New restaurants, new brands, newer gimmicks. That's what Chennai's food scene has been all about lately. Broken Bridge Cafe is one good place of the lot to change that stereotype. They sit in Somerset hotels next to Fromage in a cosy place. The interiors are done just on spot without overdosing the functional deficit niches. The side next to the lobby is separated with curtain walls that end up ruining your privacy if you're seated near the entrance. The old school tailoring machines converted dining tables give you something to do with your feet until the food arrives. From a diner's perspective, I felt happier killing time stomping the tailoring pedal.
To stand up to the name of the restaurant which otherwise makes no sense with their food or theme is a portrait of Broken Bridge.
When it comes to food, I appreciate how each of their platters is served with their own twist of flavours of a foreign cuisine that's made to suit a Chennai-vasi.
To make a strong first impression, Thayir Sadam fritters were served to kick start the meal. It came with lemon pickle flavoured mayo and batter fried curd rice balls stuffed with lemon pickle surely tingles the senses. What followed on quite stood up to the work in the kitchen. Corn cakes, which were basically soft bajji mavu tempura topped with thakkali thokku and chopped greens. I loved it!
Kalakki on toast was a bliss to eat, with perfectly done kalakki served on top of burger buns loaded with caramelised onions and coriander. Getting the kalakki spot on itself owes respect for that is such a simple dish that can easily get spoilt with bad handling, and placing it in a consistency to make sure it stays above the bread without drenching the bread soggy and maintaining the moist in the egg is just classy workmanship. Regards to the chef.
Paneer makhani papdi chaat was like taking it too far in my opinion. Sure it had the texture and spice from the paneer gravy but it's not something I would order again, though the combination tasted perfect. As we waited for the main course, drinks where served, which were again out of the box.
We tried a variety of drinks - The signature drink Imlita, a liquid version of the imili candy; paan lassi which could have tasted manifolds better on a buttermilk; beach bum, the only drink from their menu that was flooded with syrups of coconut and peach which kind of over sweetened the drink itself, and the rasam flavoured buttermilk. The rasam buttermilk was my favourite of them all, while toasted rasam powder would have just been right instead of tart rasam podi that actually made it a little too hard to drink, the spice was just on point to leave you craving for more.
The portions of the main course were big and hard to finish all by one person. So I suggest you place your orders one by one to avoid wastage. The dishes come loaded with cream and cheese {based on what you order}.
We ordered the three-cheese achari kulche, which were served like a sandwich allowing us to eat like humans. The cheese did get a bit hard in less than 15 minutes so be ready to dig in as soon as the food arrives. The olive and mushroom kulche will melt in your mouth, loaded with goat cheese, this dish is a 10/10 in terms of the spices, flavours, and texture. They're served with fries and dips on the side.
Another combo of the Malabar parotta with paneer kofta and blue cheese naan with paneer tikka masala was clearly way too much for an average human but delicious nonetheless.
Talking about the desserts, now this is where things get normal. Though served with a twist, the tiramisu is a sure shot winner. Soaked in Bailey's the biscuit dipped in cream cheese topped with coffee was a bold shot. The half-baked chocolate cake is a must-try.
Overall, I'm sure I'll go back to try out the rest of the delicacies from their menu over a couple of visits if required because it's just too good to miss out on.
To stand up to the name of the restaurant which otherwise makes no sense with their food or theme is a portrait of Broken Bridge.
When it comes to food, I appreciate how each of their platters is served with their own twist of flavours of a foreign cuisine that's made to suit a Chennai-vasi.
To make a strong first impression, Thayir Sadam fritters were served to kick start the meal. It came with lemon pickle flavoured mayo and batter fried curd rice balls stuffed with lemon pickle surely tingles the senses. What followed on quite stood up to the work in the kitchen. Corn cakes, which were basically soft bajji mavu tempura topped with thakkali thokku and chopped greens. I loved it!
Kalakki on toast was a bliss to eat, with perfectly done kalakki served on top of burger buns loaded with caramelised onions and coriander. Getting the kalakki spot on itself owes respect for that is such a simple dish that can easily get spoilt with bad handling, and placing it in a consistency to make sure it stays above the bread without drenching the bread soggy and maintaining the moist in the egg is just classy workmanship. Regards to the chef.
Paneer makhani papdi chaat was like taking it too far in my opinion. Sure it had the texture and spice from the paneer gravy but it's not something I would order again, though the combination tasted perfect. As we waited for the main course, drinks where served, which were again out of the box.
We tried a variety of drinks - The signature drink Imlita, a liquid version of the imili candy; paan lassi which could have tasted manifolds better on a buttermilk; beach bum, the only drink from their menu that was flooded with syrups of coconut and peach which kind of over sweetened the drink itself, and the rasam flavoured buttermilk. The rasam buttermilk was my favourite of them all, while toasted rasam powder would have just been right instead of tart rasam podi that actually made it a little too hard to drink, the spice was just on point to leave you craving for more.
The portions of the main course were big and hard to finish all by one person. So I suggest you place your orders one by one to avoid wastage. The dishes come loaded with cream and cheese {based on what you order}.
We ordered the three-cheese achari kulche, which were served like a sandwich allowing us to eat like humans. The cheese did get a bit hard in less than 15 minutes so be ready to dig in as soon as the food arrives. The olive and mushroom kulche will melt in your mouth, loaded with goat cheese, this dish is a 10/10 in terms of the spices, flavours, and texture. They're served with fries and dips on the side.
Another combo of the Malabar parotta with paneer kofta and blue cheese naan with paneer tikka masala was clearly way too much for an average human but delicious nonetheless.
Talking about the desserts, now this is where things get normal. Though served with a twist, the tiramisu is a sure shot winner. Soaked in Bailey's the biscuit dipped in cream cheese topped with coffee was a bold shot. The half-baked chocolate cake is a must-try.
Overall, I'm sure I'll go back to try out the rest of the delicacies from their menu over a couple of visits if required because it's just too good to miss out on.