'I aim to serve authentic Chettinad food. Chettinad food is meant to be spicy; if it is not spicy it is not Chettinad,' says Ramesh Kumar, managing partner of the Usilampatti Chettinad Restaurant. And the chef, one finds, has not neglected this aspect. So diners may find the food here hot and tangy, but, be assured, it is some of the most delicious Chettinad food available in Chennai. Ramesh Kumar came under the spell of this cuisine through his mother's cooking. There is hardly a dish on the menu which he has not tasted and enjoyed before and all his favourites are featured in it. So he is also his chef's most discriminating critic.

The name of the restaurant is taken from a small town in Karaikudi District, and, in an attempt to give it a hometown ambience, the owners have transshipped most of the interior appointments from a palace in that region: the wooden beams running across the ceiling; the four polished pillars marking the corners of the central area, much as they would the central courtyard in a house; the intricate fresco on the wall and the statuettes of a rearing horse, dancing peacocks and other figures topping the wooden partitions between the wings and the central area. The glass lamp-shades too are of designs indigenous to that part of Tamil Nadu.

While Chettinad's meat preparations are its most celebrated, its vegetable dishes are no less tasty. The cost of dining here, considering the enjoyment experienced, is quite economical.  The chicken and Japanese quail dishes cost from Rs.40 to Rs.80 and Turkey Roast Rs.90. The Chicken Poriyal and Kannadi Chicken Kolambu are especially good. The seafood dishes: fish, prawn and crab - Crab Soup is a 'Special¹ for Rs.35 - cost from Rs.40 to Rs.80. Mutton dishes range from Rs.45 to Rs.60. The Brain Fry is recommended. Lunch time thali meals are served for Rs.35. The Biriyanis, at Rs.40 to Rs.70 per plate, are good, but not quite up to the rest. Outstanding are the Mutton Keema Dosai for Rs.30 and the Egg Dosai for Rs.20.

Usilampatti is a true theme restaurant; it does not serve any other cuisine. For lovers of Chettinad food, it offers a complete, satisfying dining experience. Usilampatti Chettinad Restaurant is on the first floor of New College Complex, 93 (24) Peters Road, Royapettah, Chennai 600 014. Telephone: 821-1462. Open 12 noon to 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

Arun Masilamoni

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