Chennai’s iconic Dakshin reopens on TTK road with its famous banana dosa and Dakshina yera

Experience the nostalgia and elevated South Indian cuisine at Dakshin, a fine dining gem which has now reopened on Chennai's TTK Road.

I visited Dakshin for the first time when I was 11 — my first fine dining experience. The bright green walls adorned with Tanjore paintings and wooden sculptures left a strong impression. But the best part was the bottomless appalam and vathal basket that always remained full, regardless of the dent we made. With a better sense of moderation, I visited the recently reopened Dakshin by Adyar Gate Hotel on TTK road, a few buildings away from the remains of its previous residence where the five star hotel Crowne Plaza once stood.

While the reincarnated Dakshin continues to celebrate ‘the taste of South’, at its core, it is an ode to nostalgia. “Back then, South Indian food was never considered suitable for fine dining. Dakshin wanted to elevate the cuisine to a fine dining status and took on chefs who did extensive research on the food in the southern peninsula. They then created some unique stars that are now the USPs of the restaurant. Maintaining the consistency has been one of the key reasons for success,” shares Anand Nair, General Manager of Dakshin Chennai.

At the helm is Chef Murugan Thangarasu, a new addition to the Dakshin family, who relies on the experience and expertise of the restaurant’s legacy chefs. “We have customers who have dined here since the restaurant opened in 1989 and we have dishes like banana dosa from then too,” he shares.The recipe, he says, calls for the use of five varieties of banana with rice flour and cashew. The caramelised, hot banana dosa is sweet, but when paired with the tart tamarind chutney, it becomes an addictive mix of fruity tanginess.

The Dakshina yera is brought in next. The tiger prawns have the thinnest coating of batter with chilli, coriander and a blend of spices, making it the perfect snack. The Aachi cauliflower munthiri varuval, a vegetarian delight with a similar batter, topped with a dash of lemon, offers a similar sense of satisfaction.

We know curries are aplenty at Dakshin. The kozhi milagu kuzhambu, meen kuzhambu and the tomato pappu are signatures. But the newly added kori rassa, a chicken curry from Mangalore made with coconut milk and whole spices, is fresh and delightful when eaten with appam and flaky parotta.

The biryani that, among the last dishes of the evening comes in steaming hot with several addictive pieces of juicy chicken. Despite the aromas, it is unfortunately a letdown as the masala in the biryani do not pair well with the tang from too many tomatoes. “The biryani changes daily, one day it is chicken, next day it is lamb. The style is also expected to change from Dindigul to Ambur and Nellore,” informs the chef. 

Missing Dakshin’s kaapi is sacrilegious. Especially when Suresh from the old team flaunts his coffee mixing skills right by the table. It just is as strong and creamy as I remember.