The ' Madras' restaurant at Raintree Anna Salai has been a favourite for south indian food for me for quite a few years. You get five star hospitality and food at a relatively more affordable pricing.  

A couple of weeks back a Friend and I were listing out options for 'Meals' in Chennai and 'Madras' was up there on my list. A coupleof days back i saw an advert for 'Thai Virundu' meals at this restaurant in the supplement of the paper and  I decided to check it out.

​Ambience

Pleasant with relatively dim lighting. There is a three piece Indian Carnatic classical ensemble that plays pleasant live Carnatic instrumental music in the evenings.

Cutlery

I have to make a special mention about the 'south Indian' caricatures on the plates at the restaurant. Have documented a few below. 

Welcome Drink and Starters

We were welcomed with 'Vasantha Neer' which is a favourite of mine. I have been tasting this for years at the Taj and ITC hotels. This restaurant has also perfected it and is a 'must have'. It is a concoction of Tender Coconut Water, Jaggery, Honey, Lemon and Ginger.

An Assortment of papads along with a set of Chutneys were also kept on the table. 

• coconut 
• pineapple
• beetroot

We were served a 'Pongal Platter' which had the following Pongals

• Amirtha Pongal (The sweet Pongal with dry and fresh fruits)
• Kara Pongal
• Ven Pongal (the tradtional Pongal)

All of them were absolutely yummy  !!

The Thali

We were then served the thali in a Thattu with a plantain leaf with the following accompaniments

• Muttakos Poriyal
• Thakkali Masiyal
• Kathirikkai Kosumalli
• Chakkaravalli Podimas (Sweet Potato)
• KaiKari Podimas
• Curd

This was served with unlimited parottas, Puris and steamed rice.
(I had incidentally also requested a Kal Dosa off the menu because I had always liked their Kal Dosa.)

Every dish was perfect and not a single one had a bad day !!

Desserts

We were served the follwoing three desserts

• Elaneer Payasam
• Badam Halva
• Pepper Ice cream

I loved the pepper ice cream and the Elaneer Payasam. The Badam Halva was very authentic but personally speaking, I am not a great fan of that sweet.

I remember walking past this restaurant in Phoenix Mall a couple of weeks ago while I was on the way to HRC. I had made a mental note at that time to visit this place. I had the opportunity to dine here along with half a dozen other food bloggers a few days ago.

I loved the Bright ambiance and the choice of Music. The seating was comfortable. Though I did think the seats were a little too close to each other (though with the kind of rentals in Malls I don't blame them :-D)

Since i waltzed in late after my evening clinic I missed trhe soup and the welcome drinks. Though I did make it a point to ask them to bring the 'Paan Mojito' drink which the fellow bloggers were raving about ! It had a lot of 'Gulkhand and Paan' ..It was different and is definitely worth a try.

Starters
After the Mohito, I dived straight into the array of starters. 

Salmon tikka :  This was the first starter i tasted and it literally blew me away. Absolutely delightful salmon imported from Norway which was slow cooked in a tandoor. The spices were just about perfect. Perfect melt in your mouth stuff.The best dish of the night by a mile.

Chicken kurkuri : These consisted of Wanton Skin Rolls Wrapped chicken wantons which were filled with cheese, mushroom, celery, sundried tomatoes. and deep fried. This was served with a hot and sweet sauce in the glass cup.

Paneer tikka multani :- Paneer infused with herbs and spices cooked in tandoor. It was standard Paneer Tikka fare, Pretty good , but not exactly earth shattering  

​Bhatti da murgh : Legs of Chicken marinated in curd , pomegranate powder, onion powder and other spices. It was a tad too spicy for me. Though some of my other blogger friends felt it was just right for their palate.

​Chaamp taajdar : Pot roasted lamb chops which was braised slowly in a liquor infusion with spices and cooked it a Tandoor. Definitely one of  the best lamb Chops I have tasted. The meat was extremely soft and tender (since they are marinated overnight) 

​Dahi ke Kabab: A kebab made of Hung curd cheese, blended with Cardomom and corianded and Kadai fried. I loved this dish !! It is definitely a ' Must Try' at this restaurant. 

Main Course

We were served two versions of Dum Biryani : Tarkari Kesari biryani and the Chicken Dum Biryani. It was a very Mildly spiced biryani which reminded me of the 'Lahore' Biryani , with a lot of Saffron. I liked the biryani. (though patron who like their Biryani really spicy may be a little disappointed )

We were also served a variety of breads, I liked the Lehsuni Nan and the Khasta Roti.

We were served the following four dishes as the main courses.

Paneer lababdar  : Which was definitely a "Zabardar" dish !! Was very thick in consistency and a right blend of spices with paneer. A 'Must try' for the vegetarians. 

Dal punjab grill  : This was their version of the  D'al makhani'. This was definitely their weak link of the evening. (I personally think it was one of those rare days, becasuse it takes a lot of effort to mess up this dish :)  ) 

Meat punjab grill :Lamb shanks cooked over low heat. I liked the dish !  

Dhaniya mirchi da kukkad : Chicken drumstick pieces cooked in a stock rich in cinnamon, coriander, mace and green chillies. 

DESSERTS
​We were served three desserts 
Litchi ki tehri :  Milk reduced in a 'Lohi kadai'  topped with litchi, sultanas,almonds and pistachios. It was delicious with the right amount of sweetness.  

Gulab jamun: This stuffed the gulab jamun with  was no ordinary Gulab Jamun. The Chef had stuffed the jamun with nutella, white chocolate, almonds and pistachios. This was also excellent. 

Phirni :  Phirni (Sweetened Rice soufle) stuck to being a traditional Phirni without any 'twist' from the Chef. Did not disappoint.  

VERDICT

The Punjab Grill is a fantastic place. It is here to stay and goint by the response we saw on a tuesday evening (there were people waiting for tables) ..They have a winner. 
Do reserve in advance. A meal for two would put you back by Rs. 2000.
​Bon Apetit !