There are restaurants you visit for a quick meal and then there are restaurants you return to because they nourish both your heart and stomach. The Madras Diaries falls into the latter category. The food here is a flavoursome journey you do not want to miss.
The Kori Ghee Roast brings rich coastal flavours with a slow-building heat. Kongu Mutton Curry is one of the most scrumptious home-style gravies you could ever taste. And, if you need something comforting yet exciting, the Mysore Masala Dosa hits the spot.
So, let’s take a guided walk through the dishes that customers order again and again.
Best-Selling Plates At The Madras Diaries
~ Appetisers
- Beetroot Kola Urundai
One would not usually put beetroot and a tasty starter in the same sentence, but The Madras Diaries makes you question your assumptions. These fried balls look simple. But bite into one and there is a moment where your brain tries to decode what just happened.
It tastes earthy, mildly sweet with spices playing with your taste buds. Borrowing from the legendary Chettinad culinary playbook, these deep-fried dumplings are a great reimagining of the traditional meat-based kola urundai.
It pairs brilliantly with chutney, but honestly, you could enjoy it even without dips. This is soul food in its most colourful form, beautifully bridging the gap between healthy ingredients and indulgent snacking.
- Tandoori Chicken
The absolute crowd favourite. You know how every city has that one place everyone swears makes the best tandoori? Among regulars here, this platter sits confidently in that place.
It arrives with colours deeper than sunset orange, glistening slightly from the marinade, with charred edges that tell you it has spent just the right amount of time in the tandoor. The meat falls apart into clean pieces.
The smoky, savoury flavours and juicy chicken make you yearn for another plate. It warms you up, opens your appetite and prepares your palate. It is a testament to how well-known dishes can still surprise you when the execution is flawless.
- Kori Ghee Roast
Originating from the coastal town of Kundapur in Mangalore, this dish is a celebration of the golden, nutty richness of ghee (clarified butter). The chicken is tossed in a thick, fiery red paste made from Byadgi chillies, which provide that iconic deep colour.
It is a heavy, indulgent dish that refuses to be ignored. You can tell the spices have been slow-roasted to release their oils before being ground, giving the dish a complex depth of flavours that entice your palate at different times.
Many diners swear it is their personal favourite and it is easy to see why. It is indulgence, nostalgia and homely love, all on one plate.
~ Main Course
- Butter Chicken
Many travel across the city for this dish alone. The gravy arrives rich and creamy with tender chicken pieces soaked thoroughly with flavour. The subtle smokiness of the meat cuts through the dairy with ease.
It is a dish that commands your full attention from the instant the fragrant steam hits your face. The curry is best enjoyed with a piece of hot, garlicky Naan to scoop up every last drop of that orange gold.
Some foods feel like comfort in a bowl and this is one of them. Ideal for first-timers, picky eaters or someone who needs a good meal.
- Kongu Mutton Curry
The Kongu Mutton Curry takes you on a trip to the heartland of western Tamil Nadu, a region known for its unique use of spices and ingredients like copra (dried coconut).
The mutton is the star here, cooked until it is so soft that it practically falls off the bone with a gentle nudge from your finger. The spice mix is distinctive, using coriander seeds and cinnamon to create a warmth that builds slowly.
Best eaten with hot rice, though Parotta turns it into a feast. It highlights a side of Tamil cuisine that is often overshadowed by Chettinad but is equally, if not more, rewarding for those who seek out authentic, home-style flavours.
- The Madras Diaries Prawn Curry
The signature Prawn Curry is where the kitchen really shows off its understanding of the sea. Prawns are delicate things. Overcook them by thirty seconds and they become rubbery, but here they are plump, juicy and snapping with freshness.
The curry base is a vibrant affair with a bright acidity from tamarind to make the seafood sing. The coconut milk adds a rounded, creamy finish that mellows out the spices. It feels light and refreshing despite its richness, a difficult trick to pull off.
You would end up scraping from the bowl with a spoon despite being full, because of this curry. Seafood done right tastes like a day well spent, this does exactly that.
- Manathakkali Vathal
Manathakkali Vathal is perhaps the most ‘insider’ dish on the menu, a true mark of a kitchen that knows its roots. These tiny, sun-dried black nightshade berries are known for their medicinal properties, but in this gravy, they are flavour explosions.
It captures every single taste bud at once. It is bitter, sour, salty and spicy all in one go. You can pair it with piping hot rice and a dollop of ghee and suddenly life feels simpler.
For many, this dish evokes memories of rainy days and soul-stirring meals cooked by mothers. And, let us tell you, this curry is the authentic glimpse into the daily culinary life of a South Indian household.
- Hyderabadi Gosht Dum Biriyani
People often fight for the last serving of this Hyderabadi Gosht Dum Biriyani. The ‘Dum’ process, sealing the pot with dough to trap the steam, ensures that every grain of long-grain basmati rice is infused with the essence of the meat and spices.
When the seal is broken at the table, the aroma that wafts out is enough to make your mouth water instantly. The rice is fluffy, with each grain standing separate, coloured in shades of white and saffron.
Buried beneath the rice are the mutton pieces, marinated in yoghurt and a secret blend of spices, cooked until they are butter-tender. It is a complete meal in itself, served with a Raita, but the Biriyani is so good it hardly needs any accompaniment.
- Mysore Masala Dosa
There is Dosa and then there is Mysore Masala Dosa. Golden brown, slightly crisp at the edges, soft towards the centre, it carries that lip-smacking red chutney inside. The fermentation of the batter is key here. It gives the dosa a slight tang and a beautiful honeycomb texture.
The potato filling carries mouthwatering flavours, green chillies, curry leaves and enough spice to keep your palate awake. It is a dish of many layers, both literally and figuratively.
If you have grown up eating dosa, this is everything you want to bring back all your sweet, sweet memories. If you haven’t, prepare to fall in love for the first time.
~ Dessert
- Watalappan
Watalappan offers a unique departure from the usual Indian sweets. This coconut custard, heavily influenced by Sri Lankan and Malay traditions, is a dark, moody dessert sweetened with kithul jaggery.
The texture is slightly grainy in a pleasant way, with a richness that comes from thick coconut milk and eggs. It is steamed rather than baked, giving it a dense, pudding-like consistency.
This sweet treat represents the maritime connections of South India that shows how flavours have travelled across the waters to become part of the local fabric.
- Ashoka Halwa
The Ashoka Halwa is a festive classic that hails from Thanjavur. This dessert is known for its incredible gloss and smooth, almost jelly-like consistency. Made from moong dal and flavoured with a staggering amount of ghee, it is the definition of decadence.
There is a subtle nutty flavour from the lentils, but the primary sensation is one of pure, unadulterated sweetness balanced by the richness of the fat.
It is a warm hug of a treat that reminds you of the joys of childhood, where a spoonful of something sweet could fix just about anything.
- Gulab Jamun
Gulab Jamun are deep-fried dough balls made of milk solids, dunked in a rose-scented sugar syrup until they are heavy and soaked with sweetness.
When done right, like they are here, they should give way to a centre that is light and porous. The combination of fried dough and sugar is a universal language of happiness.
As the final bite of your meal, it leaves you with a sense of completion, a sugary punctuation mark at the end of a long, flavourful sentence. However, nobody stops at one. You think you will, until you taste it.
But, great food is just the beginning. See what else makes The Madras Diaries stand out on our blog!
That said, our doors are open in Utrecht and Amsterdam. So, come and try the dishes that have everyone talking. See you soon!
