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The difference is in the detail
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It's regular food served in a refined ambience at the relaunched Copper Chimney
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PHOTO: SHAJU JOHN
TASTY FARE At Copper Chimney
Some restaurants inspire loyalty. Maybe you eat there once a week. Or celebrate every anniversary there. Or send all your friends there for a meal. Copper Chimney drew actor Suneil Shetty, all the way from Mumbai, for its opening.
He wowed the crowds, but in the kitchen, it was life as usual. After all, the team of Chefs — brought in from Mumbai for the grand re-launch — are used to celebrities. For the four Copper Chimney restaurants in Mumbai draw everyone from glamorous cover girls to expansive corporate head honchos.
The Chennai restaurant was originally far more low profile than its Mumbai counterparts. Although it had its regulars, with its dark clichéd `Indian restaurant' interiors it didn't really stand out in the present day Chennai, exploding with colourful new restaurants and buzzing with hipsters looking for a place to see and be seen. It was clearly time for a change. So astute businessman Mahadevan — the man behind Hot Breads, Zara, Oriental Inn, Don Pepe, Planet Yumm and Benjarong — decided to give the restaurant a drastic makeover.
Bright ambience
The result is a bright and airy restaurant as different from its original as a tangri kebab from a carrot. The designer has clearly made an effort to move away from the usual Mughlai décor, generally accompanied by incense, oily food and kitschy oil paintings. Here there are clean lines and a contemporary feel resulting in a pleasant and perhaps mildly sterile atmosphere.
The cuisine isn't ground breaking. But that isn't their intention. Copper Chimney seems to be about old-fashioned North Indian-Mughlai food, served up steaming and straight. The difference is the attention to detail and stress on quality ingredients. The paneer, for instance, is flown in regularly from Mumbai because the chefs have only found one supplier who can get it to the required softness. As a result, the good old paneer tikka here is light, fluffy and irresistible, marinated in yoghurt, draped in ground spices, and glazed in the tandoor.
Do try the kebabs. They seem to be the speciality here: boti kebabs twanging with the brisk flavours of nutmeg and mace; flaky, moist fish tikka and the distinctive chicken malai kebab, rich, velvety and grilled to perfection.
The rest of the food is tasty, even if it's not always exciting — spicy rogan josh, creamy Goan prawn curry and subz handi, generously spiced and dusted with raw mango powder. This is regular food, served well. Perfect for days when you feel like indulging in a good, fragrant curry.
Copper Chimney is on Cathedral Road. Call 28115770 or 28114941 for reservations.
SHONALI MUTHALALY
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