Here is what RJ Jane Jeyakumar wrote about The Pride Of Madurai in Chennai: Maplai - Savour South India in The Red Kite, who were featured on #WhatsCooking last week on Chennai Live - 104.8 FM! Let me warm your New Year with a cold glass of creamy Jil Jil Jigarthanda from Maplai, a premium South Indian restaurant that is a fitting ode to Madurai in the heart of Madras. 2014 saw Jigarthanda, an all out entertainer- a gangster film with stretches of comic appeal, a touch of Quentin Tarentino and an eclectic soundtrack by Santhosh Narayanan- showcasing Madurai to an international audience. In the same year, Vinod Rajan, the man behind Maplai did a culinary equivalent of Jigarthanda- here’s another Madurai experiment gone right. Of course, every experiment needs a wild scientist. Vinod is no exception; he truly loved Madurai and its fantastic food, and destiny led him to his match. The Mad Chef is Koushik S, who went on to create Madhatter Madurai Magic at No.14 Sterling Avenue, Nungambakkam- to be enjoyed with authentic, beaten brass cutlery, at very affordable prices. The most abused word in the world of the Indian culinary experience is Fusion. But, Koushik puts the F back in Fusion with a vengeance, getting it right every single time. He’s the first Chef to have put paneer tikka over pizza, in the first Indian Café Coffee Day back in 1997, has worked as Food Consultant across the world and is consumed by food, along with its intimate facts, aspects and quirks. Koushik makes you gape in wonder as he tells you that the tiny ayira meen-fresh water fish from Rameshwaram- is so small that it’s impossible to cut and clean; and thereby soaked in man pannais- clay pots- of milk, so that the fish drinks in all the milk overnight, making this a natural detox. You got to give it to him: from the paneer tikka on pizza to the paneer ka thakkali in Maplai- an interesting starter tossed in a South-Special, tomato based sauce- Koushik gives every dish of his a burst of refreshingly different flavors. You ought to be a food technologist with a crazy gene, to be able to think of a Barotta Burrito, the latest in the Maplai menu- a Veech Barotta wrapping some delectable kuska Biriyani, soft mutton chukka, onion, capsicum and cheese - delivering an out of the park sixer, making this dish our very own answer to the Mexican Burrito. You got to be a genius to serve three different custards, served as 3 little Sri Lankan Vatallappam mounds, with sugar, jaggery and palm jaggery, making you progressively lose yourself in dessert heaven. My official taster and friend, RJ Harshan tucked into a solid 3000 calorie Barotta Burrito meal, with some fancy Kokkarako Lollipop on the side and put the bow on that Maplai burp with a Bovonto Ice Cream Soda. Another crazy year has gone by, with all its ups and downs. If everybody peppered their lives with insane passion like the Mad chef, you too can make my good friend from Bengaluru, RJ Disha Oberois mantra come alive. She says, “2015 is going to be my year!” Time to go nuts, people!
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 16:25:36 +0000
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