Check your ‘weekend’ vibes at this new diner in Chennai

CHENNAI: On a sunny afternoon, Mount-Poonamallee Road was bustling with peak hour traffic. The Weekend is a new restaurant that has opened on the happening road. Once we reach the fourth floor of the building, the restaurant welcomes us with its unique vibe.

The mural and the shack-style ambience completely impresses us, with a feel of a beach vacay. Launched on Gandhi Jayanthi, The Weekend is owned by three IT professionals, Divya, Kamal and Venkatesh. “We live in Porur and have to travel all the way to Anna Nagar in pursuit of good food. That inspired us to bridge this gap in Porur and provide great quality food with a unique ambience here. This place is apt for people from all walks of life,” says Divya, one of the partners.

The murals were created by artist Vignesh, who changed the entire atmosphere of the restaurant. Talking about the expanding F&B interest in Porur, Kamal shares, “There is a considerable surge in the number of IT professionals residing in Porur. However, things are quite slow because of the ongoing Metro Rail works.”

Enjoying the lush green view from the closed roof-top diner, we started with the sangria sunset, a combination of seasonal fruits with flavoured syrups. Blending south Indian cuisine with continental, the kozhi sukka bruschetta is a must-try. Another dish that aced the list was green prawn sukka. The juicy prawns cooked in Mangalorean-style spicy coriander masala were drooling. The paneer tikka purana dili se was decent.

From their wide variety of combos, we tried the curd rice with chicken ghee roast combo. Both the dishes complemented each other. A notable dish is laal maas with garlic naan. A traditional Rajasthani delicacy, the tenderly cooked mutton pieces with rich curry was flavourful.

The tender coconut and rose pudding and berry panacotta were subtle and delicious. The diner is a perfect hangout place to enjoy great food in a relaxing ambience.