A taste of Arabia: Arab cuisine in Chennai

Think Arabia, and you’re instantly reminded of wind-swept deserts, Bedouins, belly-dancers, hookahs, and most importantly the food: hummus, falafel, shawarma and the like. Arab cuisine has travelled the world and has also touched Chennai's shores. Here are the city's two restaurants that sell Arab food.

Sea Shell at Greams Road is typically not what you’d call an authentic Arab restaurant as it serves Chinese and Indian food as well. Nevertheless, it does rustle up several Arab dishes with panache. The ubiquitous khubuz (flat round bread), hummus kebabs, grilled chicken and shawarma prominently feature on their menu.

Surprisingly, though, other dishes like mutnabel (brinjal paste), fatayer (pastries stuffed with spinach, meat and cheese) or the tabouleh (green salad) don’t feature. Instead, you'll find a variety of rice-based dishes, known as kabsa, cooked with meats of your choice like mutton, chicken or fish.

Besides these, unusually-named fresh fruit juices and cocktails—Rolex, Omani, and London—are also served here. Do note that their service is slow.

Looking for something more up-market? Then, do try Cedars located at Kotturpuram. A warm ambience, a platter of kebabs, yoghurt-based chicken shawarma, khubuz and a variety of dips amongst others make this place much sought-after. Do be warned though, this place is not meant for the budget-conscious.

So how about a taste of Arabia tonight?