The food lovers of Chennai find themselves haunted by a restaurant at 943 Poonamallee High Road. Blue Diamond opened a generation ago, seems to have stuck with our tummies forever. Its only other competitors in the vicinity were Peacock and Das Prakash. Now, Peacock has been shut down and Das Prakash is a ghost of its former self.

The yummy taste you'll remember

The flavour and texture of the food seem to stem as a result of dogged trial and error, by a cook receptive to his guest's tastes, rather than by inspired application of techniques by a master chef. The mulligatawny soup, a firm favourite of regular patrons, is thicker than usual and contains rice and little pieces of chicken!

For biriyani, the rice and meat are cooked separately. The meat is cooked in a tandoor and is therefore, tender enough to melt in the mouth, crisp and subtly spiced and has been driving taste-buds wild for the past twenty-four years!

You choose your style

Indian, Chinese and Continental cuisine is served. Like other restaurants of similar vintage, the menu is extensive with some imaginative concoctions like spring rolls of chicken-and-mushroom and chicken-and-prawn; steaks of fish, chicken and mutton; soup of shark fin with crab or chicken. The place is famous for its butter chicken, stuffed capsicum and panneer butter masala, as well as biriyani and mulligatawny. Meat dishes cost Rs.55-85 and steaks up to Rs.105, vegetable dishes Rs.35-50, biriyani and pulao Rs.45-75, soup Rs.25-40.

As you like it

The cooks are eager to serve to the palatal preferences of their regular patrons, for instance; making eggs without yolks, preparing chicken in Rogan Josh style, and making balls of crabmeat. Chettinad food lovers might be disappointed that, preparations of brain, liver and kidney are not served here, so also beef, pork and liquor.

And the atmosphere 

The large room has a seating capacity of 75 normally, and up to 100 on weekends, and the arrangements are flexible to seat larger groups. The decor is unsophisticated, with clear plastic sheets laid over checked tablecloths, and light-coloured wood paneling on walls and ceiling.

In summer, with a full house, the old air-conditioning system might prove insufficient to cool the entire room, so pedestal fans are pressed into service. The waiters might be short on five-star etiquette but are efficient. Some of them, having been with the restaurant since its start, know their customers well enough to greet them by name.

From dawn to dusk

Blue Diamond, Jewelbox is open from 7.30 am till 11 pm. Breakfast both Indian and Continental can be had from 7.30 till 10.30 am, snacks from 4 till 7 pm. Phone: 641-2244.

Arun Masilamoni

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