 PM
5306 Views
(Updated Mar 16, 2006 10:26 PM)
Imagine you are in Chennai, have about an hour and a half for lunch, and have with you someone (business or social) you need to impress madly, are willing to spend some money, yet not so much that you will be eating dry bread and stale cheese for the next month – where would you go?
You would head straight for The Verandah at the Taj Connemara.
Chennai is filled to bursting with restaurants which serve up everything from the most ghastly food, to a meal which if asked to, you would gladly give a day of your life for. The recently renovated coffee shop of the Taj Connemara- The Verandah, stands firm in the second camp.
The walk through the long winding corridors of the Connemara sets the tone for your dining experience. You can almost feel the cares of your day fall from your shoulders as you walk through the cool marble corridors, lined with wood panelling on one side, and lush greenery on the other.
The attentive, yet not obsequious, waiters are quick to show you to a table, offer the menus, and leave you alone till you indicate you need help, or are ready to order.
The buffet table groans with dishes delicious and plentiful enough to please the most demanding gourmet and gourmand. My friend, a vegetarian, and a very light eater, opted to skip its temptations in favour of a light pasta meal. Following his lead, I ordered a non-vegetarian antipasti platter.
The food took much longer to arrive at our table than any of us, waiters included, had anticipated, so we were offered some soup while we waited. The fragrant mulligatwany that was set before us was the right blend of spices, and whetted our appetite for the main course to come.
The cannelloni, when it arrived, was beautifully presented with chunky tomato sauce poured over it, and with crisp vegetables on the side. It was exquisite; the flavours of spinach, tender mushrooms, cottage cheese and tomatoes were distinct, yet came together in a delicious whole.
My antipasti platter had tiny helpings of artichoke hearts, roasted lightly and drizzled with olive oil, herbed chicken, prawns in a delicate sauce I couldn’t quite identify, and smoked salmon with capers.
To finish, we were offered piping hot South Indian filter coffee, and a selection of desserts from the buffet counter.
My friend had the coffee, while I headed for the desserts (no surprise there) The Blueberry cheese cake I choose was melt-in-the-mouth, and the coconut cake, fluffy, light and tempting enough for my friend, normally very careful about what he eats, to polish off completely.
The bill, was a pleasant surprise – we were charged only for the main-courses we had ordered. The rest was on the house, presumably to make up for the longer than expected wait.
I didn’t mind the wait though – both the company and the food were definitely worth it.
Food - * * * *
Service - * * * *
Ambience - * * * *
Cost of a meal – Rs.350 upwards per person.
Address - Taj Connemara, Binny Road, Chennai - 600 002
(near Spencer Plaza)
Tel : (91-44) 5500 0000
