Southern Aroma - Residency Towers

It's been a while since I attended a CFG bloggers' meet, the last one being Southern Spice at the Taj. And after having some really mad evenings at work, I just wanted to break free and thought this would be the perfect way to unwind. The last time Aaroo, Shadir and I were at the Crown, Residency Towers, it was a brilliant experience and therefore, there was some expectation.

It was a rainy evening and the foodies were present along with their gadgets.

 We were supposed to check out their new menu and the dosa fest. Unfortunately, there was neither a new menu nor a dosa fest. We were served dishes from the regular menu card. And the dosa fest apparently starts from Monday (22-Jul-2013). There were plenty of non vegetarian dishes, and me - the lone vegetarian - was left uncared for.

The vegetarian fare was minimal. The veg starters included malli vada, kalaan fry and allepey home made paneer. The malli vada was dry and the Sr. Sous Chef said that's how it's supposed to be. The Kalaan fry was marginally better and though shaped like a mushroom, we really couldn't see any mushrooms inside. Minced, perhaps? The paneer was soft and succulent. While this was on the table, there were at least 5 non vegetarian starters that made their rounds.

It was now time for the main course. The non vegetarian dishes started flowing one by one and I was left gaping at their plates. Despite repeated reminders, the vegetarian dishes arrived only towards the end by which time I neither had the appetite nor the inclination to eat. There were at least 7 non vegetarian dishes that were on the table, compared to the measly 2 vegetarian dishes that arrived quite late.

The kadamba kurma was good enough while the methi beans curry was bitter from the methi and certainly not a combination with dosa / parotta. There was no rice, no idiyappam or aappam. The dosa was dry and saltless, much to my annoyance. The parotta though was flaky and good. And finally, as we all decided we've had enough to eat, a vendakka fry landed on the table. Crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, this was perhaps the best of the lot.

We rounded off the dinner with some delicious rasamalai.

This dinner leaves a lot to be desired including some mismatched prices on the water bottles, which the good doctor promptly spotted. Service was slow, which is fair enough if you have something on your plate to eat, but when the rest of your friends are eating and you have to watch them do so, well.. what can I say!

*This is part of Chennai Food Guide's Bloggers' Meet.