Katie Nathan

Ninth Floor Mami’s Samayal Vegetarian Restaurant for Traditional Food Lovers

This is not our usual post where we write about the food we had in the restaurant. We are talking about the connect we had with the food and the effect of aroma of traditional dishes on our psyche. Food is one area in which we do not take much time to decide if we like it or not and yes, the only one area where we say, “Enough I am done”. Food is one that instantly makes a connection with our senses. How many times have you felt the sense of Deja vu when you smelt the aroma of a specific dish? It is a divine connection to our subtle senses and we felt it rekindled while having the food at Mami’s Samayal. Mami’s Samayal is a pure vegetarian restaurant located in the ninth floor of Regenta Central Deccan Hotel in Royapettah, Chennai. The chef Prema Nambirajan is true to her traditional roots and churns out magic in the food she prepares in authentic fashion. She insists on preparing her own masalas and it is not surprising given her background of coming from a family of caterers and chefs of fame those days. More than anything, we were floored by the hospitality we received and the sumptuous food we enjoyed over there.

It is not a surprising fact if we mention that the food we eat are defined by the masalas we add and the care we take in preparing it. For the beginners who think that food is about putting everything in together and boiling it, the Chef can explain to you the nuances of adding the specific ingredient at the right time and its role in getting the best out of the dish. We saw it in the dishes that were served to us in the restaurant and we do not believe in pinpointing any specific dish because everything was authentic in its own way.

Another important attribute of our food and its effect on you is based on the combinations we make. Combinations make an impact and they are the best. Adai with avial, Idiyappam with coconut milk or veg stew, pesarattu with ginger thuvayal – they make the best combinations and without the sides, they are more or like a spoilt brat with no control. Mamis Samayal simply nailed it with their impeccable combination with the perfect golden crispiness in the Adai and the Peserattu. We can keep talking about the sides longer but that would only make us hungry again.

Now to the surprise offer of the Omavalli Rasam, maybe the Chef Prema saw the glistening eyes of ours when we talked about rasam, she decided to give it to us and that was simply one bowl of heartwarming comfort soup. Before she could just explain what it was, we had gulped it all up and another big hats off for bringing it in the right warmth so we don’t wait or end up cooling it much more than needed. That’s what we call CARE.

The idea of cauliflower oothappam when it was on the menu got me guessing about those cauliflower florets sticking on the top just as the onions and tomatoes and was not that enticing. Still wanted to see what the Chef can churn out having seen her abilities to enamor us with her food, we ordered one. It was a surprise as we saw so no florets heads as she has nicely grated them on the top with the podi liberally on it. Yummy it was with the chutney and sambar.

It is wholesome Tambrahm Food we have here and true to that, the items do not have onion or garlic in it. For those who wonder if that is even remotely possible, do check out this restaurant and its food specially curated by Chef Prema Nambirajan for you.

The restaurant serves affordably priced Thali during Lunch (Rs.285 plus taxes – Do not miss it) and a la carte items during Dinner. Psst! Be ready to see lovely dishes like vethalai rasam or paruppu urundai morkuzhambu or that item you have tasted at your grandma’s place – and Akkara Vadisal is her specialty we heard.

Lunch from 12.30 PM to 3 PM

Dinner from 7 PM 11 30 PM

Location:

Regenta Central Deccan,

36, Royapettah High Road, Chennai

For reservations contact 044 6677 3333 – also through Dineout and Eazydiner

  • Love
  • Save
    Add a blog to Bloglovin’
    Enter the full blog address (e.g. https://www.fashionsquad.com)
    We're working on your request. This will take just a minute...