Chennai’s Jolly Indian has fun-dining with cutting chai, chaat, chicken tikka and more

A waiter balancing cups of steaming hot cutting chai threads his way between tables toward us at Jolly Indian, Chennai’s newest Indian restaurant. We have just walked in through a reception fashioned like a retro train coupe, but not before beating a drum at the entrance, announcing our arrival. From the get-go, Jolly Indian is sure of one thing: nostalgia and retro-Indian charm will go hand in hand with the menu. 

“Our menu is a combination of the classics you would typically get in an Indian restaurant, and some other dishes with a fun twist to it. This is not fusion, but just some flavour combinations we think work well,” says Japtej Ahluwalia, co-founder, BORN (Beyond Ordinary Restaurants and Nosh). The 65-seater restaurant has kitschy murals on the walls with soft lamps on the tables, and steel plates on marble tabletops, a conscious dichotomy, Japtej says.

Palak patta chaat
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Special Arrangement

After the Double Roti relaunch and opening Double Dashi and Sortd earlier this year in the city, did Indian food seem like a natural progression? “We wanted to work on a fun-dining restaurant over a fine-dining one,” says Manoj Padmanabhan, co-founder BORN, of Jolly Indian. Their bright, newspaper-style menu encompassing dishes from both the North and the South has the classics of course, as well as inventive reimaginings under separate sections; regular or jolly. “The papdi and palak patta chaats are the OGs and the smoked pineapple chaat and the lotus stem bhel are our OMGs,” Manoj laughs.

We begin our meal with the lamb rasaa, a soup that is light, flavourful and feels akin to drinking hot rasam on a rainy day. The smoked pineapple chaat which follows is served in a pull-me-up cake fashion. The corn salsa, pineapple and froyo in this chaat however feels like an odd mix and is a tad too sweet. While the asparagus fingers, with a parmesan aioli and chilli is a better starter, Jolly Indian’s meat appetisers prove to be the stars of the meal. 

Jolly Indian’s menu has a mix of South Indian and North Indian cuisine
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Special Arrangement

True to its name, the lamb galouti and the yam galouti kebabs are melt-in-the-mouth and we dig in pâté style, spreading the minced meat on thin sourdough slices. The flavours are perfectly complimented by the crunchy sourdough. From the jolly side of the menu, we dig into the Newto(w)n chicken tikka, small, succulent pieces of chicken marinated in thyme and garlic and served with a parmesan yoghurt. This is a great deviation from the regular tandoori flavours, and it helps that the meat is cooked and seasoned well. I try the Chettinadu shepherd’s pie with some hesitation, as one does with a dish that sounds needlessly experimental but this emerges a favourite; the spicy potato mash is much like a potato masala made in most South-Indian homes and it has the very welcome addition of chicken chukka. 

Manoj says their trials showed diners piling on starters and then choosing comfort classics for mains. Jolly Indian’s menu too has favourites such as butter chicken, dal makhni, nalli nihari, prawn moilee and egg curry, alongside its more inventive fare like kadhi-style lotus stem fritters, Kolkata edamame masala and a palak-paneer-inspired spinach burrata. To enable their extensive list of curries to remain the hero, the rice pairings are kept light and easy. There is a guchi pulao, asparagus and walnut pulao, old style birinji and curd rice to choose from. 

We settle on some flaky onion lacha parathas and pesto and parmesan naan, both soft and doused in a generous amount of ghee. The Pandara Road butter chicken has chicken in a thick, creamy makhni gravy and goes perfectly well with the naans and parathas, but we decide to be adventurous and also dip the breads in some Jolly kari kozhambu, a gongura-mutton inspired dish that has mutton cooked to perfection in a tangy, and not-to-spicy gravy. Jolly Indian’s take on aloo gobi comes highly recommended by Chef Gopalsamy Mani, where confit potato and charred cauliflower comes plated on a curry sauce. If you choose to eschew the dals and want a mild, comfort subzi, this is a great pick. 

Chettinad Shepherd’s pie
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

We might have started the evening with some cutting chai but we end the meal with the cold South Indian coffee, a creamy coffee flavoured mousse in a glass. We are told that the restaurant will soon have waiters bring over snacks such as peanut masala at the start of the meal, and cutting chai and coffee at the end, much like the vendors who sing-song their way through train carriages. With plans afoot to have diners play board games while they wait for their orders, this meal is on its way towards becoming a jolly experience. 

Jolly Indian is at CP Ramaswamy road and is currently open for dinner. A meal for two is priced at ₹ 1,800.