today i had my lunch for the second time in this restaurant in less that 2 weeks! yes, that probably sets the tone for my review already.
i was looking for a pure veg restaurant that might offer a quiet and peaceful lunchtime with family and quiet especially because i wanted to take my 50days old little daughter out for the first and well, the second time; pure veg because the first time was with my mom-in-law and second with my parents who are all vegetarians.
not too many options available in this right mix within chennai and that’s a shame. in fact, i wouldn’t be surprised if royal indiana is the only such restaurant.
reservation was easy the first time around, as it was a saturday. when we came in, we were sat at one of the 4 tables occupied. this gave me false hone and the next time which was a sunday, i walked in without a reservation to a fully packed restaurant. arrangements were made and we were sat at a comfortableplacewith room for my littleone’s car seat. the restaurant is overall well done, clean and well lit with easy access to all quarters of the buffet from anywhere across the room. soothing music and easy access to the restaurant once you arrive at the hotel but nothing else to write home about so i’d say 4 on 5 for ambience.
welcome drink, soup and starters - all served at the table; both the times we were offered clear soups that were very well made. the first time was a coconut based soup and the second time was a vegetable the lentils soup. nannari serbeth was served as welcome drink both the times and it was made with just the right amount of sweetener. it was a welcome change to have nannari instead of a botched up mock tail which is offered in most places these days. so, right there the restaurant was a winner for me! every starter that was served was unique and yet tastefully created. may it be the karuveppilai- podi dosai or the raagi pakoda, this restaurant is the answer to every question pointed at a vegetarian on what’s great about vegetarian food. what more, the starter spread was completely different of both days. who comes up with such different and elaborate starter menu? i’d give 5 stars only because zomato doesn’t allow more :)
main course - it’s a spread of the usual veggie main course suspects, veg biriyani, rice, saambar, rasam, coconut rice, several north indian curries, rotis, dosai, etc., the quality of each curry was mind blowing. to name a few, the methi malai and koftas were extraordinary. my mom who doesn’t have onion had quite a few options to try and that says a lot... i never knew restaurants could make interesting food without onion. and i’m not talking jain food here. i judge a restaurant by how they make certain dishes which are often underwritten, case in point, vetha kozhambu! it’s a good to have but not many care about how good it must be as it’s only a cure rice accompaniment. royal indiana nailed their manathakkali vettha kozhambu! eye for detail, my friends :)
desserts - great spread but i’d say they could do better here with respect to taste. out of the 15 plus varieties, not more than 3 are great and worth a second walk to that quarter. the chocolate fountain they had on one of my visits did bring a big grin on my little niece’s face.
with pleasant, accommodative staff and reasonable price, this restaurant is a winner and i’d strongly recommend royal indiana to those who want to try a tastefull vegetarian feast, made with a lot of thought and care.