travelandleisureindia.intravelandleisureindia.in 9593
IF YOU’RE LOOKING TO PAINT
THE TOWN RED...
Head to the Flying Elephant at Park Hyatt Chennai. On
Fridays and Saturdays, the multi-cuisine restaurant comes
up with a specially curated drinks menu with prices starting
at just `500. Or, take a trip around the world with Spice
Haat’s Super Large Sunday Brunch (`1,850). The team of
chefs here dishes out international fare—from Thai curries
and sushi to Tibetan thukpa and much more.from the coast. The repertoire, therefore, goes
way beyond the typical dishes (idli-dosa versions)
usually found in restaurants across the country.From uniquely Tamil versions of the evergreen
biryani, to succulent chicken and pork gravies,
ending with sweets dripping with the goodness
of milk and ghee, Tamil Nadu has something to
suit every taste. All of this is preceded or washed
down (and often both) with a hot cup of frothy
filter kapi served in a stainless-steel tumbler.The two Hyatt hotels in Chennai pride
themselves on authentic recipes from the state,
their offerings inspired from local kitchens. The
Kozhi Chettinadu is a particularly popular dish
at the Spice Haat in Hyatt Regency Chennai,
a nod to the culinary legacy of the prosperous
Chettiar trading community of the Sivaganga
district. The kozhi (chicken) is slow-cooked in a
spicy concoction of freshly ground pepper, star
anise, cloves, cinnamon, coconut and tamarind,
blended with tomato paste, creating meat so
tender that it falls off the bone.And for those with more adventurous palates,
the perfect wake-up call comes in the form of
Podi Idli (coated with a fiery powder paste) at The
Dining Room breakfast buffet at Park Hyatt
Chennai. Or, for later in the day, derive comfort
from the Sambhar Saadam—rice premixed with
tangy sambhar stew—that wafts with the aroma
of freshly ground spices and coconut.SOUL FOOD
Punjab
In the 2003 bestseller Shantaram, former
Australian convict Gregory David Roberts
wrote, “Food is music to the body; music is
food to the heart.” Although his story was
set in Mumbai, this description fits the
North Indian state of Punjab most aptly.
Here, food is as welcoming and hearty asClockwise from left: Cooling coconut chutney, the
perfect accompaniment to the spicy Podi idli at
The Dining Room; a typical South Indian breakfast;
the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
travelandleisureindia.in 95