Krishnavillasam, Adyar

Area:- Adyar
Cost for two:- ₹850
Cuisine:- North Indian, South Indian, and Chinese

Despite being a hardcore non-vegetarian, there would obviously be days when I would love to sit down with some nice veg food. Apart from the fact that they rarely make you feel heavy, it also gives a sense of (fake) satisfaction that we’ve had something healthy. I’ve tried the Krishnavillasam in Nungambakkam ages back and I felt that it’s a restaurant that has what it takes to do well, considering the market veg food has in our city and as I predicted, over time, they’ve outdone themselves and have now opened another branch in Adyar. A couple of foodies and I were invited to check out this new branch and here’s my take on it.

Location & Ambience

Located in Kasturibai Nagar’s first cross street, Krishnavillasam isn’t hard to find for those who know the area. For people like me, fortunately, the location mentioned in Google maps is precise which makes it easy to spot. There’s ample parking space for both two and four wheelers and getting such a place in the heart of Adyar isn’t an easy job. I was actually expecting a valet parking service but the parking space was quite a pleasant surprise. As far as ambience is concerned, there isn’t much to write about it as they’ve opted for a simple and subtle decor, just like their main branch.

Food & Beverages

Soups:-

Mulligatawny Soup: This soup always puts a smile across my face thanks to its name. It might sound like something that originated elsewhere but it’s an Indian (Tamil to be more specific) soup that was named so by the Britishers. Believe it or not, it’s the ‘Peter’ version of Mulagai Thanni i.e pepper and water which is technically rasam. While what we had wasn’t as spicy as a rasam, it was delectable.

Murugankai Saaru: The juice of drumsticks if blatantly translated – had a slight kick to it with the spice factor and was quite an enjoyable soup.

Tamatar Ka Shorba: This time, it’s from the north and it’s the ever humble tomato soup. The one we had wasn’t creamy or rich but a much-mellowed version which was soothing and delicious. My favourite among the soups would be this one.

Starters:-

Paal Katti Veppudu: Talk about literal translations. This dish made from paneer was one of the very few ones that didn’t taste as good as it looked. It gave me a sense being full despite the fact that I just started.

Elam Cholaikathir Malli Porichedu: Despite sounding like the opening line of a 90s Telugu track, this is a dish made from baby corn. A little soggy and not completely crunchy, I found it to be a decent starter.

Vazhapoo Vada: This beautifully made uniformly sized vadas were absolutely delicious and along with the chutneys it was spectacular. It was even raining that day as we had this and a blissful Illaiyaraaja song would’ve made it a meme material.

Garden Green Salad: Despite getting full marks for the way it was presented – placed on a bed of lettuce – it was quite a simple one that felt out of place when compared to the rest of the dishes we tried.

Kung Fu Funghi: Chinese style tossed mushrooms, it tasted more like a veg version of the ever classical chilly chicken. This was chosen as the favourite among most of us.

Mughalai Sheekh: A veg sheekh kebab made with nuts – it felt rich and had a touch of sweet but still it was scrumptious.

Mewa Bhari Shabnam: Yet another richly flavoured dish. This one is made with mushrooms and was very mild in flavour.

Krishnavillasam Special Tandoori Khazana: A medley of kebabs including the classic paneer ones to cauliflower and galouti style kebabs. The latter were much delicious compared to the former ones which aren’t unique and tasted normal.

Mains:-

Karuvepillai Poondu Kozhambu: A gravy made with curry leaves and garlic, it went really well with warm plain rice. This was a quite a shocker as it turned out to be much better than what I anticipated it to be.

Urundai Mor Kozhambu: On the other hand, as a fan of Mor Kozhambu, I was looking forward to this dish. But it ended up being a regular affair. That said, the lentil balls were good.

Chamba Puttu: Served with Kadalai Curry, Veg Stew or Vasanai Curry, I found the first and the third to be better when it comes to complimenting the ever-amazing puttu. The one we had was made with red rice.

Paneer Pasanda Zafrani: Yet another dish that looked much better than how it tasted. I found this paneer based dish to be too sweet for my buds but a few from the gang gave it a thumbs up.

Teen Zaika Di Sabzi: This tri coloured curry served in a single container gets its colour from the main ingredients that go into making them – tomato, pudina and cashew nuts. This dish is definitely a treat for the eyes and taste-wise too, they were pretty good.

Krishnavillasam Special Fried Rice: After the usual basic tiffin items, I love to have a good vegetarian fried rice in a South Indian restaurant. The taste that this Indo-Chinese fusion gives is something that other restaurants can’t deliver. In Krishnavillasam though, they’ve nailed it.

Krishnavillasam Special Noodles: Though not as good as the rice, this noodles does get the job done.

Sweet Surprise:-

Ginger shot: In order to aid with the digestion, we were also served a gingery concoction in a shot glass that had a sugar rim. The strong and raw flavour does make you squirm a bit but it also gives a sense of satisfaction once you finish it. The tip is to have it one gulp. There’s the small chunk of kadalai mittai too that’s given along with the drink to sweeten things up once you push it down.

Desserts:-

Mundiri Halwa: Ever had kaju katli in the form of halwa? This is how it tastes like and it’s out of this world. My favourite dessert here and one of the best I’ve tried in recent times. Strongly recommended.

Chintamani Halwa: Made with wheat, this halwa is really good too but the sugary goodness makes sure that one cannot have more than a few spoonfuls.

Elaneer Payasam: This has become a staple dessert in restaurants these days. The version served here was too watery but the taste was perfect.

Overall, Krishnavillasam Adyar proved out to be an excellent choice and despite being a non-vegetarian, I enjoyed a few dishes much more than I ever thought I would. Many south Indian restaurants claim to have a menu that also serves north Indian and Chinese dishes but most of them serve them for namesake and don’t really put in the efforts to bring in the authenticity. Krishnavillasam though has a menu where the other cuisine dishes taste as good as the south Indian ones which happen to be their home turf.

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