“Why steak – it’s so niche?”

“Simple. I didn’t want to join the crowd of South Indian or multi-cuisine restaurants. I was inspired by Niche, Specialty restaurants in Mumbai that I had been to in the late ‘70s and I really enjoyed the dining experience there and thought of bringing something new to Chennai .”

“Now, coming to the location.”God! We sound like interrogators already!

“You mean, why Alwarpet?”

“Yup.” He doesn’t seem to mind it though. Nice guy 🙂

“When we started Tangerine 12 years ago, we found there were a few other restaurants in this area, who were selling niche food and drawing a loyal crowd that was willing to try out different cuisines. This was also home to many Expats ”

“What’s with the exhibits in here?”

“That’s an event we sponsor for budding artists to showcase and sell their craftsmanship for free.”

“That’s awesome ! I know a friend of mine who is a very good artist, will connect her with you.”

“Sure. We have a panel of senior artists who will evaluate the paintings . They ensure that the really talented artists, get a chance to display their art and get  noticed  here.”

“I just love the ambience here… dimly-lit, casual yet some smoking hot intoxicating fragrance of sizzlers…”Somehow, I always notice the ambiance first. It must be in my genes. Gotta ask mom!

“Also love the music, sounds like rock from the 70’s…”

“A fall-back from my college days! We also have a Live Band that performs once a month here ”

“It’s always a late lunch place, during week-ends. People drop by late in the afternoon.”
Makes sense. It did fill up only around 2:30ish.

“The staff seem friendly and helpful…”

“They should be! Most have been with us for years… For the customer I suppose there’s comfort dealing with known staff”

“Atheetha, what would want to have?”

“Anything Veg…”(Sparing the animal kingdom today)

“Atheetha, Veg in a steak place?? You must be kidding!!”

(Smiles).. “We knew that being in Chennai we will have many Vegetarian customers. Yes, we have a whole range of choices for Veggies…”

Even though her mouth was filled with delicious food, she was able to form sentences “How did your customers grow?”

“It started as a place for friends and we continue to keep it that way. We still get a lot of customers turning in after hearing about us from their friends or colleagues. Many of our customers got to know us through word-of-mouth only ”

Mind! Back to Arun, please! “Customers simply walk in and tell us how much they love our food. Rarely we have a customer who may not like a dish and  we put in a lot of  effort to change the dish flavor or texture as this is key to customer satisfaction.”

“I have never had a chance to talk in detail to a Foodie and Founder of such a delightful restaurant, it was a fantastic experience ”

“Not to mention, tasting some of  the finest dishes while hearing your story.”

“It is always a pleasure to host such passionate foodies and it’s great  that Frilp connected me with you guys. Would love  to see you again soon ”