Ring in Pongal with this festival brunch
As the city is gearing up to celebrate Pongal, Novotel Chennai Chamiers Road has come up with a specially curated traditional brunch menu to immerse people in the festival spirit
CHENNAI: Chennaiites are on a shopping spree and the city is filled with sugarcanes, mud pots, and festive decor as Pongal is approaching. Meanwhile, the hospitality industry has been coming up with various traditional events and food festivals to spread the festive vibe for the coming four days. Similarly, Novotel Chennai Chamiers Road is organising a brunch to showcase the traditional Pongal feast to visitors.
Talking about the same, executive sous chef Kumar Prabhakar says, “We have tried serving the delicious Pongal meals that are authentic in taste. For the Pongal Brunch, we are covering dishes that are pertinent to the festival and also offer other regular dishes as well.” Did their dishes meet the expectations? The brunch starts with healthy panakam which is a traditional south Indian drink prepared with jaggery, dry ginger, lemon juice, basil leaves and cardamom.
Next comes the Pongal thali, which comprises sweet pongal, sambar sadam, sundak- kai vatha kuzhambu, thengai sadam, vendakkai masala, carrot and beans poriyal, pepper rasam, papad, pickle, curd and banana served on a banana leaf. Among them, the scrumptious sambar sadam and lip-smacking vendakkai masala topped the list. Sweet pongal required more sweetness and the carrot and beans poriyal was decent.
The sundakkai vatha kuzhambu paired with white rice and papad was flavourful. The thengai sadam and pepper rasam were satisfactory. Apart from these, the other dishes featured in the special brunch menu include arachuvitta sambar, poricha kuzhambu, kadalai paruppu payasam, and puran poli, among others. Join the delectable Pongal Brunch on January 14 at Food Exchange, Novotel Chennai Chamiers Road, Nandanam, from 12.30 pm to 4.00 pm.
