Salt ,Vijaya Forum Mall

The 1st time i heard a friend mention the restaurant "Salt", immediately this Tamil proverb echoed in my head "uppilla pandam kuppaiyile [ a dish without salt belongs in the trash can]. And I was curious and looked for an opportunity to do Lunch here. 

So, few weeks ago when a friend who was moving out of Chennai buzzed asking if we could do a lunch before she left, with another friend of mine as well, I suggested Salt. None of us had been there and so it worked out perfectly. 

We reached Forum mall, and made our way towards the Escalator near the Cookie man stall at the far end of the ground floor. And up we went 2 floors which is where Salt is located. I was pleasantly surprised as the decor was very South indian- Karaikudi, and a bit of Kerala. There were tables and then there were these cool booths near the windows. Tall backrest straight from Karaikudi region and comfortable seats, it was where we sat. Within minutes, a waiter came with a bowl of these colourful fryums arrived along with the menu. 

2 of us veggies decided to try the Bento Box [a set meal/set menu] priced at Rs265 it started with a soup and then came the box that contained the entire meal. The other friend opted for rice and a prawn gravy. 

 As you can see, the Bento box was quite a meal, infact apart from these dishes there was also 1 roti and papad served with the meal . The portions are HUGE, infact one box is good for 2 [if you have a small appetite like I do]

The box contains- 1 starter+ chutney, 1 small serving of salad, 1 daal, 1 veg gravy, 1 big tandoor roti, pulao/veg biryani/rice, 1 cup curd and dessert

The dessert for that day was Gulab jamun, which was sinful, so much so that the other friend ordered a portion of just that and devoured it.  The food was hot, portions were good and service was prompt. A friend wanted chaas, and even though it wasnt there on the menu, the staff made the attempt to make it and serve it just cos we asked for it. 

 Repeat visit: I was back here this Monday with mom [after completing the passport renewal work across the road]. This time again, we went for the Bento box, and mom also ordered a Chilli potato starter, which was again a huge portion and quite yumm. 

This time the meal had different dishes and our dessert was a apple cinnamon cake with a dollop of custard on top. It was good, we even picked up some take away for my grandparents. 

Both times, the staff asked us if we had come by 2 wheeler or 4 wheeler. We said 4 wheeler since we came by car. The 1st time I dint notice what happened after he asked us, but this time I did. They deduct an hour's parking fee in the bill- Rs60/-, quite a cool concept! 

Apart from the food, I love the decor, the black boards with beautiful sketches and quirky notes, the framed photographs on the wall, the big antique box in the center of the restaurant with a few pads wit paper and coloring tools for the children. The utensils and bowls used are also quite nice! 

Would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for a place to eat out at in this part of the city. 

Address:
No. 213, 2nd Floor, Forum Vijaya Mall, Arcot Road, 
Vadapalani, 
Chennai - 600026, 
Ph: 044 42188600, 044 42048268 
Website: http://www.saltrestaurants.in/

Disclaimer:
The reviews posted on this blog are based on my personal experience. Also remember that restaurants and eat outs sometimes change with time, so does their food and service. So, kindly consider these factors while visiting the places. Remember, no two palates are the same. Bon Appétit  :-)