We continue our series on great restaurants and eating places across the country.

Ganesh Nadar, recommends Rain Forest in Chennai for scrumptious biryani.

Fancy a meal in the middle of a rain forest? Okay, so it's not exactly a rain forest, but the name of the restaurant, owned by a non-resident Indian living in Dubai, was promising. So we decided to give it a try.

A huge rock, serving as a sliding door greeted us when we reached the restaurant at 1.30 pm. Thankfully, there was a doorman to help us with this imposing facade.

Once inside, we descended through a narrow rock path illuminated by colourful lights that resembled a burning fire. The restaurant looks like a huge cave with a hall and an enclave on one side. Stuffed animals hung from the walls. Rain Forest must have a seating capacity of 75. It was half full.

We were led to a table in the enclave, which had comfortable seats. The air conditioning was perfect. We were then presented the menu which had continental, Mughlai, Chinese and Indian food as well as seafood. The serving staff included people from the north, North-East, and the South.

We started the meal each with a bowl of soup priced between Rs 50 and Rs 70. This is the standard price for soups and starters here. Our French onion soup and tomato soup was very tasty, though the onion soup was a little too spicy.

Next came the main course, priced between Rs 75 to Rs 200. The restaurant's specialty we found out was biryani. We settled for a prawn and egg dish with the biryani, which was excellent, though a little spicy. You will be asked how you want the dish made. There are different styles of preparing like the Hyderabadi, Mughlai or South Indian style. We chose the Mughlai style.

The food, which was enough for two people, arrived a little while after we had done justice to the soup (we had to pack the rest)

The biryani was served with raita, but you could order a curry to go with it.

For dessert you can choose from chocolate, coffee or 'natural' ice cream.

The bill, which came in a woven box, amounted to Rs 400 (minus the dessert).

A word of advice:

This is not a place for snacks. The place generally opens for lunch at noon and closes at 3 pm and opens again for dinner at 7 pm. It closes around 11 pm.

How to get there

Located at Gandhi Nagar near the Adayar signal, which is a well-known landmark in Chennai. If you are coming from Guindy, you will come to the signal. The restaurant is the second building on the left.

Address
Rain Forest
No. 41& 42
1st Main Road
Gandhi Nagar
Adayar,
Chennai -- 20

Phones: 4218 7222/ 4218 7777

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