Top restaurant Indian accent brings its celebrated flavors to Chennai

CHENNAI: Celebrating their 15th anniversary, one of the renowned restaurants in India, Indian Accent, has come to Chennai for the first time. The two-day pop-up, until today, will showcase the diner’s contemporary approach to Indian cuisine at Hyatt Regency Chennai. Recently, the restaurant was ranked third in India’s Top 50 Restaurants list and secured the first position last year.

Nowadays, many restaurants try to serve fusion dishes, by blending different flavours and cuisines. But not everyone succeeds in the attempt. Indian Accent’s concept is unique in blending both Indian and global dishes, which is quite tough to excel in.

Shantanu Mehrotra, executive chef at the diner, says, “When we started the restaurant, we were clear that we do not want to be typecast as another traditional Indian restaurant. We wanted to elevate Indian food, presenting it in a degustation style, paired with wines and incorporating elements that are not traditionally part of Indian cuisine but beautifully complement it. The food elements should complement each other rather than clash.”

Going back in time, the chef recalls the first dish they created using this concept and how it motivated them to take this further. He adds, “The very first thing that we did was a blue cheese naan, panko-crusted bharwan mirch and goat cheese mousse. So, it was a take on jalapeno waffles but inspired by the Rajasthani mirchi vada. We paired it with chilli aam papad chutney. Aam papad used to be something we got outside our schools but it's slowly fading away, especially the black, khate aam papad. With these ideas, we started working on a concept that combines international dishes with Indian ingredients and vice versa. Alternatively, we explored inventive dishes, like the pork ribs. Pork is less eaten in India except in the Northeast or Goa, but it goes well with a sweet-sour touch. For example, we used Gujarati chundo, and with that, the story goes complete.”

The pop-up features some of the iconic dishes of the restaurant, which the chef hopes to get a warm welcome from the vibrant people of Chennai. Some of their distinctive dishes include tofu medu vadai with madras gun powder and sambar cream, arbi galawat with crispy sevai and barberry chutney, ker sangar paneer with Rajasthani papad kadhi, and beet and peanut butter chop, kasundi cream, beetroot crisps, Kanyakumari crab, tellicherry pepper; duck shaami, crispy sevai, barberry chutney, and meetha achaar pork ribs with dried mango and sour apple.

Talking about their first-time visit to Chennai, Shantanu Mehrotra shares, “We wanted to bring the unique flavours of the diner to the vibrant city, sharing our culinary journey, which spans across India and showcasing our innovative approach to Indian cuisine. By doing so, we aim to offer the city’s food lovers an unforgettable experience, highlighting diversity and creativity, while connecting with Chennai’s rich culinary heritage.”