Restaurant review: Shanghai Annachi

Restaurant review: Shanghai Annachi

Restaurant review: Shanghai Annachi (Singapore Chinese and South Indian)

Decor

The decor is quite ordinary. In the sense, it is comfortable, in a dark sort of way. Unpretentious, with its red upholstered chairs and dark wood. A large Ganesha and a few Chinese paintings convey the dual cuisine theme while carved wooden partitions create private dining spaces. The menus are loaded with images (one of the partners is a professional photographer).

Food

Starters play such an important role in all cuisine. If you start well, then your meal is sure to end well, they say. So, we began with the complimentary sweet banana dosa and some overly sweet watermelon juice. I then ordered the most different sounding, yet familiar dish on the menu — the Singapore cereal prawn. I know prawn, and I know Singapore. It's the cereal part that intrigued me. "We drizzle it with cereal imported from Singapore," the manager informed me, "It's multi grain." Turned out to be quite delightfully crunchy and flaky, with succulent prawn inside. Cheesy milagai fry came to our table next. The verdict — steaming hot, pungent, deep fried, deliciously different and clearly chilli. "We don't serve the normal Chettinad food you get in every other restaurant," the manager informed me, "Our south Indian recipes are from places like Tuticorin and Kayalpattinam. Each masala is homemade and fresh." Getting back to the Singapore Chinese food, for our main course, we opted to go for the yang chow glass noodles, which comes in both vegetarian and chicken options. They were nice, light, saucy enough with the right amount of tang. And we managed to pack in someamazing fish curry with plain rice and the weekend special in every Muslim household living in that part of Tamil Nadu — the idiyappam biryani. For dessert, we ordered the elaneer pudding. Sweet, light, and very recommended. It comes in individual servings and is quite enough for one person. We all polished off ours, even grabbing a bit of the warm kambu halwa. Especially ethnic and earthy, it tasted far better than it looked.

Plus and minus

Good food. Huge variety. The interiors could do with a facelift.

Times food guide

Shanghai Annachi: 9B, First Floor, Kakkani Towers, Kader Nawaz Khan Road (above Raymonds showroom), Nungambakkam, Chenna
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