Probably, the Fam Trip to Crowne Plaza, Chennai is one of the unforgettable memories in my life. There will be friends and family in everyone’s life. In my life, I have foodies whom I met as strangers and now more than friends to me. Because there is no sincere love than love of food. Dakshin at Crowne Plaza, Chennai is my most favorite restaurant for South Indian Food and never regret to go there whenever I visit. This time it was even special, because Dakshin’s 30th Birthday. It was an honor to get invited for that special event organized by Crowne Plaza along with bunch of popular foodies of Bangalore to witness and celebrate the glory of Dakshin.
It was a well-planned Itinerary from Bangalore covering good breakfast place, goodies, In House Snacks, Master Class, Cocktail Workshop, Exclusive dinner and Most comfortable stay at Crowne Plaza, Chennai. The stay was super cool! The room was good with good housekeeping and bed was very comfortable. The arrangements and staffs are overwhelmingly good. The Gym at Crowne has very good equipment and probably best I would say. My breakfast was at “Cappuccino” – An all-day dining restaurant which serve complimentary breakfast to in-house guests. If you have a plans to go for somewhere else during your stay, drop that idea and enjoy the great breakfast here. I personally loved the South Indian fare which includes Poha, Idly, Dosai and Filter Coffee. Undoubtedly best!
The southern part of India is a strikingly different world. It is so close to other parts of the country, yet is so pleasingly different, and has its strong, unique identity. As different as it is from the rest of India, it is also largely diverse in its own right. In fact, even the whole of the south does not follow one template, when it comes to the culture, lifestyle, language, dressing and even food. South India primarily consists of the 6 states, namely Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Puducherry, and hence has at least 6 different languages, cultures, dances, and schools of food.
Let’s talk about food. Each of these six states of the south has its own distinct cuisine, with little overlapping and hundreds of unique varieties. Given a large number of dishes that deserve to be experienced, it becomes almost impossible to even for a well-travelled person to have it all, let alone for someone who is an occasional traveler. But, but, but…. how about a place which offers all of these hundreds of varieties of food six South Indian states, under one roof? Won’t it be amazingly convenient to try it all, or whatever that excites you, and become a fan of the food from the south?! Well if you feel so, there is one such place for you. The Dakshin in Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Park is the Mecca when it comes to the south Indian food, in its complete diversity and glory. Dakshin offers lip-smacking drinks, tasty snacks, meals, and desserts from different parts of the south, along with the perfect setting and ambience of a South-Indian fine-dine restaurant.
Dakshin is one of the oldest and best fine-dining South Indian restaurants in Chennai. Established back in 1989, the restaurant completes 3 decades of serving the best of the south to the masses, this year. The journey of Dakshin stemmed out of the need of a restaurant offering authentic south Indian cuisine. Top Chefs from different regions of the south were called to prepare the best of menu items from their respective cuisines. The quality and authenticity of food have always been the centerpiece in the journey of Dakshin, and the menu was put together after extensive testing and food tasting sessions, even back then in 1989.
Today, after 30 years, the restaurant is looking to expand to various states and cities of the country. Dakshin is also slowly going international, with participation in various food festivals and competitions, the latest one being in Bangkok.
The uniqueness of Dakshin lies in the way it brings together and blends the various and not one South Indian cousins under one roof, while still maintaining the adequate representation and uniqueness of each. The one-of-a-kind restaurant has delicacies from the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Puducherry. The traditional drinks from the south such as Neer Moru and Para Saaru serve as the perfect thirst quenchers while starting with starters like Nanda Puttu and Meen Moili and ending with desserts like Elaneer Payasam and Basundi can be called the perfect South Indian way of eating. For everything in between, you have South Indian main courses such as Theeyal, appam, Kal Dosai, and Veechu Parotta. Dakshin is also known for its lip-smacking seafood offerings.
However, now brace for this. There’s more to Dakshin than just the food. The décor, whole ambience and the hospitality that you get at Dakshin is truly, and wholesomely make you feel that you are actually in ‘Dakshin’, or the south of the country. The basic inspiration behind the designing of the fine-dine restaurant comes from the heavenly architecture of the temples of South India. Starting from the traditional brass lamps and the Urli with water having floating flower petals that welcome you at the entrance, to the red walls endorsing the royal paintings from Thanjavur and the perfectly curated lighting in the shape of temple lights – all of it together makes sure that you do experience the best of the south. Food is served in the traditional banana leaves, to maintain authenticity. Even minute details like the design of the menu card, to the dressing of the staff, has been taken care of perfectly, to align with the South Indian customs. The light, melodic and live instrumental music in the background is the cherry on the top. Basically, Dakshin makes sure that it awakens all your six senses and gives you a dining experience like nothing else.
Unforgettable evening at Pool Side!
Well, the pool was dressed up like a bride-groom with traditional décor and staffs were dressed up in Indian Attire. They have invited many socialites and regulars of Dakshin for this special celebration. It’s a great feeling listening to those bonding with Dakshin! Years passed, lifestyle changed. However, people never stopped coming to Dakshin and that’s the beauty of it. I personally liked the whole atmosphere with authentic dishes from Andhra, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamilnadu. The food was incredibly good and loved every dish.
As the restaurant is celebrating 30 successful years of inception this month, it has planned a number of special initiatives and gestures for the customers. Special South Indian Thalis, which are nothing but an amalgamation of at least 10 different dishes, have been curated, to be served till April 30th. Both Vegetarian and Non-Vegetarian variants of the thalis are available. The Chefs of Dakshin have also curated two special and unique dishes for the customers who visit them in the celebratory period – Nattu Kozhiammi Masala and Chettinad Aadu. These are a must try! Apart from these, several types of mocktails and cocktails inspired by the flavors of the south are also being served at Dakshin.
So if you are someone whose know-how of the South Indian food is limited to the typical Idli-Dosa-Sambar, it’s high time that you visit Dakshin and immerse yourself in the amazing diversity and delicacy of the south. What better time, than the 30th year celebration of Dakshin?
I would like to Thank Jit Bose and Afshan for the indeed great hospitality throughout our stay at Crowne Plaza and Special Thanks to Nivedith and Harish for planning and made this unforgettable. You guys are just amazing!
Excellent writeup and truly one of the best place to eat South Indian. You article makes me crave to go there and dine in. Especially for the Podi Idlis and Tender coconut Payasam.
Aye Aye! Thanks Nameesh 🙂