The Feast Continues. Review on The Residency, Alwarpet, Chennai

If stars were supposed to glitter in the broad daylight and yet remain as powerful a visible entity as the sun does, then people would no longer respect the Sun for the amount of shine they get. The collection of a handful of stars would alone account for a dozen suns. When the issue comes to choosing a good restaurant, the distinction between Four and Five star facilities wanes into a thread as thin as the celia projecting out of a Jelly fish's body. A Five star facility in all it's capacity may not equal the style and ambience put forth by a Four star one at all instances.

Residency Towers stands high in one of the corners of Busy Vani Mahal Cross roads in Chennai. Vani Mahal is a culture rich auditorium known for hosting diverse cultural events which range from vocal concerts to Prahlad Acharya's Magic shows. Far across the Traffic signal soars up the towering structure spanning seven to eight floors. Flanked by one of Satyam computer's six development centres, Residency overlooks the steel glass frame of Hexaware Technologies at a distant corner on the same side of the road christened G N Chetty Road which is one of Chennai's busy traffic channels. The walls are painted in the hues of Earth and Mahogany and a hundred windows open to the altitude that is bound to make any Bungee-Jumping freak proud. A thick foliage gives the building a pristine look as a bevy of automobiles line outside the premises unattended.

I was fortunate to get a sneak preview into the proceedings of the famed Residency restaurant, courtesy a formal business lunch arranged with my clients from Hewlett Packard, Atlanta. The restaurant is situated on the first floor and you have to climb up the steep staircase. Two giant doors fitted with Brass knobs await your gratuitous initiation as a small yet immaculately furnished room welcomes you. As one moves ahead, a long table at the centre of the room with the eatables contained in silver and stainless steel vessels stands guard. Seating arrangement for the multitude has been done in the form of a long oval table at the northern corner while sofas attached to walls are scattered throughout in such a manner that people in small groups can relish the atmosphere while looking at each other. The buffet lunch and dinners are the prime specialities in this restaurant. To start with, one can choose amongst Tomato/Mushroom/Sweet 'n' Sour/Chicken soups with bread crumbs floating and waiting to be munched the next moment. A kerala speciality AVIYAL is also let loose which is a combination of vegetables sauted in coconut & curd. Then, enters the cereals department, where in you have the option of choosing from Plain rice, Khichdi, curd rice, Pulavo, while the non-rice takers can satiate their taste buds with Rumali Roti, Tandoori Roti and Maida Kulchas and Aloo parathas get a worthy mention as well. You can go in for the Schizwaan noodles if you find the wormlike appetizers scintillating. They fare out the most exclusive of Non-veg items if you belong to that section, much in the line of tasty Fish in Cream (Taiwanese), Chicken (Thai Style), Lamb chops and even, Pork preparations. Hyderabadi Biryanis are a popular dish here. The Veggies too come across a huge assortment of delicious dishes. Channa Pindi, Paneer Masala, Dal Fry, Dal Makhani, Vegetable Kebabs, Mushroom in Butter Gravy, Moong Dal Halwa among others. Some popular south indian dishes are also available namely, Alapuzzha Chicken Curry, Chettinadu dishes etc. The overhead speakers suffuse light music and inspiring instrumentals into the ambience while one is busy digesting the loads of calories he was subject to the other moment. Then, starts the dessert mela where you have different variety of Ice Creams, Fruit mixtures,Cakes, Gulab jamuns and a variety of other sweets. The Sweet eaters will break into a jig at the sight of Rosomalai and Mishti Dhoi, a famous Bengali speciality. The process of mastication consummates with the inhalation of the strong yet tickling flavour of a glass of Jeera water.

Like the one I discussed during the presentation of a review on GRT Grand Days, we come across a hefty sum as we prepare to leave the restaurant. A normal buffet lunch costs an eye-popping 350 rupees which is undeniably beyond the pocket of an average middle-class family. But, since our expenses are soon reimbursed by the clients and more often, they are directly borne by them, we seem to relish the moments. If one is really optimistic about what he wants to gorge on, then Residency is one of the MUST-VISITS.

The Feast continues...