Sudaka

It’s no surprise that the number of resto-bars have gone up exponentially in our Chennai and from the looks of it, there’s no slowing down. Since the numbers are increasing, each spot is trying to stand apart from the rest of them and differentiate themselves with something or the other. It’s usually the theme or the cuisine. Very few places have done this successfully and one of them that I recently got to check out, Sudaka, fits the bill perfectly. A couple of my food buddies and I were invited for a tasting session and it was indeed a splendid experience.

Location & Parking

Sudaka is located in The Legends hotel at North Boag road and is ironically opposite to one of the most well known pubs of our city, 10 Downing Street. They have valet parking service which takes care of something which could’ve become a headache, considering how hard it is to get a parking spot in this stretch of tarmac. Sudaka is located at the side of the hotel’s main entrance.

Ambience

We were greeted at the door by the wordings ‘Carpe diem, Quam minimum credula postero’ which is Latin for ‘seize the day, trusting as little as possible in the future’. This was followed by a staircase that’s adorned with a collage depicting the highs and lows of South America, right from the Christ the Redeemer statue to the head figurines from the Easter Islands.

Once inside the bar, it was a collection of segments which were different from each other and still looked good without looking odd. One corner had the wall covered with something similar to sticky notes which read ‘Hola Amigo’ above a set of posh looking leather couches. Opposite to this was the bar counter which looked like a scene from the film Tron. Perfectly stacked ‘goodies’ with pleasant lighting made the bar counter a highlight. In the middle part of the restaurant floor, cream coloured couches took the space against the wall and picnic style seating occupy the centre stage. Photo collages decorate the walls which are painted in orange or robin blue. Opposite to this segment is a semi-confined area that looked similar to traditional Japanese restaurants with simple seating. At the far end, there was the DJ station with a couple of musical instruments doubling up as wall hangings. Overall, the ambience was top notch.

Food & Beverages

We were served a plethora of items from the menu which was very extensive. Right from the ambience it’s pretty obvious that the cuisine is going to be South American and I can’t wait to check out some of my favourite tried and tested dishes, apart from the exciting new ones.

MOCKTAILS

Apart from the cocktails that were served to those who preferred them, a couple of us were also served some mocktails out of which the ones that stood out are as below.

• Strawberry Cooler – A pleasingly refreshing drink with strawberry slices and pomegranate seeds. Crunch, soft and yummy, it was my favourite.
• Mint and Green Apple Mocktail – Two classic flavours coming together and it isn’t disappointing at all. Actually it was favoured by one of my friends.

There were also a number of Cocktails such as Susana is very hot, Passion Frida and Zoombie.

STARTERS

• Breaded Humita – Humita is the equivalent of Idly for South Indians. This traditional meal was something I’ve only read about and the veggies in our group weren’t sweet enough to let me give it a try. Heard it was good though.
• Juice Empanada – Yet another classic. This version had braised lamb filling in it. Served with mint chutney, it was a perfect snack to start as a starter.

• Chili Tamali – Corn husk topped with cheese, olives and spicy sauces. Though the dish gets full marks for its presentation, the taste couldn’t match the way it looked.
• Bikini Beach – A medley of fish and seafood fritters served with a yummy aioli. I completely loved it.

MAIN COURSE

• Risotto – As a fan of Risotto, I craved to try this dish even though it was a vegetarian one. Served on a large wooden bowl, it was presented neatly. The consistency was perfect and so was the taste.
• Lasagne with Soy – Exactly what it says on the name board. Served right off the baking caserole, the lasagne was piping hot with the right amount of ingredients such as soy and vegetables making it a treat.
• Coco Entrecote – Chunks of Ribeye steak with mashed potatoes, red peppers and tomatoes on a creamy gravy. The steak was cooked perfectly and the abundant sauce made the meat super juicy.
• Chilli Chicken Columbia – This one is an interesting dish. They’re Tortilla Enchiladas with chicken, mushroom, cheese and tomato sauce. This creamy dish was really good.

• Chop Pa’ Lo Ourises  – Very few places serve a nice rack of pork ribs and these guys serve it pretty well. The classic Argentinian Chimichurri sauce, made from parsley used in grilled meats is used in this dish too. It was served with a portion of mashed potatoes and cheese. Though not a visually pleasing dish, the taste was pretty good.
• Spaghetti Al Pesto – The simple spaghetti with pesto sauce. They’ve nailed it with its taste.
• Penne with Chicken – The veggies tried the veg version and raved about it which made the non veggies give it a shot. Loved it.

DESSERTS

• Panque Che – Now this one must be one of the most best presented dish I’ve seen in a while. Pancakes served with brown sugar on top which is caramelised in front of the customer using a hot ladle. This gives it a nice golden sheen on top of the pancake which is served with vanilla ice cream. Without being too sweet, this dessert’s subtle flavour won me.

• Lime Tortita – This one is a lime cake with oreo crumblings as a base. Topped with vanilla ice cream, this one was pretty decent. It was served on a black board which looked cool.
• Congo Volcano – A cup of warm chocolate with a scoop of chocolate ice cream. This is a dessert that’ll satisfy the sweet cravings of folks of all age groups. 
• Cheesecake – Blueberry cheesecake as usual. Tasted alright.

Overall it was an amazing experience. As usual, the resto-bar food failed to not satisfy me which makes it one of those places where one can drink and eat some yummy delicacies. Service was pretty good and the ambience is really intriguing. I recently heard that they’ve also got lunch combos now for those who’d want to have a wholesome meal on a shoestring budget. I’ll definitely be coming back.

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