Chinese Feast at The Residency, Crowne Plaza, Chennai

The Residency- ah the name brings back such fond memories.. Atleast one Sunday in a month, we [our entire family] would land up here for the Sunday brunch buffet, it was excitement packed if we had a family member visiting from another town/country. Back then, it was Adyar park hotel and I dint know much about food, nor was I this aware of ingredients/dishes/cuisines etc...  But then, over time, things changed, food quality included and so we stopped our visits. 

Fast forward to a decade or more.... I was back at the restaurant last evening, the hotel is now called Crowne Plaza and Residency looks quite swanky and had live music playing [as always]... Yep, I was curious to sample the food, to see what was new... Given that the Chinese new year had just gone by, Chef Deva had decided to include some signature Chinese dishes as part of the buffet with Chef Dhodup Tsering who has flown down from Delhi just to curate the menu.. 

Clear veg soup

Groundnut and Lotus stem kimchi

Broccoli and almond crystal dim-sum- Was sinfully yummm

Mushroom and bok-choy bao - Loved this one... 

 Assorted mushroom salad- The star of the evening for me...

Crispy Potato Hunan style

Sautéed Chinese greens

Steamed rice

Veg Mopotofu

Must say it was heart warming to see the restaurant running to near full house last evening. Chef Deva commented that it was a peculiar trend, but one they are not questioning. The restaurants were all sold out for weekdays but weekends were not the same.. :)  Alrighty, coming back to the main focus of the evening- the food.. Since it was all about celebrating Chinese flavours, the dishes were true to the region. 

The meal opened with a simple clear broth veg soup, which was alright.. but what came next is what I loved the most in the evening. The almond broccoli dimsum and Mushroom bao.. Oh wow, these two were heavenly. The dimsum had the thinnest outer covering and the crunch from almond matched well with the soft broccoli. The bao on the other hand was heaven.. I have always loved these steamed buns, even though I was introduced to them only about a year ago at another restaurant in the city. Paired with the sauces [there was a spicy chilli sauce, soy sauce and a 5spice tomato sauce], they were delicious. 

As for the starters and mains, it ranged from a medley of mushroom salad to steamed rice served with Chinese greens [my fav bok-choy tossed with broccoli and sugar peas] and the mix veg with tofu side. Love how the Chef had used nothing but sesame oil and sautéed slivers of garlic in most dishes to add flavour. It was unlike any of the Indo-Chinese dishes we are served in most places. 

If you are the kind to end the meal with a sweet tooth, then make a beeline for the dessert section in the buffet and feast away.... I wish they had included atleast one Chinese dessert item there [even if it was just Darsan] 

This buffet is priced at Rs2200 and is on till the 24th Feb.. Go for it!! 

Address:

Crowne Plaza

132,T.T.K Road, Alwarpet

Disclaimer: The reviews posted on this blog are based on my personal experience. Also remember these were just my views!! Remember, no two palates are the same. Bon Appétit :-)