Tales of choco dosa, hearty Meals

CHENNAI: Tucked away in one of the central lanes of Teynampet, Tamarind Tales is a new addition to the city’s growing culinary landscape. Every nook and corner of the diner narrates tales of flavour. Started by the couple Kiran and Sonakshi, the restaurant specialises in vegetarian delicacies from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, and Telangana. The ample parking space offered at the diner gets extra brownie points.

Hailing from Ooty, the couple settled in Chennai with dreams of entering the culinary world. “Instead of restricting ourselves to one state, we wanted to focus on all the South Indian states and handpick unique dishes to serve under one roof,” says Sonakshi, who adds that taking everything slow and giving it utmost attention was their guiding principle.

But why the name Tamarind Tales? “Tamarind is a crucial ingredient in almost all the dishes traditionally prepared in this region. To highlight the greatness of the ingredient, we named the diner Tamarind Tales,” she shares.

Apart from the restaurant, they also run a café under the same name, serving the first-of-its-kind filter coffee softy. “To bring in more of a traditional style, we have 35 seats and 35 standing spaces. We will also be introducing our breakfast menu in the coming days,” adds Kiran.

The core idea of the diner is to attract repeat customers, not just one-time visitors. “All our dishes are light and easy to digest, prepared with freshly ground masala. Though numerous restaurants are popping up in the city serving similar cuisines, people don’t get bored with idly and dosa. We stand out with our meticulously curated menu, focusing on unique and authentic delicacies from each state,” Sonakshi notes.

As we entered the diner, the ambience caught our attention with its minimal yet traditional style. Ready for a hearty lunch, we savoured the aromatic mini idly ghee sambar. Taking a step further, the gongura rice with appalams transported us to Andhra Pradesh with its rich and authentic taste.

Kori roti soaked in mushroom bas saru is a must-try for anyone who loves to experiment with different textures and flavours. Then came the special meals featuring sambar, rice, kaara kulambu, kootu, poriyal, rasam, payasam, kuruma, curd, and roti.

One dish that blew our minds and comes highly recommended is the choco crunch dosa. The chocolatey batter and crispiness of the dosa complemented each other perfectly. A splash of ghee enhanced the deliciousness of the delicacy. The aroma of a thick, pudding-like yellow dish caught our eyes. The kesari bhath was the perfect finish to this wholesome dining experience. Best of all, the dishes served here are easy on the wallet.

Indulge in a range of diverse flavours at Tamarind Tales, located on Cenotaph Road in Teynampet.