A royal, rustic Pongal feast for this weekend
Navaratna is a newly-opened restaurant, focusing on nine Indian cuisines. “We shut down the old diner since the pandemic in 2020. We completely revamped the restaurant, before its launch a couple of months ago,” says Bharath Perumal, hotel manager.
Venn pongal; Pachasundakkai kaara kulambu
CHENNAI: With an aim of serving a royal feast to Chennaiites with rustic flavours, Navaratna at Le Royal Méridien Chennai is hosting Uzhavar Virundhu. Navaratna is a newly-opened restaurant, focusing on nine Indian cuisines. “We shut down the old diner since the pandemic in 2020. We completely revamped the restaurant, before its launch a couple of months ago,” says Bharath Perumal, hotel manager.
Giving us a glimpse into the variety of cuisines, director of food and beverage, Narayan Kalal states, “We have curated a royal menu featuring exquisite dishes from nine states- Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan.”
Carrot, beans paruppu poriyal; Manjapoosinikkai thokku
“The harvest festival is celebrated in every part of India with different names. But it is more special and is celebrated with a lot of fervour in Tamil Nadu, as it is deeply rooted in our community and culture. We are offering a unique experience to our guests through Uzhavar Virundhu, wherein we have curated an exclusive menu. The delicacies include a variety of Pongal and forgotten dishes like kambu kuzhu, which is not that prevalent now because of its cooking method,” shares executive chef Daniel Kumar. He adds that the dishes on the menu have been savoured since the Chola era. For all the meat lovers, the restaurant has a non-vegetarian menu on the last day of the festival.
Chef Daniel Kumar
All the dishes served at Uzhavar Virundhu have a touch of authenticity with homely flavours. We began feasting the feast with venn pongal on a banana leaf. The pongal’s taste will definitely take the guests on a nostalgic ride. The sweetness of the sakkarai pongal was apt. The manjapoosinikkai thokku was spicy and flavourful. It went well with the venn pongal. The carrot beans and paruppu poriyal have a homely taste with perfectly cooked vegetables.
Aval payasam
Adrassam is a common quick bite in every household. It is quite difficult to get the perfect texture of the snack. The texture of adrassam at Navaratna was to the tee. Our most favourite dish was the aval payasam, a creamy textured dessert with a not-so-sweet taste. The Tirunelveli halwa was delicious and precisely flawless. Makhan peda also topped the list.
Traditional dessert platter
Uzhavar Virundhu which reflects the culinary heritage of Tamil Nadu, is on till January 19 for lunch and dinner, at Navaratna, Le Royal Meridien Chennai.