Adupadi

Aah.... the taste of Chettinaad cuisine in Adupadi is one of the best things you can experience in Bangalore. The ambience is interesting - of an old house in Tamil Nadu. The food is very good. Almost every item is worth ordering twice and the spice in each item is very well balanced. And do not miss the coconut milk payasam there. It’s a sheer beauty on your palette.

There are restaurants that serve Chettinad cuisine and then there is a place like Adupadi! Here is something that folks don't seem to understand about Chettinad cuisine - it is rich, flavorful and it has non-veg. By rich I mean rich because of the fact that they use the maximum number of spices to flavor their dishes. The time taken to cook everyone of their dishes is ridiculous!! The heat comes primarily from the multitude of spices they use. Having travelled and eaten at the very heart of Chettinad by some of the best cooks there, Adupadi, for me takes number one place for me in Bangalore! I guess folks who aren't aware of their cuisine are carried away by their expectations that don't match their taste. Standouts for me - Nalli soup - Cleared my nasal cavity with the pepper and set me up for the rest of the meal. Nethilli(anchovies) fry - crispy exterior, soft meat and crunchy bones! Pulli kuzhambu - Was off the hook, the tangy flavors and the heat, I could have a bowl of it, neat! The rasam - Green tomato rasam sets the bar so high with the tangy tamarind and equally tangy green tomatoes. Chettinad chicken kurma - The true soul of Chettinad stood head and shoulder above the rest. Perfect match, be it with the whole wheat chapati or rice! Onion Pepper Chicken - Another side dish that went so well with the chapati. Sakkarai payasam - Rice desert sweetened with sugar, puts your mouth at ease. Not enough??!? The Panner soda - Rose water in some soda water will set all those sensory buds in your mouth at peace (although I prefer the lingering taste of all the food to remain) & a tad to sweet after all that heat! Colleagues of mine who were skeptical about the poor rating of this place on Zomato were completely sold!! (Whew! I lucked out!!) Truth be told, I have always found that some of the reviews are misleading and I rather rate the place myself. Jackpot! Again!! 0.5 less because I was way to hungry and the service was just a tad slow but the service staff made up for it with some fantastic service!