southern spice - taj coromandel

by far the best south indian place in the country - i have been going there for years (only for special occasions!!!) and though its pricey the experience and food are amazing. the modern yet classical decor is excellent and the entire cutlery and the eye for detail have always wowed me. their melugu rasam (pepper rasam) is a must try and so is their appam and chicken/fish curry. they have a wide menu to choose from and their grilled fish is also excellent. they welcome you with 4 chutneys and some short eats (mini applams etc) and that is pretty yummy too. overall a royal experience and need to try it out to know it

the plates and cutlery are very unique. they had leaf shaped silver ware for plates. we went a la carte and did not opt for their maharaja thali or something like that.. the food was pretty good. we went pretty late there after a movie and it was a very memorable experience. i think it was christmas eve as well and there was a santa claus giving chocolates to everyone there.

it was very expensive but ya what do you expect in a five star hotel's restaurant.

what more can a biryani lover ask for. a south indian biryanis festival at southern spice at taj coromandel, nungambakkam offering nine varieties of biryanis in the a la carte menu, where along with a portion of biryani, you get a beer and a dessert too. being invited for a tasting session, we got to taste all the nine variants. the kerala recipes ruled the roost for me. 
the chef also served us some of their signature starters and they were amazing. 
the biryani festival is on for lunch as well as dinner.
good news: the festival which was supposed to end on 29th may, has now been extended for another week and will go on till june 5th on popular demand.

whatever the origin may be or whoever cooked and came up with the name for the delight of the decade, i would like to say, "i will always be grateful to you deep down my heart". and that's the kind of love i have for biryani. you can never separate us, we would stay together through thick and thin. oh! not just words but the love is genuine; could anything else make me more elated then a biryani festival? not in the wildest dreams. and when called for the tasting session at southern spice, taj coromandel, chennai, the word biryani did the magic.

legend-wait for it - dary. legendary. yeah the famous neil patrick harris punch line from the hit tv series how i met your mother, is something which everyone tells me when i bring up the topic of southern spice. warm, quirky staff, traditional southern decor, beautiful cutlery and food that reminds you of paatis/ naani/ ammamma's delicacies. our family sat down for the meal and ordered banana dosa for starters........ it turned out to be a glorified version of the humble banana fritters. we ordered some hot tomato rasam too which was tangy and hot and was something fantastic to have on a rainy day. main course: we ordered the meen moilee which reminded me of my holidays at kerala .
the malabar parotta was flaky, soft and as expected. the jumbo fried prawns were huge! crispy,spicy and decadent are the best words to describe the dish. we ordered an andhra chicken dish, i can't remember the name of it though but man that was spicy. we ordered some filter coffee which was refreshing. lastly we ordered the elaneer payasam which was pretty sweet and filter coffee ice cream which was amazing.
on the whole :
food : 5/5 hands down.
ambience: 5/5
service: 4.5/5
price : 2.5/5

the magic of southern spice begins as you step through the temple crested doors and the plush carpet cuddles your feet tempting you to kick your shoes off as you are seated in what can only be described as a maharaja's palace or a royal court. combining the 4 states of india, the cuisine matches the decor to every step and is a feast for all the senses.
this is taj hospitality at its finest best.

p.s. this review/rating is for the ongoing biriyani fest that's happening at southern spice till the 5th of june. a must visit for all the biriyani lovers. check outthe blog for more info.

the first word in the blog title should have given you an idea of how excited i feel everytime i hear/see/utter/write/type the word biriyani. who doesn’t love biriyani anyway? uh-oh, yes i know there are a few special species of human beings who don’t like biriyani all that much but let’s not talk about aliens here.

oh my god.! dono from where to start ? ambience, food, service everything is simply amazing.. food is great with authentic taste. and great service provided by the waiter mr. shafi. i visited last week to celebrate my parents wedding day, really we all had great experience. hats off to the entire team of southern spice.! keep rocking.!!

best restaurant for south indian dining!! the quality of the food is very good. they serve food on a silver plate. the interior decor replicates the chettinad lifestyle.

well. extraordinary :) food, ambience​, the staff. very courteous and truly unbelievably understandable. they know what exactly is wanted. mr. bala, who served us was extremely courteous and passionate in his work. the copper serving, ghee, sambar, fish curry, chemeen, omg badam halwa, paal payasam❤️ lunch well spent with "namma thamizh saapadu" brilliant well deserved feast!

you cant go wrong with any of the restaurants at taj coromandel....they serve you with such great service and personal dedication that you would be bowled over...i had earlier stayed there for couple of days and when my wife was leaving, they suprised us with a goodbye cake and a grand thanks....pls look out for elvis there..young fair lad...taj service is impeccable all due to him.

all the biryanis are from only south india. authentic ingredients, traditional flavours and homemade recipes have been put together to serve the most exotic fare that is truly traditional. the team of chefs are presenting a unique compilation of vegetarian and non-vegetarian delicacies after widespread culinary journeys into the interiors of south india, acquiring knowledge, cooking techniques and compiling family recipes.

excellent food & excellent courtesy.mr.ganesh took care of us & suggested the south special foods.all foods were awesome..will like to visit again when we will be again in chennai :)

me and my sister just love taj especially southern spice it’s the tastiest food now words to describe we’ve been there since childhood and the taste is the same

chose to celebrate a milestone event, my husband's 60th birthday at southern spice. was thoroughly disappointed with the place. food, taste, cutlery and everything. but pricing was real 5 star rating. please do not go there and waste your money. their standards have dropped down very badly.