sante spa is a delight to visit ! being a chennai resident for the past two-and-a-half decades, i loved the hospitality, the service and the sensitivity to the needs of the customer that are given such importance here. they have vegan options in general, alkaline and other dietary suited options as per the requirements of the customer.
we visited them on january 20th, 2021, a wednesday (a weekday). we were a small group of five.
beginning with the soup, the spinach, hemp soup is a must try! absolutely delicious. the tomato soup is finely made as well, but it does seem pretty standard and home-like. the wooden soup spoons and crockery used in the shape of a mug that is used to serve the soup in, surely adds to setting the right appetite.
in the short eats / starters / appetizing morsels as santé calls it, we had a plethora of options. dim-sums, sushi rolls, guacamole, black beans, what not. a special green pav bhaji was made for us thanks to the offer of our wonderful executive assistant! it was phenomenal. served with about 6 portions of wheat-based pav, neatly cut into two, horizontally (which spared us a ton of anxiety about the perfect cut). there was a few onions and lime on the side with the bhaji to enhance the taste after having placed the bhaji on the bottom half.
recommendations - edamame dumplings, the guacamole (it is to die for, and the chips are really good, although a bit disproportionate to the dip, in terms of quantity), the crunchy chlorophyll dumplings are a must try if you’re a thai red curry fan! kimchi dumplings were pretty sour, but went well with a dip that they gave. not the standard kimchi that we relish at pan-asian restaurants in india, quite different. worth giving it a try if you’re a kimchi connoisseur! the avocado sushi rolls were fabulous with the soya sauce.
to have a little drink with your food at this point, the following ones were pretty good -
- activated charcoal lemonade
- pineapplespinachspearmint bottlegourd pomegranate (really packed with all the bells and whistles!)
- moringa protein almond shake
- strawberry shake (my absolute favourite!) - must try
main course made us go tizzy once again, with the variety of options on offer.
quinoa biriyani, quinoa penne primavera seemed to be popular options, but we went ahead with the roti served with a raita and, methi panneer bhurjee (the panneer here was gluten-free). incredibly well made would be an understatement.
the whole wheat spaghetti, kale pesto took the cherry for everyone. protein rich, filled with vegetables wonderfully sautéed and a mild sauce that was all done so well together, made us all want to have more and more of it. everything around the table disappeared at that moment !
the thin crust pizzas have always been a signature dish here. the organic farm fresh vegetables with all that you can ask for, were done beautifully. the cheese on the pizza did not feel like it was anything unusual, but it indeed was, and you only realised that, much later after having finished eating.
with this sumptuous meal and more, i think this place is one which is perfectly balanced in more ways than one, making the foodie and the health-freak want to revisit often! a must go to restaurant for any meal of the day if you are in chennai.