"Chronicle reviewer Emily Beyda found a rare purveyor of South Indian cuisine at Chennai Cafe in Round Rock. She ventured into the “surreally opulent” cafe, noting the menu’s emphasis on seafood, coconut, vegetarian ingredients, along with a mouth-searing level of spice. On a first visit, she admitted she may have overdosed on the delicious murukku (fried rings of dough). The next dish was the essential sambar (“a tamarind and lentil broth-based vegetable soup”) and she was delighted to find it “delectable and super velvety.” The meal was capped off with the “kabillion-Scovilles-hot chile burn” of nilgiri curry with paneer and fresh mint to ease the fire. On a second visit, Beyda prepped her palate with neer moor, a spiced buttermilk drink before digging into incendiary arcot biryani and puzhi kuzhambu poondu. She noted: Beyda closed the meal with karuvadu kathirikkai kuzhambu, a dry fish and eggplant stew, which turned out to be her favorite dish. Overall, she called it “a fantastically enriching culinary experience.”" - Erin Russell
