Fully Local - Bollywood ish style!

Fully Local retains a local flavour with it's desiness in the form of it's interiors, wall art depicting quirky signboards and portraits, music belting out Bollywood hits and the color pallette engulfed with a kitchiness resembling a rustic Chandni Chowk kinda vibrant setup.

Fully Local is all to do with North Indian cuisine in a pretty authentic fashion. They have a simple big menu placard with all the items listed and their combo desi meals is a good bet in case you are looking for a full fledged tandoori meal. All their items are sans oil and made with ghee, cream and butter.

We were here on an invite and got to try a variety of their best offerings. First up were the Gol Gappa shots which is quite one of a kind here. They have tequilla like tubes filled to the brim with salted green water as well as the maroon sweet water with crisp puri's placed on them. You are supposed to u-turn the tube, pour it into those hard layered ballooned pieces containing a potato mix and have them. It is quite enthralling and one of a kind consuming the pani puri here. The Masala Papad is another nice appetiser with just the right mix of spices over fried papad. The Dahi papdi chaat was one of my real favourites. Everything about this one was right from the crispness to the flavouring and the ingredients.

Further on in the starters, the aloo tikki's were lip drooling with a smattering of hung curd and sprayed along with coriander/bhujjia for that little extra and presented in a quincunx arrangement. Panneer is one things which lords the show here. They make their own and with cream and butter. The authentic panneer which they served were mouth watering and so were the large chunks of amritsari panneer with a dressing of malai.

The main course was really rich with fully local panneer subji, miloni subji and Kali Dal along with a basket of breads. The panneer pieces were succulent and the gravy just of the right creaminess. The miloni subji had abundance of veggies made in a spinach puree. The black Dal seems to be one of the best with the simmering lentil aroma sweeping your senses. The rotis/naan/parathas were all were really well made and enjoyable to have with the side dishes. Their jeera rice is another good option to have with the curries.

For the ending, we got sweets in the form of jalebi and phirni. The jalebi was crispy but would have been better being a little hotter. The Phirni was decent but not the stuff to rave about. I also had a shot at masala chaas which was immensely refreshing and best way to finish proceedings. They even have a few lovely mocktail options to consume along with your meal.

The prices seem a little on the higher side when ordering individually but with the combo deals in place seems fairly marginal. The service was pretty rapid with the food coming to the table in a jiffy. The decor is simple and low scale. It works well within it's limitations. At the end, you cannot but overlook the cuteness of the sweetener being brought in a vintage cycle miniature and the cheque coming in a rickety iron box.

Conclusion: You get the feel of having an authentic North Indian meal dining at Fully Local. Highly recommended for a rich, wholesome and flavourful Punjabi cuisine.

Pedreno and Giant sized Pizza's!

'The Padrino' is a nice little addition to the roster of ventures serving Italian cuisine in the city. Padrino when translated refers to 'Godfather' and that happens to be the theme of the restaurant and you will find some interesting portraits and famous dialogues from the movie etched on the walls.

It has a lovely laidback feel to it and the woodwork making up the interiors adds to the charm. It is minimilastic in design with a professional color palette and avoids being too quirky. The decor comprises of both sofa seating as well as simple chairs with even some elevated stools giving itself a more 'cafe' kind of outlook.

The menu is predominantly Italian with a skosh of American and Mexican too thrown in the woods. We began our lunch sojourn with the Bruschetta Napoli and the Crostini Garlic Bread with cheese. They didn't really appease with the breads being hard and not at all fresh. They also happened to be burnt a wee bit adding to the misery. The other starter "eggplant parmesan style" however salvaged some pride turning out to be pretty delicious.

For mains, we zeroed in on the "30 inch pizza of which we chose the 'Ultimate crispy cajun veggielicious'. The pizza was gigantic in size and appeared way larger than what we envisaged. This was a behemoth creation and truly one of a kind. It had a bunch of toppings ranging from zucchini, brocolli, cauliflower, etc. Tastewise, seemed passable but that 'X' factor was missing making it a little underwhelming.

For desserts, we shared an assortment of Gelatto's and this part was the real highlight of our meal. The ice creams were simply put spectacular and we thoroughly enjoyed slurping every single spoonful of these sinful delicacies. The Gelato's are made in house through a specially imported machine and we also got to sample freshly made Hazelnut ice cream which was absolutely brilliant.

No complaints on the service and they were fairly quick with the food. The pricing seems on par with any other restaurant of this range. Parking is conveniently available and even if one runs out of space, being placed near a secluded lane, stationing a vehicle won't be a hassle.

Overall, it was a mixed bag experience. It's still early days for 'The Padrino' and they are already more or less thereabouts and hope the going only gets better with time passing by.

Pantry D'or Bistro - A calming influence!

Pantry D'Or is one upscale cafe whose desserts can rightfully be categorized as superlative. They have a superfluity of variety on offer and are high on decadence and as luscious as you get. They have pastries in all colors, shapes and sizes and clearly walk the talk and call the shots in being one of the finest there is especially on the dessert front.

We were on a dinner invite to this place on a weekday evening. This cafe too as per the recent norm is constructed out of a quaint old home and is placed in a quiet little suburb off Cenotaph Road in the Sriram Nagar colony, Alwarpet. The interiors are minimalistic and the color palette is under played giving itself an old world feel. Nothing seems over the top on any count and feels like just the right set up for a modern day cafe. The cafe as such is large in size being placed in a 2 storey canvas and is polarized pretty well into different enclaves and there is ample space to hold large set of folks.

Desserts are obviously their forte but they also possess a pretty variegated continental spread. We started our course with the immensely refreshing strawberry sorbet to get our systems underway. Then followed the Broccoli soup which was well delivered with the suitable level of thickness and creaminess. We had starters in the form of Nachos with the tortilla chips being infused suffusedly with cheese and veggies and going off the cuff were the pani puri's which were a bit of a surprise in a patisserie of this kind. The puri's however were ballooned with a tinge of avacado which didn't really set the ball rolling.

For main course, we went with the veg pizza which was made on a base layered with cheese aplenty and there was further more cheese oozing over the base with a handful of veggies to boot. The abundant amount of cheese might feel a little over powering for some but I certainly enjoyed this slurpish triangular delight. The Aglio Olio penne pasta was fairly okay but felt a little too plain for the liking. Just felt that something was amiss on this one. The egg plant dish however was presented really well and was top notch on the taste front. The veg stroganoff had an interesting curry with plenty of cottage cheese, broccoli's and onions and was well curried and apt to eat along with the yellow rice and potato wedges for company. The shakes however turned out to be a bit of a disappointment with none of them being really impressive.

Of course the end was on a heartwarming note as we got to splurge on a handful of desserts with virtually each of them turning out to be marvelous. Apart from the cake based one's, we also got to have a crack at a waffle and pancake which were also pretty good.

Thumbs up on the service front as we were treated really well and the time taken in between each of the dishes were right on the mark. It isn't fair to comment on the pricing but must say you cannot expect such fine quality desserts at rates better than this.

Overall, it was a very engaging dinner and without a shadow of doubt Pantry D'or can be recommended as one of the finest outlets for rejoicing rich, sinful and creamy desserts. The fact that the place also happens to serve a diverse continental spread adds to the fore and is certainly a nice little cafe to head over for a laid back and relaxed meal.

Arokya - Infusing goodness!

Goodness of Aarokya Milk is a fine little parlour inside the Express Avenue mall. The place bristles with energy and more or less always filled to the brim. The forte of this place are the stuff they serve oozed with panneer and their deliciously creamy milk based drinks.

We were here to have a quick bite amidst some shopping and ordered for the following:
Panneer Samosa: These were neatly packed in a cute box with 4 small pieces of samosa. They contained a smashed panneer paste inset and went along jocularly well with the green chutney which comes along as dip.

Panneer Ginger&Garlic crunch: These were breaded rolls containing raw white pieces of panneer with a dash of ginger and garlic and again tasted delicious. This came with a mayonnaise dip which served as a good combination.

Rose Gulkhand: This was simply epic and there was a profound essence of rose in it and tasted marvellous. It was really milky and creamy and I immensely enjoyed slurping this one.

All of the above costed just a shade above 150 bucks which can be considered value for money especially considering the taste on offer. The ambiance is simple and the place being well lit brighens the surrounding. The decor consists of simple wooden stools and seems ideal for a quick bite.

This is a fab little joint for those in love with panneer and milk products. A highly recommended place for having a quick bite.

Kobe Sizzlers - Storming Up!

Sizzlers as a food item isn't really popular and seldom is this dish even served in most restaurant's. Kobe Sizzlers is one place showing it's expertise on this front by having a plethora of different varieties of sizzler's. The restaurant does serve a skosh of Italian and Continental but is predominantly known for their hot and smoky variants of sizzler's.

There are 3 outlets of Kobe Sizzlers in the city and we were here for a tasting session at the outlet located in Phoenix Market city, Velachery. The ambiance seems a little dark and gloomy and akin to a pub sort of feel. The red lanterns kept across each table adds a little bright touch to the proceedings. The interiors are simple and the place is well spaced out.

We had a crack at the following items:
Mocktails: We started our foray with the Strawberry Margerita which was a really refreshing drink. The sprinkling of salt around the top layer of the glass gave it a nice effect. The lemon mint cooler was how it should be and had a nice twang going for it. The Pacific blue made of Blue Curacao with crushed ice was another winner setting tone for things to follow.

Starters: For starters we had the chilli panneer made in a chinese manchurian style having plenty of spices and tasted decent. We followed that up with the cottage cheese balls which scored heavily on the night. The balls were big in size, juicy and layered over with an interesting mix of herbs and on the inside had a slight sweet tinge and certainly turned out to be one of the best dishes on the night. We rounded our starter course with the Tacos Ensalada. This one had cheese oozing out of it along with a bunch of peppers, olives and capsicum. It looked more like a mini pizza with toppings and the crunchiness which you expect on a Taco was missing here.

Main Course: This side of the draw was a mixed bag. The most expectant of them all - the gargantuan "Veg Exotic Sizzler" lived upto expectation and turned out being quite an extravaganza. It was loaded with plenty of veggies with the rightful amount of smoke billowing across and turned out to be a sumptuous fest. The replacement of the usual potato veggies with baby potatoes was well played. The other items which we had a shot at included the white sauce based veg penne pasta. It was a little too simple and felt more like that of a home made version. The cheese on top didn't seem to blend well and it also lacked somewhat on the creamy side. The Veg curry burger again didn't really please the taste buds. There was no extra curry as claimed and it was just the paste inside the cutlet which was reddish and resembled a curry of sorts. Again felt it to be a little too plain for the liking.

Desserts: On this side, we had a Rose Falooda which had a lot of ingredients but didn't feel thick enough. It was pretty good but a stretch away from being amazing. The cream caramel was pretty good. It wasn't too soggy and felt more mellow and soft to eat.

The service was fairly quick with the stuff coming to our table in quick time. They were also helpful in going about with our order in suggesting items to try. As were on an invite pricing goes out of the window but in a one liner can be said to be in line with similar multi cuisine restaurant's.

On adumbrating the experience, Kobe Sizzlers can certainly be classified as a good bet. Just considering the sizzler standalone, it was really impressive. A little upscaling into the other areas can help establish their presence a notch higher. Highly recommended for smoking hot sizzling sizzlers.

The All New Saturday Asian Brunch @Vasco, Hilton!

The Sunday Brunch at Vasco, Hilton is a big hit with a widespread multi-cuisine spread perfect to relish a wholesome meal over an easy, laid back extended afternoon. When Sunday is already pigeonholed to give the perfect Brunch experience, can Saturday be left behind? This is where Hilton tries to be different by not plainly following the same course of action but instead introducing a brunch concept with a twist in the sense this one is replete with items predominantly having a strong fort in the Far East and South East Asian sector.

A full fledged Asian Brunch is a rarity and this is where Vasco shows it's innovativeness by bringing something completely new to the table. It maybe a strategic ploy but analysing the background, the concept makes clear sense especially on two grounds:
a) Chennai City has a huge influx of people from especially Korea, Japan, China residing here thanks mainly to the presence of heavy duty multinational companies.
b) Also the fact that Asian food is a little similar to Indian food and it's apparent from the fact that Chinese/Thai cuisine have been lapped up in a large way by the Indian palette as opposed to any other cuisine from across the globe.

The Saturday spread is extremely lavish and the culinary spread traverses predominantly across the Asian regions bringing the best of the cuisine from Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Thailand and a host of other countries from Asia. The array of food on display was simply eye popping with a medley of stations specialising on different kinds. The salad counter had a plethora of stuff specializing on unique items such as the sweet spicy mushroom salad which is a Japanese specialty, a veg Kimchi salad which is more of a Korean dish and many more country wise signature items. They even had a bar for mangoes with different forms of cut mangoes festooned in various avatars apart from mango lassi and mango milkshake to quench the thirst.

For appetizers, we had a Cantonese style spring rolls and a rock corn tempura both which went along well with the sweet chinese style chilli sauce. There were also small portions of pizza's in the form of Margerita and a veg based one with limited ingredients. The crispy vegetable wonton soup had a dark broth with the wontons kept separately for you to dip them into your soup.

The action stations also had a dedicated spot for Sushi's and even the veggies had quite a few options on this front. There were also various forms of cheese which looked appealing and colorful. Momo's were not to be left behind as there were many variants in this area with even healthy options thrown into the fray not to forget 6 different versions of sauces to savor your round dumplings. For veg we had the Manitou which was yellowish in color and packaged beautifully with veg inset and there was even a sweetened momo in the form of a sweet bean bau.

One of the really happening counters where lots of the action was taking place was the Teppanyaki section. You would be hard pressed here if you are a vegetarian as this is one segment where the carnivore lovers will have a feast. It did have a bit of satay's cooked for veg also but majorly designed for the out and out meat lover containing a selection of poultry, seafood and meat.

The main course for veg had the Japanese sticky rice and the lemon zest chilli garlic noodles. To supplement them were a range of dishes of which my favorite was the Asparagus Wontons tossed up in a coconut cream with requisite spices. There were also other exotic stuff such as Tofu in Japanese style cooked with soya, vegetable pan cakes with a Korean chilli paste, Teriyaki glazed green beans and a bunch of other variegated curries.

The dessert draw was more generic in nature with your usual cakes, pastries, sweet rolls and Indian sweets. I guess with time we will see lot more specially imported region specific desserts. Mango held importance here too with quite a few of them made of this evergreen favorite fruit of the hot season. The mango based cheesecake especially was riveting to say the least. Over our extensive brunch sojourn we were also served drinks in the form of mocktails and cocktails and they were perfect foil in complementing the gargantuan spread on offer.

Overall, it was a wonderful experience being part of the launch of the Saturday Asian Brunch buffet. The service was extremely hospitable and they made all of us feel so comfortable. They were also really engaging and explained to us all about the concept and food. One really felt at ease and it was certainly a pleasure dining at Vasco.

You expect the ambiance in a hotel like Hilton to be high class and it was totally top notch. The wooden interiors, the lighting on display, the setup of the whole place all deserve the accolades. The decor too felt really comfortable and relaxed to have a prominent big ticket meal.

The pricing maybe a little steep at 1945 plus taxes for non alcoholic and 2345 plus taxes for the alcoholic brunch but quality does come with a price and Vasco will ensure you get your money's worth fulfilled thanks to it's enormous culinary spread on offer.

Overall, it must be said it's a great incentive by Hilton to have an exclusive Pan Asian Brunch and those having a love for food from the Asian regions can look forward to having a ball of a time in consuming all they love and more to their heart's content over a relaxed Saturday afternoon.

P.S : Review of special Korean Food Festival

Exactly 2 months after the launch of the Saturday Pan Asian Brunch which began operations on Jun 11th 2016, comes the showpiece Korean food festival which is running from the 11th to the 26th of August 2016. It's creditable the way Hilton is going the distance to popularize South East Asian food and this is another step in the right direction.

For the purpose of this Korean extravaganza, they've roped in Chef Jun Yeol Kim who works for Hilton in their Seoul branch. He is the man in charge of this largesse Korean fest and makes no stone un-turned to ensure that the best of Korea is landed onto our tables.

The ambiance is very pleasing and pleasant. The lighting and the woodwork gives it a very professional touch. The placement of stuff across the board depicting a lot of Korean culture and influence is also rather pleasing.

The food is based on the buffet concept. Unlike the Pan Asian Branch which had kind of an even mix of spread from various South East Asian countries, this one looks to specially popularize Korean food. Most of the items had a dash of Korean influence in them.

We began our sojourn with a minty mocktail called 'Milkis'. This was a delight and an apt thirst quencher comprising of a melange of lemon and mint in a vanilla ice cream base. It was lovely to say the least. Then we had a twist in the form of the spiced iced soya tea. With an essence of ginger, pepper in a soy milk avatar it was quite something. My first gulp and I didn't seem to like it. But as I started taking subsequent sips at it, started really enjoying this unique drink.

For starters, we got a few grilled assorted stuff, a soy based pureed veg, buttoned mushrooms and pumpkin green salad. The thing about these were they were little different than usual and I guess you need to be acquired to this kind of authentic cuisine to really enjoy it. For veg, options were little limited but the non vegetarians had a royal feast.

There was also a very different kind of light soup with layers of Tofu which I enjoyed a lot. We also had bites at versions of Tofu as well as momo's. Just to add a difference, also requested for a white sauce based pasta with veggies which was done up really well.

The dessert draw again had items specially brought in from Korea such as the sesame pancakes and yagkwa which are korean version of biscuits. I had a mixed feel with regard to these as it's difficult to tell on the taste having never tasted such stuff before. We also had the usual round of cakes and pastries which were yum.

The service was fantastic and they were always there at our beck and call. They were extremely amiable and more than willing to help us with whatever we needed. It is always a pleasure to be dining at Hilton and this was just another occasion where they proved it.

As we were on an invite, I wouldn't really comment on the same. But I must add the rates are same as the regular buffets and there is no extra surge because of the festival.

This is a great option for those looking for an authentic diverse Korean spread. The meat lovers especially can have a fest and those willing to savor something different from their usual palette, this is your big chance. Also noteworthy credit should go the team of Vasco, Hilton for always innovating and coming up with new avenues time and again.

Punjab Grill - Tantalising Tandoori!

Punjab Grill is a name to reckon with in the North Indian cuisine sector having it's footprint in most major cities of India. With the growing diaspora of up North eateries in Chennai, it was just a matter of time before the chain put it's foot forward into the city. The outlet here is located in the Phoenix Market City, Velachery having a separate spacious dining outlet all for itself.

Phoenix Mall has it's share of fine dining restaurant options and Punjab Grill surely is one of the crowning jewels if you're looking to indulge in a sumptuous North Indian fest. The place reeks of splendour and you can be assured of a rich, royal and regal experience. There is a certain grand feel about the place with the interiors glistening with bright lighting and the color palette done up pretty much with beaming orange and biege shades gives it a charming touch.

Punjabi cuisine is known to for it's creamy and sinful delicacies and Punjab Grill ensures the same in thumping style. We started our foray with the Kesar Pista Lassi and the 'Matta' which is a spiced up butter milk. Both were presented in a beautiful fashion being lined up in a holder with small glasses holding the traditional beverages. It was a perfect confluence with the kesar pista lassi having a sweet tinge to it and the Matta with herbs floating around and requisite masala giving it a salty twang. Going away from the traditional front, we had a twist in the form of a Paan Mocktail which was ravishing with heavy flavoring of Paan in an iced avatar. On the soupy side, we were served a Kumbh Pudina Shorba with a lovely essence of cardamom and Pudina with mushrooms as main ingredient.

The starters reigned supreme with the Veg Kurkure especially being the show stealer. Presented in an immaculate manner in a glass with a sweet chilli sauce at the bottom with the roll already dipped in, this one was a delight with cheese oozing out of the breaded portion and to boot variety of capsicums as condiments. The thorny crispy layer on the outside and the juicy cheesy texture on the inside proved a great combination complementing the taste buds. The Paneer Tikka Multani was another tandoor awaited with bated breath. They were buttery smooth in texture and were inviting to slice and dice the succulent piece of yellow chunk, dip them with sufficient green chutney and put them gently into your mouth. For vegetarians eating Punjabi food, getting the panneer right holds high importance and this one passed the test with flying colors. Another of the starters was the Dahi Kabab which was in the mode of a cutlet and had a creamy pasty mix inside it. It was pretty decent to taste but felt short of the former two starters.

On the main course, we had Indian breads in the form of Garlic Naan and Lacha Paratha which were well prepared. And to supplement them were the Panneer Lababdaar curry and the Punjabi Dal. The Panneer Lababdaar was extremely creamy and rich in taste although felt it could have been a wee bit on the spicier side. The Black Dal was breathtaking with the lentils simmering amidst an esculent aroma.

And to round it off was the assorted dessert platter consisting of Phirni, Chocolate Gulab Jamun and Litchi ki Tehri. The Phirni somehow didn't cut ice and felt a little off for my liking. The gulab jamun was pretty nice with chocolate squirting out of the big rotund dripping piece of Jamun. The Litchi ki Tehri was a Rabdi with juicy pieces of Litchi inset and was quite impressive. And in signature style, we finished a very satisfactory dinner with the Paan shot.

The service was warm and hospitable. They were ever ready to serve us to the best of their capacity and it felt really pleasing to dine here. As we were on an invite, it's hard to comment on the price point. But as a one liner would say it's par for the course for the culinary spread served.

On the whole, Punjab Grill really lived upto expectations and can definitely be recommended for an authentic true blue epicurean experience for the discerning Tandoori/Punjabi/North Indian cuisine loving cognoscente.