Berry Cheesecake | Photo Credit: Thamodharan B
For the last one and a half month, the fake work on Monteith Road has become a matter of great curiosity. Morning walkers, passers-by, residents of the area, are eager to find out what this vast place has hidden within itself. This is The Madras Taproom, a new addition to the growing list of resto bars in Chennai.
Started by Vinod MV, this taproom is spread over two floors and over 17,000 square feet. A café welcomes you as you enter. It is open throughout the day and admits all age groups. The space then splits into a lounge setting with a bar, couches, a DJ console and a tap with a life-size floor-to-ceiling beer barrel and the words The Madras Taproom. A door leads to the patio, where smokers can dine without endangering non-smokers. There is also an open area called Sky Deck and indoor seating area on the first floor. The resto bar has some private dining room options.
courtyard Photo Credit: Thamodharan B
Vinod says, “The idea is to bring the Bengaluru-like vibe to Chennai and make it a place where people can visit regularly rather than just on weekends. Apart from beer, we will also have cocktails on tap.” “We wanted a place where you can meet, dine, hang out with friends and have great food without worrying about the price,” says Chef Kaushik Shankar, consultant chef, adding that prices start at ₹99.
The menu includes 100 dishes, 45 beverages and five desserts. It’s a diverse mix of dishes – on one hand there’s spanakopita with sour cream and parsley oil, kung pao chicken, and salt and pepper zucchini, while on the other there are absolutely local flavors like batter fried chicken. Muttai 65 more Avakkai urulai. Avakkai Urulai Tasty with spicy taste. Potatoes are smoked and cooked with avakka. Since they do small plates here, we indulged ourselves and ordered several starters. For a bit of nostalgia, we start with 80’s-style cheese, cherries, pineapple. Our other favorites are the Kundapur Ghee Roast Mushrooms, seasoned with byadagi chilli, coriander, and cooked in organic ghee that comes from a farm; beef ularthiyaduAnd roasted chili pork. In the meantime it would be good for the lotus stem if it would give up its excessively sweet nature. Despite the herbs, onions, parsley, micro greens, garlic and olive oil, Spanish mushrooms lack flavor.
Almost every dish on the menu has a story, says Chef Kaushik. For example, wings, he says, come in six varieties, each one degree hotter than the other. These are ranked from one to six with the latter being namedvanda azhudiruven,After Vadivelu dialogue. “For number four we use bhut jhalokia, so you can imagine how spicy number six will be,” he says, “Not many people will be able to handle it. I finished one piece and then had to drink half a liter of milk.”
Photo Credit: Thamodharan B
This very idea leads us to the Karonda Colada, a mocktail dessert with coconut milk, pineapple and berries. Satisfying, a zesty red drink made with watermelon juice, basil leaves, celery, rock salt and sparkling water is equally refreshing.
Our main meal came in the form of a chunky burger loaded with beef patty, caramelized onions and cheese, which we enjoyed quite a bit. The delicious red Thai curry, packed with galangal and kaffir lime, is also a winner. “We cook the chicken thighs in the curry at the beginning rather than adding it at the end, and this gives it a nice umami flavor,” explains Chef Kaushik.
Chocolate Wall Photo Credit: Thamodharan B
“Are you ready for dessert?” Then he asks with a twinkle in his eyes. A wall of chocolate, a 450 gram piece of cake comes out. It measures about seven inches and has eight layers of chocolate – white, milky and dark – and ganache soaked in espresso to tone down the sweetness. “The idea behind this dessert was to see how much of it one could eat in one session,” the chef says with a laugh. Now, if that’s a challenge you’re willing to accept, you know where to go.
Madras Taproom is located at 37, Red Cross Road (Montieth Road), Egmore. A meal for two including alcohol costs ₹2,000.
Photo Credit: Thamodharan B
