The mere mention of Hotel Aadithya brings back a lot of memories. Though this restaurant is relatively very new, we’ve been regular customers at their Bar – ‘On the Rocks’ during early 2000s. Later on the frequency of our visits reduced, but still this place happens to be our first choice for any meeting with friends in Vadapalani. I was quite excited to hear about this restaurant, a fine-dine Chettinadu restaurant, perhaps one of a kind in Chennai. A friend had come down from the US, and we decided to head to this place for dinner.
Before I pen my thoughts, I have to mention that I was not aware that this place isn’t a ‘standard’ Chettinadu restaurant. They specialize in Chettinadu cuisine with a modern reinvented twist, a fusion with global influences. The restaurant is designed with typical Chettinadu elements – the Athangudi tiles, the décor, everything immediately transports you to Karaikudi, very cozy and upscale. Friend was an eggetarian, we went with Kothu Parotta, egg dishes, parottas, gravy etc. in mind. After looking at the menu, we had to recalibrate our expectations and order accordingly.
Thakkali Pudhina Chaaru, one by two – A nice flavorsome rasam served in Martini glasses. It was comforting and a nice start to the meal.
Urulai Kizhangu Podimas stack, Tomato Thokku – Bite-sized thin square slices of potato stacked up with flaky puff pastry like in a Mille-Feuille, topped with a tomato thokku, this was a very innovative starter with potatoes.
‘Kozhi Melagu’ Confit – Chicken breast flattened and rolled in a foil, slow-cooked, cut into bite-sized slices, braised to make it tender, juicy and flavorful with a nice dominating taste of pepper. It was wonderful with the accompanying sauce and the curry powder Aioli.
Friend’s request for a standard Masala Egg Omelette was accommodated as they didn’t have other egg dishes on the menu, it was good.
Murungakkai Charu, one by two – Quite excited with the soup in Martini Glasses, we ordered this one, but it came in a bowl. 😊 Tasted wonderful too, so no worries with the way it was served.
We had already decided it was going to be Parottas for dinner, we ordered 2 pcs of Parottas, 1 plate of Coin Parottas (3Pcs) and Masala Muttai Kurma to go with it. Parottas were very good, just made piping hot, flaky, soft, checked all tickboxes. The Egg gravy was very good too, wonderful with the parottas. Coin Parottas were okay, not great compared to the regular ones.
Cardamom Tres Leches – A wonderful soft sponge cake placed on condensed milk, topped with cream, perhaps soaked with evaporated milk too as it was rightly moist. The cardamom twist was interesting.
Inji Theneer – A hot Ginger Black Tea, nice end to the meal!
Overall, food was very tasty, freshly made, nicely plated for a visual appeal, and their extremely courteous service made our dining experience even better. Preparation of each dish was explained and we loved hearing the behind-the scenes story of every dish. Ms. Neena and Mr. Hussain (I think) set very high standards for hospitality! Kudos to them!
We paid 2.3K in all, while we came in with a totally different expectation, the dining experience here was very satisfying. I’ll certainly go back for a proper non-vegetarian meal.
Please be informed that the starter portion sizes are not very generous, you have to order accordingly. It’s not the kind of place if you’re focus is on quantity, trying to get more for less.
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