The Hindu Business Line : Elevated mood

The interior, ambience, music, the foreign faces and foreign languages flying thick and fast, particularly Turkish, and of course the food… takes the mind back to those wonderful days in Greece, Turkey and Spain… where we were introduced to the best of Mediterranean cuisine in some of the finest restaurants in Madrid, Istanbul, Athens, and the olive-growing belts of these countries.

Kefi, the spectacular rooftop restaurant of Taj Mount Road is surely one of the most romantic dining spots in Chennai. It is open only for dinner and, if you’re lucky enough to get a breezy evening, do opt to sit out under the open sky. The azure water of the swimming pool provides a magic effect, and the soft and sexy lighting is just right for a magic evening.

The interior is elegant too and gives the feel of a typical rustic Greek or Spanish village. One couldn’t recalling how back in 2007, during a Karesma conference on Greek cuisine, all the women in a village near Crete Island got together to prepare a great meal for almost 250 delegates.

A new menu

Bijoy Ghosh

Turkish Chef Mehmet Koyuncu

Returning to Kefi, that it is a popular eating-out place in Chennai was obvious on Saturday evening when both the inside and outside tables were occupied. Chef Mehmet Koyuncu, the rather fetching Turkish chef at the restaurant, was kept on his toes the entire evening. The speciality restaurant serving Mediterranean cuisine such as Greek, Turkish, Spanish, Moroccan and Lebanese, has just seen a change of menu.

The Chef says that as five different cuisines are served here, “and the menu is not very large, we take only a few dishes from each country. That is why I cannot answer the one question I’m asked all the time… about my signature dish. I like everything!”

Well, one has heard that before. But while coy about naming his own favourite, Chef Koyuncu says Kefi’s patrons have loved different varieties of the Middle Eastern shawarmas, the Moroccan dishes Chicken Tajine and Prawn Pasticalla. “The live shawarmas grill, which people can see (Kefi has an open kitchen), is quite popular and I serve it in three different ways,” he says.

But the good news for vegetarians is that once Chef Koyuncu discovered that a lot of people in Chennai are vegetarian — his estimate is that 45 per cent of his clientele is vegetarian — he has made a special effort to “not only put more veg items on the menu but to improve the quality of the vegetarian dishes too!”

The mezze

Our meal kicks off with a delicate Bruschetta with artichokes and olives, and is followed by a platter of cold and hot mezze or starters.

We begin with Hummus Beiruti, which is chickpeas pureed with garlic, parsley, onion, tomatoes, Tahina olive oil and lemon. Next is Moutabel — a lip-smacking, creamy delicacy made with char-grilled aubergine pureed with Tahini paste, yoghurt and olive oil. Reminded me a little bit of the baigan ka bharta my mother used to make years ago… sans Tahini paste and olive oil but with lots of yoghurt. This was a much creamer and tastier version, though!

Tabuleh, a creation with parsley, broken wheat, tomatoes and lemon juice is as good as it is authentic. The Lubieh bel zeit is also vegetarian — green beans and carrots cooked in tomato paste and extra virgin olive oil. Till now the starters have been vegetarian, but next we get a taste of a Mediterranean salad — lettuce-dominated vegetables with spicy chicken,

In the hot mezze the clear winner is Cigara borek, a slender and crisp pastry finger — essentially a deep fried finger of Feta cheese with parsley and onion. Full marks for the crunchy delicacy. The Chef deserves accolades for his superb presentation.

So does he use only olive oil as the cooking medium? “Not at all, I use butter, normal sunflower oil, everything. You can’t use olive oil for everything, sometimes the taste is very strong, but for all the mezze I use only olive oil,” the Chef says.

He adds that he is very particular about the authenticity of the fare he serves and hence the ingredients are sourced with care. For instance, lamb is got from New Zealand, as “the quality of the meat is far superior, it is very tender… the lamb chops are done after a couple of turnings on the grill. The rice, spices, herbs and cheese we get in Dubai, which is a global business centre and gets stuff from different Mediterranean countries.”

The Chef decided it was time to move on to some hardcore meat, and sent in a platter of Turkish kebabs… lamb, chicken and prawn. The Turkish Adana kebab, made of charcoal grilled minced lamb meat and named after the Turkish city Adana, is akin to our sheek kebab but made with much milder spices and flavoured with herbs. This was originally known as kiyma kebabi (just like our kheema).

The Rubian grilled prawn and the amazingly tender chicken winglets should have completed the starters… but taken with generous helpings of the fresh and fragrant breads served by the Chef, almost completed the meal!

The result was , one had to make a pretence of trying out the main dish — Greek treasure — Chicken soulaki on Spanako riso (rice) with Yoghurt Mint sauce and a scrumptious roll of shredded chicken with tomatoes and special herbs.

Disappointing desserts

So far the meal was simply heavenly, and the slightly sweet Chenin Blanc white was so perfect that one politely turned down the red wine offered with the main course. But the disappointment came with the dessert, of which the saving grace was the Baklava, made with walnut and pistachio flavoured with rose syrup. The pumpkin stuffed with Tahina (Kabab tatlisi) was a disaster and the Ravani (semolina cake) was mediocre too — both were Turkish sweets. One is certain that the Atif Mashi, pancakes filled with rose-scented almond and pistachios, would have been much, much better. Perhaps Chef Koyuncu might want a re-look at his desserts, because one has sampled such heavenly fare in both Greek and Spanish cuisines.

As Kefi certainly is a mood enhancer and deserves subsequent visits — both for its food, ambience and dining experience — diners with a sweet tooth deserve better offering.

Do try out the place, and if you enjoy the food, the restaurant invites you to do what the Greeks traditionally did after a great meal to express their appreciation — break a plate. Not on the table but at the little area earmarked for it at the entrance. This will cost you Rs 200 and the proceeds will go to charity.