Taste Of Chennai @ Rawang, Selangor

Taste Of Chennai is the latest addition to the Indian restaurants along Jalan Welman, Rawang. I was informed by a close friend earlier this evening that a new restaurant had opened their doors a few weeks back and immediately, I rearranged my schedule to make it possible for me to visit them this afternoon. The restaurant is not difficult to locate and they have clear banners outside the restaurant indicating the place.

Taste Of Chennai Along Jalan Welman, Rawang

Open Air Seats For Smokers

Open Air Seats For Smokers

Indoor Air Conditioned Dining Space

I arrived here at just about lunch time. The place had a very nice set up with both indoor and outdoor seating spaces. The indoor space was air conditioned whereas the outdoor space was ventilated using wall fans. I believe the outdoor space is specifically for smokers who wish to have a smoke while enjoying their cup of tea. The indoor space was not too big either but sufficient for the crowd. 

Customers Selecting Their Dishes

A Decent Spread

Cucumber and Onion Raita

Non Vegetarian Dishes

Being a Friday, I expected more crowd during lunch but the turnout was just okay. I checked with a waiter and he informed me that this is their 23rd day of operation since opening the restaurant. Perhaps not many know the existence of this place yet or it could also be that they prefer the food at Nesan and/or Spices. Well, that is for me to find out after tasting the food. They had a decent spread of about 11 vegetarian dishes and 15 non vegetarian dishes. My hunch was that the vegetarian spread at Nesan is very much better than this and that could be one of the reasons why the crowd was lesser than expected. Besides going for the plate style of dining, they also offer full Banana Leaf Meals but there weren't many that were going for it. Everyone, except for three opted for the plate and throughout the time that I was there, only three customers went for the Banana Leaf Meals. I too decided to stick with the plate style and went on to selecting my dishes. The staffs here were still not so efficient and there were hiccups here and there, and they were negligible. I do understand that this is a new business and would take some time to perfect things out. Having selected my items, I then returned to my table. 

My Lunch For RM 8.50

Having seated at my table, a waiter then followed me and served me a small tumbler of Rasam and another small tumbler Payasam. I believe that the Payasam is specially served on Fridays but the Rasam is generally available everyday. I selected some Par Boil Rice, Chicken Gravy, Pumpkin Koottu, Mutton Varuval and Fried Fish and this was priced at RM 8.50 which I personally think is a very cheap price bearing in mind that I had both Mutton and Fish. 

Chicken Gravy

Their Chicken Gravy tasted good and it had all the required spices to make it a good dish. Thick curry, perfect for the white rice. If I were to compare this with both Nesan and Spices, then this would rank third in that listing. I would rate this at 7.5/10 .

Pumpkin Koottu

Their Pumpkin Koottu tasted good too, in fact this was better than the earlier Chicken Gravy and tasted quite similar in quality to both Nesan and Spices. I would rate this at 8.5/10 .

Mutton Varuval

Their Mutton Varuval did not look too appetising but it tasted good. One thing that I did not like about this was the amount of bones, both large and tiny bits that have been chopped. One would need to exercise extra caution while having this, making sure not to swallow those tiny and sharp bones. Otherwise a decent dish. Compared to their other two competitors, this would also rank third among the lot.  

Fried Fish

They used thin Tenggiri cuts for their Fried Fish. The fish too was a tad too dry and would have been better if the cut was slightly thicker. An average Fried Fish I would say! Compared to the other two competitors, once again this would only score the third place. I would rate this at 6.5/10 .

Rasam

Having done with the meal, I tried out their Rasam. It was good but not great......perhaps above average is a better word. Was just okay for me. The Oomph factor was just not there. It would not be wrong to say that this was an average chef's Rasam. I would rate this at 6.5/10 .

Payasam

Their Payasam however was excellent! It was thick, creamy and mildly sweet with rich ingredients added to the drink. One of the good ones for sure and I would rate this at 8.9/10 .

Bru Coffee @ RM 2.00

After the meal was done, I ordered a glass of Bru Coffee to wash the food down. Initially I had asked for Filter Coffee but they did not have that available. The Bru Coffee was fixed with fresh milk and it tasted quite good. The price of RM 2.00 is also a very reasonable price for the quality. I would say that I enjoyed this drink and would rate this at 9/10 .

My Bill 

Overall, I would say that their food was generally above average and definitely would have a strong competition from both Nesan and Spices. Their prices however was quite cheap for that kind of a 'concept' restaurant. The environment was cosy and pleasant. The staffs were friendly and helpful, though they made a couple of mistakes here and there which again is something that I would say is ..... negligible. Would I return? Yeah, maybe ..... but not that often. Perhaps that is the very same stand that is taken by most of their customers,  just a guess anyway.  Why do I say this? It is simply because taste wise, the food is better at their competitors and this also includes the spread of items available daily. Well, I am not here to criticise  anyone but just providing my inputs as a customer. Simply just that! I do hope that things get's improved as the days pass and wish them all the best with their venture.

Address: No. 63, Jalan Welman, 48000 Rawang, Selangor, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 0700 - 2200 Daily