Restaurant Review: Lotus

I've eaten at Lotus numerous times. So much, infact, that my usual dining companion and I have a special sauce there that they bring out only when we dine there!! I couldn't believe that I hadn't reviewed it here. I did mention it briefly, but not nearly enough.

Lotus, located at The Park Hotel, has the best Thai food in Chennai. And maybe in south India. A cozy restaurant with ample plush seating, the ambience invites you to linger over your food and have 3 hour lunches with a good friend.

Now to the exciting food. We always start with the Vietnamese spring rolls that are fresh and crunchy and served with a special dipping sauce that is incredible. The must order salads are the Mango Salad and the ever popular raw Papaya salad. They also have a Banana Blossoms salad that we tried recently which is very nice.



Then comes the Thai spicy fried rice, Pahd Thai, honey glazed crunchy vegetables, chicken satay and a vegetarian green curry. I must say here that every single one of those dishes is Excellent.



We usually end with the black sticky rice pudding, which is tremendous. I've been angling to get the recipe for a year now, and haven't managed to! One order might be enough for about 4 people - its really really rich.

If you love Thai food, head to Lotus for a delectable meal.

Lotus Thai
Park Hotel
601, Anna Salai
Chennai

Phone - (044) 4214 4000 for reservations

Thai Green Curry

Made a simple enough Thai green curry for dinner. Was craving Thai food but knew we wouldn't be going out because of the India-South Africa match. So this was the next best option. Well, it turned out better than going out! (except for India's dismal performance)

I used the Taste of Thai Green Curry paste, and it was all ready in a jiffy. Just add a tbsp of oil to a saucepan and saute the paste a bit. Next add any (parboiled) veggies you like - I added babycorn, red peppers, potatoes and onions. Brown the veggies a bit in the paste and oil. The whole kitchen will smell of garlic! Mmmmm.... Next add 2 cups of coconut milk (the Lite version is fine too) and let it simmer until the veggies are completely cooked - about 10 minutes.


Garnish with basil leaves torn into the curry. (I remember to never cut basil leaves but tear them instead to get the full taste of basil - I think it was Rachael Ray who said that. Something about how her grandfather considered basil holy and that you shouldn't cut it blah blah)

And serve with noodles or rice. Delicious.