Japanese autumn soup or Chettinad soya pol roti bruschetta?

Sree Annapoorna’s Kove fine dining vegetarian restaurant reinvents the menu, complete with ‘poosani charu’ and lotus biscoff cheesecake

A few drops of truffle oil brings an intense, savoury, umami-rich flavour that elevates the classic Japanese autumn soup teapot mushroom suimono to gourmet status. “I wanted to make truffle oil from scratch but wastages are high and the process is expensive,” says Jegan S Damodaraswamy, executive director of Coimbatore’s Sree Annapoorna, adding that he went ahead and added truffle oil on the menu at Kove based on requests from their regular customers who specifically came to taste the flavour. So, in came dishes like fettuccine wild mushrooms in truffle oil cream sauce and pan-fried rice with edamame beans seasoned with truffle oil on the new menu at Sree Annapoorna’s Kove fine dining vegetarian restaurant.

“Though the restaurant opened in November 2021, in about 18 months, we started working on the new menu. We have added more than 70 per cent of the dishes are newly added in Pan Asian, Indian, European and Italian. For example, we assorted dimsums to the Pan Asian menu,” says V Murugesan, executive chef. As he speaks, we bite into delicate blue dimsums (from blue pea flower), stuffed plump with water chestnut and artichoke, and pink ones (from beetroot) stuffed with shitake, porcini and button mushrooms and edamame beans and a drizzle of truffle oil, that are tasty and flavourful.

While a 25-member team led by Chef Murugesan V from Sri Lanka oversees the kitchen, the most challenging part has been revamping the menu that packs an all-new experience, admits Jegan as he pauses to order some of the must-try items. While kibbeh, a deep fried Syrian specialty, made with mock meat and stuffed with pine nuts is crunchy on the outside and soft inside, the fiery Thai basil tofu comes with silky tofu cubes.

“Tofu is added only now as we wanted to be sure of the quality. So is blue cheese. With the new menu, our attempt is to recreate a fresh, contemporary experience with variety,” he explains adding that the menu retains favourites like vaazhaipoo kola urundai and curd rice aracini. While the newly-added kathal ki seekh kebab (with tender jackfruit mince) has a melt-in-the-mouth galouti texture, the dahi kebab is a happy marriage of luscious yoghurt and crumbled cottage cheese. Jegan talks fondly of pol roti, a coconut flatbread popular in Sri Lankan cuisine that becomes the base for Chettinad soya pol roti bruschetta. It brings a crunchy, sweet, spicy, taste to the palate that leaves you asking for more. He also talks of carefully curated pizzas, starting with vegan pepperoni, Kongu soya tikka inspired by the Kongu flavours and the K pop pizza layered with gochujang sauce, pulled baby jackfruit and fresh red chillies.

The main course has plenty to choose from across Asian, Indian including rotis, rice (featuring special kiloni biryani and kichili samba) and wood-fired pizzas, and pastas. We keep it for another day and head to the desserts section. While the lotus biscoff cheesecake is thick, buttery and topped with luscious cream, it is Bailye’s tiramisu with coffee caviar, a nice little twist to the classic dessert that is a clear winner.

Located at 75, East Arokiasamy Rd, RS Puram, To book your table, call: 9842246780