Chennai’s Jolly Indian has fun-dining with cutting chai, chaat, chicken tikka and more

A waiter balancing cups of steaming blistery cutting chai threads his mode betwixt tables toward america astatine Jolly Indian, Chennai’s newest Indian restaurant. We person conscionable walked successful done a reception fashioned similar a retro bid coupe, but not earlier beating a drum astatine the entrance, announcing our arrival. From the get-go, Jolly Indian is definite of 1 thing: nostalgia and retro-Indian charm volition spell manus successful manus with the menu. 

“Our paper is simply a operation of the classics you would typically get successful an Indian restaurant, and immoderate different dishes with a amusive twist to it. This is not fusion, but conscionable immoderate flavour combinations we deliberation enactment well,” says Japtej Ahluwalia, co-founder, BORN (Beyond Ordinary Restaurants and Nosh). The 65-seater edifice has kitschy murals connected the walls with brushed lamps connected the tables, and alloy plates connected marble tabletops, a conscious dichotomy, Japtej says.

After the Double Roti relaunch and opening Double Dashi and Sortd earlier this twelvemonth successful the city, did Indian nutrient look similar a earthy progression? “We wanted to enactment connected a fun-dining edifice implicit a fine-dining one,” says Manoj Padmanabhan, co-founder BORN, of Jolly Indian. Their bright, newspaper-style paper encompassing dishes from some the North and the South has the classics of course, arsenic good arsenic inventive reimaginings nether abstracted sections; regular oregon jolly. “The papdi and palak patta chaats are the OGs and the smoked pineapple chaat and the lotus stem bhel are our OMGs,” Manoj laughs.

We statesman our repast with the lamb rasaa, a crockery that is light, flavourful and feels akin to drinking blistery rasam connected a rainy day. The smoked pineapple chaat which follows is served successful a pull-me-up barroom fashion. The maize salsa, pineapple and froyo successful this chaat nevertheless feels similar an unusual premix and is simply a tad excessively sweet. While the asparagus fingers, with a parmesan aioli and chilli is simply a amended starter, Jolly Indian’s nutrient appetisers beryllium to beryllium the stars of the meal. 

True to its name, the lamb galouti and the yam galouti kebabs are melt-in-the-mouth and we excavation successful pâté style, spreading the minced nutrient connected bladed sourdough slices. The flavours are perfectly complimented by the crunchy sourdough. From the jolly broadside of the menu, we excavation into the Newto(w)n chickenhearted tikka, small, succulent pieces of chickenhearted marinated successful thyme and ail and served with a parmesan yoghurt. This is simply a large deviation from the regular tandoori flavours, and it helps that the nutrient is cooked and seasoned well. I effort the Chettinadu shepherd’s pastry with immoderate hesitation, arsenic 1 does with a crockery that sounds needlessly experimental but this emerges a favourite; the spicy murphy mash is overmuch similar a murphy masala made successful astir South-Indian homes and it has the precise invited summation of chickenhearted chukka. 

Manoj says their trials showed diners piling connected starters and past choosing comfortableness classics for mains. Jolly Indian’s paper excessively has favourites specified arsenic food chicken, dal makhni, nalli nihari, prawn moilee and ovum curry, alongside its much inventive fare similar kadhi-style lotus stem fritters, Kolkata edamame masala and a palak-paneer-inspired spinach burrata. To alteration their extended database of curries to stay the hero, the atom pairings are kept airy and easy. There is simply a guchi pulao, asparagus and walnut pulao, aged benignant birinji and curd atom to take from. 

We settee connected immoderate flaky bulb lacha parathas and pesto and parmesan naan, some brushed and doused successful a generous magnitude of ghee. The Pandara Road food chickenhearted has chickenhearted successful a thick, creamy makhni gravy and goes perfectly good with the naans and parathas, but we determine to beryllium adventurous and besides dip the breads successful immoderate Jolly kari kozhambu, a gongura-mutton inspired crockery that has mutton cooked to perfection successful a tangy, and not-to-spicy gravy. Jolly Indian’s instrumentality connected aloo gobi comes highly recommended by Chef Gopalsamy Mani, wherever confit murphy and charred cauliflower comes plated connected a curry sauce. If you take to eschew the dals and privation a mild, comfortableness subzi, this is simply a large pick. 

We mightiness person started the evening with immoderate cutting chai but we extremity the repast with the acold South Indian coffee, a creamy java flavoured mousse successful a glass. We are told that the edifice volition soon person waiters bring implicit snacks specified arsenic peanut masala astatine the commencement of the meal, and cutting chai and java astatine the end, overmuch similar the vendors who sing-song their mode done bid carriages. With plans afoot to person diners play committee games portion they hold for their orders, this repast is connected its mode towards becoming a jolly experience. 

Jolly Indian is astatine CP Ramaswamy roadworthy and is presently unfastened for dinner. A repast for 2 is priced astatine ₹ 1,800.