Monday, April 25, 2016

Chilli's - Ready to Unleash!

Chilli's in one word can be described as kick ass. It has such a pulsating atmosphere going for it and there's an inherent buzz about the place which makes it really happening. It is located in Express Avenue and is the first non alcohol venture in the country. Located on the top floor directly opposite Escape cinema's it sizzles with suave and swankiness and has a lovely vibe going for it. Seems like the perfect outlet to chill and cool your heels.

The place is hardly weeks old and it was stuffed to the brim on a weekday evening. Just from the initial insights, looks like Chennai has well and truly lapped up Chilli's. We were here as early bird visitors for a food trail to savor the drinks and delicacies which this restobar has to offer.

Chilli's is known for it's margherita's and hence we went for a couple of them in the form of Wild Raspberry and a Chilli Mango Margerita. The former had a strong punch to it and was delivered in a huge glass. The latter was well played with the concoction of mango and chilli and the two tangoed along beautifully. The other drink we had was the Peach breezer which was immensely refreshing and a great thirst quencher.

The starters dazzled in every way you could expect. The presentation was immaculate with the stuff being lined on a plate and right in the middle was a holder holding dips of varied kinds. The ones served for veg included Cheese poppers, Quesa bites and Breaded panneer rolls and all of them rocked big time. My favorite among them all were the cheese poppers which had a pasty stuffing of yellowish cheese inside those soft brown balls. And not to forget, the dips played great sport to the starters going hand in hand in perfect sync.

For main course we went with the Santa Fe Panneer Quesadillas, another winner on the night. The Quesadillas had a glorious creamy veg mix underneath and it was delectable to say the least. The cheese Nachos had a lavish coating of cheese with a jalapeno arranged on top but somehow lacked that extra zing. However the Mushroom Jack Fajitas Panneer more than made up for the slight misgiving by being remarkable in it's own right. Served in a pan with cottage cheese and mushroom scattered all over, this is one dish you would savor to stuff your rolls with the curry leaving your mouth to do the rest.

And on the dessert front, we had a molten chocolate cake with a vanilla ice cream and chocolate lathering on top. This was soft and yummy and something which melts in your mouth. And the second one was the cheesecake served in a jar with whipped cream. The cream somehow didn't seem to gel well, but the cheesecake inside had a good taste to it with crumbled oreo slathered in and seemed to taste better as the bites got going. One thing though it was a little hard and you except your cheesecake to be soft, moist and curl as you slice them with your spoon which was missing here.

Overall, it was a really engaging evening with great food and drinks with a buzzing atmosphere to boot. The service was rapid and the staff seemed to be knowledgeable about the items in store. The price is a wee bit on the higher side but good things come with a price.

Chilli's has embarked on a really bright start and looks all set to march it's way to glory. Definitely a great addition to Chennai's ever growing F&B market.

No comments: