The Kaala buzz may have died down everywhere else. But there’s one place in Chennai that’s still bustling with guns, smoke, fire, and Rajinikanth fans.
The drama is still fresh at J Hind in GRT Grand, which is serving a degustation fondly named ‘Semma Weightu’ to celebrate the superstar. All the dishes, prepared using modern gastronomy techniques and featuring a touch of fusion, have names that allude to Rajini’s most famous dialogues. The use of smoke guns and blowtorches is a common theme.
The set meal kicks off with ‘Vandutenu Sollu Amuse Bouche’ — blackberry spheres served with black carrot konji shots. The little spheres burst in your mouth allowing you to relish the crunch of blackberry seeds against the smoothness of black carrot. Once you’re done with that, prepare your taste buds for the roller coaster of flavours to arrive.
What comes next is ‘Who’s the Blacksheep Soup’ — a silky chicken and shiitake mushroom soup infused with black bean foam for meat lovers, and blended beetroot with truffle dust and dehydrated fennel for vegetarians.
As the mild taste soothes the throat, sous chef R.N. Shrinath, who calls himself an ardent fan of the Thalaivar, explains, “We have experimented with not more than 15 menus to produce this outcome. The idea has been at the back of my mind for over ten years now. To infuse the dishes with the signature black element, we have used activated charcoal, black garlic, black carrot, mushrooms, olives and other ingredients.”
The conversation fades out as the starters are served. Before we can dig into them, the chefs pull out guns and start torching the dishes, only to make them dangerously delicious. Among the best dishes of the evening are the Paruppu Puranam Black Momos, the Hung Curd Kebabs, which present a perfect balance of sweet, salty and sour, and the Blackened Spicy Mango Wrap. The shawarma with a twist refreshes the palate and gets you ready for the main course.
After an adventurous first half of the meal, ‘Adhirudhulla Main Course’ finds its way to the table. The Dal Makhni infused with cherry wood smoke is a standout. And the Mundru Mugam Mundiri Kuska, a three-tiered rice dish, the David Billa Biryani, and the Sheer Korma are visual delights and treats for the tongue.
For anyone planning to sample this menu, save some space for the ‘Ithu Epdi Irukku Desert’. Chef Dhruv arrives at the table with a cart of ice cream made using liquid nitrogen. He infuses a walnut brownie ice cream with Kahlúa, flambés it and serves it with crispy palm-sugar jalebis, black prunes and black pancakes.
The experience is a pleasure partially owing to the delicious food, and partially because of the drama of the dishes.
