Toscana - Tantalizingly Italian!

Toscana is located in the busy and bustling Dame Street which is packed with restaurant's aplenty. When most eat outs these days are hardly in existence for a year or two, this one sees it's entrance from way back since 1999. One good thing with most eateries in Dublin is that they place the menu along with the prices right at the outside giving a glimpse of what to expect for the customers. I happened to see a two course lunch meal for a price of about 20 Euros and decided to give it a shot. The rate looked like quite a deal especially since most singular items themselves cost around the same and with this you get to try 2 items for more or less the same fare.

Being a vegetarian however, options are limited to the bottom. With less choices available at hand, it wasn't much of a hassle choosing the appetizer and main course. In the appetizer section, I went in for the 'Suppli' which are basically Italian breaded rice balls in the form of a croquette. There were 4 of them and the plating was done up nicely with each of them given separate space and coming along with a garlic dip. The arborio rice inside stuffed with mozzarella tasted quite creamy and fresh.

On the main course side of things checked out the Vegetarian Lasagna. This was pretty tantalizing with cheese infused all over the plate surrounding the layered sheets of pasta which themselves were quite hard hitting and deliciously creamy comprising major portions of broccoli florets along with pomodoro, courgette, spinach and ricotta cheese. It would have been nice if there could have been a piece or two of garlic bread to additionally complement it but however the dish overall felt quite full fledged and nice on the tongue.

The service was quite quick with hardly much waiting time. They were also quite sweet to check in regularly if things were fine. The rates in general seem a bit on the higher side but thankfully with this combo deal didn't really set back too much. The ambience is designed in the form of a pub and gives a laidback insouciant feel with dim lights and dark color palette doing a tango. Overall a nice little eatery for craving Italian delicacies which has been serving customers right from even before the turn of this century.

Black Orchid - The Bustling Black Beauty!

Black, beauty and buzz are perhaps the 3 keywords adorning this place. The color black infuses royalty and a svelte like class about it that exhibits beauty in all it's aura and the buzz it creates is a sparkling spectacle. Black Orchid is a fine dining cum resto-bar restaurant located in a sprawling constructed property in R A Puram.

The place is abuzz with flashy decor, blooming lights and crafty woodwork. It's a three tiered massive structure with the basement allocated as a party hall, the ground portion consisting of a fine styling restaurant cum bar and the upper stair case portion leads you to a permit room where you can eat and drink to your heart's content with easing lounge style music.

We were here on a weekday evening and the place instantly spiraled it's atmosphere as set foot inside. It is more of a casual dining outlet but they have brought in some interesting features to differentiate itself from the crowd. It brings Japanese cuisine such as Sushis and Tepanayaki which gives itself a unique signature and apart from that you also have portions comprising of North Indian cuisine, a bit of continental and also Italian.

The appetizers form a major part of the menu and overall the food was very well curated and we had a ball of a time. We began our foray with a mixed veggies Tepanyaki. This one was grilled well with a variety of veggies giving us a crunchy beginning to our proceedings. The grilled panneer with peppers served in the form of skewers were amazingly flavorful and went very well with a barbecue sauce which had a mild sweet tinge to it. The lotus stem starter was perhaps the best of the lot as it had everything going for it on the taste angle and it was jocularly good to polish them with the creamy mayo and soya accompaniment that came along with it. The cassawa rolls which resemble sweet potatoes also was very good with the chilli dip enhancing the flavors all the more. We also had to try a sushi considering it's their specialty and hence we attempted the Greenland Maki one. It was dressed up royally in yellow consisting of veggies interspersed inset.

On to the main course, the corn and pepper bake was excellent. It was extremely cheesy and coated up with a smoked baked dressing. It was overflowing with goodness and ended up being such a toothsome delight. The vegetables in curry with saffron pilaf also turned out to be a sure shot winner. The curry made in coconut cream was esculent and the saffron flavored rice complemented it really well. Apart from this we also tried a bit of Indian with Tawa Paratha and Panneer Mutter Masala. The gravy was rich and creamy and it was nice to consume with the Indian breads.

The dessert section saw us having a crack at the Black Orchid cheesecake. It came with a fleck of gold foil and was very mushy and mellow consisting of a dense chocolate taste. It felt more like a rich mousse cake as cheesecake is normally associated with a biscuity crumb holding it which was missing in this case. The chocolate in a jar rum was also had and this concoction worked really well with the taste of rum being evident in each spoonful and the combo of rum & chocolate did indeed prove to be magical. Another thing to note here is they have some really unique but limited ice cream choices. We went for the lemon grass and enjoyed every smack of it. The slithery hint of lemon grass was felt in every bite.

The service was fast paced and we got all our items in quick intervals of time. The staff were also friendly and provided some valuable suggestions helping us order the right stuff. The prices seem up market but competitive considering they are setting the bar high.

All in all, Black Orchid happens to be a fascinating new addition to both the restaurant as well as the pub scene. The ambiance is serene and the atmosphere is electrifying. There is a lot you can indulge here apart from taking a bunch of happy memories. Can easily be classified as a fantastic option for food & drink.

Durrants @ Welcome Hotel - Old Fashioned infusing the Yesteryear feel!

The one thing which strikes about this bar is you that you don't find places like this anymore. It is old fashioned and takes you back to the good ol days when how bars actually used to be. It does not swarm you with swirls of colours or attractive wall papers but instead works on the old world charm that is so missing these days.

The decor carries a very woody feel. The seating is laid back and the tinge of yesteryear is inherently visible on them. The surroundings are stacked with antiquities and the lighting is dim with the bar at the center serving all kinds of stuff from scotch to beer to vodka, rum, gin and what not. If you're a person of the past, nostalgia will certainly hit you with feel good memories.

Just that it has not moved on like the way the other newbie pubs have adds credibility and it's lovely to see that they have stuck to tradition. The name Durrants is named after 'Charles Durrant' - Madras Presidency's first wine merchant.

Before our evening meal, we stopped here for some drinks and starters. They have all kinds of liquor available including the imported ones. The best bet however is on the superlative deals they have. This is an area where they are really attractive as the offers are fabulous. Lots of buy one get one's, special discounts, summer quencher deals and many more.

I had a shot at a scotch and beer along with some sumptuous panneer tikka and cauliflower for company. This is also a place where you can ideally spend long hours at your leisurely comfort.

On the whole, an old school bar which happens to possess a vintage charm of it's own.

Get Inked with Ink 303!

Let's face it, despite KNK road boasting many supreme premier restaurant's there is really no resto pub perse in this locality and this is where Ink 303 can make a difference.

We were invited to check out some of their signature delicacies as early bird visitors. The place is located in the second floor of the swanky Oyster building and the place appeals with it's interestingly done up interiors. It is divided pretty well with the entrance part more laidback and ideal to catch up for a light snack whereas on the inside you find it to be more cozy and igniting the lounge atmosphere. The color pallette adopted and lighting patterns makes it look all uber cool and upmarket. The menu too is quirky with blots of ink sprayed on each of the pages.

The food and beverages in a nutshell seemed pleasing with majority of the items turning out to be a win. The soups were different than the usual with one of their specials having white bean as the trademark ingredient. Even the mushroom soup had a drizzle of pesto in it which was lovely. Over the length and breadth of our meal, we were served a plethora of drinks and most of them passed the test with ease. I especially had an extra liking for the Strawberry Colada which mingled really well with the ice cream. The other drinks in the form of Mint Mocktail and their aptly titled Refresher with lime leaves and ginger ruled the roost.

The starters had a Water chestnut made in hunan style sauce which turned out to be a crowd pleaser. Have never really enjoyed eating chestnuts before but now that's in the past. The roasted mushrooms were fairly nice but the cheese nachos could have been better. It looked gorgeous but somehow didn't have the amunition to match the looks. The Zuchini was spiced up quite a lot but the good thing is it wasn't oily and went well with the chipotle sauce. However the best of the lot were the breads with hummus. The presentation was immaculate and so droolworthy in taste making our tongues tingle with joy. The salad was passable but what really stood out were the balls of cheese which made it stand out from the pack and made it more than just a run off the mill salad encounter.

For main course we had a butter rice with cottage cheese seasoned with indian spices. The panneer was extremely succulent and went jocularly well with the soft rice. The pumpkin pasta was another decent dish but somehow lacked the extra zing, a little bit of seasoning could surely help patch the gap. We also got to have a crack at some of their Thai cuisine but it certainly was a miss on the day. The red curry felt bitter and the green curry was extra sweet. Thai food doesn't seem to be their forte but I would like to give them the benefit of doubt as they are still new and experimenting. We rounded off with a few desserts of which the cheese cake was the best. It was soft and mellow and kudos for the decoration in the form of strawberry droplets. The lychee caramel custard and the Kulfi ice cream weren't bad, just that it felt a tad short relatively in comparison to the cheesecake.

The service was top notch with the staff constantly wearing a smile on their face and serving us to the best of their ability. The management was also very positive taking all our feedback with care and patience. The rates seems par for the course considering it's perched in the most happening food network of Chennai. It can be said that Ink 303 has already made a good start and once it obtains the liquor license, it can look forward to climb it's way further up. Here's wishing the team all the very best to establish Ink 303 as one of the go to watering hole outlets in the city.