The team at Heritage has opened up a world of culinary delights with crustaceans this month. A tantalising sea food festival has crabs, prawns, lobsters, shrimps, squids, clams, oysters, baby octopus on the platter every weekend night.
A push cart placed at the entrance displays the fresh catch from the deep sea. Customers can choose fish of their choice and even sauces and ingredients for the preparation and the chefs cook it fresh. “People like the idea and especially the foreigners ask us to customise a variety of lobster specials,” says Executive chef R.Rajesh, the brain behind the weekend festival.
When the restaurant gets crowded it takes extra time for the orders to land on the table. Those who don’t want to wait can trust the Chef’s choice from the dinner buffet. Even as the steaming prawn soup tempered with pepper is brought to my table, I fancy the tangy papri-chaat with shrimps from the salad section. A unique seasoning and a distinct flavour makes it so chatpata. The initial spoons of the soup set the tongue on fire but gradually feel mild on the throat.
Saturday evening the dining area is filled with people and aroma of fish curries. The interior in decorated with fishing nets, dim lights and colourful cut outs of marine life lending a beachside effect to the restaurant, where waiters in fishermen’s attire look busy.
The chefs have worked hard to include a variety of dishes in the menu. “We have been careful about the selection of fish,” says Rajesh. “The freshness adds to the authentic taste,” he says, “and we choose not to immerse our recipes in too many masalas.” “Sea fish is expensive and people should be able to differentiate the taste and texture of each,” he adds. He is offering different assorted menus every weekend with at least a dozen items in the main course.
Mix seafood stew, crab masala, calamari and prawns cooked in saffron cream sauce, to ailla meen kozhambu, vazhai meen moilee, chilli fish, chemeen curry – there is a lot more that takes you on a journey of cuisines of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
My favourite is the standard crowd-pleaser, the prawns that can be enjoyed in different ways. I had it in the salad and the soup, as prawn 65 in the non-veg platter and as curry in the main course.
Fish tikkis and hariyali fish kebabs, tuna and oyster roasts, tandoori pomfret and spicy fried squid, Thai style crabs, nethili fry or the sea bass (Bekti) come styled as a wholesome platter and make a mini meal. The different types of fish curries pair well with steamed rice or parottas and idiyapams, idlis or dosas off the live counter. Whether curried, grilled or fried, the items are perfectly blend and done. The spice levels are contained though some of the fish curries look oily and spicy in appearance, but taste comparatively bland.
To keep the meat lovers happy in an all too fishy section, there is chicken biryani and mutton rogan josh as well and the ever popular schezwan noodles. Vegetarians need not despair. There is a section devoted to them with kashmiri pulao, paneer lababdar, vegetable chettinad and more. The dessert section with an elaborate spread is equally tempting. Though I skip it, there is phirni, ragi semi payasam, jackfruit ice cream, oats halwa and milk petha for a sweet end to the dinner.
Quick facts
When: 21 to 23 September and 28 to 30 September, from 7.00 p.m. to 11.00 pm
Where: Hotel Heritage, Kochadai
Hit: The buffet cost for the elaborate spread
Miss: Delay in on-the-spot orders, Confusion with too many items
Meal for One: Rs.899 per person inclusive of tax
Call: 0452 238 5455 for reservations