Junior Kupanna opens JK Select in Chennai offering traditional dishes with a twist and a relaxed dining experience

Experience Chennai's legacy restaurant, Junior Kuppanna, reinventing itself with fusion dishes at JK Select on Chamiers Road.

Chennai is home to many legacy restaurants. Some preserve their old-world charm, while others strive to cater to today’s fickle diners by reinventing themselves. With new eateries cropping up frequently, is nostalgia enough to attract customers? Junior Kuppanna, in the business for 64 years, has embraced change since the 2020 lockdown, attempting to reinvent themselves. Their latest venture is JK Select on Chamiers Road.

We intend to be like a Rajinikanth movie that appeals to every section of society. We want to retain diners within the brand by offering them the upscale food and experience they enjoy at other restaurants,” says Balachandar R, the chain’s executive director.

This vision comes alive with dishes like Madurai mutton momos and chicken chukka spring rolls. The dimly lit space features comfortable seating, simple wooden tables, and vibrant artwork. “We noticed that people usually come to dine and leave promptly. This outlet offers a relaxed dining experience. From service to plating, everything is different here,” Balachandar adds.

Madurai mutton momos are served with a gingery salsa dip. The thin momo wrapper encases a filling of minced mutton, flavoured with garlic, red chilli and fennel. The chicken chukka spring roll is especially addictive when dipped in the sweet and spicy chilli-garlic sauce. Minced meat seasoned with dried chilli and other aromatics is wrapped in a pastry sheet and fried to perfection.

Fusion is always a culinary gamble, and here it is an exciting one. The pizza rotta, a parotta-based pizza, is an indulgent dish topped with chicken chukka, vegetables and a generous layer of mozzarella. Greasy and filling, it is balanced by unlimited glasses of piping hot garlic rasam.

“We still have traditional dishes like Pallipalayam chicken and Madurai mutton; these are our core offerings. We’re just experimenting with flavours. Even the peri peri chicken or paneer we serve on coin parottas have a ‘Kongu-ised’ touch. We’ve created these combinations based on feedback from our customers,” Bala explains.

vao sample some Junior Kuppanna classics, we try this very Kongu-style mutton biryani made with jeeraga samba rice, served with a large piece of nalli resting in the steaming rice. The light and refreshing nandu puttu, with tender crab shreds, and a well-spiced vanjaram fish fry are also on the menu. From the JK Select menu, the chicken rezala and ghee rice disappoints; the grey gravy is overly salty with undercooked meat. The replacement gravy fares slightly better, creamy with a cashew and poppy seed base.