On the Rocks, Crowne Plaza Chennai - Restaurant Week India 2016

What: Restaurant Week India

When: 16 - 25 September 2016

Where: On the Rocks at Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Park

Address: TTK Road, Austin Nagar, Alwarpet, Chennai

Cuisine: Continental, European (6.45 - 11 PM - only dinner)

Food and dining experience comes at all different prices. So when I plan to visit a restaurant the first thing I think about is money. Though food, taste and other factors are important, the money I spend for my meal makes the difference. And dining at a luxurious restaurant property remains a dream for many after we take a glance at their menu card. So that’s when the Restaurant Week India (RWI) concept comes handy for food lovers. It lets the diners to experience at India’s fine dining restaurants at a fraction of the A La Carte rates.

In association with Ola Prime, Restaurant Week Chennai (second time for the year 2016) features 12 restaurants that will offer a three-course prix fixe menu at INR 750 for lunch and INR 900 for dinner per diner (excluding tax). For more details about RWI, click here.

It was On the Rocks at Crowne Plaza for the RWI this time. For the three course meal, each diner could pick one appetizer, one main course and one dessert (note: for signature appetizer and main course INR 100* and INR 200* per head extra). We left the choice of dishes in the hands of Chef and the first couple of dishes to arrive were Baked Camembert and Pickled Cumin Infused Mackerel. 

The rich, cheesy and gooey camembert cheese is baked to perfection. When the sweetness from honey reduction takes an upper hand, the roasted garlic brings a balance between cheese and honey. Definitely baked camembert with honey garlic reduction is one of their signature dishes.

The mackerel wasn’t a favourite; the sharp assertive flavour of the fish is something I personally never enjoy. The roasted Romano peppers were spicy and helps to minimize the strong fish flavour. Even the salsa verde was flat and personally I felt the salsa didn’t go well with the fish. And it was indeed good that they offered another main course as we weren’t happy with this dish.

Before getting on to the mains, I almost forget to mention about their complimentary bread that was undoubtedly delicious. The focaccia bread with drizzle of roasted garlic oil and papaya mayo is stupendous. 

Homemade Tortellini, the flower alike tortellini stuffed with goat cheese and spinach with Harissa cream sauce dressing was cooked perfectly and tasted delicious. The tanginess from sun blast tomato arugula salad cuts down the richness, to sum up – delicious dish.

Braised Lamb Shanks, the cook on the meat and the Jus was perfect. The meat was too tender that it just falls off the bone. The meat is served with eggplant puree, cous cous, cherry tomatoes and preserved lemon. The preserved fruits and puree adds a sweet dimension to the dish but I need for spicy element, even the cous cous with raisins fills your palate with sweetness.  But the lamb is a winner.

Lemon Infused Prawns, the prawns were cooked perfect. And paired with char-grilled tomatoes, chilli marinara sauce and potato tarter, the prawn gets the zest of rich, tangy and spicy medley of flavours. As we were already stuffed, we requested for a small portion and the regular portion will have four prawns.

And finally the best course for the evening, dessert. It was hard to let go off the desserts and they tasted unbelievable droolicious. Sticky Toffee Pudding, the strong flavour of dates excited me as I took each bite of the moist and sticky pudding. The toffee sauce’s sweetness was subtle and didn’t ruin the essence of dates; a MUST try if you’re here.

Nevertheless was Chocolate Delicious, the rich and creamy chocolate mousse is a piece of heaven with raspberry coulis and yogurt ice cream; and the crunch from hazelnut at the centre just makes it perfect. Finally some house special chilli guava ice-cream, these two (chilli and guava) are match made in heaven.

The meal does not include drinks so RWI menu is perfect if you wish to taste and experience their food. And I must appreciate the Chef for lending his ears to listen to our likes or dislikes about food and taking our proposals positively. And special mention to the dessert spoon, that’s one hell of a cutlery artwork and perfectly made to let you enjoy the dessert.

Breaking Down Points

Ambience: Cosy and perfect for a date night.

Food Variety: A well thought collection for dishes to choose from.

Taste: The signature dishes and desserts are a show-stopper.

Quality & Quantity: Perfectly sized portion for a person. No complaints with food quality and presentation.

Service: It was on and off, though the staffs were friendly would have appreciated if they were more prompt and informative.

Price: NA. Cost for two is Rs.2600 INR approx. Dining during RWI is a killer deal considering their A La Carte price range.  

So my Verdict!

On the Rocks at Crowne Plaza is part of RWI along with 11 other luxury diners. So indulge yourself into a three course meal at an affordable price, choose wisely as per your taste preference so your meal is perfect.

For more details or to reserve a table now for the RWI, check www.restaurantweekindia.com.

A pudding you will die for!

P.S. On-the-house blogger invite for RWI tasting session at 'On the Rocks'. The review is based only on their restaurant week menu. Remember, no two person's palate can be same.