Eerie Food Expedition - Haunted - Theme Restaurant Review

Where: Haunted (Theme Restaurant)

Address: F13, New Number 71, 2^nd Main Road, Anna Nagar East, Chennai

Cuisine: North Indian, Italian, Chinese, Arabian

The curiosity and attraction towards theme restaurants haven’t died even after many marching their way into Chennai. But one couldn’t get spookier, yeah spooky as hell passing chills to your senses, ringing threats to your ears and accompanies you with fear and food. They have brought out the images and things from some of the scariest movies, though I wanted to visit the restaurant it was my fear towards the unknown kept me away from the place. And an invite to dine with a big gang of fellow foodies brought down my fear quotient.

Haunted experience got enhanced from the moment we googled for the location. There are two ‘Haunted’ restaurants that pop-up in Google maps; one leads you to the correct location and the other did really lead us to a spooky locality of Anna Nagar which indeed wasn’t pleasant. Hope the issue with the location gets fixed and this one is located near ‘Dindigul Thalappakatti’. And as you enter the restaurant, remember to watch each step as you might not know which would scare you away.

The food menu is vast and the lineup of dishes made it all the more interesting. Being an invite we let the restaurant bring their best food, and drinks were our choices. The dishes kept piling up and there was hardly any time to rest. Though the number of dishes was more, it all came down to how they tasted.

Fries

The Murgh Badami Shorbha (Chicken Almond Soup) was one of the standout; the right consistency and taste made that an enjoyable bowl. Every ones excitement doubled when the ‘Tandoori Smoke Bar (Platter)’ was placed before us. The portion is humongous with cluster of chicken, mutton and fish tandoor; except for the mutton and a salty fish I enjoyed the three chicken tandoors.

Grilled Fish, Prawns

And one-by-one the veg and non-veg starters made their way. The Haunted Fries were the good ones in veg starter; I didn’t quite enjoy the Breaded Mushroom and Paneer Manchurian. The paneer was tough to chew and not a fan of mushroom. Shifting my focus to the non-veg starters, I enjoyed the crispiness of the Fish Finger though the seasoning on the fish was a miss. The Singaporean Chilly Prawn and Grilled Fish are dishes that definitely need a change; the prawn was hard and fish weren’t cooked right, those dishes would be a hit if they work on the flavors and properly cook the meat.

Fish Fingers

Mushrooms

After a mixed experience with starters, the Mains weren’t as better as they were expected to be. All the Indian breads were good (Naan, Stuffed Naan, Roti, etc.) and the gravies went along well with the breads; Methi Murgh and Kofta Bhukara were the good ones.

And that wasn’t the end; there was Alfredo, Pasta Bolognaise, Veg Noodle and Nasi Goring. Alfredo was a default winner. The noodles and bolognaise missed to impress with their flavors. Nasi Goring, though others felt it was good it wasn’t my favorite.

 

Bolognaise, Alfredo, Noodles, Nasi Goring

Finally, it was time to sign-off and there came desserts and drinks. The drinks, especially the smoothies, mocktails and cold beverages, were a disappointment, hope and wish they do something about the drinks else it’s better to take them off the menu. Though desserts were edible even the simplest wasn’t mastered. 

There have lots to improve and focus on when it comes to food taste; even with an interesting food menu and ambience, the taste makes the overall experience not too cherishable. Also, the food plating or presentation could be spooky to wow the diners.

Elaneer Payasam

Breaking Down Points

Location & Parking: Confusing. The location needs to be fixed in maps and no worries on parking.

Ambience: Positive. Spooky and haunted

Food Variety: Positive. Never-ending and you can try 2-3 different cuisines.

Taste: Needs to be improved. Few standouts and many misses.

Quality: Negative. Could work on food presentation and quality wise they should keep an eye on oil level, use of ingredients and balance in taste.

Quantity: Positive. The portion sizes are designed aptly for sharing.

Service: Positive. Prompt and no complaints

Price: NA. If they correct the taste and quality then the pricing would be perfect but right now not a VFM meal. Cost for two would be Rs.1200 approx. 

PC: Jayasuriya

So my Verdict!

Haunted, for the love of evil-spirits this shall be the place you should visit. Food does have scope to improve.  There ambience and service deserves an applause.

P.S. This write-up is based my food palate and dining experience during my restaurant visit. On-the-house invite for tasting session. Remember, no two person’s palate can be same.