Royal Indianaa — Restaurant in Tamil Nadu

One of those few places on my list that was saved up a long time ago and had the chance to visit after years. Located inside the Accord Hotel, Royal Indiana is one of those pure veg places that serve authentic veg starters, main courses, and desserts in buffet style. Some visit for their grand decor while others visit to try out the dishes of the renowned chef Venkatesh Bhat. 🤗

As you enter, valet parking takes care of the hassle and all we have to do is to reach L2 in the building. It is a quaint place with limited seating but the decor speaks for itself. It was classy, well-lit with South Indian embellishments and live Carnatic music to soothe our ears. The service was courteous with the team serving us a chocolate ganache on the house at the end owing to our special day. ❤️❤️

It was Nannari Sharbath for the welcome drink while Banana stem pepper chaaru for soup which was super smooth and very peppery. Moving on, it was Pumpkin Galouti Kebab with a burst of flavors all around Ajwani Paneer tikka - Super soft marinated paneer with an amazing aroma Kara paniyaram - Not the best but tender on the inside and went perfectly with the peanut chutney Veg cutlet - Beautifully minced veggies straight from the kitchen; had the perfect blend of sour and spice Pineapple porichadu - My sweet tooth cravings never stop; pineapple coated in sweet batter and glazed with sweet sugar syrup, this was crunchy, sweet, hot, and soft, PERFECT Corn adai - A bit plain from the corn but OK

For the main course, we tried Bhat's special Sambar, Rasam, and Vendhaya Kozhambu. While the Sambar was so good, the rasam and kozhambu were out of this world. Soupy rasam and spicy kozhambu MUST TRY with their steamed rice Urulai veppudu - Well-fried potatoes sauteed in ground SI spices accompanied well with the rice and gravies Kothamira annam - Coriander flavored rice (variety rice), unique, and with the Gobi adraki (very soft and well cooked), this was pretty GOOD Subzi Biryani was full of aroma and fragrance from the authentic herbs; this bonded very well with the soupy Palak mushroom (Very healthy)

To end up the meal with, it was Semiya custard payasam - OH WOW, not so sweet but so damn thick from the custard, AMAZING taste Chocolate Horlicks Mysore pak - Very buttery and sweet, though the flavor was not evident, this was soft and good Brownie - Couldn't believe that this was soft though it wasn't hot, Loved it Pineapple pastry - Puff pastry stuffed with sweet sauce and pineapple, not the best but OK

Finally, the buffet price was a bit on the higher side but in recent times there are many coupons and offers everywhere which you could use to cut...

I hosted a dinner for 23 people at this restaurant on 01-May-2022.

Booking experience: I wanted to book a table well in advance (10 days prior) and called the number mentioned in google for Accord Metropolitan. They were not able to connect me to the restaurant but they noted down the details and I was told that they will inform the restaurant and I will get a confirmation call soon. I waited for a week and tried getting back via the same channel. It was the same thing again, they did not connect to the restaurant and noted down the details. Two more days passed and I did not get any confirmation call. Since my invitee list contained several high profile guests, I decided to go in person to the restaurant. To my surprise, my previous two calls had no result. They did not get my request. I was able to book a table for 23 in person and paid an advance of 5,000. This was my first turn off. For a restaurant of this calibre, this is not acceptable. I am not sure why it is so cumbersome to book a table and get a confirmation. Even normal restaurants do it easily. Reaching the restaurant over phone was a big concern.

Dining experience: We reached the restaurant at 8:40 PM. I had 19 guests seated by 8:45 PM and rest were on the way. I asked the staff to start the service. The welcome drink reached the table by 9:00 and soup by 9:20. Starters were served by 9:30. I am not sure why there was a big delay. The restaurant seemed understaffed to me. Most of my guests were frustrated that they had to wait for 45 mins to get starters.

Main course was buffet and was laid out well. We requested for Roti and Idiappam when we started the main course. it was brought to the table when we have having the dessert. Again, not acceptable from a restaurant of this calibre.

I have zero issues with the taste or quality of the food. All the guests liked the good. But the service and delay made the dining experience very bad and I felt I made the wrong choice of restaurant.

My invitee lists contained many high profile guests including an IAS officer. I feel I did not host them well and the restaurant did not do justice for the price and reputation.

I have written this long review because I believe reviews are for betterment only. With such a delicious food, service should not be a deal breaker. I hope these issues...

There are quite a few buffet options to choose from in a city like Chennai but Royal Indianaa opted to go the all vegetarian route.

Under Celebrity Chef Venkatesh's supervision, the restaurant is packed not just on weekends but weekdays as well.

As a promotion, the restaurant offered a 50% discount for those who had voted and then opted for the feast.

In terms of space, it isn't large. And the ornate pillars as well as idols do take up significant space. But that adds to the overall atmosphere.

Soups, starters and a welcome drink are served at the table. The soup was a combination of plantain stem and drumstick stock. It was a great start, especially with the peppery undertones. The starters included veg kebabs, dry soya chunks, the Mangalore bonda, paneer cubes and a cross between a thick dosa and a Vada - the masala Adai.

There was no shortage of options with the chef's specials including the poondu vegayam curry. Simply listing all the dishes would probably fill up this review .

The trick is to be selective. I've said this before about buffets. Take small portions, taste the interesting dishes first and pace yourself. It's easy to gorge but hard to delay gratification .

Make frequent trips and take small servings. That way, you don't waste the great food or blunt your appetite.

Every dish had its own character. And in an ensemble, it's hard to say which one was better.

The final touch before desserts are the 'goli sodas' effervescent and flavorful. The fat bottles with the marble sealing the top harks back to a different era altogether.

But once in a way, they're still great fun

The spread of sweets is impressive. Here again, opting for different textures like creamy, toasty and soft options makes you appreciate the work involved, rather than the dominance of the sweet alone.

It's a place we'll keep coming back to. Buffets are all about stuffing yourself but find your own formula and you can tweak it to the exact levels of enjoyment, whether you're a picky eater or a...