Interiors of the revamped The Velveteen Rabbit
Unless you pull a rabbit out of a hat, Ashish Thadani gave us a pleasant surprise when he recently invited us to a brunch. Founder of The Velveteen Rabbit (TVR) restobar, Ashish who is the director of Absolute, (the firm behind TVR and Cicolo Café) could very well have said ta-da when opening the doors of one of the trendiest nightclubs from Chennai. We saw a complete overhaul of the previous palette and décor of the 60-seat TVR, now decked out in elegant muted pink prints, a sprawling community table and gorgeous natural light from the windows bringing a lovely fresh ambience. at the recently re-opened resto-bar. “We wanted to expand our repertoire – to become a brunch destination while offering fusion fare, craft cocktails and a beautiful space to relax in the evening,” Ashish shares as we perch on a high chair alongside their table. community and sip a delicious summer Watermelon Chilli Collins that has a heatstroke that goes well with the gin base. The sweet potato fries that arrive at the table accompanied by half a dozen dips keep us happily occupied. The Miso Mayo dip intrigued us even though the Wasabi Mayo is our favorite. Note that the popular Peanut Masala from the old menu has been retained due to popular demand, although the brand new paneer stuffed pani puris catches our eye!
Captive Bread
Meanwhile, Cheese Toast is made with Ciabatta bread and the crunch of the gooey cheese topped crust makes it delicious. The bruschetta platter offers eclectic choices where juicy candied cherry tomatoes with a balsamic vinegar topping come right after the sweet fig, cream cheese, walnut and honey topping. The Farm Fresh Veggie Pizza is a blend of colorful peppers and broccoli, and we’ve paired it with an alcohol-free Ginger Ninja, a refreshing thirst quencher. The Charcoal Bao with Fish Tempura Stuffing is soft as a cloud when we wash it down with a beer-based sangria, called Shandia.
Meat and greeting
The Chukundar Murgh is a scrumptious spin on chicken tikkas and promises to be quick, while seafood lovers will delight in the well-endowed and delicious jumbo prawns with a lemony butter sauce. We sip the extra sweet Baby Doll which has cranberry and raspberry juice with vodka and works as an amuse bouche, opening the palate for the robust tasting Shikampuri skewers. Stuffed with hanging curd, the minced meat is nutritious and spicy. For mains, we try the warm and comforting Japanese curry with sticky rice and fried chicken.
something sweet
We finish with the delicious chocolate glazed Bailey’s cheesecake. Tiramisu is an easy favorite – creamy with a noticeable dose of caffeine. But what we gushed about is the hot spiced apple pie and ice cream, which is Ashish’s mother’s recipe and is comforting and warming.
At RA Puram. Meal for two at INR 1200 (drinks not included).
-Sabrina Rajan
