‘The Summer House Eatery’ review: People in glass houses

A huge and loyal social media following is a huge advantage. Especially when you are an entrepreneur.

A huge and loyal social media following is also a disadvantage. Especially when you are an entrepreneur. As The Summer House Eatery recently discovered.

In November 2017, popular film composer and singer Anirudh Ravichander posted a picture of the signage of the soon-to-be-opened restaurant The Summer House Eatery, declaring that it was “Coming soon” to his 1.5 million followers. They reacted with 15,925 likes, about 100 comments and a smiley avalanche. On February 1, 2018, he finally posted a photograph of the interiors, titled “A lil eatery which I have ventured into with friends... Opens at 12 everyday. Check it out.” The result? About 66.2 thousand likes, 220 comments and an excited rush of customers.

Unfortunately, the kitchen was not ready for the onslaught.

All this to establish the setting of the first visit for this review, which was soon after the restaurant opened its doors. The Korean fried chicken tasted like a pakora aspiring to be a K-pop star, clothed in gochujang, the savoury-sweet-fermented chilli sauce, and drenched in far too much honey. The crepe limply encased a soggy filling. And the bruschetta fought back when you tried to chew it, ably aided by its cheesy topping.

The service, however, was delightful: cheerful and welcoming, like the sunshine-filled space. It’s the kind of neighbourhood café that deserves a fighting chance. And not just because Instagram is still flooded with #NomNom posts #AtSummerHouse.

Hence Visit Two. Mathangi Kumar, whom you may know from That Madras Place, where she was chef and partner, is in the kitchen. The Summer House Eatery is a project launched by a group of friends: Kumar and Anirudh, as well as wedding photographer Rakesh Prakash and entrepreneur Shreya Bajaj. Kumar is a trained chef from Le Cordon Bleu, London, and says that this menu is an inspired take on bistro food. “A lot of inspired things. A lot of mix and match...”

Although not officially open yet, they have been serving customers since the Instagrammer avalanche, which is why the kitchen is still working on consistency. However, they do have an advantage: a thoughtfully-put-together menu that cleverly focusses on simple food made with a few — but good — ingredients. With a format like this, clean technique and systematic planning can ensure that food is quickly standardised, even with a compact team in the kitchen.

Meal two is so much better than meal one, it is tough to believe they came from the same kitchen, which shows what a big difference just paying attention to details can make. It begins with arancini, which is suitably crunchy outside and steamy inside. Served with a spicy mayonnaise, it’s got a heart of molten cheese.

“I’m trying to create food that reminds you of home,” says Kumar, as she places the next course on the table. “I can see someone eating this over their laptop.” The spaghetti is the essence of modern comfort food, marrying the reassuring stodginess of spaghetti with a nuanced, glossy Thai chilli sauce cooked with tamarind and jaggery, then brightened with roughly torn, fresh basil. Inspired by Sichuan dan dan noodles, a street food typically made with meat, this version uses shiitake mushrooms, which have a satisfying smoky richness.

While the spaghetti is clever, the penne that follows is what really defines Kumar’s current style of cooking. It’s just three ingredients: pasta, parmesan and black pepper. Yet it is rich, creamy and indulgent. We also try the Korean fried chicken again, and this time with less honey and more gochujang, it seems far more Gangnam-ready than the previous version. Dessert is a pineapple upside down cake that is sticky and perhaps a touch too sweet.

We end with macchiatos as we soak in the relaxed vibe. “This used to be Mani Ratnam’s studio,” says Kumar, adding that they loved it the minute they saw it. It’s tucked away in a corner of Alwarpet. But on the bright side, at least it’s easy to find on Instagram.