Cafe Marina @ Welcome Hotel - Splendorous feast of a buffet!

Cafe Marina at Welcome Hotel, Alwarpet serves up an absolute splendorous feast of a buffet that is sure to tingle your excitement. They offer a plethora of options and they literally pamper you with the choicest of offerings. This is an exclusive Sunday brunch and worth every bit of it.

It's quite an experience as you're taken by the pool side where you get to use the swimming pool as part of the brunch deal along with crunching over some delightful delicacies in the form of a variety of chaats, skewed grillers and a swirl of drinks both mocktails and cocktails. It's like the perfect setting on a Sunday afternoon sipping your drink by the way side of the gushing waters along with munchies to go along and you really can't ask for more.

After the outside escapade, you are led into the cafe which is well spaced out and contains an eclectic mix of varied cuisines. You have your usual soup, starters, salads, main course and desserts laid out in an elaborate manner and you can still continue to have your drinks, chaats and grills too if you want.

I was quite full with the initial largesse but from whatever I tried as part of the brunch was worth relishing. They had a lilting chole & aloo curry to go with Indian bread. The main course gravies were mostly good and they also had a big pot of biryani to satisfy both the veg and non veg lovers. The salad and snack counters also had lots of interesting options such as a cheese platter, a concocted mix of mango & cheese which was riveting, a packed up slice of sub and so much more. There was a coastal angle too with appams being made in the live counter and to accompany stew & egg curry. There were also your usual pasta's and a few continental dishes also added to the fray.

The desserts were no less and had an elongated passage and most of which I consumed seemed to be delicious. The chocolate gateaux was a masterpiece, the pineapple tart had class written all over it. There were some Indian touches to it too in the form of besan ladoo & Gulab Jamun. Apart from this there were also different flavours of ice cream for that final thwack.

On the whole, it was an exhilarating experience. The service was wonderful and always willing to help. They were always at our beck and call and made every effort to ensure that we have a good time. The rates are a huge plus point. The entire spread which allows you to indulge in a lavish buffet along with enjoying your time at the waters with barbecue, appetisers and unlimited drinks sets you back by just a shade under 1600 bucks. It's totally worth the value.

If you're looking for a wondrous laid back Sunday brunch experience where you just want to spend some easy chilled out time relaxing as you please and gorging on a bonanza of delectable's, Cafe Marina should definitely be at the top of your list.

Spice Klub - When innovation makes a lapidary leap!

It was really hard to fault the food served at Spice Club. Innovation took a new leap and presentation reached a higher order. Molecular gastronomy was honoured in all it's splendour making it a breathtaking dine in experience. It was quite hard to fathom that so much of inventions were possible in good old well known vegetarian food.

On the drinks side, the mango on the rocks lorded the show with ice chilled mango served in a beaker and cooled to perfection. The kokum Margherita with chilli too was one of a kind and zipped up very well on presentation. The fruit lassi had so much of flavour and it was simply melt in the mouth leaving a lingering taste behind even after you'd gulped the spoonful. The guava mocktail gave the punch effect and most of the coolers had a divine taste to it with the gastronomy work being done to perfection.

 The appetisers side were loaded with surprises. The vada pav was the show stealer and it was a complete camouflage as it looked anything like a vada pav but instead the buns came with a yellow pasty gravy which looked way different but only on tasting it did we realise that it was the condensed mixtured form of the evergreen aloo wala vada which was supposed to be spread molten across the softish bun pieces and had. The edible chilli packets were another win ideal to get the zesty effect. The pav bhaji with a makhni wala gravy served in the form of a fondue was quite good as well. The pani puri's were more of the usual sans the tube sized bottles holding up the green water. The Dahi puri was excellent and the aloo tikki was master class with the moist foam slurped over the cutlet pieces providing such a jaw dropping taste with the bite of aroma biting at every level. The Naanza was another experiment in the form of a pizza bread topped with cheese and scrambled panneer which was really filling by being loaded with stuffing.

The main course was not left far behind. I especially took fondness to the chilli cheese naan as well as the sundried tomato and olive naan's. The panneer tikka masala was delectable and the aromatic lentils worked it's magic in full vigour in the Dal Makhni. The corn & mushroom gravy as well as the veg makhanwala proved to be of great support.

The desserts were again an area where they unleashed a trick or two showcasing their prowess in full spirit. The flower pot was a chocolate lovers delight with the add on of even spoons being carved with chocolate. The rasgulla cheese cake was a lovely conglomeration of western and Indian with the cake on the exterior being like any other but as you keep churning it was hidden rasgulla in the interior. The volcano was another showpiece chocolate bomb of a delicacy ideal to close out our meal.

The ambiance is well developed and they have high end descriptive wall arts giving it a lovely appeal. The service was spot on and well attended to despite the heavy duty crowd. The rates are a wee bit on the higher side. Agreed, lots of techniques are used and efforts made to whip up a feast of a gastronomical show but still going purely by the items at hand, it does feel expensive on most counts.

I believe Spice Club has made a mark in Mumbai and this is it's foray in the shores of Chennai. If you don't mind pinching your pockets for a marvelous food gastronomical fiesta, this is an outlet that you'd love to visit and taste vintage cuisine in an alternative mode but guaranteed to be in spectacular fashion.