A visit to Five Star

Five Star Chicken is a venture of the multi-national conglomerate CP (Charoen Pokphand) Foods which has been in existence in Thailand for almost a century. They started their foray in India which the shrimp, prawn and chicken business in the early 90's in Bangalore and Chennai and it was only in 2012 that they started their first food business with the Five star brand. It is prevalent in 9 countries across the globe having more than 7000 outlets with a rapidly growing presence in Asia and India being the latest addition to the fold.

It started in Bangalore in 2012 based on the informal kiosk model which is believed to have worked well in the other countries especially Thailand where the concept of street food is quite popular. However it was met with a muted reaction prompting them to adopt towards a shop/store format with branding and visualizations prodding towards ready to eat/take away model which went a long way in achieving some head way as a fast food chain. They have come a long way since then with over 100 outlets in Bangalore and more than a quarter century in Chennai.

They are more a South Indian centric chain with outlets spread across Chennai, Bangalore, Cochin, Hyderabad and Vizag. They were more chicken focused in the beginning but however over time things have changed with 40% of their SKU's forming vegetarian and the need is to go towards the 50-50 ratio of chicken:vegetarian. In the pipeline is a name change from "Five Star Chicken" to "Five Star" to bring it a more universal appeal and broader the horizon in the market. They can be categorized as more of a neighbourhood friendly chain giving high importance to the  customers and tweaking their products from time to time based on the need of the hour and requirement. Their target group is predominantly youngsters ranging from teenagers to college going kids and they have ensured to bring in a unique personal touch by having competitions, conducting birthday events etc. They have also been adaptable to local taste and flavor by bringing products appealing to the masses in a particular region/community and their motto is to provide great taste and great value at best quality. They

We were here for a tasting session of some of their signature products. The event was held in the 3rd floor of a complex in which their registered office is situated. The tables were well arranged with all necessary ingredients ready even before the lunch meal got underway. Being veg, these were the items served to us.

• Peri Peri Fries: These were thin, long and suffused lavishly with peri peri coating and tasted really good. Definitely one of the better fries I've tasted.

• Veg Fingers: Comprising of Corn, potato, carrot and herbs, this was minced but felt a bit dry and didn't really set the tongues rolling. The pasty mix inside could be worked on a bit.

• Chole Chatpata Roll: One of their newer offerings and I would say the show stealer of the evening. The chole masala was nicely interspersed inside a thich chappathi based maida roll. The stuffing inside held really well and never felt like falling off. It retained its strong hold and the masala was nicely blended. Definitely a great move to introduce this Indian friendly item.

• Veg Burger: This was big in size and the cutlet inside was loaded with abundance of potato over a layer of mayonnaise and salad veggies.

• Veg Roll: It followed the stuffing of the Veg Burger to the "T". It felt like a replica of the burger with the bun replaced with the chappathi roll. However I believe the whole Roll menu is being revamped and that should provide more varied options.

• Aloo Paratha: Another innovation and they were quite well made with a mx of aloo, green chilli flavors and some mild spices. Tasted decent stand alone and looks like a good item to eat along with pickle.

• Chocolate Samosa: This was again a unique dish. Samosas infused with dripping chocolate sauce. What really worked in favor was the influx of nuts in it which gave it a punchy taste. Another unique and well innovative dish.

The food on the whole turned out to be more than decent and it was a lovely way to spend the lunch time getting to try the different stuff from within Five Star's ambit and hearing their perspective. Another high point is in the pricing front which seems to be really competitive and great value for money.

Overall it was a good experience to get a chance to visit Five Star Chicken. The team was very friendly and explained in detail about the concept and all of their products. They were also very receptive to feedback and suggestions. Here's wishing the team of Five Star all the very best in its endeavours.

Etc - Quite an experience!

Introduction:
Etc has a lot going for it. The place is designed to excellence and makes you wonder at the level a place can be raised by the way it has been done up. It exhibits class all over and showcases vigour, vibrancy and vivacity. A vibgyor of colors envelop the surrounding and at no point of time you feel anything to stick out like a sore thumb. It's beautifully appealing and appealingly beautiful.

There is also a lot to reminisce and takes you on a trip down memory lane to the vintage years of 90's as they have a slew of artifacts and paraphernalia making you cherish and sweeten your childhood memories. It glistens with suave and swankiness and has a captivating atmosphere about it. Having been one of the early bird visitors to this cafe, this is one place which I can confidently recommend to my near and dear one's to try out. It's surely the most photogenic cafe's I have ever been to and if you're an avid shutterbug this is one place to call and place the shots.

Ambiance and Design:
It is located in a massive space on the posh Rutland Gate (5th street) area in Nungambakkam. It is a 2 storey building with the basement comprising of the restaurant and upper portion consisting of the cafetaria. The restaurant and cafe are further polarised into different enclosures of which there is a games room with a couple of tables depicting 'Ludo' and 'Connect the Dots' for you to play with, a snake&ladder drawing engraved on the wall, an area stacked up with books, board games and a fancy wind chime with kitschy bottles hanging in an angular direction, a cave like setup with a fountain, a kerala style tea kadai setup, a fish boat with net, chairs made to resemble olden style scooter shields, cycle with milk cylinder, aerated drink bottles placed as holder to plants, racquets and cool looking skateboards adorning the walls and attractive hanging paint boxes for splashing light and what not. The glass windows is another splendorous sight. There is no end to creativity here and you would not see one area left untouched. The design team totally deserved the plaudits.

                             

The Food:
On the food side, they predominantly serve North Indian, Chinese, Continental and of course a dash of desserts. We were invited as part of a bloggers group for the sea food festival currently taking place. Being vegetarian, I had my limitations but they were magnanimous enough to serve quite a sumptuous feast for the green folks as well. Listed below is a brief summary on the food side of things:

Soup:
For soup, I took a shot at the Cream of Mushroom soup which was well made with a aromatic flavoring of fungi. It was really creamy, suffused with a tinge of basil and basically set the tone for further things to look forward. 

Starters:
On the starter section, they were magnanimous enough to give us 4 varieties of starters;
- Crispy Corn Pop - A conical papad shaped cup holding crispy corn aplenty. The corn were fried well and gave a lovely crispy taste however the tortilla cups holding the same seemed a bit raw. The cups need to support by being crunchy which it was not but with a slight tweak this one can work wonders.

- Bharwan Panneer - This was deep fried and made to resemble a sandwich and was riveting along with the green chutney. Acts as the perfect foil for an evening snack.

- Olive Bundle - This looked pretty appetizing to look and the top half did melt in the mouth with an olive bunched along a layer of cheese. However the lower half of it had some sort of pasty mix which really didn't gel well.

- Malai Brocolli - Their signature creation and it really lived up to its billing. The presentation was delightful and the taste matched the looks to the 'T'. A little more judicious coating of cream can elevate it a notch further.

Main Course:
The main course had quite a number of items. The garlic naan was soluble, fluffy and well made. And the accompanying Malai Kofta was one of the star's of the day turning out to be a brilliant side dish. Just the right dose of cream and sweetness made it a delight to eat along with the Indian bread. We also got another gravy in the form of a Mangalore veg curry with a heady dose of coconut cream. Not many may prefer this coastal kind of dish to go with the naan but I fairly enjoyed it. It had the right mix of veggies and was pretty unique but acted as a nice substitute to the typical north Indian curry which you would otherwise usually get. Also got a shot at the kous kous rice with a brinjal based curry which was pretty good but however the last of the items the grilled tofu turned out to be quite a damp squib. It was pretty bland and tasteless and just didn't usher any excitement 
whatsoever.
                                   

   

                                             

Desserts:
The desserts are one area where ETC has a strong hold and boy they showed their class here. We were given 3 pastries - chocolate mousse, a sweetened puff roll and a white chocolate pastry and all of them competed among each other for top stakes. It was indeed a sweet way to end a satisfactory meal.

Pricing and Service:
The decor is comfortable with long elevated cushioned seating giving good space for the back to rest. Though this was an On the House meet, the prices seem on par with restaurants nestled around this locality. For the quantity served can be considered quite justifiable indeed. The service was exemplary with the staff wearing a smile on their faces and adhering to all our requests.

Conclusion:
On a pan optic view, Etc expanded as Etcetera wins on most counts. Go here especially to experience the superlative ambiance and the variegated cuisine.

A 5th World Cup Knock Out Clash involving India and Australia

The Super Sunday do or die India vs Australia encounter on the 27th of March 2016 is just too difficult to call. Though India and Australia have contested each other many times in World Cups, it was only from this millennium that they have stood in the way of each other.

Looking back at the track record, it's 2-2 in knock out ICC world cup events with Aus clinching the 2003 WC final (23rd Mar), India winning a strong Aussie side in the 2007 T20 WC semifinal (22nd Sep) and then again vanquishing the Aussies at home in the 2011 WC Quarter final (24th Mar) thus preventing Australia from winning a back to back 4th WC title but however the Aussies avenged the revenge by thumping the Indians in their own backyard in the 2015 WC Semifinal (26th Mar). Both sides have won one each in South Africa and managed to come out trumps in their respective home ties. And now in the 2016 T20 WC, the two sides meet again at Mohali in a potential made up quarter final with both in the way of each other in garnering a spot in the semifinals.

Coincidentally also this is the 4th out of 5 battles happening in the month of March and a mathematical pattern has emerged with this being the 5th in a row happening in dates of 20's (23rd, 22nd, 24th, 26th and 27th). And to just make the whole equation all the more juicy, whenever these 2 sides have clashed each other in a head to head slugfest, the winner has gone on to eventually lift the title ;)

It just doesn't get any bigger than this and it's one prediction I just want to sit on the fence and seriously want to refrain from making. Fingers tightly crossed!

Sudaka - Time to get peppered!

Sudaka is the new resto-bar in town having a zingy vibe about it. While every other place tries to showcase itself as different from the other, Sudaka brings to itself the South American influence as it's predominant theme. It's inherently visible as when you immediately walk in you would notice the Latin American phrase "Carpe Diem" which means "Seize the Day" and "Quam Minimum Credula Postero" that denotes "Put Very Little Trust in Tomorrow". And as you walk up along the stairs to the pub, you can't but notice the splendor of South America through portraits hung up highlighting its monuments, architectural edifices and glimpses of it's culture and tradition.

Once you're inside you get the quintessential pub feel screaming right in front of you. It has a darkish touch to it but at the same time you will appreciate the bright color shades with especially hues of purple engulfing the surroundings. The space is quite vast and well spread out with the bar counter at one end and sufficient seating capacity with good amount of distance from one table to another and it feels like an idyllic pub for large sets of people to congregate and have a ball of a time. The DJ spot towards the end is pretty funky with scores of instruments and inscribed musical notations at the backdrop. The South American trait comes to the fore via it's miniatures, quotes, portraits depicting postal stamps and other variegated influences. It doesn't seem to be overdone one bit and the whole setting just about feels perfect and a big thumbs up on both the decor and overall ambiance front.

We were invited for an on the house meal to savor some of their signature drinks and food. Our sojourn started with a bunch of mocktails and cocktails of which a majority were greeted with grim reaction. One of them had an overdose of alcohol in it, another had a heavy sweetened syrupy taste to it. However the one with the chilli's on them was fairly enjoyable. I wouldn't want to be too critical here as people at a bar usually go for the tried and tested drinks based on the taste they've acquired and anything off the hook may not be much to the liking.

On the starter section we were given 3 options for veg and the one which morphed all the competition and stole the show were the Breaded Humitas (Veg Empanada) which was simply ravishing. They were small patties with a pasty mix of cheese and corn which went jocularly well with a herbed sauce with fritters of basil. All of us were bowled over by this one that made us repeat this several times over. Quite contrary to the encomiums showered on the former, the other starter - Chilli Tamali ended up being a damp squib. Just didn't gel well with any of us. It was even difficult to eat and added to that was loaded with spice in abundance. The only saving grace was the dollop of beetroot sauce helping mildly on the presentation angle. We also got a crack at the peri peri potato wedges which came along with a thick creamy dip which seemed pretty decent to have along with your drinks.

The main course side was more of hit(s) than missed. The item which stood apart from the rest were the Pesto Spaghetti which was quite delightful with a strong creamy pesto base, a tinge of oregano and puddles of parmesan cheese grated over giving a lovely flavorful taste. The Lasagne looked a bombshell from the outside and on the inside it showed the calibre it was made of with a bunch of veggies underneath the layer of sheets. It surely was an absorbing Lasagne and lived up on both presentation and taste. We also got to have a risotto dish which somehow did not stick well with me and a Pasta Arabiata with Penne which was passable but nothing really to rave about.

And of course we had to end it all with a scoop of desserts. I can't exactly relate to how they all tasted but the soft lime cake which came along with a scoop of ice-cream and crumbled pieces of chocolate was delectable. We also got to savor a chocolate based one and pancakes which were all pretty good and nothing really to pinpoint at.

The service was amiable and the items were brought to the table right in the nick of time. The chef was also very sweet to personally explain about their special dishes and they were very willing to take feedback which points towards the right direction. Parking isn't a hassle as it is located inside the Legends Hotel with valet parking conveniently available for four wheelers and sufficient space for parking two-wheelers. The pricing at a cursory glance looks a touch on the higher side which will be a pinch. Introduction of combo's can help somewhat. Also I felt, they should be having a little more options on the starter veg side which seems a bit limited.

Overall Sudaka has embarked on a positive start. There is a lot to like about the place and it already has the makings of a uber cool up-market resto pub perfect to spend some quality easy time. They are still new in the market and once they ameliorate the nitty-gritty areas, looks well on course to drive towards a smooth journey forward.

Zuka - Enticing Chocolaty Delicacies!

After enticing the folks at Pondicherry with it's chocolaty delicacies, Zuka makes it's entry in Chennai with a bang. The place is located as part of the massive RK Salai stretch and within it's limited space, the surroundings are done up really well and it has a lovely quirky feel to it. The chocolate signature statue of Rajinikanth welcomes you at the entrance and this is surely gonna be a prized possession for the shutterbugs as well as the posers to stand alongside the Superstar embossed in chocolate. The other attractive feature are the butterfly miniatures spread across copiously over the roof giving a vibrant touch to it.

Zuka has a nice feel good factor to it and with chocolate's being it's forte, it surely will be attracting the younger crowd big time. They have concoctions of variegated chocolate creations making you smirk with excitement. They are still new to the market and I beleive over the course of time, more and more innovations centered around chocolate will find it's way over here. We especially loved the pakoras coming in variants of white chocolate, milk chocolate and dark chocolate. It's crispy and delightful as you shove a bite into your mouth. Another of their sinful specialities is the 'Chocolate Serendipity' which is a round bomb of chocolate cake with molten chocolate sauce poured in varying degrees to suit your preference. They also have a plethora of pastries with a predominant chocolate touch coming with all sorts of exotic names. Being a cafe they also have your usual sandwiches and pasta based stuff with chocolate layered once also about to make it's appearance very soon.

One thing however which didn't go really well was the pricing. Found it to be a tad too high priced for a smallish chocolate based cafe. Paying 230 bucks for a sandwich really felt the pinch more so considering the exigous quantity served. Service was fairly quick.

On the whole Zuka is indeed a welcome addition to Chennai's ever growing food scene. They already have a few aces up their sleeve and it will be interesting to see how they embark on their chocolate journey forward in the time to come.

Green Cafe - For the uninitiated Organic Lover!

Green Cafe is a place for organic vegetarian food and it manages to cross over the line quite amicably. It is located in T Nagar in a little lane on the backside of Natesan Park. The place is small and there isn't much to harp on the ambiance factor. It is neat and clean and seems to be doing adequate justice within it's limited boundary. They have this concept of no plastic whatsoever and seem to stick to the rules tightly. Even the seating is made up of recycled material.

We were invited for an on the house meal to savour their signature offerings. We started our sojourn with a traditional twist in the form of a Panagam. Then came the Vazhai Thundu soup which was light, appetizing and seemed like a good digester. Next came the Ragi Kozhukattai resembling a sweetened chocolate ball which tasted yum and the paniyarams which went really well with the onion chutney.

And completely off the hook arrived the Chilly Garlic potato and Chilli Idly both which seemed out of place. Not that it tasted badly but turned out to be an aberration in this green place. In the main course section we had chappathi with kurma of which the kurma was a bit of a let down. We also had keera dosai and pongal both which were wonderful and it went jocularly well with their lip smacking sambar. For desserts and in between the meals we also got served some sweetened delicacies all of which tasted great.

Overall the food was pleasing. The service was very quick and we kept being showered with items continously one after the other. The pricing on a glance seems reasonable. What surprised me was the number of options in store. I didn't imagine there will be so many choices in the organic genre with the boosted fact of the food also tasting pretty good. For the tried and tested tongue this might not appease much, but for a change this surely ain't a bad choice. Green cafe at least based on my dining experience surely passed the test with flying colors.