Rhapsody: Courtyard Marriott, 564, Anna Salai, Chennai, 600018
Phone: 44 66764499
Average Cost: 1500 – 2000 per person
Service: 8/10
Ambiance: 7/10
Food: 7/10
The Courtyard re-opened its Rhapsody restaurant with an all new Italian theme. The interiors were all re-done with dark royal themes and the waiters were all dressed smartly in matching suits and ties. The ambiance was well balanced around the room with pleasant lighting. As we walked in we were greeted by the friendly and courteous staff and led to the table, which gave us a pretty good view of the kitchen, through the huge glass windows.
The menu cards were quite impressive, with each one enclosed in a glass frame. Just two sides. Not too elaborate. Just simple and to the point. For drinks, I ordered a glass of Johny Walker Blue Label (Rs 1000) with ice. The others tried out a few varieties of cocktail drinks. For the appetizers we tried a plate of smoked salmon and the cold meat platter. The salmon was very finely cut into one thin slice. More towards the raw side, but a slight hint of smoke. Went well with lime and assorted veggies. The meat platter (above) had ham, salami and few other selections of meat, that was again finely sliced and served with lightly grilled veggies.
The lasagna that we ordered from the pasta section was out of this world. I could have sworn that the mozzarella cheese melted on top was the best in the world. Not too saucy, but very cheesy. Just the way I like it. The very sight of it made us all dig into it that I forgot to click a snap. This was truly my pick of the evening.
The main course was more elegant but did not match up to the lasagna. The roasted chicken with asparagus was good. It has a nice roasted and saucy feel and the presence of the asparagus was quite prominent. The lobster tail and risotto (above) was just average. Maybe because I am not a big risotto fan, but even then, the lobster was just not what I expected. Maybe they are just over rated generally. For Rs 1500 a plate, I don’t think I want to order that again. Maybe I am not a sophisticated eater.
The beef steak (above) was better. Now most of us Indians have a problem with eating steak rare or even medium rare. We love our steaks well done. After having tried out plenty of steaks over the last few years, I accept defeat and now state that the right way to eat a steak is rare or medium rare. It has got to have a pink center and it has to be juicy. I ordered mine well done, and as a result did not enjoy it as much. No fault of the chef, instead it was just a bad choice from my side. If we can eat sushi, then why not steak that’s a little pink in the middle?
With hardly any space left, we skipped the pizza that was highly recommended and moved straight to the dessert. We heard a lot of people raving about the tiramisu and I couldn’t help but stare at the servers walking around with large tubs of tiramisu. Alas, by the time we ordered, they had run out of it. What a disappointment. The chef came out and met us personally to explain to us why he makes only a limited quantity of tiramisu. Half heartedly we settled for the chocolate cupcake with hot chocolate filling, ice cream and the assorted mousse. The platter of mousse (above) had chocolate, strawberry, vanilla and mango, with mango being the surprise flavor.
The chocolate cupcake (above) was well presented and could seem like an ordinary cake you would find at any bakery, until you bite into the center and let the warm chocolate sauce ooze out. With the ice cream, the surprise was again the mango flavor. For some reason, they did a real good job with mangoes.
Overall a good experience and a nice place to visit for some fine, no fuss dining. Be prepared to spend close to Rs 2000 per head, exclusive of drinks. It may seem expensive, but it’s not the everyday eat out for the common man and its not everyday that we visit the Rhapsody.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: Italian, Macabreday
