Remember the time when beachfront dining was limited to the lone ice-cream cart, vendors selling snacks and government-run cafes?
Cut to today- the Promenade Beach has seen quite a few developments in the food scene. The newest entrant in this line-up is Escape In. Located at the southern end of the beach, it can be easily spotted when strolling by the seaside.
The Ambience: The restaurant is elegantly done up with a small balcony that doubles up as outdoor seating, though the tables here are limited and can accommodate small groups. This is easily the best spot to sit back, enjoy the breeze and watch the waves crashing on the rocks. The service is polite and fairly quick.
The Food: The multi-cuisine menu throws in a bit of everything from biryani and shawarma to Chinese and Continental. Our fried calamari starter was crisp and though the batter was a bit doughy, we were thankful that the squid was not rubbery (which tends to happen even in joints that specialize in seafood) .
Our choice for the mains was the Escape In Special Biryani, which the waiter explained was served with the chef’s choice of chicken preparation. The biryani arrived with four hearty pieces of chicken, including two Arabian grilled chicken pieces. We decided to give the continental options a try and ordered the honey mustard chicken served with herb rice and fries.
We packed some juicy, batter-fried cheese-stuffed mushrooms and chicken fingers encrusted with cornflakes for a late-night snack: with a garlic sauce to dip into, they didn’t disappoint!
What we loved: With not many options for sea-view dining in Pondy, Escape In fills a void of sorts. Its USP is the view. And the restaurant is a good choice if your gang of friends can’t settle on a particular cuisine!
What we would love to see: We would have liked to see something unique on the menu apart from the usual suspects that we find in a multicuisine restaurant.
Cost: A meal for two costs Rs. 1000 (The restaurant did not serve liquor at the time of the review)
Open from: 12 p.m. to 11 a.m, all days of the week
Contact: 0413-2220330