On Madras Day | Revisiting Chennai’s iconic British era social clubs, their food and histories that date back to more than a century

Madras Club

Orange lit evenings at Madras Club tremble like the embers of its colonial past. From celebrating Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation dinner (well after Partition) to ‘European Only’ dinners, the years of the past drift in the club’s environs like sand. Established in 1832, Madras Club is the second oldest British era club after the Bengal Club in Kolkata.  

Called the ‘ace of clubs’ by late city chronicler S Muthiah, this club was founded way before the East India Company gave way to the British Raj. The club’s motto Concordia Vires (harmony is strength) on the Mowbray’s cupola (built sometime before 1792 by George Mowbrays, a respected businessman who later became the Sheriff and Mayor of Madras), the iconic octagonal dome, and the woody whisky tinted interiors of the bar with its Renoir prints are like a lasting touch of the past upon one’s shoulder.  

VK Chandrasekaran, food and beverage manager at the club outlines, “The mulligatawny soup originated in our club, roughly in the 1850s. Other delicacies like the roast lamb and bread butter pudding are our signature dishes. We took the recipe from the British and it continues to reign our menu even today. Other dishes like the lobster thermidor and stuffed crab are popular but these are iconic.” 

A senior member of the club recalls, “My granddaughter and I would sit in the verandah overlooking the lawn. Over generous bowls of mulligatawny followed by the bread and butter pudding that comes with a side of fresh cream, I would animate my little one with stories of the ‘friendly ghost’ in the club’s old barber shop, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s visit to the club and many more such anecdotes. So, the mulligatawny is not only a link to the club’s past but also a bridge to a treasure trove of fond memories.” 

Served with rice, cubes of butter, sweet mango chutney and lemon, the thick yellow ochre-toned broth feels like a warm hug for the insides. Interestingly, professor of English at Tufts University, Modhumita Roy traces, “The British in Madras often turned to mulligatawny before and after meals as a digestive and it was considered by some a trustworthy remedy for ‘sick headaches’”. 

On the other hand, the roast lamb is served with a side of fresh and crunchy green vegetables, soft tawny brown potato wedges and sour mint water in a British style gravy boat. The dish used to be a staple among the Raj’s senior merchants and military men. 

Madras Gymkhana Club 

The grounds of Chennai’s Gymkhana Club know how to read the winds, whirls and pauses of its history. Established in 1884, in the initial days of the club many rajas became members.

There was a curious overlap of sports patronised by the Indian royalty and games that were essentially British. As shikaar (hunting), boar hunting and pig sticking coalesced with tennis, rugby and cricket, it gave birth to new games whose calibrations, rules and regulations were modified by the British. The ‘game of kings’ or sagol kangjei – a game which was crudely referred to as ‘horse-hockey’ was merged with British sensibilities and gave birth to modern polo. Soon, players clothed in jodhpurs were not only celebrating the Indo-British interface in sports but also a plethora of gastronomic delights that came with it.  

In keeping with the history of the club deeply enmeshed in sport, the two club drinks hockey and cricket are a homage to that legacy. The lemon concentrate based cricket is topped with orange squash and soda that “fizzes down the throat like an express delivery “ according to the Gymkhana’s coffee table book Madras Gymkhana Club Quasquicentennial edited by Sandhya Mendoca. On the other hand, hockey is essentially a lemon juice and lemonade based drink whose sharp tarty notes “descends down the oesophagus like the gentle dribble of Gyanchand…”, explains the book.  

Vignesh Bhasker, committee member, catering, says, “Dishes such as the roast chicken, baked crab, batter-fried fish, pineapple passion and the traditional Saturday cold cut continental buffet have been a legacy of the club for over 135 years. Christmas specialities such as roast turkey, plum cake and pepper pork chops are dishes members look forward to every December.” 

Ishwar Achanta, honorary secretary of the club recalls, “There used to be a time when we used to have midnight beer drinking competitions and Britishers-only dinners.” He adds, “The club has specialised consistently in preparing baked dishes, steaks and grills. To suit their palate, the British trained our cooks and introduced their recipes. Although now we have had new additions to the menu that are more contemporary and keep up with the changing palate of members.” 

Madras Boat Club  

Rowing is Madras Boat Club’s love language. Since its establishment in 1867, boats, oars and sculls have been its gills and ribs.

Home to the Madras-Colombo regatta – one of the oldest regattas in the world, held here from 1898 – the prestigious club is threaded with rowing gear, tall drooping trees and the scent of the trembling green waters. S Muthiah chronicles the club’s history in the book Down By the Adyar. In the book Muthiah says, “The MBC was founded by a small group of water sports enthusiasts who had been sailing and rowing in what was then a weekend getaway, the backwaters of Ennore.” 

Committee member and musician S Muralikrishnan elaborates that the consistent and deft hands in MBC’s kitchens could well be rivals to the dexterity of the rowers. “Members who visit the club after decades are never disappointed. Every time they order our signature RB special peanuts or CRS chicken or the much celebrated cheese bonda, they are in awe of years of consistent cooking through the same age old formulas,” says Murali.

RB special peanuts gets its name from a senior member Ramabadran who suggested the recipe. The peanuts are tossed in spices, peas and finely chopped onions. While the cheese bonda remains popular amongst the young people of the club the CRS chicken which tastes like a revved up chicken 65 is soggy from a peppery and curry leaves imbued marinade.  

Cosmopolitan Club 

The Cosmopolitan Club was started in response to all the British clubs that once debarred “dogs and Indians”. Current president of the club Sundareswaran Krishnamoorthy recalls that the club was started with lawyers and advocates at the helm and the aim was to create an egalitarian pocket where fierce debates would be held, cultural identities would be celebrated and like its name the club would be a cosmopolitan space for members to relax and unwind.

In one of many firsts, in the club’s initial days membership was open to women and dress regulations were liberal. “Our club was visited by Mahatma Gandhi in 1915. Rajendra Prasad and Rabindranath Tagore have also set foot in the premises,” says a proud Sundareswaran.

What complements the liberal and easy going environs of the club is the much-celebrated mutton biriyani and badam halwa of the club. “We have members who pack crates of biryani and send it to their children living in Malaysia, Indonesia and other countries overseas. Many NRI members pack large boxes of badam halwa and send it to their kids living in the United States. Over the years these two preparations have been hits with members and outside guests,” says Sundareswaran.