The Colony, Raintree, St Mary's road

Hello. Am sure your appetite has been whetted enough by now.  If it hasn't, then scroll back all the way to the top and down again making sure to spend atlas 3-5 secs on each image.. :-)) 

Golly, was I in for a treat when I walked into Colony at The Raintree, St Mary's road that beautiful Sunday afternoon.  I had visited the hotel before, but headed straight down towards Havana for Agam concert. The other restaurants here came with rave reviews but I hadn't had a chance to experience them. So, when I heard of the new revamped coffee shop, I knew I had to visit. 

The Decor

The place has a casual yet warm feel to it. The furniture is plush and comfortable, the vessels and tableware all neat and simple. The one thing that caught my eye the minute I sat down was that the table had a small pot of plant, what looked like grass and not a single flower like most places did. Quite a refreshing element. There is a beautiful wall installation on your left, make sure to check it out. Little boxes of sorts where each piece contains a slice of Chennai. It has been put together by artist Anamika..

The story

While chatting with the Manager and the Chef I came to know that the  designer who had worked on the place was Geoffrey Wilkins who is renowned for his Southern touches[hopefully I got the name right]. The tables were all dark colour while the cushions and seating were a welcoming green. We were also given a sneak peek into the history of how Colony came about, and how the entire menu has been created with Chennai flavour to it- including the decor. The Chef went on to tell about the live stations and the one item from live station changing on a  daily basis. It was either Bajji- sundal, idiyappam-fish curry or something else.  

The Food

Moving on to the main buffet, it was a simple spread. I quite liked the fact that it wasn't overloaded with dishes and there weren't a gazillion different things laid out on the table. Situated in the centre of the restaurant, the buffet sat pretty with glass shelves overhead decorated with utensils from home kitchen and cooking pots & pans.  There was also a cutlery cupboard on sorts on one wall lined with Chettinad checks pattern and quite a few vessels arranged [ just like you would find in any home]

I opened the meal with a flavour packed sweet potato soup, following which came an array of Chennaipatnam based dishes, including a platter called "Mylapore times" [2 mini dosais, 2 vadai, 4 pod idlis, 2 milagai bajji and 2 kuzhi paniyaram served with chutneys] I also sampled the vadai with mix veg chutney and soon was waltzing away to music as it were in the colonial times.  There are quite a few south indian dishes in the buffet as well, like the Chettinad kathirikai curry which was simmering away in a lava stone pot and was just amazing & hot. 

Apart from this, I loved the veg cannelloni which was one of the dishes of the day- true to its origin, it was creamy light and had a thin cheese layer on top. Moving on to the desserts, I loved the coffee walnut cake and of course the show stopper- the Tiramisu. It was served in a jar with a lid and we could have just had a portion of this and been happy as can be.

I finished the meal with a good strong south indian filter kaapi [ they also have tea/green tea, juices, soft drinks and alcohol]. It was a lunch that left me grinning away and all I wanted was a corner to snooze in. The food, the ambiance, the service really does transport you to a different era. 

An ideal place to enjoy some good food on a lazy weekend or weekday, it is also a good spot for a business meeting or catching up with friends. Incidentally, there is a lounge just outside the restaurant where you can grab a snack or some coffee in the afternoon. 

Details- 
Dinner Buffet Rs. 1300+ tax
7 PM to 11 PM

Lunch Buffet Rs. 1200+tax
12:30 PM to 3 PM

Breakfast Buffet Rs. 650+tax
6:30 AM to 10:30 AM

Address:
The Raintree
#120, St Mary's Road,
Alwarpet [Off TTK Road]
Chennai
Website: http://www.raintreehotels.com
Phone: 044 42252525 / 24304050