As you cross the Sholingnallur water tank on ECR (when you are heading towards Mahabs) and touch Akkirai, you will spot a huge board pointing towards a restaurant called Thoondil. The seafood specialty restaurant made a giant splash on the food scene when it opened its door in 2016 and continues to be a favourite among seafood lovers. When we decided to check out the place on a weekday evening, it was still quite full.
Chettinad fish, Crab masala, Tandoori prawn and Butter garlic squid
The open space, lots of green trees and spacious seating was a refreshing change over closed air-conditioned eateries. The first thing that caught our attention was the live tank that houses crabs, tiger prawns, squids along with a variety of fishes. One can simply take your pick and ask the chef to grill, barbeque or tawa style with spices of your choice. Apart from that the place had an extensive food menu. The seating arrangement is interesting because each table is isolated and separated from the other using a dense green foliage. Your privacy remains absolutely intact.
Live Seafood
We started our meal with a bowl of Nandu Rasam. The broth was spiced beautifully and had soaked in the rich flavour of crab. This was followed by squid butter garlic, prawn pepper fry and pomphret fish fry. The freshness of all the core seafood items was evident and to top that, the solid masala only made us squirm with joy. They also have great chicken and mutton side dishes and even vegetarian options.
The restaurant had immensely friendly staff, who suggested the best options and combinations to have a delectable experience.
Catch of the day
We were also informed that Thoondil deploys local fishermen to get their fresh catch daily.
The natural setting and the nominally priced fresh seafood is the biggest draw at Thoondil. Do try out the place.
Location: 19A, Jai Nagar, East Coast Road (ECR), Panaiyur, Akkarai, Chennai
Timings: 12:30 pm to 4 pm and 6:30 pm to 11 pm
