Beyond the Urban stretch of Chennai, lies the historically strong Mahabalipuram. A long drive in the East coast road towards Mahabalipuram will lead you to this beautiful, serene luxury 5 star resort called as INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS AND RESORTS which is almost too good to be real.

After getting out of the car, we already felt like we were transported to a different country. All we wanted to do was EAT! After a lot of research in Zomato, we decided to dine in their newly opened restaurant called as ‘Melting Pot: The Market Cafe’ which specializes in South Asian, European and Indian cuisine. Since Indian cuisine can never go wrong, we settled for the same.

The Market Cafe has both indoor and outdoor seating and we chose the latter because, well….obviously….I mean…LOOK AT THE PLACE!!! It looked like a beautiful dream. We chose to sit on a floating deck which overlooked their water feature. We were mesmerized by the ambiance and hoped that the food won’t turn out to be a nightmare and thank god it didn’t.

 

After pampering our eyes so much, It was time to treat our stomach. We ordered a couple of vegetarian dishes and honestly, it was the best food I’ve had in any 5 star hotel. Period.

1. Cheese Garlic bread with butter and Onion Salsa ( Complimentary) -Fresh and light garlic bread complemented beautifully with the Onion Salsa and Rich butter.

2. Roasted Cauliflower Soup ( Rs. 355/-)

The colour wasn’t that appealing but the taste……! Thick, rich cauliflower soup with roasted nuts. One of the best soups I’ve had in any restaurant.

3. Khatta Meeta Mocktail ( Rs. 350/-)

As the name suggests, It was a perfect amalgamation of sweet and sour. Jhakaas.

4.  Makai & Zafron ki Shami ( Rs. 525/-)

Spare my spellings but this is what we ordered for starters. Corn at it’s best. We felt it was a little pricey but the taste beats everything.

5. Laccha Paratha ( Rs. 145/-)

The Paratha was tasty but it wasn’t magnificent like the other dishes. It tasted like any other good restaurants’.

6. Mawa ka Kofta ( Rs. 520/-)

The Chef was kind enough to come all the way to our seat and suggest to order this dish as it would be a perfect side to the Parathas. How could we say No to that? And yes, The chef was absolutely right!

7. Home made Rose petal icecream ( 2 portions Rs. 770/-)

Have you eaten something and had tears of happiness? NO? Then you must try this. The taste still lingers in my mouth. Absolutely Divine.

 

MOMENT OF TRUTH :

YES! It’s a little pricey for two people but we gladly paid the money because it was TOTALLY worth it.

This place is a HIDDEN GEM in Chennai and If you want a weekend getaway and don’t mind spending a bit more than usual, then this is the perfect place for you. The hospitality, the food, the beach and 3353 rupees later, we left the place hundred percent satisfied.

 

PS : If you Visit this place, make sure to tag me in your pictures or include #madeinchennai in your instagram so that i can see the pics.

 

• Photography by my talented friend! Make sure to check his page out – Face Photography
• Find this restaurant in zomato – ZOMATO
• For those richie richs who want to stay in the resort – intercontinental
• do Follow me on Zomato – subhikshavenkat