Celebrating golden jubilee and revisiting culinary classics

CHENNAI: Established in 1974 in Chennai, Taj Coromandel is working towards the objective of offering warm hospitality and serving rich culinary heritage from across the globe. They started the Golden Dragon restaurant, which is one of the first Chinese diners in Chennai.

After intensive research and consulting with the chefs who have previously worked here, the hotel has come up with a menu featuring their timeless classic dishes from Golden Dragon, Anise and Southern Spice. Talking about taking the guests and patrons on a nostalgic culinary ride, executive chef Sujan Mukherjee says, “This initiative is a tribute to the contributions of old chefs by the current chefs. For the first time, we are having a discount of 50 per cent on the iconic classic menu.”

Having been associated with Taj for almost nine years, Sujan shares, “In this period of time, the food scene of Chennai has changed tremendously, especially after Covid-19 pandemic. People have become more experimental and health conscious as well. This motivated the chefs to work on those grounds to come up with innovative dishes. With growing social media influence, people are aware of the food trends around the globe and are ready to try them. Chennai is really happening and the happening is happening very fast.”

To try these timeless classics, we did a restaurant hopping. Starting at the Golden Dragon, the cha choy tofu soup is a blend of Sichuan pickled vegetables and vermicelli noodles, which is light and refreshing. Next, we tried the novel crunchy lotus root, which is stir-fried and not deep-fried with an authentic taste. The crushed garlic is an add-on flavour. The old-style crispy butter corn was crispy and fluffy with a tinch of garlic and chilli. Our most favourites were the succulent Singaporean chilli crab meat and the tender zima lamb. The spicy level in the chilli crab was apt and the zima lamb was flavourful.

We then visited the Southern Spice to try the enchanting south Indian delicacies from their menu that dates back to 50 years ago. The kayar kattiya mutton kola urundai had rustic taste. The kuli paniyaram, banana inippu paniyaram and adai with vellam and pure butter are must-trys. Among the chutney accompaniments, the ginger and garlic chutneys paired well with the kuli paniyaram. The Alleppey fish curry was appetising and the manathakkali vatha kozhambu was tangy. At the Anise, we savoured the ricotta and spinach ravioli with sage butter and parmesan cheese. The chicken tikka and raw mango pizza had unique flavours, with a thin crust. The old-school choux swans at the La Patisserie had mango pulps, that matched the season. The chocolate pyramid was luscious with a thick layer of ganache and soft chocolate cake.

Revisit and relish the iconic timeless culinary classics at the Taj Coromandel Chennai, Nungambakkam. The celebration is on at Golden Dragon till May 15. At Anise, it is from May 17 to 31 and in Southern Spice it is from June 1 till 16. In La Patisserie, it is from July 1 to August 3. For more details, contact 044 6600 2827 / 78248 62311.