01-05-2025
Soy Soi in Chennai is back with a new menu and old favourites
In 2017, chef Te Yuan Peter Tseng and his team went on a 21-day journey across Southeast Asia, with one goal in mind. To eat. 'We went to five countries and ate only street food. By the end, we had eaten and documented around 300 dishes,' he says, fondly remembering the trip. The journey was undertaken to give the menu of his latest venture, a taste of authenticity. 'We came back and started building a solid menu. We mixed influences, took some difficult decisions and narrowed it down to 120 dishes,'. And thus, Soy Soi was born.
A restaurant that looked to serve Asian street style food in an elevated dining space, Soy Soi bridged a gap in the culinary landscape, and introduced the city to many new and interesting dishes and cuisines. In March 2025, they closed doors, took a break and spent almost two months to change things up.
'We have added some dishes that we only see in fine dining restaurants and incorporated different flavours and textures to make something innovative,' says brand chef Rajat Gurung, as he serves an amuse-bouche - a Persian cucumber roll, stuffed with tofu, asparagus and carrot, plated in a pool of sesame sauce and chilli oil. It is a good mix of flavours and textures that prepares us for an exciting meal.
The first course is the avocado carpaccio. The smoky, buttery slices of avocado are served in ginger ponzu, chilli oil and topped with a pineapple salsa, jalapeño relish, herb oil, and rice crispies. The contrast of textures and flavours works perfectly. The meat alternative to this is the tuna tataki, which is served in a soy onion dressing and Japanese karashi mustard with chilli oil, and topped with jalapeños and herb oil.
The mushroom gyozas with a crispy skirt might seem like something we have seen before, but there is a new addition to the dipping sauces. Along with the classic chilli crisp and scallion oil, a bright, and pungent karashi honey mustard, is served. This combination, while not conventional, brings out the umami notes of the mixed mushrooms in the gyoza. It pairs well with the ginger and kaffir lime mocktail, Soft Thai Fashion.
The star of the meal is the grilled eggplant miso served with a roasted sesame dressing and the recurring karashi mustard. It is grilled to perfection, melts in your mouth and coats your tongue in a nutty, savoury dressing. The crispy avocado sushi crusted with tanuki (tempura flakes) and stuffed with jalapeño, leaves no room for innovation. The flavours are familiar.
We also try the Malaysian Karipap, which is a curry puff filled with curried vegetables and served with a Malay potato curry. It is aromatic, but heavy on the palette. The lamb dengaku is a special addition to the menu. 'This is not traditionally made with lamb, but we are a lamb loving city, so I have customised it to go with this sauce. The lamb is tenderised with raw papaya and marinated in herbs, to make it flavourful,' says chef Rajat.
For the main course, the spicy Vietnamese pho with thinly sliced meat or vegetables and a flavourful broth is a wholesome option. The Malaysian curry in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options is served with fresh jasmine rice.
End the meal with the signature fluffy Japanese cheesecake served with yuzu sauce, coconut crumble and macerated plum.
Even ahead of the formal re-opening of the restaurant, every table is occupied, and baskets of dimsums, and bowls of ramen and pho are flying in and out of the kitchen. Some finishing touches remain. The walls are bare, there is an underlying smell of fresh paint in the air, but the aroma of chillies and the memories are clinging to the walls. Paying no heed to the unfinished parts, Chennai embraces Soy Soi like an old friend.
Soy Soi is at 2/10, Gandhi Mandapam Rd, Chitra Nagar, Kotturpuram. A meal for two costs ₹2,400. For reservations, call 7397774857.
