Waterside - All day dining!

The Waterside is the 24 hour all day dining restaurant as part of Feathers, Radha Hotel located in Manapakkam. The outlet serves both Ala carte and Buffet and we as a bunch of foodies were invited to have a shot at the Sunday Brunch.

The place appeals instantly with it's wonderfully carved out woodwork which gives a very pleasant and soothing feel. The lighting is abundantly bright and the showpieces stacked across ignites a magnum presence and showcases itself to be a royal and ritzy affair. It's also well spread out with a large dining space and the musical duo belting out classics only adds further to the rendezvous. The water front at the passerby area adds to the surrounding environment.

Coming to the spread on offer, it traverses the length and breadth of divergent cuisines from across the globe bringing to the table an extensive and elaborate multi cuisine deal. They played the game safe by ensuring that something or other is available amongst North Indian, South Indian, Italian, Chinese, Mexican, Greek, Arabian, Middle eastern cuisine etc. The positive was it didn't seem like just making up the numbers and there was really a generous fare prevalent to please everyone's palette and appetite.

Listing every item in store would end up meaning to write a dossier and hence I would like to mention some of the key dishes pointing to the affirmative and a bit of the let downs which perhaps requires a tinge of amelioration. I must confess to immensely taking a liking to the Mexican Fajita rolls which were delivered beautifully and packed a punch with the right dosage of Mexican ingredients. The pita breads and the hummus dip along with other condiments too was a huge win. The Pizza's which were part of the live counter also hit the brownie points by being done up really well with the mix of exotic toppings on a thin crust base. The red sauce spaghetti pasta was amazingly flavourful and creamy and the continental based Mousakka also won the accolades by having the right content in taste and stuffings and satisfying expectations. In the starter section, the panneer tikka was top notch being served on a pan with plenty of juicy pieces which were super succulent and extremely delicious. The Arancini veg balls too were well presented with a dash of red marinara sauce sprayed along judiciously. The dessert draw was a complete masterpiece with virtually every item on the shelf being of high quality. The red velvet cake as well as the chocolate opera and the pista based chocolate pudding were delectable. There were also a reasonable mix of Indian sweets too to entice for the sweet cravers.

On the flip side, the opening encounter viz tomato and vegetable soup was a bit pedestrian. It was too watery in content and loaded with a bunch of veggies and the tomato in the name was just the flavour added and nothing more. It wasn't a great start to be frank but the things which followed more than made up for it. The starters were generally good but the jalapeno cheese balls could have definitely been a touch better if served with some kind of dip preferably of the chilli mayo kind. One other disappointment was largely on the North Indian curries which really didn't seem appeasing both on looks and taste. One surely expected more on this front considering the oeuvre was quite larger compared to other cuisines in the fray. And on the Italian side though the White sauce pasta looked tantalisingly classy and creamy, the taste was a bit sour lacking on the salt content and lack of flavours.

Overall however the good side of things far exceeded the negatives making it pleasing dine out at the end of the day. Despite disappointments, some items stood out shoulders above the rest forging us to go repeat on the same. The service was amiable and hospitable. At all points of time they were by our side and easily accessible and acceding to our requests. As the event was over an invite, pricing goes out of the question. However this is a solid buffet spread for the price which you wouldn't be cribbing too much upon.

Taking the large picture into equation, it ended up being a good little brunch meal ticking most of the boxes which you would usually expect. Most bases are well covered and some additional care on certain nitty gritties will only elevate the experience in dining out at the Waterside in Feathers Hotel.

Bazar @ GRT - An absolutely riveting encounter!

The all day dining restaurant at GRT has received a tremendous facelift and has been rechristened by the name 'Bazaar'. From the moniker it can be easily gauged that the theme must be in relation to the local influx of culture and folklore. But it's much more than just that. A significant amount of homework has been done studying into the potpourri of diversity of the bazaar streamline across India, middle east and the Turkish region.

The ambiance amazes and how. They have captured many intricate details and brought about the rusticity in a very arty form. There is a lot of kitsch associated but you don't feel it to be overdone one bit and only ends up being suave and sophisticated. The usual buffet restaurant's at the star hotels tend to be one dimensional with bright lights and opulent interiors. But Bazaar, GRT bucks the trend by creating a niche trend of it's own which is beautifully appealing and appealingly beautiful.

Some particular anecdotes worth mentioning include incorporating elements from the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul. The 5 different kaleidoscope tile pattern have been imported from Cairo. And adding India to the fray, wooden casks have been used for the ceilings just like how it tends to be in a market. The walls were inscribed with items from the field belonging to the GRT group. The decor overall seemed very impressive with a swirl of colours of different proportions making up the surroundings.

The spread on offer was replete with an oeuvre of delectation spanning across various cuisines predominantly oeiental, Indian and continental. They had various sorts of add ons and specific counters for salads, desserts, chaats and an area to dish up one of their specialities namely the 'superbowl' which is apparently a nutrient filled diet rich food constituent made in the ad lib style. Another interesting thing was on the largesse main course section, they separated the stands and there was one exclusively for vegetarian and another for non vegetarian. Along with all these, we also got a crack at some of their special fusion based ala carte cuisine.

It would end up being a dossier if I had to list each of the items and give a description. Briefly to put it in place, the Moroccan soup was mildly spicy containing plenty of ingredients and felt flavourful. The pizza was an absolute delicacy with a string of exotic veggies over a thin crust layer suffused with a tantalising layer of cheese. The sandwiches and burger somehow seemed a little too plain for the liking. The dosa however presented in an immaculate fashion in the form of newspapers were wonderful to consume along with 3 varieties of chutneys and an esculently tasting sambhar. The Panneer Tikka starter was super succulent and packed a punch. The other one's on the day were pretty good too. The superbowl concept however seemed a bit too far fetched. It was massively advertised but felt more like a new age wine in an old bottle. Wouldn't really term it as unique as I have tried similar stuff having different naming convenient elsewhere.

The main course section had a lovely varied spread and most of the things which I had a shot at seemed pleasant to taste. It was of immense proportion and there were options galore. I loved most of the Indian and Continental stock whatever I got to taste. A whirlpool of chaats were another great add on to the mix. We also got to have shots at various mocktail creations. The strawberry banana shake served in a tall glass was lovely. A chocolate shake with pieces of orange peels on them tasted a little odd. The other drinks and Mojito though were immensely refreshing. The dessert draw had quite a feast on offer with a melange of Indian and western sweets and pastries. The service was hospitable and rates are par for the course.

Adumbrating on the whole, it was a fascinating experience visiting Bazaar with it's all encompassing extravaganza and attention to detail on all fronts totally bowling us over. Highly recommended choice for those looking for a grand upscale one of a kind fine dining escapade.

Cafe Central - Striking the right chords!

The cafe culture has caught on big time in Chennai. There is no better place to spend some lazy laid back time than in a cafe. Earlier these were generally perceived as a mid evening hang out spot but nowadays they have even become a viable option for lunch and dinner. There are no dearth of cafe's in the city​ and are spread across every nook and corner and Cafe Central is the latest one in the fray having spread it's wings in Dr Nair Road in T Nagar.

It's constructed in a 2 storey building having ample parking space. The ambiance strikes of being quirky and trendy. It doesn't adopt a particular theme but gives that shiz vibe about it. The rustic wall setup, the woodwork in place, the sparkle of different shades in the seatings/pillow designs, the colour papers sticking out, the lighting etc all give a lovely new age feel to it.

The menu in a newspaper style in different sections with a predominant red shade is quite elaborate. They are well categorised and options available almost equate to a fine dining restaurant. This is impressive as it gives the customer plenty of choices to gorge upon. We were here on an invite and below is a brief summary on the dine side of things.

- Fries in Ishtyle : Fries have become too cliche off late coming in different concoctions but what we got were the namma fries smeared with podi and infused with ghee. It had a liquidy bright dripping touch to it and we even got additional cup of ghee as condiment for the fries. This was totally different from all the kind of fries I've tasted and signalled a buttery way to start proceedings.

- Fry it out : Under this section, we got served the crumb fried paneer and I must say this was delightful. It came with potato wedges, salad and a dip for company and the rolls were well battered and breaded with juicy pieces of paneer going well with the accompaniments.

- Tit Bits : Here we got served the beer vengayam with the onion rings battered with beer with curry leaves and a dash of lemon giving it a chettinadu twist. They were fairly decent in taste but I would have preferred a more spicier dip as opposed to the regular mayonnaise.

- Cold Beverages/cold press/smoothies/milkshakes : We tried quite a bit in this side of the draw and what impressed were the healthy&mazedaar cold press juice which felt very fresh with a tonic of several fruits and the kiwi soda where the frothy layer over lemon ice cream did the trick. The melon breezer beverage was kinda nice but lacked the punch and the vanilla frosty was rather decent. Beat the Heat comprising beetroot, coconut water and flesh just didn't set ice with any of us and had a very putrid taste.

- Salads : Took a shot at the Greek salad where instantly I was appealed with the immaculate presentation. Feta cheese, olives and lettuces always do the job well and needless to say this one hit the mark.

- Mummy Ka Magical Maggi : This maggi thing has picked up quite a bit and I see lot's of places adopting the same. Different flavors of maggi are whipped up and what we were served was the chilli cheese version. It felt a little dry and being more soaky would have helped. Maggi being a home made snack, the jury is still not out on me regarding the feasibility of paying a higher premium for something you always eat in your house as a quick bite.

- Burger : Tried the Don't call me burger which was more of the usual stuff. It felt well curried with the insertion of tempura fried chilli pickle which added a bit to the zing.

- Sapad : In this section, we had a bite at the Mac & Cheese which was undoubtedly the star performer of the day. They nailed this one completely with the melting cheese macaroni being super slurpy and going jocularly well with olives and jalapeno's in being partners of cheesiness. The soft pieces of garlic bread were added joy. Every one of us thoroughly enjoyed this lip smacking dish. The other try we savoured was the Indian based Ghar ka Khana containing ghee rice, jeera aloo and dal makhni. This one too didn't lack intensity with the black based lentils being absolutely spectacular and enjoying a tete-a-tete with the flavoured rice. The jeera also too was made to perfection having a riveting aroma to it. You give particular importance to the main course especially and this one won the day hands down.

- Desserts : We had a shot at all 4 of the one's which were mentioned in the menu viz drunken doughnuts, crazy custard, golden ice cream and treslechees. Especially took favour to the fried coconut golden layered ice cream with tinge of jaggery. The drunken doughnuts infused with a chocolate coating and cream was pretty nice too. The custard and mango based one didn't really set the ball rolling. The waffles served with the maple syrup though was really soft and great to munch.

Overall it was a full on very satisfactory meal. We got to try a number of items from the attic and a majority of them were rewarding. Extra brownie points especially for dishing up the main course which pleased us to punch. The service was bang on time never really making us wait and also felt very friendly and hospitable. Pricing goes out of the picture as it was via an invite but however must say they are priced to the point and competitive.

Cafe Central is definitely a nice little place to head to if you're looking for a relaxed and comfortable time to spend your day over with the much important supplement of good food for company.