I have been meaning to visit 'Chennai Cafe', ever since I landed here. My friends promised me that this is the ultimate destination for anyone who is looking for some delicious south Indian fare in and around Dallas.
So I went along to see if the place actually deserved the positive word of mouth reviews that it had been receiving. It was the last day of Spring break and I saw a signage at the reception, buffet lunch for 15.99 USD. Free for kids. There was a big crowd at reception consisting of people who were waiting for a table. Just when I was on the verge of giving a minus 2 for chaos, a lady in host uniform guided me to a nearby sofa and asked me to register my name on the waiting list and informed me that it might take atleast 20 minutes to get a table. Being the brave soul that I was, I decided to relax and wait, how could I return empty stomach from the supposed mecca of south Indian good!? In about 15 minutes, an elderly bearded gentleman took me to my table in a very gracious manner. Must have been the owner of the place, not sure though.
I decided to take a tour of the mindboggling array of dishes first. Saw a live dosa counter, samosa chaat counter, fish, chicken curry, chicken tandoori, mutton, paneer makhni, bhajjis, curd rice, rasam and what not. The desert spread was also good. Gulab jamun, rasmalai, and dry sweets. Couldn't taste everything obviously. Fish was delectable and also the dosa. Quality of food was definitely a 9 on 10. But the best part of the restaurant is the superb personalized service, the host coming upto our table multiple times to check if we needed anything else and the waiters filling up our glasses even before it was halfway down. I was pleasantly surprised and mentioned the same to the hostess. Real time compliments are the best and I felt the restaurant deserved it. Had fresh orange after the meal, paid extra for that as it was not part of the buffet menu. The juice was actually freshly squeezed as I could feel the pulpy strands in my mouth. Overall, a great experience at Chennai restaurant. Bit pricey, but worth it.
So I went along to see if the place actually deserved the positive word of mouth reviews that it had been receiving. It was the last day of Spring break and I saw a signage at the reception, buffet lunch for 15.99 USD. Free for kids. There was a big crowd at reception consisting of people who were waiting for a table. Just when I was on the verge of giving a minus 2 for chaos, a lady in host uniform guided me to a nearby sofa and asked me to register my name on the waiting list and informed me that it might take atleast 20 minutes to get a table. Being the brave soul that I was, I decided to relax and wait, how could I return empty stomach from the supposed mecca of south Indian good!? In about 15 minutes, an elderly bearded gentleman took me to my table in a very gracious manner. Must have been the owner of the place, not sure though.
I decided to take a tour of the mindboggling array of dishes first. Saw a live dosa counter, samosa chaat counter, fish, chicken curry, chicken tandoori, mutton, paneer makhni, bhajjis, curd rice, rasam and what not. The desert spread was also good. Gulab jamun, rasmalai, and dry sweets. Couldn't taste everything obviously. Fish was delectable and also the dosa. Quality of food was definitely a 9 on 10. But the best part of the restaurant is the superb personalized service, the host coming upto our table multiple times to check if we needed anything else and the waiters filling up our glasses even before it was halfway down. I was pleasantly surprised and mentioned the same to the hostess. Real time compliments are the best and I felt the restaurant deserved it. Had fresh orange after the meal, paid extra for that as it was not part of the buffet menu. The juice was actually freshly squeezed as I could feel the pulpy strands in my mouth. Overall, a great experience at Chennai restaurant. Bit pricey, but worth it.
