The city of Chennai boasts of a plethora of restaurants to suit all tastes, palates and pockets. Even though there are several speciality or theme restaurants among them, the most popular are the multi-cuisine restaurants, especially those serving the combination of Indian, Tandoori, Chinese and - as a few do - Continental food too. Then, two years ago the management of the old Carnival restaurant, on C. P. Ramasamy Road - known for being the first establishment in the city to sport a see-through kitchen - opened Chennai's first revolving restaurant, Carnival Heights, on the top floor of Alsa Towers. The view, eight storeys high and seen through windows on all sides of the restaurant, is as spectacular as one could hope to find, and, of course, wherever one chooses to sit, one can watch the city's skyline passing gently by. 

On first taking a seat, one can actually feel the motion, even though the floor takes a full seventy-five minutes to complete a revolution. However, the feeling is not uncomfortable and passes quickly. The menu offers a fairly extensive range of vegetable and meat dishes of the four cuisines, and Chettinad too. The food is cooked without much spice and chilli, and South Indian food lovers might initially feel a little disappointed at the mild taste; otherwise this diner had no complaints about the food. To aid diners who might be unfamiliar with some exotically-named dishes, the menu indicates the degree of spice contained in each dish; a little red chilli appears beside the names of the moderately-spiced dishes, and two red chilles alongside the names of generously-spiced dishes. 

The soups range from a simple Cream of Tomato Soup to Chicken and Prawn Talumein Soup, at Rs.40-65 each. Vegetable dishes include preparations from Manchuria, Beijing, Thailand; several familiar Tandoori dishes of panneer, palak, koftha; Chettinad pakora, curry, kurma and stew; and Continental Corn and Spinach Au Gratin and Spaghetti, priced at Rs.70-90. The meat dishes include some very special preparations; Roast Chicken with Red Wine, Chicken Steak, Grilled Lobster, Pong Ghari Crab, priced at Rs.250-450 each, but the regular Chinese and Chettinad dishes of fried or curried meats cost from Rs.115 to Rs.160. Noodles, rice, pulao and biriyani (chicken, mutton, prawn, egg) cost from Rs.70 to Rs.160. The restaurant's best-known meat dish is Chicken Taronest; nuggets of sautéed chicken contained in a nest of potatoes. 

If one enjoys a little music to accompany dinner, Tuesdays to Sundays are the nights to catch the live band. There is also ample space for dancing. The daily lunch buffet is well-frequented, for at Rs.165 per head, including taxes, it offers a satisfying spread; soup, vegetable starter, six vegetable and three meat dishes, three rice or noodle preparations, and three desserts, including a very good pudding. For a little novelty, good food and the chance to shake a leg to some nice music, a visit to Carnival Heights would make for a good lunch or dinner. 

Carnival Heights revolves on Alsa Towers, 8th Floor, 186 Poonamallee High Road, 600 010. Phone: 6429792/4, 6404016/7. It is open from 12.30 p.m. till 3.30 p.m., and from 7.30 p.m. till 11.30 p.m. 

Arun Masilamoni

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