Brick House Bistro comes to Alwarpet!

Brick House Bistro has been one place I've always wanted to visit but never got a chance with the distance being one of the major factors having been placed in the other neck of the woods in Annanagar. On hearing about their presence closer to home at Alwarpet, I was delighted and lapped up the opportunity to try it out at the earliest.

It's located bang in the middle of Eldams road and situated in a small passerby lane adjacent to McRennett. The place is pretty small with just about 4 tables. The color yellow and grey with bricked wallpaper walls virtually engulf the surroundings. The billing counter cabin has a few comic strips and there is a television set. It feels a perfect place where you can even come alone to grab a quick bite.

The blackened menu with items described in color and the cool icons to highlight the signature variants are quirky. They have starters, hot dogs, wings, burgers, italian, sandwiches, sides, milkshakes and coolers.

We were 2 of us and placed order for the following:
1) Cheesy Gooey Fries - Having heard so much of their jaw dropping fries, this item was the first mention on my lips. And boy, did it live upto expectations. A cheesy lover will simply gorge over this as the fries come with insane levels of melted cheese making you drool with excitement. Simply not for the weight conscious. It looks invigorating and tastes lip smacking. The overload of cheese in abundance at the top somewhat alienates the fries at the bottom which feels a little let down. But overall, no real complaints. This one is unique and one of a kind and you will have a ball squishing and joyfully putting them across your mouth.

2) Bruschetta with Tomato and Olives - This was another winner. There were 5 small pieces with a plethora of tomatoes and olives infused with a layer of coated cheese. It was filling and very much worth for it's price which was a shade under 100.

3) Mushroom and Onion Sandwich - The bread were stuffed to the rafters and tasted delicious. It was juicy and packed judiciously with a bunch of mushrooms and was totally top notch. They also came along with sufficient fries for company.

4) Paneer Burger - Burgers are one such food item where I wouldn't mind if they end up being junky, messy and clumsy. And it was exactly as I envisaged. It was a thrill biting across those big sized buns which were meaty and creamy on the inside and it was fun getting the hands dirty. The inside portion was fantastic, however the buns need some amelioration. They didn't seem to be baked properly, but the overall product covered the looseness of the bread.

5) Cold Coffee - Just like how you would expect it. Came in a tall glass and was refreshing. A decent way to end a heavy meal.

All of the above costed 720 bucks inclusive of taxes. The service was quick, the only grouse however was that all the items came at the same time which was a bit of a hassle. Also it was a little surprising to see the sandwiches come in with so many fries but nothing at all came along with the burger.

Irrespective of the minor quips, there is a lot of positives going on for BHB and despite the space constraints, this one looks like being a big hit. Brick house Bistro is certainly a great addition to this stretch of the horizon at Alwarpet. Go, grab your burger and have a ball.

Brew Room - Igniting the insouciance!

Brew Room is one lovely upscale cafe where you can have a good old fashioned confabulation with fellow acquaintances. There is a serene feel about it and it has such a feel good factor to it. You have the lawn enclosure which makes it feel like you're in a hill station. The nestled white gates with the grass surrounding and the comfortable decor makes it feel so restrained, laidback and easy. Recommended especially during the evening hours. The inside space has a nice old school touch to it. It is more along the lines of the good ol quainty houses with see sawing thatched roofs.

This is one place where you can spend some quality time without a care in the world. You can just sip your tea/coffee for as long as you like and make this place feel like your second home. It's a fantastic place for beverages, desserts and nibbles. More than the food, it's the place which wins the maximum brownie points.

They have a decent enough menu with quite a few good options in the fray. Their pastries especially are delicious. The rates are a bit on the upward scale but you come to expect that considering it's situated in a star hotel and also taking note of the ambiance factor which is top notch.

If you're looking for a relaxing and laidback place to spend some free time, you really do not have to look beyond the Brew Room.

Mr Mama sets foot to Chennai shores

After establishing it's footsteps on the shores of Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore Mr Mamagoto makes it's foray to down south chennai in grand fashion placing itself on the ozymandias of all food streets Khadar Nawaz Khan (KNK) road. It's located right at the heart in the first floor of the Oyster building.

It sparkles from the outside and as you step foot, you find the place to be hip, cool and chic. Very tastefully designed with a splash of colors and setting the mood is some good music playing at the background. It's more vibrant, quirky and louder than any Asian based restaurant I've been to before and has a pulsating feel good factor to it. You cannot but admire the showpieces on display and the large sized portraits placed in between the bamboo wood virtually sets the tone making it uber, attractive and uniquely bringing out the Pan Asian culture. The lighting is neither too bright nor dim and is just about right and the decor feels comfortable, laidback and relaxing.

The menu is inventive with flaps placed at the corner categorizing the options available viz Bar, small plates, Soup and salad, Signature, Wok Rice & noodles and Dessert. As we were there for an invite only event, got to have a crack at most of their specialties. The mocktails served were refreshing and great thirst quenchers. The shakes especially had a nice twang and creamy punch to them. Had a shot at about 5 different drinks and all of them were nice in their own way. The starters were kind of on and off. The grilled mushrooms came in variants of different sizes and shapes and one of them resembling a sea weed tasted quite bizarre and blank. Laying a bite into it mirrored the entire dish ordinary. The crispy chilli potatoes were the usual crispy self. The basil cups which came on leaves with toppings were passable. The Hua Hin rolls which came interspersed with various assorted stuff was easily the best of the day by some distance. Also happened to have a mild shot at the Oriental veg clear soup which was pretty run of the mill stuff. It did have it's share of veggies floating over but wasn't really anything to rave about. Had a skosh of some of the main course dishes and they really didn't appease the taste buds. The teriyaki was pretty bad to say the least and some of the other items had a heavy dose of cream and coconut which may not be preferable by all. But the ending was on a positive note with the Desserts competing with each other for top stakes. The Banofee pie was brilliant and I loved the feeling of pruning and creaming it across to the mouth. The Mama's home made chocolate cake was lingeringly lip smacking. The sojourn surely ended on a high.

The service was pretty quick but there were some misplacements and it would do a lot of good if the servers have an idea of what exactly is being served. New restaurant being perched on KNK road, it's taken for granted that the rates would be expensive and the norm is followed to the 'T'.

Overall it was a good experience with some plusses and minuses. Some amelioration especially on the main course and scaling up options for vegetarian could go along way in elevating the restaurant a notch higher. Mamagoto has began with a bang and from the initial response, it isn't hard to decipher that it has been welcomed with open arms. Initial days yes, but from the looks of it, Mamagoto is here to stay.

Nostalgia Hits - Shree Mithai Spencer Plaza & More

There is a pretty nostalgic memory associated with this particular Shree Mithai branch perched in spencer plaza. During the good old days, used to do audit for a client located here and was a regular visitor to this shop.

Have always enjoyed whatever they offered and even now after so many years the taste and memory about the place remains intact. The prices have gone up a notch higher but still well within expected limits.

Their snacks in the form of variants of Pattis, cutlets, samosas, bhajji's etc are a killer. The chaats here are some of the better ones you would find anywhere and the Chole Bhatoora can stake claim for being one of the best in town.

Earlier, they used to have round tables to stand and eat apart from a few seated tables. Now the system is all seated. Their racks of sweets will surely entice you to have a gleeful crack at them. The place is small but clean and well maintained.

Easily one of the best sweets and savoury shops in the city. And for me personally the added sweet memories. Always love visiting this branch of Shree Mithai.

Penning below my experience of eating a sample few items of their evergreen delicacies:
Shree Mithai is one place which has never ceased to amaze and appease. Goodness is always guaranteed and that's been the case in every one of my visits here. Today's stock consumed includes the following;
✅Club Kachori - Cute little fried Kachori's served with a ravishing potato gravy with smidgeon of panneer pieces inset.
✅Pav Bhaji - Juicy soft buns with an appetising bhaji serving as an ideal foil to get your mouth all smeared up with delight.
✅Chole Bhatoora - Needn't i even say anything here. There is a dearth of Chole in Chennai and this outlet serves the best ever black chole which goes jocularly well with the ballooned up bulk sized bhatoore.
✅Dahi Aloo Tikki - Shri Mithai lords over when it comes to anything with Dahi preparation and this one they got it bang on right with the crispy aloo ticket cutlets drenched in a colourful aroma of curd and supporting ingredients fit for a fest.
✅Chilli Cheese Toast - A sandwich to even out things and this one was grilled perfectly with cheese intermingled with green chilli's signalling the enticement in all it's splendour.
✅Kesar Badam Milk - The signature finale to end the meal. A swirl of badam's floating over tantalising yellow kesar milk and the richness is felt when smacked into the tongue.
All the above cost a shade over 450 bucks and the tummy was immensely satisfied with it being fed with such a largesse delectable fare. There are few places which I vouch for big time and recommend for wholesome and tasteful food and Shree Mithai right royally falls into that elite list without a shadow of a doubt.

Chinese Meets Chettinadu - Shangai Annaachi

I was a bit apprehensive about visiting Shanghai Annaachi. It is rather confusing to see a restaurant operating a pastiche of Chinese and South Indian predominantly Chettinadu based. The ambiance is also a mixture with the color palette more signifying a pan asian feel whereas the decor around and the wall portraits indicate a more closer down south feel.

Anyways, the habit of trying new places never dies within and hence we went ahead with deciding to explore what this place has to offer. And well why not. It is located in the main road in a complex adjacent to KNK and Wallacr Garden Road.

There aren't too many options for veg and as I eat egg was saved quite a bit. Went in with one of their specialties viz the Egg Karandi. It was fluffy and oval shape with an amalgam of veggies and cheese inside. Was quite nice to be frank and something I have never tasted before. Also had a bite at their Egg Appam. It was decent however felt the egg portion in the middle to be a bit thick, usually prefer it to be soft and soaky. Also had a chunk of one of their starters Milagai panneer varuval. Basically it's panneer deep fried and that's what it precisely was but the requisite spice was missing.

It's a little difficult to rate this place as most of their signature stuff are reserved for the carnivore lovers. Better to take a recommendation from someone who loves his meat. Accounting from just what I had, would term it under the average and above category.

Mongolian Special at China Town

China Town as a restaurant has been there for a very long time and it's been quite a popular choice in the mid range Pan asian category.

The ambiance is mild and akin to similar chinese eateries. Gloomy and dark with mild music playing at the background. Ballooned lights, miniature monks, sheets with chinese symbols inscribed and antique hangings more or less make up the place. The decor is simple and comfortable.

We were here as part of the Mongolian food festival. They had a few special sizzlers as part of the deal. I went along with assorted vegetable with ginger and garlic sizzler based on suggestion. It comprised of mushrooms, baby corn, tofu, brocolli etc of appropriate size. Unfortunately it does not come with rice and noodles. More of a salad of mixed veggies over a bed of chilli sauce. I thought it was pretty sumptuous.

The rates are pretty par for the course. It's a lot cheaper than some of the other restaurant's you would associate. This is the first time I am having a shot at a sizzler in a chinese restaurant and it wasn't a bad deal at all.

Overall a more than passable experience. The biggest plus point are the meagre rates which is surely a win and widens the
door for further options.

Winners - The Quintessential Bakery of choice!

The Winners bakery in Alwarpet has always been a trusted place of choice. They have a very good array of products and do an amazing job of whatever they dish out.

Their racks comprising of varieties of puffs, rolls, bun, sandwiches, cakes, pastries, tarts, breads etc are a sight to behold. Just a cursory glance at those layered rows will have your mouth smirk with excitement.

It is a pretty small outlet and not very convenient to have there itself. It's preferable to parcel your stuff and have at the comfort of your home. The rates are a little costlier than your usual bakery but it's well worth paying that buck extra as the quality you get is simply fantastic.

It's hard to pigeonhole and mention specifically as to what their top notch item is as most of the stuff they have on offer are top bracket draw. However personally I do have a little extra craving for their cheese n onion pie and never fail to grab a bite of that during my many visits here. The butter cream pastries in different flavors also happen to be awesome.

I've seldom been disappointed with Winners and I will keep coming here as and when I please. Easily one of the best bakeries in town.

Jupiter Express - Modeled on the Railways!

When I heard about this new restaurant 'Jupiter Express' modelled on the Indian railways, I was more than eager to check it out. Come to think of it, you do have cafe's pertaining to all kind of themes but a full fledged restaurant made to resemble a high end luxury train was something new and exciting. It is surely one of a kind at least in the city of Chennai.

Jupiter express is located in Gopalapuram and comes across as you take the passerby lane adjacent to Gangotree and is housed in a complex in between 'The Katti roll shop' and 'Bayleaf'. From the outset, there's no way you could imagine what you will encounter inset.

As you get upstairs to the first floor to the restaurant, you see a quirky door resembling that of a train compartment and also there is a booking counter by the side. Found it quite imaginative and attractive.

Once you enter you will be bowled by the set up. It is designed so beautifully that it gives you the feel of dining in a high styled upscale luxury coach. There is a lot of inventiveness in place with add-on's like platform, boggie, name plate of train, number and class of coach, seat and reservation list, replica of train windows, handle railing etc. There are also cartoons and wallpapers depicting passengers, luggages, porters, ticket collector, goods train and a host of other things bringing to light the cream of everything associated with the railways. It was quite exhilarating to witness all this and young kids am sure will really find favour with this train themed restaurant.

The seating is polarised into 3 fold. A massive table placed just outside where the train is situated and then a side enclosure which is your usual restaurant kind with elevated cushions and then there is the prominent coach bastion as you board the train which comprises the major portion and also is easily the most happening of the lot.

Coming to the food it is a full on vegetarian fare and they have plenty load of options spanning majorly North Indian and also quite a bit of Italian, Chinese and Continental added to the fray. The menu is very elaborate and keeps running into a number of pages. Even in a luxury train your options on food maybe limited but there is no shortage of choices here. Each of the items have a label attached to it and the categories are divided well with interesting taglines like soups are titled "The Opening Act", Salads come with the moniker of "The Insalate fix", Starters are termed as "Before the Ride" and the Main course is described as "The Masterpiece".

We decided to go Indian for the day and ordered a couple of starters viz Paneer Tikka and Veg Sheekh Kabab. The former was succulent and super soft and delicious. The latter had an a nice pasty mix to it. Didn't taste like the usual Sheekh Kabab's I've had but nevertheless was fairly nice. For main course we had Garlic Naan, Veg biryani, Peas Pulav and a couple of tandoor gravies in the form of a Paneer Makhani and Dal Makhani. The Indian bread was how it should be, both the rice items were decent enough but far away from anything remotely greatness. I liked the Paneer Makhani which had a nice twang to it but the Dal Makhani was a little watery and the quantity served especially was shocking.

We refrained from having desserts. Overall the food was pretty decent with not much to complain on the taste angle but the biggest blip was the pricing. Almost every single dish costs upwards towards the 300 range and with taxes and service charge to boot comes up to being extremely expensive. The service too was rather slow taking plenty amount of time to bring the food.

Since they have a pretty gargantuan spread, I will like to visit again to try more of their offerings. It does have it's moments and am pretty sure it will attract crowds in the days to come especially young children and teenagers. At this point of time however, it's too early to give a call and time will tell how Jupiter Exprezz will embark on it's journey.

Theme of the Sea - Port Cafe

Stopped over at this new cafe in 'Kodambakkam' titled 'The Port Cafe' for some light bites and desserts. The place is themed on the sea and so you have a graffiti of a huge ship and then you find a lot of related stuff such as boats, fish nets, life jackets, oil containers and a host of other stuff.

The place is enclosed into two parts - the open arena where you get to see all the sea based stuff and an inside portion which is pretty prosaic. Though it was evening time, we were forced to sit under the closed surrounding. Frankly this area of the cafe pales in comparison to the breezy open air surrounding.

As we had already consumed a heavy lunch, we just went with a starter in the form of a Corn cheese balls which were heart shaped and infused with a dollop of cheese interspersed over the corn. It tasted pretty nice however was a tad bit salty. Then had a crack of couple of their desserts viz the Brownie with Ice cream and an Adorable Devil. The former brownie was chunky and soft and went well with the accompanying vanilla ice-cream. The latter was a crepe covered over banana and ice-cream and coated with nuts and honey glaze. It surely wasn't adorable especially because the predominant crepe was very raw and took the taste away from the covered part which was rather nice. Somehow this dessert didn't stick well and was quite pedestrian.

The rates seem fairly reasonable and you wouldn't term any of the items to be outright expensive. The service was prompt and quick and nothing really to complain on this front.

It wasn't the best of days compounded more by not sitting at the place of preference and being unable to enjoy the breeze. Also it's too close to call and give a rating based on the very little food we tasted. But simply based on this particular outing would term this experience under the average category.

Parfait 3, Klpauk - More than a Bakery!

The Parfait 3 in Kilpauk is a decent little place and can be termed as much more than just a bakery. It doesn't reek of any high end ambiance nor classy decor. It's a pretty simple joint serving products you normally get in a cafe.

We were invited as a team of food bloggers to check some of their stuff out and were given items to choose from a set menu. Overall turned out to be quite a mixed bag. Penned down below is a high level summary of the items we got to taste.

Beverage: It was a mango mint smoothie and a good start to the proceedings. It had a nice punch to it and the dot of spice in combination with the mango flavoring was quite interesting.

Soup: This came in the form of a Mix veg cream soup. It was pure white in color with a frothy layer of cream and an amalgam of veggies. I like soups of this kind and a thumbs up here.

Salad: A green veg pineapple one. It was pretty ordinary and run of the mill. It just comprised of a few plain pieces of pineapple along with tomatoes and cabbages. A little bit of garnishing and dressing could have helped a bit.

Starters: Had 2 choices for veg - Brocolli Fritters and Paneer Cheese Balls. The former were golden deep fried and had a crunchy taste to it. It wasn't spectacular by any means but passed the test. The latter were brown cutlet balls infused with cheese and paneer which were fairly good. Expected a dip more than just ketchup but alas was left disappointed.

Main course: First we got a bite into their sandwich titled creamy bro cheese. They resembled the bun format and and sandwiched inside was a creamy layer of veggies melted with cheese. I kinda enjoyed it. Next we moved on to the Veg Creamy tomato pasta. It was penne made in a mixture of red and white sauce smattered with grated pieces of cheese and for me one of the highlights of the evening. It was juicy, creamy and tasty. Definitely one of the better pasta's I've had. Finally it was the turn of Butter rice with creamy veg. Nothing much to write home about here as it was just plain rice with hardly a taste of butter to go along with a creamy veg gravy and it can at best be termed average.

Desserts: This is their forte and stronghold and they showed they were the boss here. We were served a plethora of pastries via tarts, cakes and brownies. Nothing much to complain here. Most of them as expected excelled and were a win.

The service was a little slow and it was clearly visible that it wasn't easy to manage a big set of people with little staff. But they did their job pleasingly with a smile. Though this event was an 'on the house', the rates seem quite marginal. The outlet looks a little dated. A bit of color, vibrancy and quirkiness can go a long way in elevating the joint a wee bit.

Parfait 3 does have it's share of grouses. But looking at the larger perspective there surely are more positives than negatives. A nice outlet to indulge in some light bites and confabulation.

Perungudi gets lucky with Lucky Da Punjabi

I was happy seeing a Punjabi restaurant come to this neck of the woods in Perungudi which is the home of a truckload of office campuses submerged with a stack of employees. Though there is a lot of potential and opportunity for the restaurant market here, there are hardly very few good one's within this vicinity. Seeing a full fledged Punjabi eatery was definitely welcoming.

From the outset it looks a pretty small and low key. Only on entering did I realise I had underestimated it somewhat. They have really done up the place nicely within the limited space constraints. It's pretty funky with a melange of kitschy colors and antique stuff hanging around. Big wheels of cycles adorning the brick walls and miniature versions of olden day telephones/ bicycle/ rickshaws/ wine bottles etc give it a nice twang. An olden day cot and the roof resembling hay tries to give it the vintage effect of being in a typical punjabi village. It was pretty impressive seeing the way the place is done and I surely didn't fathom all this before stepping foot.

On the food side, they have good old authentic tasty Punjabi food. We ordered for Butter Naan, Masala Kulcha and a Cheese Paratha to go along with a Paneer Makhani and a Dal Makhani. The breads were well made and big and fluffy. The panneer gravy was creamy with succulent pieces of that evergreen delicacy that the North is so famous for. The Dal Makhani too was also lovely however felt it to be a tad watery.

The service was quick and we were served our food in a jiffy. Having a jar of green chutney and vinegar onions always helps and that was another add-on. The utensils used for serving the curries is neat and gives that traditional essence. The rates seem affordable, just felt however the pricing of Indian bread were slightly on the higher side but for the mains they seemed apt. It's a small place with just a few tables but is well maintained and clean.

Overall the food was great and I am looking forward to come here more often. I believe it's the same management that also oversees Pind and that makes me really excited to have a crack at their Panneer Tikka and many of their other stuff on my next visit(s). Lucky Da Punjabi is a sure win!.

True Blue Thai at Absolut Thai

Thai based restaurant's seem to be suddenly springing up in a major way and most of them seem to be located within striking distance of one another. 'Absolute Thai' is one of the recent offerings bringing to the plate authentic Thai cuisine. This one is mushroomed in the Cenotaph main road in a compound which also has a Sushi restaurant and a Baker's street about to be launched soon.

The ambiance here is fairly simple with nothing over the top. Lots of red, orange and gold adorn the place perhaps in tune with the culture of South east Asia which defines a sense of peace and quietitude and in line is the minimalistic music playing at the background. The letters of the Thailand language inscribed in the wooden interiors add a nice touch. The decor comprises of cushioned seats and though they are comfortable would be good if they can elevate the height for the back to rest a wee bit.

They have done away with the traditional bound menu format and here it comes in the form of a pamphlet spread on your table. The 2 sides of which the top side consists of the detailed menu comprising roughly 80 items and the bottom half gives a descriptive look of the signature dishes forming around 30 of those making your work easier in choosing the best of the lot.

Went here for a sunday night dinner and ordered the following stuff:
Tom Kha soup (Creamy coconut soup): It was absolutely lovely. It was liquidy with a dash of cream and assorted veggies floating along. Sufficient quantity and wonderful flavoring giving an enticing taste to the mouth. Seldom have had a better and different soup than this one.

Khoa Pod Tod Namprikpow (Baby corn tossed with roasted chilli paste and serviced in rice tartlets): This one was as crispy as it gets. The rice tartlets were used as holders for holding the baby corn. A bunch of pieces of corn fitted along nicely and were spruced up with the requisite spices giving a crunchy taste. A good starter on the veg section.

Phat Bami (Stir fried Egg Garlic Noodles): The noodles were decent and nicely stir fried. It was more of the usual stuff and you didn't get the feeling of tasting something exotic and unique. The test was passed but the score was in the borderline range.

Kaeng Kiew Wan (Thai Green Curry): It was my first tryst with the ever popular Thai green curry. Was suggested to try this and was told that it would be a good bet with the noodles. Don't know much about the history of the green and red curries but I expected it to be more thicker but it turned out to be pretty watery and soaked with a plethora of veggies. It was a little too spicy for the tongue but I kind of enjoyed the taste. It was a different experience.

They were also quite magnanimous to serve a lime ginger mocktail, betel leaves with several condiments to toss up and eat and also regular servings of lemon grass tea as complementary.

The service was amicable with the waiters wearing a smile on their face and willing to help us go about with our orders. It's not easy not knowing much of Thai cuisine and they were a great helping hand. The rates are simply put on the expensive side. It is a bit deceiving as the prices mentioned on the menu are sans 10% service charge, 5.6% sales tax and 2% VAT and your bill will end up coming higher than you envisage. Parking facilities are promptly available.

If you happen to be a vegetarian options are far and few in between. Surely not the best place to dine out if you happen to stick with just veg. It's early days yet for Absolute Thai and hoping that as time goes along they emerge to be a big time player in the Thai/Chinese food genre. Simply from my first visit here, would term it as a pretty satisfying dinner experience.

Padmashri Foods - A little hidden gem

Padmashri Foods is tucked in a small lane in CIT Colony, Mylapore. CIT colony has a see saw of lanes and it may be difficult to find the place but maps should definitely aid the process and make your work easier. It is located in the basement of an apartment. They specialise in a bunch of assorted short eats ranging from variants of cakes, short eats in the form of mini pizza's, puffs and sandwiches and a whole lot of cookies and home made chocolates.

It was a rainy evening and I was craving for some munchies when I remembered this place and decided to get some shorteats from here. Ordered the following stuff - 2 Mini veg Pizza's, veg puff, Swedish Tosca, Cashewnut Brownie, Banana Walnut Muffin, Mississippi Mudpie and an Irish Coffee cake and all of them together costed a shade under 200 bucks.

Make no mistake, all of them tasted really great and score high on the value for money factor. Special thumbs up especially to the Tosca and the mudpie which were ever so mouthwatering. Am personally delighted to have found this little hidden gem. I am surely frequenting this outlet more often to have a repeat of some of what I had and also to savour some of their other cravings they have on offer. Highly recommend for some enjoyable evening quick bites.

Absolute Barbecue - Get Set Go G(D)rilling!

I have been to Absolute Barbecue many a time in it's 1 year of operation in the city. But, I am going to place focus specifically on 2 of my visits - My first sojourn when AB's just started it out on Oct 2014 and my recent outing in Oct'15 as part of a team of bloggers for the 'Al Karamba' Caribbean festival where we were served some special offerings from the island nation.

After a being a thumping success in Bangalore & Hyderabad, the Chennai crowd has well and truly lapped up the brand of Absolute Barbecue's. It has been a runaway blockbuster hit and continues to attract the houseful board and if one has to attribute 2 reasons for its super success, one is the wide variety of food on offer and the second being the superlative service. AB's has always been a step up on the ladder and its clearly visible with all the extra efforts taken by them to enhance the customer experience.

T Nagar seems to be the preferred location for Barbecue restaurant's in the city and this one's located in GN Chetty road somewhat in the adjoining space between Accord Metropolitan and Residency. From the outset you just see a board and there is nothing spectacular about the building hosting this place but the real surprise is when you step into the 3rd floor to get inside the restaurant.

The place is cool,chic,stylish and really happening. The design is done up tastefully and feels like it can accommodate hordes of people. It is well lit up and glistens with an interesting palate of colors. Seems even quirkier seeing the waiters dressed up in bright yellow shirts normally and on festive occasions you witness a change according to the 'T'. There is loud old english music playing in the background giving a buzzing atmosphere overall.

To say that there are plentiful items in store to satiate your appetite is really an understatement. The spread is so gargantuan that even an ogre would not be able to do complete justice. In the veg buffet starter barbeque section there are usually versions of Grilled kababs, Panneer, Potato, Mushroom, American Cheesy Potato and Crispy corn. Behold these are just the items mentioned but apart from that they happen to be very magnanimous and also provide extra's such as Grilled Cauliflower , Barbeque / sliced Pineapple's and Barbeque Watermelon. The barbeque's are cooked to perfection and tempered with the right juice and punch giving a flavorful feel to the mouth. And for the Caribbean festival, they tweaked quite a bit of their signature starters to bring the flavors and taste of the West Indies.

If you thought this was all in the starter's part wait till you hear this. They have a unique concept called the 'Wish Grill' where you get to make and eat them ad-lib style. It is a 4 step process where you first get to pick your veggies or meat (Everything you name and more is there). Secondly you get to top your ingredients with rice or noodles and once this is done you get to check with the chef for the choice of sauces (You are allowed to taste sample's for your preference) and on top of the sauces (so many choices) you get to load them with condiments comprising of Chilli flakes, oregano, thyme, rosemary, basil etc. And voila you watch your taste wish get fulfilled. I really loved my wish grill which was nicely cooked and tender with the right blend and mix.

Once you are done with the Barbeque's and Wish Grill, you really wouldn't have the wherewithal to try anything else. However, the main course is in no way any lesser as you have a wide oeuvre here too. From the little I tasted found the AB's special Dal to be simmeringly delightful and the Paneer sheesh mahal with a coating of spinach inside oval shaped cottage cheese to be delectable. They also have a host of other gravies and curries to go along with their Veg Dum Biriyani, plain rice and Indian Bread. And you always have a soup which is decent and to boot some accompanying salads. Also you get a mocktail to choose from a span of several of which i chose the Black buck - a blackcurrent based drink on my first visit and a pineapple passion on my recent foray which came delightfully in a decorated real pineapple with a straw inserted at the side which tasted absolutely ravishing.

They also have a truckload of desserts with live counters of Indian sweets and a number of pastries to choose from. And on the ice-cream front they make you coldstone icecream of your choice of flavor and topping. It was really a sight watching them make it in front of you dashing them in the cold stoned rectangle and regardless to say i loved my ice-cream which was soft , mellow and meltilicious.

It turns out to be an absolute wow barbecue experience every time you come here. You have plethora of food erupting like a lava making you pack your stomach to the rafters. It feels as if you've had 3 meals in one go pampering and spoiling you like crazy. Go give your decadence a Hi-5. Such is the variety and quantity of food in store that if you start to explain each and every item it would very well end up being a dossier.

The waiters are very prompt and the chef is very sweet in personally coming and asking for feedback and taking suggestions of how to further give their best. It really feels like they value customer feedback seriously.

There is hardly a negative bone at AB's. Its heartwarming to see that they have continued to maintain their service and quality over the past year attracting more and more customers and building up a huge fan base. Here's wishing them well to assert their supremacy further as they head into their second year. Go Grilling!

P.S: Sharing below my second review to this place as and when it opened its doors in Velachery.
Absolute Barbecues entry to Chennai with their T-Nagar outlet hasn't been anything short of path breaking with record crowds thronging the outlet time and again like a deluge. It has seen phenomenal rise over the last 2 years and is one of the unprecedented success stories witnessed in the food scene of Chennai.

After regaling and enthralling the barbeque lovers, it was time to expand the radar and they have now opened their second outlet in the Taramani Link road en route to Velachery. Strategically this is a brilliant choice for location as the surrounding area is in close proximity to a glut of IT and business parks and a ginormous amount of folks work right round the corner. They have essentially placed themselves easily accessible to the Corporates and it's a given with AB's reputation already soaring high that this will be lapped up with open arms.

We were here on an invite on a Saturday evening and it was no surprise that it was completely packed to the rafters. There is an inherent buzz about the place and the atmosphere is electrifying. There is always some sort of action happening at AB's and the pulsating vibe here is pretty infectious. You will see the servers on their toes converging the area acceding to customers requests. The rumbling sound of the utensils, the constant chatter amongst groups of people, moving about in a helter skelter manner to refill your plate, the loud music playing at the background et al add to the experience of dining at AB's.

AB's is one restaurant which is designed to showcase your gluttony instincts to the fore. Their starters are a class apart tempered with the right texture and punch and it's hard not to gobble them up piece by piece and repeat the same again and again. You never really get bored of their grilled stuff and they also innovate by bringing newer things to the table adding to the excitement. In the veg category, you usually have your panneer, mushroom, babycorn, potatoes, pineapple etc. They also have special starters directly served and is amazing how willing they are to provide you with a largesse fest. On this occasion we got the delightfully soft beetroot cutlets and the honey pineapples pierced right in front of us from a giant sized pineapple fruit. The wish grill is another sphere which entices the customers as this is based on the ad-lib style of choosing your ingredients from a mass list and adding your sauces and sprucing up the masala to create something of your own.

These kind of grilled based restaurants work on the pareto analysis of roughly 80-20 portfolio with 80% occupying the barbeque starters and perhaps 20% making up the main course and desserts. However on quantity main course is pretty widespread standalone. But it's just that you won't be having the wherewithal to try your hand too much at these considering you're already detonated having stuffed yourself to the brim with the starters. From whatever little I tasted though, they seemed to be pretty good. The desserts section has a mix of western pastries and Indian sweets with ice cream to boot.

It's really hard to pinpoint issues at AB's because they happen to be so bloody good and they virtually ensure that all bases get covered. They have played it safe here and seem to follow the path of the former AB's in T Nagar to the 'T'. There isn't anything off the cuff or radically different and it makes sense because you don't try to fix something which is already running super smooth.

The service was exemplary as usual with the staff at your beck and call and taking all efforts to ensure we have a good time. Though our encounter was over an 'on the house', the pricing can be termed reasonable for the mind blowing feast on offer. Other factors like valet parking is rightfully available which is a plus one.

It's always a pleasure to dine in at Absolute Barbecues and our recent visit was no different. It was a fun evening of food and frolic. This new Absolute Barbecues at Velachery has already embarked on an earth shattering start and you have to be a brave man to bet against it soaking in record breaking crowds going forward.

Sports Cafe US101

US 101 is a chic sports pub located at the GLM Meridien hotel in T Nagar. It is designed on the theme of sports and you find a lot of material backing the same in the form of wall paintings of sportsmen, vintage collection of framed sporting memorabilia, scarfs of popular football teams hanging across, artifacts and portraits of sporting movies and quotes of motivations, pillow covers depicting a sporting avatar, boxing punching bag, T shirts of popular sportstars with their numbers disclosed and the bar side is enveloped with great sportsman in their respective field. It is sporty and invokes the sporty side in you.

The ambiance feels all dark and noisy with loud music playing at the background. The decor comprising of sofa seating feels comfortable and laidback. They have a number of television sets all playing you guessed it right sports channels. You can see the attention to focus on the 'sports theme' and in a large way they have succeeded in getting it right.

We were invited as part of a bloggers meet to check their new offerings. A set menu was handed with options of both vegetarian and non vegetarian on the foodie side of things. For drinks, we had a shot of some of the mocktails and must say they all tasted great. There were some like the Choco punch which stood out having a punchy chocolate taste over a strawberry puree. Even liked the Blue breeze which was a lovely thirst quencher in a concoction of red bull and blue curacao with a dash of lime juice and mint thrown in. Even the other ones which I mildly tasted were decent enough.

On the starter section, we were served the following:
Cheese balls - One of the highlights of the night with the balls being extremely soft loaded with gooey cheese and flakes which went perfectly well with the chilli mayo dip. Took repeat quite a few times.

Nachos - It was passable but wasn't great. A portion of it had all the toppings whereas some chips were alienated. It was decent enough but lacked the zing.

Chilli Jalapeno's - This too was pretty nice though a long way off from being mindblowing. Resembled the cheese balls in size and texture but felt short of it on the taste front.

Button Mushrooms - This won brownie points. Felt it went along jocularly well with the Balsamic browm butter sauce. The mushrooms were big in size and cooked to perfection. The second best starter following the cheese balls.

Main course followed with the items mentioned:
Burritos and Enchiladas - Both were ok and especially the accompaniment part was good however they were very hard to break and it didn't gel well with the final package.

Baked Eggplant - Very okayish with a layer of cheese on top and an overdose of tomatoes for decoration. Not bad at all but a distance away from anything to rave about.

Spinach and Feta cheese Pasta - This was quite a disappointment and was very bland in taste. Except for the lavish coating of cheese, the dish overall lacked bite.

Cottage cheese steak - Tasted much better than the other main course dishes. The cottage cheese as such was a bit raw but it went well with the tomato basil sauce. And with corn, spinach and baby potatoes to go as sides it was a win.

Overall the drinks and the food were a mixed bag. The choices available and the taste of drinks were excellent, the starters especially some of them were really good but the main course ended up being rather disappointing. The service was prompt and friendly. Only grouse was the extra time being taken for the main course which was just taking way too long. The prices seem apt for pubs of this genre in general and one wouldn't be complaining too much on this area.

There are drawbacks yes, but this is one chilled out cafe to hang out and have some fun amidst the music, sports, food and drinks.

Themed to Excellence Gusto Cafe!

Gusto cafe has class written all over it. It is designed to excellence and the architecture and aesthetics gone into developing the different themes speak volumes of the work undertaken. The interiors are tastefully done up and the color palette has been carefully selected in adherence to the themes on display. It could very well be categorized as Chennai's first Cinema based cafe.

You have the 'Whiplash theme' with lots of music driven related things such as radios, discs, vinyl's, drumrolls and a host of other stuff with a massive roof portrait of Bob Marley at the background. Then there is 'The Godfather theme' that gives a dark sober tinge with a poster of the eternal classic situated in a round table with the picture of the fire chimney also. The 'Gallery theme' is all sports related with elevated stands made to resemble a playground with artifacts of popular football clubs submerged around. There is cricket also thrown into the equation with an official scorecard of a particular match and a wall painting depicting the logo of the 2015 cricket world cup. There are also miniature and antique versions of helmets, footballs, cycles, the Olympic 5 ring replica etc perfectly in sync to showcase the sport bastion.

The main and biggest portion of the cafe highlights the Egyptian theme highlighting the Mommy theme with Pharaoh's, pyramids and cave paintings signifying an olden day touch. It's more of brown and gold here to be in tune with the desserts and Egyptian diaspora. On the parallel side you have a Texas fiesta in the form of a Cowboy theme depicting caricatures like Bull horns, cowboy hats, tall stools et al typical of the lifestyle of a Texan and bringing to light the movie Indiana Jones.

Further downside the cafe you get to encounter the romance theme with '500 days of Summer'. Appropriately in line with the theme, you find a lot more color and vibrance here with lanterns, tree wall with flowers in abundance and an aerial view of a spot overlooking a number of buildings but torn down by plenty of parking lots much akin to what is witnessed in the movie. And talking about romance how can one leave Romeo & Juliet out. This theme is for the eternal lovers having a vintage touch with a beautiful balcony setup, a rickety bicycle, hanging umbrellas etc. The brick walls with lamps and the mushrooming of greenery through plants adds warmth and gives a lovely old world charm in line with the lives and times of Romeo Juliet. You also see the place laden with big sized graffiti's adding to the cool and chic factor.

Talking about food, it offers what a usual cafe gives. You have starters, burgers, pizza's, pasta's, main course and your share of coffee's, shakes and desserts. We began our sojourn through the Potato cheese balls. They were nicely made, deep fried and came about 10 pieces with a reddish paprika dip. We also had another starter viz Veg Croquets. These were 3 in number more like a triangular shaped cutlet containing mostly potatoes and carrot and went well with the mint chilli dip. For mains had a veg burger which was well stuffed up and tasted more than decent. Also came with quite a handful number of fries to boot. We also attempted the Veg Grill Pizza which I really enjoyed. It was thin crust, cheesy and loaded with an assortment of exotic veggies and was wonderful. The size though could have been a wee bit bigger. They also had a unique omelette platter of cheese, mushroom, masala and chicken. Liked the former 3 which I had a bite and more importantly none of them tasted alike which was good. We were however not in the mood for desserts and hence refrained from having them. Though we tasted only a smidgeon of their spread, nothing really disappointed and everything bordered on the good and above. Definitely interested to try more of their stuff on subsequent visits.

The service was amiable with friendly smiling waiters ever ready to help us out. The food also was brought to the table in fairly quick time. The pricing seems apt and par for the course. For an upscale area like Nungambakkam, one wouldn't really term the rates as too expensive. One gripe however was not giving us regular water and forcing us onto having water bottles which I hope will be rectified soon. There is sufficient space available for parking and even without valet facility shouldn't be much of a hassle. The small lane of Jagannathan road has been witness to quite a number of restaurant's off late and with the emergence of Gusto Cafe, it's value has risen to an all time high.

Overall, Gusto cafe is a fantastic addition to the list of cafe's in Chennai. It sparkles with amazement and leaves you wondering on the amount of efforts gone in to orchestrate this brilliantly good looking cafe. It elevates the hegemony of Nungambakkam as the 'Numero uno supremo of the restaurant market' a further notch.

Gusto Cafe radiates with energy and exuberance. There is no doubt that it will be one of the go to places in days to come. An absolutely wonderful cafe to indulge in some food and confabulation. Go check this one out. It has 'WIN' written right royally around it.

The new Coco Jaunt 1728! @ Teynampet

It's been a short stint for Coco Jaunt 1728 of less than a year but within this space they have created quite an impression already. They are unique, willing to experiment and have put the daring steps forward. I really appreciate the fact that they are very willing to offer something different to the table and in a large way have been successful in achieving their goals.

Having forayed into the market via their Anna Nagar outlet which was launched just half a year ago, they have opened their 2nd outlet in the quiet street of Sriram Nagar in Teynampet. And from hearsay it looks like more outlets are going to crop up in other areas across the city very soon.

This one is a bakery cafe trying to bring the best of both worlds. In essence the quintessential bakery products in addition to the stuff you usually get in an upscale cafe. Another positive factor is that all their products are made in house and there are absolutely no preservatives. They are hard bound on this and it's really appreciable that all the things right from scratch are all made in the kitchen rather than depending on the outside market for stuff. Yes, your food takes a little longer time than usual but factoring that everything is made 'in-house', one shouldn't complain as what you get is virtually equivalent to a freshly home cooked food experience.



We as a group of bloggers were invited to check out their new Teynampet outlet. This one's a little smaller compared to their Anna Nagar joint and is stationed across 2 floors. The basement comprises of your usual bakery products along with a couple of chairs and tables ideal for a quick bite whereas upstairs is the fine dining bigger enclosure showcasing the class of this place through it's lovely artifacts and travel embossed theme with a significant splash of their official color yellow which is predominant and in your face visible. The ambiance is quirky and has a nice feel good factor about it.



One thing I was delighted to see was that a host of stuff had been added to the menu. In my earlier visit to Anna Nagar, options were few and far between but now they have all kinds of items ranging from beverages, toasties, fries, sandwiches, bunny chow, wrap, pizza, pita pilaf&potatoes, salad and desserts.

We visited them for a pre dinner meet at around 6ish. A set menu was given to us and our quest began with a couple of quenchers in the form of Green Apple Granita and Blue bay curacao. If you like your drinks to be icy and considering the heat this is an ideal foil. Liked both of the drinks with more pointers for the green based one which had a nice punch to it. Those averse to the icy drinks were given hot chocolate as substitute. Next was the turn of french fries. You might think what is there to rave about fries - I tell you it is their dips. They complement the fries so well and their different variants ranging from peri peri, onion&herbs, mexican and mayonnaise will ensure that your taste buds have a field day smacking their lips with excitement. Then we went on to the official starter section and were served paneer tikka garlic bread. I have tasted garlic bread of so many kinds over the breath of the country but this was the first time I was having them in a paneeri avatar. Needless to say I loved having a crack at those long layered panner slices tossed up with the requisite masala and finely chopped chilli's grated over with melted cheese on top and the peri peri dip matched the spice levels perfectly.







We then headed on to the main course and first on was the peri peri panneer sandwich. It wasn't spectacular by any means but liked the big fat chunky pieces of cottage cheese interspersed in between the bread. Then it was time to attack the pizza's for which we had 2 choices in veg - vagabond and Alphagama Feta. Both were thin crust and lovely. The former was filled with an assortment of veggies and had a nice crunchy taste to it but it was the latter which blew us away being the perfect amigo for the Italian pizza loving aficionado. It was greenish with a pesto sauce base and filled with olives and feta cheese. Just had the right amount of juice in it to be endorsed by the excitingly craving mouth. It was different and truly worth it. After that was the turn of something usually unheard of called the Bunnychow. It has it's roots in South Africa where you are served a filling inside a piece of stuffed bread bun. The stuffing for us was a panneer masala. I kind of enjoyed having it. Best to eat with your hands and make them dirty. The masala makes the bread soggy and it's a delight relishing the soaky bread with gay abandon. Kudos again for trying something way off key and bringing to light a dish from the African safari.





Next, we had a bunch of desserts to round off the evening. The platter consisted of a German chocolate cake, bitter and blanc with vanilla sauce, a cookie and a caramel based chocolate. On the liquidy side we had our hands and mouth full with Brownie shake and the Nutty caramel shake. They all tasted great but somehow I didn't get the same taste and feel as I got in the Anna Nagar outlet. It could also be that I was too stuffed with all the food not really having the wherewithal to do a proper justification of the dessert spread.



Overall, it was a definite win. It's heartwarming to see Coco Jaunt raising the bar and from the looks of it they will continue to garner and foster praise by keeping up their creative ideas and love for food intact. For me personally, it was a wonderful fun filled evening enjoying the food fiesta with like minded fellow foodies.

Memories of Viru!

Virendar Sehwag played the game his way and the only way he knew right from the beginning to the very end. He put paid to his own downfall many a time but here was someone who didn't care for glory or reputation. All he knew was attacking batsmanship which brought glory to the fans watching him bat and reputation to Indian cricket for having produced their most destructive batsman ever.

It's still a mystery how he survived so long in test cricket and made runs all over the globe. The transition from a part time batsman who could bowl a bit to moving to the top of the order scoring over 8000 runs with an average of close to 50 speaks thunderous volumes of this Nawab from Najafgarh. Indian cricket history has had many opening batsman but the greatness chapter closes with just Sunny and Viru's names. And mind you Gavaskar was a proper technical gnaw who played the game how the text book demanded unlike Viru who re-wrote the textbook via his own style.

Once labeled a Sachin copybook, eventually you saw even Tendulkar change his game according to the times but Viru continued his aggresive streak not backing down one bit for anyone and being his own usual domineering self. He was an epitome of confidence and his self belief and no nonsense spirit was really admirable.

It was truly a sight watching him in a belligerent mood traumatizing international level bowlers of yore by swatting and making mincemeat out of them. Cricketers will come and go but there are few special one's who remain close to our heart and Virendar Sehwag was surely one among them. Thanks for all the excitement and entertainment of watching you all these years. Your presence on the cricket field may have vanished but the memories will forever live on!.

25 years of a Magnum Opus - Michael Madana Kama Rajan (MMKR) ★★★★★

There are only some movies which can claim to be downright rib-ticklingly funny on so many counts. Michael Madana Kama Rajan (MMKR) is one for the ages and can never be replicated.The kind of all round performance on virtually every front makes it firmly etched as one of Tamizh cinema's greatest creations. Seldom have films been so everlastingly entertaining and MMKR rightly falls into the place of all time great cinema.

It's been a quarter century since its release on Diwali day - 17th October 1990 but even to this day references are made with regard to the characterization's and dialogues. MMKR chestnuts are one of a kind and every now and then you would inevitably associate a fleeting presence of this movie in some form or the other sometimes even acting as an ice-breaker.

There are just too many things to marvel about MMKR ranging from the spectacular performances, timed to perfection dialogues, scintillating screenplay causing confusion aplenty, story with plethora of twists and turns, direction at pace with the events and the brilliant music and BGM. The subtlety and poise in each of the quadruplet roles portrayed by Kamal is breathtaking and each of the artists induce so much life to the characters and add to the fun quotient. The humorous dialogues and wordplay never ceases to invoke the funny bones, remember - Yaarukku kalyanam? Nekka? Nokka? Nekkum nokkumaa?, Indha Avinashi oru visuvaasi, Thripurasundari illai thiruttu sundari nee etc to just name a few. A pulse racing story line backed up a gripping screenplay and deftly handled direction causing nerve wracking excitement to go along with the pot boiling mixture of chaos, mayhem and hullabaloo over mistaken identity. And what fabulous array of songs in different dimensions making it such a memorable soundtrack and one cannot shy away from mentioning the precision of the re-recording which reigns supreme in elevating the scenes to a higher pedestal. It's seriously hard to pinpoint one flaw.

The synergy effect works perfectly in Michael Madana Kama Rajan where every individual in the movie is a hero but the movie ends up becoming the biggest hero of em all. A comic caper catering to the masses and the classes and to the young and old, this one's a cult classic in every way. Many of us grew up in the 90's with this film and for many of the movie buffs this laugh riot remains one of the most watched movies ever. One won't be surprised even if it has been seen over a triple digit times as it offers so much unlimited entertainment guaranteed.

25 years has passed since the saga of Michael Madana Kama Rajan and it's place as one of the undisputed comical giants of the silver screen will forever remain. Remembering everyone's favorite MMKR for completing a landmark silver jubilee. There are great movies and there is Michael Madana Kama Rajan - a riveting laughathon like never seen before and perhaps never ever after!.

Some tit-bits & trivia on MMKR:
● It was the second association of the Kamal Hassan and Crazy Mohan combo after the immensely successful Apoorva Sagotharargal (1989).
● MMKR was a Diwali release of 1990 and incidentally there were 5 other films releasing the same day with Ilaiyaraaja as the music director - Amman Kovil Thiruvizha, Mallu Vetti Minor, Puthu Paattu, Chatriyan and Sirayil Sila Raagangal
● Sundari Neeyum song was picturized by playing the song at twice the original speed in order for Kamal and Oorvasi to lip sync correctly.
● The song Sundari Neeyum was supposed to be sung by KJ Yesudas but dates played foil eventually leading to Kamal singing himself. Infact in an interesting tale, YG Mahendra actually congratulated Yesudas on the song and when KJY quipped that credit should go to Kamal, it left the former completely stumped.
● MMKR was perhaps the first Tamil or even Indian Film to feature a laptop as early as 1990.
● It was the first film to have 'Face Morphing Technology' in Tamil Film Industry.
● The Bheem boy character who is the body guard for Kamal Hassan is played by Praveen Kumar Sobti, an Indian athelete who was 6'7" and a Double gold medalist in discus throwing in the 1966 and 1970 Asian Games.
● There were 2 songs in the movie which were not shot but part of the audio records viz Aadi Pattam Thedi sung by Mano, Chitra & chorus and Maththa Poovu Oru Penna rendered by Chitra, both penned by Vaali.

Amazing Amadora!

Amadora has been on my wishlist for a very long time. Glad I was finally able to make it here. We headed here after finishing our dinner duty at the nearby Delhi Highway. The place is located in a secluded lane off KNK. On a cursory glance, the area feels quite dark and lonely but alas only for a wee bit and your perception changes immediately seeing flocks of people and sprangling vehicles move in and around this small street.

Amadora is a house converted into an ice-cream parlour. This one's a little different from the usual run off the mill ice cream places which you associate to be splashed with lots of color and feeling very play schoolish. It is muted in terms of color but has it's own charm. Walls decorated with sweet quotes, blackboard drawn with colored chalks highlighting the special stuff for the day and the elevated chairs with jigsaw shaped tables give it a unique touch. The desserts on display already give an indication of the goodness to follow.

They have loads to offer making your sweet tooth crave for some indulging decadence. We were 4 of us and ordered the following items: a scoop of caramelised white chocolate and jaggery each, a lemon ginger popsicle and an underbaked cake with 5 bean vanilla ice- cream. Both the white chocolate and jaggery had strong flavoring and were ravishing to say the least. It was a delight to suck every spoonful joyously. I am a fan of popsicles and I couldn't but wait to lick that whitened stick of sweet enigma. The ginger aroma was inherently prevelant and my childish insticts were in full fore enjoying this lipsmacking icy delight. And boy oh boy awesomeness reached a new level as soon as I donned one spoonful of the scintillatingly mouth wateringly brilliant underbaked cake. Ah, it felt like attaining nirvana and with the 5 bean vanilla ice cream to boot, this was one jaw droppingly gyrating dessert. No exaggeration, taste it for yourself and you would know.

The rates are pretty much on the higher side but considering the output that went into the mouth, you surely wouldn't cringe as you would have seldom tasted such delicious desserts. I am sure coming here again to attack more of their stuff :).

North Indian at Delhi Highway, Nungambakkam

The best plans are made impromptu. There have been so many occasions on which I've been wanting to experience the Dilli ka khana but for some or other reason it wasn't materialising. And finally am relieved that Delhi Highway has been finally ticked off the list.

It's located in the ever happening Khadar Nawaz khan road and the place is crowded with a heavy influx of predominantly the northie crowd. It works on the system of first come first serve and thankfully we were allotted a table within a waiting time of 10 minutes.

From the name, you can easily figure that it's a place serving out and out Tandoori fare. They also have some chaats added to the mix. The ambiance is a touch predictable and the creamy and brown shades give that mild mughlish durbar feel and the gloomy dim light's make it quite visible that you're in a North Indian restaurant.

We began our course with a Dahi papdi chaat and a couple of starters. The chaat was pretty standard and that extra I was expecting was surely amiss. And the tandoori front started with the Achari Paneer Tikka. The reddish chunks of cottage cheese were soft and nice but way off from being exceptional. It was certainly nice but that zing of wallowing a succulent piece of my ever favorite panneer wasn't felt. The other one, Tandoori Aloo with grated cheese lavishly coated over the oval pieces of boiled potatoes was quite decent.

On the main course we had 4 versions of Indian bread - Butter Naan, Garlic Naan, Aloo Kulcha and Rogani Roti. And for the curries we went with Paneer Lababdar and Veg Kohlapuri. The Indian bread were quite substandard to be frank. Some of the pieces were so hard and the fluffiness was just not there. The Paneer gravy was quite nice cooked on an onion gravy but the veg Kohlapuri at best could be termed ordinary. We decided not to have any desserts.

Overall the food was just bordering along the average and it was a bit of a disappointment especially because the expectations were set much higher. Though nothing could be termed downright bad, I didn't get the feel of relishing some good ol North Indian khana.

The service was pretty quick with the items being brought and served to our table in quick fashion. The quantity served was quite a let down and the abominable pricing makes it all the more worse. At best, this dine out experience left a lot to be desired.

Nostalgia Revisited at Eden's Harrisons

The Eden at Harrison's is a perennial favorite and rekindles a lot of good old memories. Years back when Chennai didn't have a siege of restaurant's as how it is today, this was one good place for fine dining attracting numerous customers. Even now despite other options and the apparent competition, Eden still has it's legion of fans. Take my word it is one good restaurant to take your family and friends and it's highly unlikely that you will end up being disappointed.

This outlet is situated on the 3rd floor in Harrison's hotel located on the way towards Chetpet main road. It is well lit and bright and the tree top artifact on the roof gives it a nice touch. The decor is nice and cozy comprising of Ivory colored cushions and virtually everything about the place has remained the same since it's inception dating back to the 90's.

The menu is a very simple 2 pager and it has been virtually the same for a decade with nothing new added along the way. You might wonder that they haven't evolved but the fact is they know what they are good at and play the A game to the 'T'. Knowing well their strengths perhaps they never found the need to venture into newer territories and here it's about playing their cards close to the chest and they do a good job at it.

Though the spread here is continental, tandoori and a skosh of South Indian, it is on the continental where they count the shots. This is perhaps one of the first places I have tasted Lasagne and baked dishes. I loved it then and I continue to enjoy their lipsmacking baked to perfection dishes even now. Another area where they walk the talk is on the appetizers. Just love whatever they have to offer here whether its the corn on toast, Bharwan paneer, veg cutlets, tangy aloo and many more. Their north indian stuff is also pretty good but somehow I have had better stuff elsewhere and in relative terms with the continental i feel they fall way short. The bit of south Indian is just to add the numbers. Never really tried much of them. They also have a separate single dessert page with sundaes, shakes and ice cream and their most popular item here is 'When was the last time i checked my waist' which is a dessert suffused with chocolate in abundance.

The rates have been hiked up over the years but well within the norm keeping the inflation factor. You wouldn't really complain much especially after gorging some of their delicacies. The service is really quick and the food will come to your table faster than you expect. Valet parking is very much available as it's situated inside a hotel.

Eden holds good on most grounds and has kept it's charm intact over the years. Restaurant's may come and go but this Eden restaurant at Harrison's will always hold a dear place in the heart.

Cheesy Juicy Burgers opens at Perungudi

I have heard quite a bit about Cheesy juicy burgers from friends who have claimed that their burgers are economical and great VFM for the size of burgers offered. I have not been fortunate to have sampled them in their older outlets at ECR and Adyar. But, having open an outlet close to my office vicinity, I was waiting to jump the gun and try it out at the soonest and check for myself if all the brouhaha about the place holds good.

This outlet is located bang opposite in between of RMZ-1 and the SP infocity campus. The strategic locale does play to its advantage as there are a truckload of employees working round this area and this burger chain comes as a welcome change to try out something different from the usual and limited options which this surrounding has to offer.

It was a friday afternoon and almost 2 when I was on the lookout for a place to eat when it struck me that it was the ideal time to check CJB out. And having a few ticket vouchers helped as they agree to take in both this and Sodexo passes. The joint is small and has just 4 tables. It has an open entrance and inside the walls are covered with bricked wallpapers and you also find some artifacts hanging on the walls. The seating is very simple containing plastic chairs. There isn't anything really worth mentioning about ambiance but on a relative perspective it scores on the neatness quotient considering the scalor in and around.

The menu is a one page thick bound pamphlet listing the veg and non veg burgers along with the sides. The options on veg are not too bad and apart from roughly 7-8 normal varieties they also have a couple in the special section - one with corn and the other having Mushroom. The ones sans 'special' do not come with cheese and you are required to pay 15 bucks extra for a slice. As I was in the hungry mood I decided to go in for the the Special Mushroom burger which was supposedly coming with a double patty layer. As expected the burger was giant sized and I found it difficult to juggle up with one hand in the process making use of both hands to hold the big brown bun and stuff it into my mouth. The burger was meaty and tall and it was difficult to wallow the entire length in one go thus making it messy. I must confess it's fun to get messy when eating burger because its supposed to be like that. The mushrooms were hidden inside the patty and there were a few onions to go with it. The patty made of aloo was well marinated and had a nice crust to it. The size was big but the filling could have been a wee bit better. Though it was overall pretty good, I felt it lacked the juiciness and the zing of eating a big sized burger was somewhat amiss. However I must say that it is way better than some of the ones offered at other places. Also them being new, it may take a bit of time to get into the groove. One thing however which was disappointing was the lack of french fries served with the burger. Nowdays it's almost taken for granted and more so since I had their special high end burger I did expect a small portion to have along with my burger and sadly I didn't get any.

The service was quick with my burger arriving in a whisker. But personally felt the prices to be on the higher side. The normal veg burgers are all priced at 100 plus and you need to shell out extra on the cheese too making it come upwards to the 150 barrier and the special ones usurp the pricing much further. Most employees working in these giant campuses are given passes of approx 50 bucks to spend on a day and this place seems too far fetched and more so since it's placed in an office dominated area, it relegates itself to a place where people will visit only on a special occasion rather than as a usual lunch/dinner spot. Some balance on the pricing factor should definitely help.

I am not sure how regularly I will be coming here but I will visit whenever feasible to try the other varieties of burgers and sides before coming to a well drawn out conclusion.

Cleo's Grill&Cafe

Indra Nagar is witnessing a sudden splurge of restaurant's in its suburbs and Cleo's Grill & Cafe happens to be one of the newbies in town. It is located in the 4th avenue and might be a little difficult to locate but shouldn't be much of a concern if you have done your homework with maps.

The name Cleo's derives itself from the popular character of Cleopatra and this restaurant specializes predominantly in grilled based food. There is an interesting twist to it as the management felt there isn't any real good grill food chain in the city prompting them to start one of their own.

The place is small but nicely compartmentalized into different enclosures and the ambiance gives a gloomy effect with a dim lit feel. The decor is very comfortable and the hanging lights across each table gives it a nice touch.

We were invited as a big group to try some of their offerings and were offered a set menu which comprised loads of stuff. The non vegetarians especially had much to relish with starters of all kinds in abundance. Listed below is my take on the vegetarian side of things. We started our sojourn in the form of welcome drinks and there were a couple of them - Crazy frog and the Pomogingy fizz. The former was refreshing and icy and made of a mix of Blue curacao and mango whereas the latter was punchy and mildly spicy in a combination of Bovonto and Pomogranate. After the drinks, it was time for soup which was a Grilled Bell pepper soup. It was appeasing especially with the subtle smoky flavor with a dash of cream and cheese. Then we were served a crunchy noodle salad which was akin to an Indian chaat based dish with the requisite spices getting us prepared for the bigger palate in store. Next it was time to target the starters and for veg we had 2 paneer based and a solitary mushroom. The cleos grilled paneer appeared first which was a charcoal based square of paneer smeared with a tangy tomato paste and went along jocularly well with their Orangish chilli mayo. It was a little on the spicier side but nevertheless really well made. The other cottage cheese one - Fiery paneer kabab was more along the traditional paneer tikka kind you get at most places and tasted decent. It had a slightly burnt feel to it and came with mint based mayo sauce. Contrary to the term fiery, the former paneer sans the fieriness felt spicier than the latter. The Cheese stuffed mushroon were in the form of cutlets with big button sized mushrooms within the layer and a coating of cheese on the sides. It was passable and not something to really rave about. I must make a mention of their mayo sauces for accompaniments which were thick and different from the usual add-ons and they played a key role in elevating and complementing the eating of the starters. After that was time for the main course - Indian bread, zafrani rice with Paneer tikka masala and Dal Makhani for company. We got to taste a special type of naan which was laced with herbs and spices which tasted wonderful. Also got myself a slice of Olive and Garlic Naan and the fact that it was well made and fluffy was well visible. The Paneer Tikka masala had succulent pieces of cottage cheese which were cooked in a tomato based gravy and the Dal Makhani was fair enough albeit a far way off from some of the better black dal's I have had. Didn't have the wherewithal to try the zafrani rice but from the spoonful I tasted, it had a nice aroma and flavoring to it. We also were given Bovonto with Ice cream which served as the perfect foil for having this kind of food. We rounded off with desserts - Chocolate mousse & Mango cheesecake in a glass and a Nutella Banana Pancake. The choco mousse was soggy and it was a delight to cream it across and put into your mouth. The mango cheesecake was soft and tasty and the Pancake was okayish. Also as a final dash we got a skosh of Gajar Halwa with ice cream which tasted a little different and not really suiting my taste buds.

Overall it was a very decent experience with most of the items bordering from the good to very good and some areas needing a bit of an improvement. Considering the relatively smaller spread of vegetarian items, it was surely more than passable. A non vegetarian eater should be able to give a better verdict considering the options galore.

The service was amiable. They catered into all our requests in a friendly manner, but however felt they could have been a wee bit quicker in bringing some of the items. The rates seem marginal and competitive. Being located in a quite street, there is ample space for bike and car parking.

At the end of it all, it was quite a satisfactory affair.

Hoppipola comes to town

Hoppipola is all set and ready to take the Chennai pub scene by storm. After already making a splash with it's ventures in Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore, the radar of this happy go lucky pub has extended it's footing towards Chennai and thankfully so. This resto pub is located in the basement of Spring Hotel, Nungambakkam and the initial feel well and truly indicates it having the shiz factor going for it.

The place appeals instantly and the interiors are tastefully done. It is bright, colorful and vibrant as opposed to the eerie darkness usually associated with a pub. It is much more than just that and trebles up as a great place to eat, drink and play. Zest and zeal is inherent and the tons of fun events make this place really happening and uber cool.

It was just the 4th day of its launch when we as a big group were invited to check this place out on a friday evening. It's very much in its nascent stage but witnessing the activity and atmosphere prevalent, there's no doubt that it has already been lapped up by chennai vaasis and the bar has been raised.

We got to sample a plethora of food and drinks and most of them won the brownie points. The non vegetarians especially were raving about some of the stuff served, veg wasn't too bad either ranging from average to good with some being top notch. The pizza's though lacked a bit of bite but the cheesy macaroni was baked to perfection having a smooth texture and tasted kick ass. The hummus were bloody brilliant and kind of addictive. Kudos also to the presentation. Also they had very many interesting sauces coming along with the starters, some were punchy and had a lovely twang to it. And for dessert we were served a ravishing baked cake with banana engraved on top and we were literally fighting with one another to grab a bite of the pastry. The drinks were in variety and abundance and it was fun gulping down the different drinks they had in store. Some of us also indulged in frolic playing some of their interesting games.

The service was exceptional. The bar tenders keep the place extremely lively and entertaining. The choice of music is great keeping the tempo and pep going on incessantly. The rates seem par for the course and surely within limits. Valet parking also works in full swing. Despite being new in the market, most bases have been covered which speaks a lot.

Nungambakkam rightfully stakes claim to being the area invested with the best restaurant's in town and with the arrival of this lounge bar, it's position has been elevated a notch further. There is something for everyone here and rest assured you will have an awesome time experiencing Hoppipola.
Will i come again - Hell Yeah.

South Indian Fusion @ Madras Kafe

Madras Cafe has it's moments . It's a decent place to stop over for a quick bite of south Indian tiffin tossed up in a fusion avatar. It is predominantly the usual south cuisine customised to give it a twist. You have snacks in the form of cheese fingers, potato wedges, assorted platters etc in the ayal naattu (outside land) section and in the namma ooru (home land) part you have your vadais and bhajjis.

The place specialises on dosa's with a truckload of varieties and you also have your usual idli, chappathi, poori and also idiappam, appam, Chole batoora et al. They also have something called Barotizza, an indianised version of pizza with toppings on a chappathi base and also kothu barottas and barotta rolls. Also there is an area called Hall of sandwiches with many stuffed cheese based ones. Also there are variety rices and beverages and smoothies and shakes for finishers.

We had a mix of tiffin items such as podi dosai, onion uthappam, paneer tikka masala dosai, fried podi idli ,kaara cheesy varuval and a filter kaapi and masala chaaya to round off. The fries were oozing with cheese on the top, however the bottom part was left orphaned. The tanginess was missing a bit. The podi dosai was also ok but however it was just podi smeared without oil in it which was a bit of a let down. The paneer tikka masala was perhaps the best we ate here with the triangular dosa having abundant pieces of paneer masala and also it went well with the chutneys and sambar. The onion uthappam was strictly ok and nothing to regale about. The podi idly which took oh so long to be brought to the table was worth the wait and was well deep fried and had a lovely punch to it with podi in magnanimous quantity enveloped all over the idli's.

The place is neat but isn't something that will work big on the ambiance front. The big poster drawing of Madras with the Mylapore backdrop and the Marena beach tries giving it an authentic flavor. The Hindi music playing in the background however sticks out sorely taking the charm away.

The prices are pretty reasonable and par for the course. All the items we had set us back by 500 bucks and a bit which wouldn't really make you slouch. The service at times had it's issues with water not being refilled promptly and also time taken to bring the stuff which was much longer than expected. Also the lack of tissue papers in the tables were irritating. And the disappointment of not having many things from the menu adds to the woes.

The Madaras Kafe has its shares of hits and misses. It surely isn't a bad place to head out for some tasty south indian food being a tad different than the usual.