Broken Bridge Cafe Indian Restaurant — Restaurant in Tamil Nadu

With the new normal in place everyone’s looking for restaurants with open spaces and outdoor seating which we seldom find in the city. We are blessed to have Broken Bridge Cafe which happens to have an outdoor seating as well as indoor seating (following social distancing norms) with ample sunlight throughout the day. The restaurant has added a NEW list of lip smacking dishes to their menu!

I was lost in the brilliant choice of starters and was awed by the dips and sauces — mayonnaise, mint chutney, sweet chilli sauce, chilli Mayo, chilli sauce and imli chutney!

Non-vegetarian:

🥣 I started the meal with their soup, the hot Turmeric Chicken Broth, an immune booster that we all need!

🌶The spicy grilled Peri Peri Chicken Tikka and Peri Peri 🦐 Prawns (seafood lovers must try) were packed with flavours.

🥙The tender Parmesan Seekh Kebab and the Lamb Galouti that melts in the mouth are a must order for mutton lovers!

🔥The spiciest dish on the menu, the Kakinada Chicken, hits you with the heat of red chilli which balances with juicy chicken that breaks in your mouth. This is a must order for the the spicy food lovers!

🍗 The Chicken Samosa topped with a hint of imli chutney is every samosa lovers dream!

🍢Hats off to the Chef for coming up with the Butter Garlic and Cheese Chicken Tikka with the smokiness from the tandoor, hint of garlic and the melted cheese.. Chicken lovers 🙋‍♀️! Just ORDER this dish!

Vegetarian:

🧆 Beetroot Galouti with goat cheese? Beetroot turned into a galouti, cookedwith spices and taws grilled—Who knew beetroot could also be tasty! Would have surely loved beetroot if it was cooked this way since childhood! Such a healthy option to have on the menu!

🍢Both the Paneer with Burnt Garlic and Cheese Tikka and the tangy and spicy Peri Peri Peri Paneer Tikka were absolutely delicious with the huge pieces of flavourful pillowy soft, creamy paneer that vanished with every bite.

🍄The whole grilled Mushroom and Garlic Cream Kebab is a desi version of creamy mushroom. Though this is tandoor grilled, you get the original flavours of the mushroom with a hint of spices and whole lot of cream!

🍕 The Meat ball Naan Pizza was definitely a star! A desi twist to the cross between a meatballs in marinara sauce and a thin crust pizza! I would have sworn that this was a thin crust pizza, had I not known that the base was made of naan bread! But hey Naan bread topped with tomato and basil sauce and juicy meat balls made of mutton kheema.

Definitely a must...

Updated feedback Nov 2021:

After raising the issue, the restaurant manager Ram and his team have taken swift action to alleviate my concerns. Happy to say the team is pro-active and have the best welfare of their guests in mind!

Updated feedback Sep 2021:

I've now been dining at broken bridge for the last 6 months at 2 meals a day on most days (I stay at Somerset). It's come to a point for me to update my original view as one can imagine that an extended stay provides a more thorough insight into any place. Some of the reasons for me to drop the rating include:

Pest control issues: I've observed rats plying the restaurant on dinner visits. Cockroaches have also been observed on multiple occasions. Fly's are offcourse The food quality has deteriorated. I'm not sure if this is owing to the staff getting used to me as a long term customer and thereby not ensuring the same quality food. I've had stomach issues on a few occasions now and one instance the beef dish I ordered had a stench. Certainly seemed like spoiled food was served! Staff and service although are generally of good standard there have been a few instances of rude behavior arising of late, again potentially owing to the staff getting used to my presence.

I'm generally quite easy going and hence have not bothered to highlight some of the issues over the past weeks/ months. Slowly being tipped over the edge and have hence decided to raise the larger concerns that I've observed over time. Although some of the above could be owed to my prolonged dining at the restaurant, I would expect nothing less than the highest quality, service and cleanliness from a restaurant with the repute of Broken bridge and also keeping in mind that it is housed within Somerset, a 5-star hotel. As a result I've had to slowly reduce my dining at the BB cafe as much as i did originally. Certainly the most convenient for me considering I reside at the hotel but not the best of options out there.

March 2021 original review (5 star):

I’ve been dining at the broken bridge for a couple weeks now, at least 2 meals a day and I must say it’s an absolutely wonderful experience. It’s hard to say whether it’s the food or the service that continues to bring me here. Both are outstanding. Very hospitable and friendly faces by now complimented by the phenomenal menu makes this a must...

Broken bridge cafe offers something similar to premium dining. It is recommended if you plan for business stays and meetings, you can also request a buffet for your family or a group of members. Please check with the restaurant for their offerings.

We had requested a buffet. Food was prepared as per the provided menu, on time. The chosen set of starters will be served as much as you like, however the starter options might not encourage you to eat more of it.

All the other items, from soup to rice and bread, are great, placed on well designed and heated central marble like table top.

Ambience: One of the best. The decor is great and goes well with the lighting, which should be great particularly for night dining given the cool evening temperatures of Chennai city. There is a fake tree within the dining area, which feels unique. Can accommodate 50 members easily, but check with the restaurant. The aisle to the restrooms is well decorated, picture perfect area as well. Outside the restaurant, there are a couple of picturesque pieces however, you will find lots of people smoking, which should be discouraged by the restaurant since it's the entrance to the restaurant. Parking space is plenty.

Finally the service: Given this is suitable for business type meetings and dining, you will appreciate it if you are left alone. However in cases of pre-booked buffet and group diners, you will want good service, at which time you feel, they are understaffed and their intention to serve well, makes them ask too many questions and they can't take any feedback, and the staff always want to have the last word. You ask for sauce, and they will ask you what kind of sauce you want, it's okay, but it should have been on the table already, or could have brought all the 3 kinds they have now, BUT they will want to have the last word (this alone was off), rest you should be able to enjoy at this place. NOTE: a la carte is probably pricey compared to buffet. Please...