Are your taste buds tingling for a taste of the cuisine from the Far East? If so, you can indulge them right here, right now. Shogun restaurant, run by the Shyam group, offers you a variety in Thai, Malay, Indonesian, Chinese and Singapore cuisine. This casual restaurant has been functioning for the past four years in the 'Kaaraikudi restaurant' complex. Ming Garden, an open-air eat out in the same place, has been revived as Shogun, with an okay décor and lovely flower arrangements and there is also a miniature waterfall to soothe your over-worked nerves!!  

This 25 plus seat restaurant caters not only to the rich and famous but also to the bourgeois. The prices vary according to the size of the meat or catch (in the case of sea food). You can choose the amount of chicken breast or the dimension of the crab or lobster you want in your food, and you are billed accordingly. This is a great idea because you can decide the size of the portions and it minimises the wastage of food. 

Amongst all the cuisine available, Thai is real popular, only next to Chinese. If you like fire-alarm spicy food, then you should go in for Thai dishes. An ideal Thai meal starts with Tom Yum soup (veg/non-veg), followed by the Thai fried rice, accompanied by Choo Chee Pla (?!) (Thai fish curry) and polished off with your favorite ice cream or the date pancake/ banana toffee which are the house specialities. The most piquant dishes are marked with a red chilli against them in the menu card, to guide you. 

If you are a person who loves sea food, then you are in the right place. Before even ordering your meal the range of fresh catch is displayed, so that you can choose according to your taste. The most famous sea food dishes are Pomfret fry and the Singapore chilly crab, says P. Vincent, Vice-President of the restaurant complex. And the vegetarians need not worry; you too have a wide variety to choose ranging from the famous Manchurian to the more exotic Manchow and Tom Yums.

All the cooks in the restaurant are Chinese, who have been taught the various cuisine. Every year the restaurant holds a food festival and master chefs are invited over to train the boys. Recently the Singapore food festival was held where the unique flavors of the island country were made available. Special mention should be made of the courteous staff of the restaurant, who guide you in choosing the right dishes according to your taste, with affection. I couldn’t get my tongue round many of the names, on the menu, but no sweat, call the guy to your table and starting pointing them out excitedly. A meal can cost between Rs. 150 to Rs. 300 and the portions can be shared by two people. 

So if you are ready for a casual or an all dress-up affair, you can drop in & hog to your heart’s content and still return with some cash intact for another day. 

Shogun,
Karaikudi Restaurant Complex, 
No. 84, Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai, 
Chennai-4. 
Phone: 8269122 ,8251128 

Malini