A Taste of Dindigul – Review of Chinnaswamy Naidu Biryani

Yep and this begins the story about our #FBAB (Food Bloggers Association of Bangalore) foodie meetup in Chinnaswamy Naidu Biryani which is essentially Dindigul style of preparation. So this  cuisine as we were so patiently explained by Mr. Lakshmikanth is not to be confused with the other south Indian flavors such as Chettinad (which does have a subtle influence IMO) or  Ambur which have their own distinct signatures.

Anyways as you can make out from the snap, we were indeed served on plantain leaves. I suspected eating from these leaves had some benefits but this information nails it.

Right!! Before that the preliminaries

 

Location – 7th Sector HSR or better still click here

Ambiance – Not fine dining but nothing to complain about either. It’s a decent place for families to enjoy some good food with good service and better than most of its counterparts.

I started off with some refreshing buttermilk to beat the heat whilst waiting for the other foodies to join. Once all the hugs and hellos were done with I sat down to start off what I am really good at. EAT !

Here is the list of starters we were served. Mind you, the lime juice was being poured like water all through 🙂

1. Soup – Aatu (Mutton) and Kozhi (chicken)The mutton soup was flavorful but extremely intense. I loved it but it might brainwash the tastebuds to disregard other flavors that follows in the other dishes. I suggest having a lime juice to wash it and refresh the taste buds. The chicken was not as intense and was less stressful on the palate
2. Aatu Kari Kola (Mutton  Mince Meat Ball) – Exquisite !! Every bite was a melt in the mouth moment. The flavors were balanced and you keep gobbling it up without realizing the quantity that is being consumed.
3. Karandi Omelet -This was extremely different from any omelet I have had anywhere. It looked like a cross between a cake and a steamed bun but made of egg. However the uniformity of the salt was a bit shaky with the exteriors being slightly more salty than the inside. It was an interesting experience eating it though
4. Eral (Prawns) Masala/Fry – Prawns, who can resist it?  This was prepared extremely well and the flavor of the prawns came through even through the intense masala. Clever preparation
5. Aatu (Mutton) Kari Chukka – Boneless tender broken down mutton. My favourite and is also a very common Chettin ad dish. Brilliant and a repeat order dish
6. Sora Puttu (Scrambled shark meat) – Again a very popular dish in most chettinad hotels and one of my favs. The spices were very subtle to let the flavor of the meat come through
7. Aatu Nenju Fry (Mutton Chops) – Amazingly prepared and extremely tender. This was delightful to eat and I would recommend it all non-veggies
8. Aatu Nalli fry (Mutton shanks) – It was fun to suck out the bone marrow and devour this dish

Main Course

1. Biryani – Chicken, Mutton and Nati Kozhi (Country Chicken). Among the biryani my clear favourite was mutton. Really tender pieces that increased the experience of eating this. The rest were flavorful as well but leagues behind the mutton
2. Raw Banana Fry – I am not a big taker for this veggie but it was not bad. The fact that I ate it, itself speaks right?
3. Yam Fry – Crispy fried and fun to eat.
4. Paniyaram – A traditionally south indian savoury dish these are like mini bites made from the sane batter as idlis but definitely better tasting and fun to eat. In Karnataka regions they are called paddu
5. Rasam – One of the best dishes which can be taken as a soup, with rice and as a digestive, this rasam was definitely to die for
6. Kattrikai(Eggplant curry) – Very very tasty and awesome to eat with rice
7. Fish Curry – Definitely amazing with plain rice the flavor of the fish was coming through leaps and bounds

 

Desserts

1. Jigarthanda  – Madurai special jigarthanda with sabja seeds. It was really cold and can soothe a savage breast as the saying goes
2. Panai Paagu Thair (Curd in palm syrup) – Awesome Awesome end to a satisfying meal and foodie meetup. Absolutely exquisite in taste and flavor

 

Overall its a place I would recommend for families and for hard core foodies. Their offerings in veg and non-veg is good..

 

My Rating

Food and drink – 4/5

Service – 4/5

Ambiance – 3/5/5

With a price of about  Rs500- Rs600 it’s not a place that would burn a hole in the pocket and  you can leave the hotel with a smile on your face.

Find the hotel in Zomato

 

Linked to ABC Wednesday(K) with Knock yourself out with food……….