Noodle Theory - Simple and Effective!

The Noodle theory is a simple but effective model. It works on the ad-lib concept of making your own wok. They have plenty of options and a few of their sauces are killer. They also have couple of starters, bao buns, drinks and brownies to complement the stringy noodle intake.

It's virtually a 5 step process where you first get to choose the base product ie the rice or noodles. You have bountiful options here with some rare choices also such as vermicelli rice, udon, soba etc. Once you're clear with the base product, next up is choosing the protein where you have tofu, panneer and just veggies. Once you're sorted on that front, you need to pick your veggies. You can choose as much as 5 types ranging across basic as well as exotic kinds. After that it's about picking the sauce which you want to cook your noodles/rice with. This is the one that can confuse you as you have plethora of choices from mild ones to the really wild spicy one's. Interesting concoctions such as japanese red wine, mallaka etc are available. And then the finale is closing out with the garnish. You can choose any 2 products from a stack of 7.

We were a group and tried a number of rice and noodle options. I found most of the sauces to be really good and the noodles were well constructed with abundance of flavours. There were certain surprises such as the vermicelli rice noodles cooked with a teriyaki sauce which was terrific. The jasmine rice aroma took our breath away. And almost all the noodle fare pressed the right buttons.

On the starters, we tried all of them which were available and the winners happened to be tofu in pepper overdose and the crispy chilli potato. The former especially packed a punch and the raw spiciness with the chunky tofu garnished with Chinese spices satisfied my desideratum.

We also tried a couple of their Bao buns namely the veggie and chilli panneer version and both were quite nice. The brownies were quite average but this was more of a filler to our meal and it isn't fair to expect too much out of them. They also have a bunch of drinks named after interesting personalities. The lemon based ones with a tinge of ginger were especially refreshing and ideal for the tongue.

Overall, it was a resounding thumbs up. They've done their best within the limited arrangements. It seems to be buzzing with people thronging the outlets at regular intervals. It isn't a traditional fine dining kind of outlet but the quantity and taste makes you think otherwise as what they served ticked the boxes on almost every front.

If you like your noodles and sauces and want to consume a slurpy based meal filled with an aroma flavours and interesting ingredients, the Noodle Theory is sure to entice you.

Ice Kraft - A tryst with Ice & Cream!

Ice cream parlours are on the prowl. You literally find one opening every other day and there is an inherent similarity in most of them. However that's not the case with Ice Kraft. I didn't come with any great expectations but left with a sounding impression that this place is here to stay and going to capture the market.

The place is located in the main road of GN Chetty road in T Nagar. It's quite nicely done up with a small lawn space seating overseeing the inside portion where the ice cream action takes place. They also have a portion upstairs where it's a little more private and peaceful. There is an envelope of blue overseeing the place. A dash of white added along gives it a lovely little professional touch up. There isn't too much on the ambiance front except for portraits picturing ice creams with quotations.

We were here on an invite and tried a variety of their offerings. First up, had a shot at the Hurricane fries. It was powdery and that sprinkle was felt in the mouth. It wasn't spicy by any means but the spread could have been subdued a bit. The cheesy potato wedges were absolutely wonderful though. Just the right dosage of cheese laced on top and this was a delight to eat with the dip. The sweet potato was another stunner. It had everything going for it and tasted delectable and was a great combination with the peri peri sauce. The corn also was nice to taste with this spicy red peri sauce. We also had a couple of salads which were well done up with both the thousand island as well as the herbed garlic lebnah being pleasing in taste. It had the perfect mix of creaminess and tonnes of exotic veggies in the mix.

Now, coming to the main part of the programme, the sweet stakes. This was an area where they literally aced it. Almost all of their creations were really well played and it was rejoiceful trying their sweetened delicacies one after another. The freakshakes lorded the show with both the Nutella crunch as well as the Tiramisu being spectacular. If you like your shakes to be messy and overloaded, you should definitely try this one out. It was overflowing like a waterfall with the sweet avalanche gushing. I particularly took liking to the nutella which gave that socklodager chocolaty punch. We also were served a twist in the form of sweetened fries in the mode of red velvet oreo and red velvet brownie fries. The former was absolute kick ass. Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, this one was certainly enjoyable taking a dab at. The latter didn't pass the muster as opposed to the former as the brownie taste didn't come across appealingly.

Finally I had my much awaited tryst with the black charcoal ice cream. This was a first for me and I was looking forward to have a dribble. It was quite nice though I really can't say about the taste because it was something totally new. But nevertheless, I kind of enjoyed the charcoal scrape with the tinge of coconut which was quite pleasing. We had a number of shots at different flavours served on the black charcoal waffle cone and each one of them was lip smacking. We also had ice cream coming along in taco shells which was done up really well. We tried the charcoal flavour as well as the berry which I took real fondness to.

On the whole, it was a roller coaster of an ice creamy experience. The quality of the highest order and they also seemed to have got most of their innovations bang on without trying to go too over the top. They are planning to bring many more sweetened inventions to their inventory and for the dessert craving aficionado, this is an outlet which can give your ice cool creamy instincts a definite high five.

The Wharf 2.0 - A serene experience!

The Wharf provides the perfect atmosphere to chill on a lazy weekend with good food and an ambiance that screams serenity. It is perched completely away from the city limits and is located by the seaside of the temple bay resort. It is a wonderful getaway spot if you're looking for a long drive along with the mood for relaxation and combined with easy paced foodie delicacies.

There is both outside and inside seating arrangements. It is done up like a shack with thatched roofs with an open grilled cooking area and a bar counter. The place depicts insouciance and a laid back feeling in full vigour. It is like a fine opportunity to soak in the sun and slice up a lovely little meal away from the hustle and bustle of the city environment.

The place by itself has modified itself and received a face-lift. From being a purely sea food restaurant, they've revamped their set up in a major way. The version 2.0 is bright with a melange of colours making up the picture. Also on the food side, they've added in a skosh of items to satisfy everyone's palette. Sea food is still prima facie their torch bearer but also added along are grilled and barbecue food and also plenty of vegetarian options and an array of desserts.

They are based on the concept of the 5 elements of nature viz Earth, water, fire, air and space. Each have specific items categorised under them based on a logic. For example, fire denotes most of the stuff being grilled and fiery whereas the earthen side brings to the fore the vegetarian fest whereas the space is to depict the mass available after consumption of food, so in this case it covers the dessert draw.

We were here for a bloggers meet and were provided a set menu for the day comprising of a number of starters, main course and desserts along with a sample few welcome bites. We began with a bite of a herbed roasted mushroom starter along with a beetroot refresher. These were just to cleanse ourselves for the bigger picture awaiting us.

In the starter section, the crumb fried olives were top notch. This is an earthy creation with this appetiser comprising olives and coming along with a blue cheese & paprika dip. Spreading the blue cheese on those brownish crispy balls sure added some extra romance to the gnarling tongue. I thoroughly enjoyed slurping this one up. On the fiery side, the panneer tikka mustered up quite a fury. They were charcoal grilled, slathered with the right dosage of spices and super soft in texture. It was wonderful consuming them with the peanut and green chutney.

 The main course spread had a delightful mushroom based dish called Dastaan-e-Kumbh. Another of the vegetarian fare included the Bhutte Aur Gajar ka Sheekh. Both of these were fire creations and you could feel the dynamism striking the senses. The kumbh felt surprisingly smooth and the touch up of malai added wonders. The sheekh kabab laden with corn and veggies were one of the best I've had. The above two were more of the starter category though categorised under mains. However we did have a shot at Garlic Naan with a couple of sides viz Dal Makhni and Balti Panneer. The Naan was soluble and having strong aroma of garlic. The Dal Makhni was a little off the mark as I found it to be a bit too liquidy and the creaminess was sorely lacking. The Balti Panneer however was delectable and balancing the indian bread really well.

And the finale were the desserts. We opened our account with the Gulab Jamun cheese cake with candy floss. Gulab Jamun seems to be the new fad in the world of desserts. Experiments with this insanely mouth watering indian sweet is being tried out in various avatars. Not only does it walk the walk as a standalone sweet piece but is also rising a storm by providing a perfect blend of synergy by being used in various forms. This dessert was lacquered with a touch of liquor to mildly complement the sweet essence by giving a slightly bitter tinge. Not too sugary sweet but enables you to relish the smack and thwack it provides your sweet tooth. The other one we tried was the deconstructed cappuccino chocolate marquisse. Again, this wasn't too sweet and had a nice taste to it. To end it all, there was a big surprise waiting called by the name of 'Hard Surprise'. I would personally term it as the 'Brown Blown Bombshell'. This was a broken chocolate bomb nitrogenised and containing inside exotic delicacies like red velvet cake, mascarpone, white chocolate terrine and filled with cinnamon butter crumble, indian sweets and seasonal fruits with berries. It was quite a sight to see the raw material getting converted via the process of manufacture into this delightful finished product which was rich and sweet in abundance.

On the whole, it was a wonderful experience. The service was exemplary and the staff were at our beck and call waiting to serve us to the best of their ability. The twirling waves of the sea with the zephyr blowing across gently is a fantastic add-on and you seldom get to match this escapade anywhere else. Prices aren't mentioned as it was over an invite. I would strong recommend that you go visit The Wharf'. Not only do you get to chill by the sea but it comes with tremendous pluses in the mode of good food, laid back ambiance, generous service and an overall serenely cherished atmosphere which is sure to make your day/night a wonderful experience to remember.

Thaligai - Traditional Brahmin Heirloom Cuisine

Thaligai thrives on heirloom cuisine, the kind of food that has passed on from traditions down the ages. There is a lot of nostalgia involved with the kind of recipes and spread which is sure to inkle a memory especially for the age old brahmin households. The food here is predominantly from down south and more so of the kind which is dished up in yesteryear Iyengar homes.

The food is sans garlic and onion and looks to go the healthy route. Thaligai as such refers to a wholesome meal fit for a feast. They have a stack of tiffin based items which you usually wouldn't eat much except on those rare festival days. Their motto is to preserve the vintage cuisine made famous by grandmothers of bygone generation in a renewed slightly tweaked format to cater to the younger crowd.

I'm not sure how exactly it'll be lapped up but the effort to bring in authentic brahmin cuisine deserves the plaudits. My feeling is that they will be more popular during seasons such as the music festival in Dec and also for the US based return folks who would be longing to consume this kind of food.

We were here on an invite to savour some of their specialities. Apart from the dining space at the ground, they have a private dining area which is well done up and seems peaceful. We had a plethora of items ranging mostly from short eat snacks to evergreen favourites and a few rice items and ended up with sweet and degree coffee.

I wouldn't go into specifics of each of the items but some of the stuff i really liked was the Morkazhi, diamond dosa, neer Kozhukattai, bhajji and bonda. The Morkazhi had a delectable taste to it as it was smudged with a flavour which was really hitting the senses. Their Mor Kulambu was also absolutely lovely. The sandwich idli was pretty different with a dash of tomato chutney spread in between the layers for it to resemble a sandwich. This was a very interesting innovation. The Neer Kozhukattai was in fact a soup, i couldn't figure this out at all. It had a lilting aroma with pieces of kozhukatta floating inside and gave a slight avial kind of taste. A real different soup which was like never before. The bonda's had a nice aloo masala tinge and the mysore one was soft and fluffy. The ladies finger bhajji was also crispy and great to munch. The diamond dosa had a slightly spicy masala inset which I quite liked. And for enders we had a jaw dropping delicious Ashok Halwa which was simply melt in the mouth and final flourish was a resoundingly strong filter coffee.

On the whole, it was a lovely experience. The food was great and homely. It was a bit mild and more catering to the healthy side which may not please everyone but once in a way it's a nice option to try out. The prices are pretty reasonable. Thaligai will have it's legion of fans. I appreciate the fact that they are taking the efforts to preserve tradition by bringing in the lost wonders of Brahmin cuisine. They are also intent on adding twists along the way for that 'x factor' and keeping their target audience lured. I wish them all the best in this endeavour and hope they find a firm footing in this ever growing food circle of Chennai.

Fromage - A cheese friendly affair!

Fromage pronounced as "Fraw-mazh" is the French equivalent of cheese. It's apparent from the name that the ever loved delicacy 'cheese' forms the significant part of the items in their menu. The restaurant is located as part of the 'Somerset' property and is a perfect addendum complementing the happening resto bar 'Radio Room' just by it's wayside.

The interiors are well played. Lovely toned blue doors adorn the settings and the white wall touch ups with meaningful portraits hung showcase the show of this place. It isn't over the top by any means and in fact gives a rosy picture with regard to the surrounding environment.

On the food, they have a menu comprising of a cuisine which has a European touch. Cheese is something which gets instills the Cheshire cat instincts within me and it was a pleasure seeing a card laid out with cheese in all it's splendour.

We were here to try a selective hand picked menu chosen for the day. We started with the soup of the day in the form of a Gouda cheddar which was quite interesting. The cheese was quite subtle but the presence of it could be felt all along.

In the starter section, we had three kinds of veg servings. We began with the delightful spinach, corn and cheddar tarts. These were sinfully cheesy and mouth wateringly mushy. The tarts were so damn soft that it was a feast biting into them with the cheesy liquid melting jocularly inside the mouth. This appetiser was gob smacking awesome. Next, we moved on to the Onion Jam Goat Cheese Rolls. This is as exotic as it gets. The combination worked wonders with the tangoing of goat cheese and caramelised onions in these golden fried rolls coming along with a lip smacking sweet tinged jam. This was another top notch appetiser. And lastly, we had the Tomato confit bruschetta with parmesan. This was a little lesser in awesomeness compared to it's predecessors but nevertheless quite good on it's own fettle. There were tomatoes galore and the shearing of parmesan cheese over crusty slices of bread was quite nice to consume.

The main course was all about Pasta's and it's brethren. The speciality of this place is the cheese wheel where pasta is made in spectacular fashion by scraping and cooking it inside those big sized oval shaped parmesan cheese wheel. The cheesiness was tingling along meltingly over the layered pieces of penne/fusili and it was quite a delight consuming them. You could feel the cheese in all it's fullest fury. Apart from the pasta, we also tried the veg Lasagne which was pretty good made in a tomato base with oodles of cheese spread along. Also was tried the Mac'n'cheese pasta. Though i found this slurpy, the salt content felt a little off.

On the whole, it was a really pleasing and satisfactory meal. You don't get to consume such high quality stuff of imported variety of cheese in many places within the city. And the quality and taste of majority of the items were resoundingly good. The service was amiable and ever ready to help us out. The rates aren't mentioned as the meet was over an invite. Even otherwise for the kind of offerings, the pricing is definitely on the competitive bracket. A shout out to Eazy Diner for hosting us and ensuring that we have an enjoyable meal. You would also like to check their application which will enable you make reservations at various top restaurant's within the country at ease via a click of a button. All in all, it was a meet full of fun and frolic with the satisfaction of a quality meal aced by Fromage.

Immortal Re-recording from Mouna Ragam!

This is an immortal piece of music from an evergreen movie where the heart melts and the soul lingers with emotion every time I listen to it. The climax re-recording pierces like a spiral down your throat and the underlying theme of the music remains a perennial favourite from times gone by. This was immensely tough to play with so many shifts back and forth enabling me to go the full mickey jumping in from one octave to another continuously. I could never do justice to these mind boggling BGM's but just attempting to play them gives sheer joy. Mouna Ragam climax + underlying theme music. 
P.S : Headphones recommended

 

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This is an immortal piece of music from an evergreen movie where the heart melts and the soul lingers with emotion every time I listen to it. The climax re-recording pierces like a spiral down your throat and the underlying theme of the music remains a perennial favourite from times gone by. This was immensely tough to play with so many shifts back and forth enabling me to go the full mickey jumping in from one octave to another continuously. I could never do justice to these mind boggling BGM's but just attempting to play them gives sheer joy. Mouna Ragam climax + underlying theme music. P.S : Headphones recommended #music #mounaragam #maestro #bgm #rerecording #theme #leitmotif #evergreen #immortal #joy #mindboggling #legendary #1986

A post shared by Rajiv Shankar (@rajiv_revel) on Oct 19, 2017 at 7:54pm PDT

Focaccia - An Italian masterpiece!

The signifying feature of all Hyatt restaurant's are that they are in an open space environment with the live kitchen being viewable from the outset. They may all be located in the large mass space but it never intrudes the privacy in any way. Focaccia is defined by lovely wood work and upholstery. The dim lights just about ignites the rightful feel for a quite feel good meal and the pleasant music playing at the background definitely adds to the charm of proceedings. Their large kitchen is stuffed with all need to do Italian ingredients and is well co-ordinated and has a buzz about it. You can even feel the aroma of the ingredients resonating creating an expectation of what to expect.

We were here for a special event titled "The Return of the Drama Chef". The menu was specially curated handpicking a few selective stuff. Story goes that the Italian chef recently happened to go to his hometown of Milan from which he was able to import varieties of chestnuts, truffles, Italian cheese et al which aren't usually easily available in India and hence these items comprising such stuff were specifically part of this concept festival menu.

Coming to the food, it was well and truly one of the finest Italian food rendezvous which I've ever had. The items served were nothing short of spectacular in virtually all angles from the presentation to the flavours to the taste and in a nut shell it was cut out class defined in every way.

The appetizer section had a couple of vegetarian offerings. One of those were the patata al uovo - a pastiche of potato and egg. Potato and egg when combined form a jaw dropping combination and when floated on a bowl filled with pecorino cheese fondue with truffles slathered along eleemosynary, it was divine and totally of the melt in mouth kinds. The other one was the giardino florito - somewhat equivalent to a salad. I don't recollect any kind of food being so appealing just to look at. This was constructed like an exotic garden planted with goodies in abundance. A whole bunch of exquisite veggies with truffles forming the signature fare imported specifically from Milan to get the crunchy effect and smeared with pecorino cheese fondue for that lilt. A work of art literally and foodgasm in it's truest sense.

 Surprisingly it was after the starters that we had our tryst with the soup. It was a pumpkin based soup and easily one of the finest I've ever had. Never felt the flavours of a soup to be so inherent and vehement. The aroma slithering in the pumpkin tasted heavenly with chestnuts floated in gregariously and garnished with casera cheese made from semi skimmed milk and made popular in Italy. It was not just some soup, the taste buds have seldom been tantalised like this ever before.

Moving on to the main course section with the pastas and pizza's, we got to try a Leek fondue Risotto, mascarpone ravioli and a gourmet truffle pizza. Risotto is the Italian equivalent of Indian rice cooked in a broth. I've never really been too fond of the Risottos I've tried out but this leak fondue risotto garnished with fresh black truffle was just kick-ass. It was rich in texture by being consistently creamy with just the right bit of stickiness and had a lovely lingering taste to it. The mascarpone ravioli was made with asparagus soup, parmesan cheese and loaded with truffles and was a sheer masterpiece. This one was a temptational tongue twirler. My oh my, the joy of creation of food just shot up another level. A dunk at this and the tongue gets all chiselled up and has no choice but to signal it's intentions to drool. The pizza was no slouch either being resoundingly rich on flavours and the freshness of cheese was so intact. We also had a shot at a spaghetti made with olive oil and garnished with pot holes of truffles which again raised the bar.

In the dessert draw, we tried the chocolate millefuille chestnut mousse which was presented beautifully with a soft cream layer inset a double decor chocolate biscuits part. This was quite crunchy and delightful in taste. But truth be told, it was the chestnut soft cake with a hint of rum which stole our hearts. It was marmalade smooth moist, caressingly creamy and delectably delicious. This one had all the ammunition to melt waftly in the mouth.

On the whole, it was a sterling dinner made riveting right from start to end. Each dish competed with each other for top stakes and our meal only kept getting better and better with hardly any blip noticed. The chef was really engaging and made our overall experience really pleasant. As it was an invite over an 'on the house', I refrain from mentioning about the prices.

Foccacia, no doubt is one of the premier restaurant's serving Italian cuisine and just going by this particular Italian affair, they are just streets ahead of the pack. Without a shadow of a doubt, this outlet serves the most sublime Italian cuisine in the whole of the city of Chennai.

A blitzkrieg of an interlude - Raja Raja Chozhan!

I absolutely adore the first interlude which turns up after the initial pallavi passage of the song Raja Raja Chozhan Naan. It takes off pronto going at a trailblazing pace and in the blink of an eyelid slows down in resolute nonchalant fashion while shifting gears to the Charanam. It's like a beautiful connecting bridge showcasing different contrasts and all this is done keeping the core cistern intact. The track as a whole is a genuine gem. It makes you run around the paddy fields and as you keep moving around, you tend to uncover a rich tapestry of bright spots within the labyrinth. This one's worth exploring every bit as what you eventually unearth is a treasure chest of epic proportions.

A song for the ages, three decades have passed and it still sounds as fresh as a dew drop. The zig zag patterns, back & forth movements and jumping across octaves, the nous in the handling of alien notes within the scale, the resplendent singing and the composition as a wholesome result makes this one of the most memorable and evergreen compositions churned out in Tamizh Cinema.

This is just a small attempt at trying this mind boggling interlude which has always captured my imagination. I humbly know it can never be even remotely close to the original but just the joy of venturing out an experiment of the genius Maestro makes the whole process vindicated. Please listen and let me know your views. More importantly if you haven't really placed an extra ear at the interlude, give it an overarching hear and get marvelled at this bazooka of a magnum opus laced with intricacies and layered with musical brilliance!.

Mezze - A Middle Eastern Marvel!

Mezze is another new restaurant that has cropped up. But wait, it's not your usual run off the mill place. This place serves delightful cuisine from the Middle Eastern region. I have always been intrigued by exquisite delicacies from the regions of Lebanon, Turkey, Greece etc and this one is a great addition as they serve such exotic stuff not usually available.

The place as such is small and shrouded in a quiet street off R A Puram. Parking space is ample though there isn't valet facility available. It's not a full fledged fine dining kind of space hence you wouldn't really expect it. It's like a boutique restaurant with the wall arts presenting a kaleidoscope of creations. These regions are known to infuse different colours and you could find a bit of kitschiness in the surrounding. It ain't too obtrusive and is well played within the space constraints.

Staying just a road away and being hearing all the things about this place, I couldn't hold back for long and hence decided to give this outlet a visit. The menu is simple with not too many items stacked but just about right with options. I went for a hot Mezze in the form of a Harissa Sambusa and a cold Mezze was an obvious choice of hummus with pita bread.

A Sambussa is the Middle Eastern equivalent of the Indian samosa and is semi circular in shape as opposed to triangular with the similarity being both are stuffed and loaded. This Sambussa was filled with potatoes and entangled with a string of cheese. And for touch up was a Harissa dip which is an orangish chilli paste which it went along very well with. It was absolute melt in the mouth stuff and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Now, Hummus is a thing which I love very much. There is an enticing taste to it and i don't know what it's about but that subterfuge should be handled really well to get the desired taste. It's subtle yet creamy and this version of it was top notch. I have a thing for Hummus and this is one dish which i love getting down and dirty with. Dump it in the pita bread and eat or else just get whacky by pruning with a fork or even hand and shove it inside the mouth. I totally digged this one which satisfied every bit of my taste buds.

Being a single diner, I didn't go for desserts. There are quite a few items which i have zeroed on in the menu which I am craving to try on my next visits. The service was of high order and very helpful in enabling me to choose what I wanted. Also patient enough to clear all doubts. Mezze's usually are small plates but I found the quantity to be a bit too exiguous. That was my only grinch as it just got over so soon.

Overall a nice little place in this neck of the woods. In and around this locality is known for pretty good North Indian and South Indian food not to forget even a choice of lovely dessert places but nothing as distinctive and arousing as something like this which has transcended from the Ottoman empire to being popular in the kitchens of the Middle east and Mediterranean region. Welcoming this venture with open arms and surely this place can expect my visit more often.

Reminiscing memories of the historic First T20 WC final 2007

When the announcement for the inaugural T20 World cup was made by the ICC for the event to be held in South Africa in Sep 2007, most of the senior rung of players decided to give it a skip allowing the youngsters to take center stage.

India was fielded with a young team led by the ebullient MS Dhoni and not many really gave them a chance considering the lack of big guns and inexperience in handling the big stage. But India turned the corner and really started upping the ante after a loss to the Kiwis in the super eight stages. They got through the semis where they had to overcome a mighty Aussie side filled with abundant talent. After up staging the all conquering Australians, India set up a mouth watering clash with Pakistan in the final.

The grand finale had a lot of topsy-turvy moments and when India put up a score of 157 on the board, it looked just about par for the course. India grabbed the initiative during the Pakistani innings with regular breakthroughs and looked like taking the game home only to witness a late flurry of attacking batting by the lower order to get Pakistan back on track.

It came down to the last over and the skipper was faced with a quandary of whom to hand over the ball and he gave it to an uncanny choice in the form of Joginder Sharma. He mixed up his pace but was carted for a massive six by Misbah to allow Pakistan to within just a shot away of the target with 4 deliveries still left. But then the moment of reckoning arrived as off the next ball, he tried to be a bit too cheeky going for a needless reverse sweep that went too aerial than expected handing an easy catch to Sreesanth causing an eruption of celebrations in the Indian camp.

Dhoni's uncharacteristic decision paid off and India had won the first ever T20 cricket World cup. It also paved the way for many more laurels and accolades achieved under the baton of MSD. This day 10 years ago, Sep 24th 2007 was truly one of the golden days in India's rich cricketing folklore.

Deconstructed Cafe - Experimenting to the hilt!

 In a time where restaurant's blatantly copy ideas from existing well known chains/outlets and camouflage as their own, Deconstructed Cafe has completely beaten off from the trodden path and created a unique niche for themselves. It looks a simple concept from the outside with tried and tested items being presented in a different and almost topsy turvy manner by changing the form but to pull it off without compromising on the core taste requires tremendous efforts. I'm not sure where they are in their endeavour currently but just the attempt to go their own way recreating and giving a varied touch to well loved food by presenting it in a distinctive fashion deserves the plaudits.

We were here on a weekday evening and the first thing which impressed me was when i took a cursory glance at the menu. It was detailed with pin point information as to what goes into the making of the item. It was really well described and gave a fair idea of what to expect. The place as such is located in a small 2 storey complex and the surrounding atmosphere is classy without being too over the top. They had lot of exciting stuff and it was interesting to have a crack at some of their signature fare.

In the drinks section, I did have a sip at most of em but what really impressed me was the cupcake milkshake. It was beautifully presented with a big piece of the cake rotated and perched at the top. The particles of the cupcake were distilled in the drink and the taste was vehement. I have enjoyed having red velvet flavoured cup cake in stand alone form but having in a milkshake avatar was quite something else. Apart from this, the popcorn milkshake also was very well rolled up with the essence of the buttered corn perfectly captured in the milky drink. The brownie shake as well as the peanut butter were also pretty good but they were more on expected lines and nothing vastly different from the rest of the crop.

The starters had bulky samosas stuffed inside with a juicy layer of chilli cheese mix. This was a cheesy delight with it being interspersed in large quantity​ inside the triangular piece. It was a little chewy but being the quintessential cheese grown lover, I slurped this one up big time. The cocktail burger was a complete surprise. It was sans the bread bun itself and instead cute crusted fried idlies acted as the ersatz holding a patty done out of beetroot and touched up with a dollop of chilli dip and placed on top with an olive. The cajun panneer was well presented but had large contents of salt which diluted the taste somewhat. The bread items viz mushroom toast as well as the spaghetti sandwich were strictly okay. There wasn't anything really worth raving about them either in form, taste or presentation. The sushi though was a stunner. I must admit being a vegetarian having never liked any sushi offerings but this one with rice softened and flavoured gave it a lovely taste. The spring rolls however failed to appease. Served in wafer thin paper cups, they were just not firm enough to hold the stuffings and nothing to write home about on the veggie inside portion as well.

The starters were more of hit and miss but the main course punched the target on most counts. The puffed spinach and ricotta pie slightly torn up from the middle layer was slathered with a powering portion of pesto and I absolutely enjoyed it. The spiced Aloo pickle Paratha was more of the routine stuff but the taste was good especially the dry Dal Makhni gravy which went really well with the paratha. The deconstructed burger was completely off the customary form and this one was more of a big sized stuffed oval bun containing fillings inside. The potato masala as well as the ricotta mushroom were both decent in taste but nothing of the kind to bowl you over. The deconstructed pizza came in a twisted rolled outlook with the ingredients spread across which was pretty interesting. My favourite among the lot was the Deconstructed Dhokla. They made a delectable paste out of the khaman dhokla and garnished it with crispy mini bread pieces making it feel like a fondue and it was served artistically in a cycled carrier. I immensely enjoyed dipping and eating the buns soaked in dhokla sauce. This was truly a work of fusion done right.

In the desserts, we had 2 sets of ice creams viz the chocoffeine which basically comes with a mix of chocolate and coffee and the citric burst with a twang of tang and jujups with citric fruits by the side. The former was pretty average but the latter won the brownie points big time. It had a remarkably nice taste to it with the tangy essence and sticky jujups intermingling really well with the ice cream. We ended our dinner sojourn with the very berry cheese cake. This was transformed with the blue berry sauce placed at one corner, the cake in a creamy moth taking the center position and crumbed pieces of bread at the other end. It worked wonders as when combined it tasted really well and ended our dinner sojourn on a favourable note.

Overall, it was a very interesting experience. They got some things right with the work of fusion being done up in a really innovative way and also ensuring the taste doesn't get botched up. But on some areas, they played it a little too cheeky which didn't go down well and it also begged the question of what was actually intended.

The service was sharp with hardly much waiting time. The rates seem a little steep with some items touching the higher end of the spectrum. The decor is pleasing and it infuses a comfortable fine dining style. Adumbrating on the big picture, Deconstructed Cafe was overall a win for me. They are into experimental fusion where they do not have too much precedence and it's fair enough not to expect everything to come out perfect in every way to the 'T'. I strongly feel they have some interesting head turners on the menu already sorted out and with a little amelioration, they should only be improving further going forward. Deconstructed is different not just to grab eye balls but is in essence different for a reason. Kudos for venturing out on to this diverse field of fusion food and bringing out varied experimental cuisine to the shores of Chennai.

Sitcom - The cafe enticing Friends & Food

Sitcom with the caption 'The Drama Diner' is one of the latest cafe's to hit tinseville. From the name it's rather apparent that it borrows heavily on the theme of tv series and this is where they cash in with their set up. It's located on the lengthy stretch of ECR in the Neelankarai road in a complex occupying 2 storeys. The downward side is predominantly a bakery cafe consisting of plenty of stuff like puffs, pastries, quiches, mousses, eclairs, sorbets and a host of other items in the attic. And on the upstairs is where the real dine out cafe action takes place.

The ever popular Friends and Big Bang Theory are the 2 serials which make a big impression on this place. They have quirky dialogues from the sitcoms plastered on the doors apart from having posters depicting characters and footage from the show. In tune with the drama culture, they have also placed sufficient tv screens playing episodes of these shows. I believe these large screens will also cater to sporting action as and when they occur. The decor feels laid back and relaxing with those bent orange couches igniting the comfort factor. It looks like an ideal place to come as large set of folks to spend quality free time and in the process also do some binge eating.

The menu touches different borders with American cuisine being the most significant. Whatever an outlet tries to showcase through it's ambiance, there's no denying that food plays the numero uno part and everything else takes a backseat. In that line, I must say for a new place the food served appeased quite a lot especially with the starters being of the highest order.

We began our dinner sojourn with a french onion soup which was wonderfully presented in a large bowl with a circular piece of soaked bread immersed right over floating on top of the soup. The sprinkle of caramelised onions was well played and this one was really flavourful and a good way to begin proceedings.

The starters totally lorded the show. First up, I fell in love with the Mozzarella cheese sticks. The orangish cheese sticking inside that hollow tunnel covered on the exterior by a breaded texture was all gooey and drool worthy. Dipping it with some chilli mayo added to the excitement. The cheese stuffed mushroom croquettes were not far off from the show. Just childishly poke these balls with a fork and you will witness cheesy awesomeness enveloped all over juicy chunks of mushroom. The outer layer comprising the breaded texture was super solid and the interior had a molten perfect liquid material oozing out providing for a delicious confluence which can be felt when inserted in the mouth. To add a crispy touch were the onion rings which was a great snacker to consume along side the white cheesy dip.

They have an interesting combination of momo's and we tried 3 veg versions viz spinach & corn, mushroom and the sticky rice dumplings. The former two were lovely to munch with just about the right bunch of ingredients and being delicious in taste but what really stole the headlines were the sticky riced one which was quite a revelation. They almost looked like a porcupine with thorns holding up firmly on all sides of the momo's and when picking them up they were so soft, floaty and loose that you almost wanted to play with them. It had a nice curried veg taste to it with the ingredients melding and mingling well. This was truly one of a kind and very interesting and innovatively made.

In the main course section, it was the pizza that was top notch. The 7 cheese pizza was messy with variants of cheese meltingly flowing across all directions but the joy I tell you of biting this cheesy delight was another level. The Sun-dried tomato pizza may not have had the same level of attraction as it's predecessor but it was strong on the base and that's what mattered. It was really delivered well and gave that feel of eating a good thin crust pizza. On continental, we tried the Fettuccini with Basil. I kind of felt this was slightly short on expectations and pretty pale on flavour not really embarking the desired taste. We were also served a thai green curry which was remarkable. It was a little darker than the usual one's I've had but the aromatic presence of coconut cream was hovering all over and it was lovely to eat with plain rice.

They have an extensive array of desserts and we just tried a sample few. The Peach flan was soft and creamy. The Mississippi mud pie was one amazing chocolate based cake. The choco caramel mousse could have been a tad better as the caramel taste was hardly prevalent. The Tiramisu was strictly okay and I've surely had much better ones. We also had a bite at few exotic pieces of little chocolates in various flavours and they were all nice. We ended the evening with sorbets where both the raspberry and blood orange hit the bulls eye. The iced chill which you get complementing a fruity sweetened essence is quite a surreal feeling. It was like the perfect tonic and it doubly sure ensured to end the show on a high.

Looking at it from a holistic picture, it was a very satisfying and engaging dinner with majority of the items denoting a plus point. The ambiance can be spruced up a little more as there are lots of empty grey spaces where lot more can be done. It felt a little gloomy and a dash of colour could invigorate the place all the more. From the little sample that we savoured, the food can be termed a real win. They have lot more stuff such as burgers and steaks which I'm looking forward to try. On the whole, Sitcom is a lovely little cafe in this neck of the woods where you can shower in a bit of nostalgia with the place invoking you snippets from memorable tv series from the bygone era and which also serves some appetising food to rejoice to your heart's content.

Desi Klub - As desi as it gets!

There is a lovely buzz feed about Desi Klub. The place screams loud of the full on larger than life culture of Bollywood and there is a lot of colour and spice associated with it. The food is predominantly good ol Indian food mostly from the Northern side including the most loved street goodies infused with a native flavour and local touch.

The ambiance is bright and replete with colours, wall arts and sign boards depicting the glory of Bombay. It isn't a very big place but there is enough seating arrangement made available for large gatherings. The kitschy scooter placed at the entrance is a give away of what to expect with the decor and set up which is bindaas in every way.

The menu runs into a number of sub sections and it's their starter and short eats fare which is not only catchy to the eye on presentation but also great for the taste buds. First up, gulped the Bubble Gum shake which entices child hood memories. This one gets the flavour spot on and this pinky drink which is placed with a piece of gum on the top was a flashy way to begin proceedings.

The starters virtually all that we tried hit the bulls eye but however there was one clear man of the match which outshone everyone else. That was the roller coaster panneer. Presented in immaculate fashion in a rotating ferris wheel with a dip placed in between, the layered rectangular panneer rolls consisting of a non spicy pasty mix with essential ingredients was just arresting to taste. The cheese corn masala balls had a jaw dropping spread inside those soft pressy breaded balls and was lovely to consume with the tartar based dip. The Chennai se China Tak wasn't bad either. This was idli in a redefined avatar. Fried and tossed with capsicum and green chillies this was more in the line of a manchurian.

In the main course section titled Bhara belly, we had the Pasta Desi Ishtyle. These macaroni conch shells were bathed in a lip smacking delectable makhni gravy making this Italian wonder undergo a brief makeshift change to an Indian style curry delight. Dressed up with oodles of cheese and accompanied by a maska slathered bun, this one was melted to make you drool. And the finale was grand with the Chole Te Bhature. You would just love the way this one is presented in a cycle carrier with the seating space containing the bhatoore's and the holder in the form of a local large sized tea glass consisting the brown chole gravy. The Bhatoore's were soft and it was great to munch them with a generous spread of the chole which was so flavourful. This Chole Bhatoora was easily one of the better one's I've had anywhere in the city.

The service was speedy with hardly any waiting time in between the dishes. The prices turn out to be slightly expensive more so with all the taxes added around. I enjoy local Indian street food and Desi Klub is a nice little place to feast yourself to the best of delicacies that the city of Mumbai has to offer with a drum beat abashed atmosphere with feel good Hindi music playing in the background.

Cream Centre - The quintessential evergreen favourite!

This must surely rake in as perhaps the restaurant which I would have visited the maximum number of times and seldom have I had a bad experience in all those umpteen number of visits. It has a lavish widespread menu where they keep introducing new specialties from time to time and it's truly is a veg lover's paradise.

Over a period of time, they have grown by leaps and bounds and established a separate stand alone identity with the veg thronging crowd of Chennai. The North Indian community especially likes visiting this place and you find hordes of them thronging in and the place is usually packed to the rafters on the weekends.

Some of the must try's here include the;
- American Nachos (I personally prefer the one with Mexican beans which goes well when mixed with the Taco chips sauced up with yummy yellow cheese sauce and tossed up with Salsa sauce)

- Chole Battora (the Battoora's are gastronomical and the delicious Black Chole they serve is abundant enough for the giant sized Battoora)

- Sizzlers (a truckload of varieties ranging from Indian, Panneer special, Italian, Barbeque, Mexican et al - all of them are truly sizzling hot and you would want to try each one of them on your different visits to the place)

- Corn Cheese Balls (another specialty of this place with crumb fried balls oozing with cheese and corn interspersed in between giving the desired effect, you also get a sample of these balls also in some of the pasta items)

- Chats (you have variations from Dahi puri, sev puri, bombay ragda etc - you might think its quite pricy but the quantity satiates your hunger and gives a nice lingering taste)

- Sizzling chocolate brownie (served on a platter layered with hot chocolate fudge sauce and nuts with a small scoop of vanilla ice-cream - the bubbles created on this molten hot liquid makes it enticing and is a lovely way to end your meal).

Apart from all these you have a plethora of Pastas and Baked stuff (I especially like the Double Baked Macaroni which comes with Corn cheese Balls as accompaniement) , Pizzas (never really tried much of them) , Sandwiches (just love their Herbed Oven Cheese grilled sandwich - coated with a cheese layer with veg ingredients added it gives a delectable taste), Parathas, Biriyani, Main Course gravies, versions of Paneer Tikka (Juicy and succulent), Enchiladas etc.

You are really spoilt for choice at this place and there are so many items which you will just want to devour. Apart from all this, during festival occasions they add a twist by including additional special items.

I have absolutely no qualms on the taste of any of the items and on virtually every occasion they've proved to be top notch. However one major issue I've had with Cream Center is they've jacked up the prices at a steep level over the years. Nothing at all is reasonably priced on their menu and you do feel a huge crunch on the pocket while dining here.

Rates apart, there is really nothing to slouch over at this center. They are open and embracing. The fact that they have grown at such an alarming pace is testimony to their quality of food served over all these years. It has become very popular over the years and is one of the top go to destination in the veg category. In essence, a restaurant which will make your taste buds extremely tongue tied with joy in abundance :).

Nostalgic Nila Kaigirathu - 25 years of ARR!

Nila Kaigirathu' from Indira is a song which resonates childhood imprints and evokes nostalgic memories from yore. The song has traversed across 20 years but there is still an impish charm and innocence about it that makes you want to revisit it time and again.

This is a composition which is very hard to pigeonhole on a particular raga pattern as ARR generously alternates between the Gandharam's and Madhyamam's with nonchalant ease which perhaps could also be classified as the beautifying factor in this work of art. There are subtle gamakkas and variations which I wanted to explore and hence tried it on a string instrument.

A number that bears testimony to the magic of ARR of the 1990's. Celebrating 25 musical years of A R Rahman!.
P. S : Headphones recommended

♪♫♬♯♭ 25 Musical Years of A R Rahman! ♪♫♬♯♭

During my growing up phase in the 90's, there were 2 fields which attracted me immensely. One being cricket and the other music. 2 gentleman in parallel world's, Sachin Tendulkar and A R Rahman (incidentally both No. 6's 😉) were going about their work in supreme fashion which incidentally criss crossed with my childhood and that had an immense impact on me. Looking back it's hard to believe that 25 years have elapsed since ARR's advent in the musical space.

Personally I have a sugary soft corner for the early and mid 90's compositions where the melodies were simple and sound was profound making him capture a whole generation to dance to his waves. The alternations in the tones creating an unexpected fulminant billowing out from nowhere causing ripples in the minds of the listeners was his true hallmark. His entry was revolutionary and he shook the nation by storm. On our 70th year of independence, we also celebrate 25 musical years of AR Rahman who started his journey with Roja.

I just tried a small sample of some of his vintage 90's compositions which hold a special place in my heart. I am an absolute abecedarian and play purely based on hear. Just did a random unplugged of some of his songs with few own gimmicks thrown here and there. It was a little difficult to play bits and pieces of around 15 songs at a stretch but just tried whatever possible based on my limited expertise. This is at best amateur but I hope it wasn't all that bad. Presenting a small tribute to the man and his music.

Chai Galli - Eminently Desi with a twist!

'Chai Galli' plays it simple and yields the desired results. It capitalises on age old traditions, masala and flavours to bring about a glorified confluence celebrating the vintage in a modern redefined avatar. It brings to light popular street food from various regions across India with a cutting edge. The best part is you would find that local essence intact giving it a lovely old school feel. They have also innovated to varying degrees by blending Indian with Indian as also other cuisines to add a diverse portfolio.

From the moniker, it's pretty clear that tea is the most prominent factor. Tea is the most consumed beverage across India and it has a history to the way it's made, viewed and drank in different parts of the country. The beverage epitomises a local element and it's in petty shops that it's most popular with loud dance music playing at the background. They've captured this beautifully by serving them in those small glass shots retaining the flavour with the presence of loud epoch Bollywood music playing from yesteryear. Movies play a major role in the ambiance setup and you would find wall arts depicting posters of popular movies from down the years.

Food, music and movies are perhaps the 3 most loved things in the country and kudos that they've been able to make justice to it and in fact with the setup and ambiance, pay quite a homage to these ever loved delights. I admired the fact that they could put this across rather well without sounding too obtrusive and on your face. It's been carved out artistically and you wouldn't call it as being over the top with the interiors. It appears larger than life but yet within limits and not too garish. The colour combinations have been used very well and you'll surely associate with the bright spots paying tribute to the colour and retro era from around the 60's onwards.

What they have in their attic to consume is quite a lot. Apart from the traditional fare, innovation is the name of the game here. Tea occupied almost a third of the menu with variants of classic, capturing borders - from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, western touch with imported flavours, green tea, black tea, white tea and even handcrafted ones. They also have iced versions and for that tete a tete, a few coffee varieties also along with oolong tea and those classic drinks ranging from Shikanji, kokam, masala soda etc. There was too much to try but I would suggest you give a shot at one of the authentic classical ones. We had the Adrak chai with parle G biscuit and it was quite an effect drinking it held up in small glass containers. The hibiscus tea which a mild majanta colour to it was invigorating and in the iced kind, the Bulldozer which is a chilled drink drawing upon the combination of ice tea and red bull was kick ass and killer, just about ideal for the scorching heat.

They have a section "Chai ke murmur dost" which underlines the accompaniments that go along with your tea. They had further sub sections highlighting on the shandaar (popular), chatpata (crispy), samosa/vada pav alternatives, puchka shots and pakhoda and Baaki sab (everything else). We tried two of the pani puri shots viz Namkeen and a Corn based one which was enjoyable. It was served with a twist as the puri's in the former were ballooned up with a sweet/salt mixture and the latter had a gregarious coating of cheese with tartlets of corn inside. The absolute stunner from the chai's company side, well and truly happened to be the Dal pakwaan. It was absolutely delectable with flavourful lentils on top of a papad base and soaked with a sweet as well as savoury tinge and topped with salad veggies. The poha layered on a papad base somehow didn't appease me much.

The main course section is categorised as "Khana Shuru" which loosely translates as start the food. We had an aloo paratha which was well made with nice stuffings of potato inside that comes with a tomato & chilli dip. The Tadke wali maggi with zing of fried onions was quite lovely to slurp. In pizza's, the Italian flag which is the usual expectant pizza was quite nice but what took the cake was the concocted one in the form of the 'Veggies on a Khakra' which in the sense is the marrying of pizza and khakra infusing italian pizza ingredients over a quintessential Indian crisp khakra base. This Gujarati classic corks up a feast with a melange of sauces, spices and veggies generously spread along making the eating experience both crispy and crunchy. The pink sauce panther pasta was another winner as it had all the ammunition to rise to the top being creamy with just the right amount of herbs and spices to go along with exotic ingredients like broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini and garlic.

The final finale was no less. The watermelon juice was of the usual kind. I took a liking to the dry fruit falooda which was bunched with a pleasing degree of assortments and also being creamy on the bottom layer. The chikku cream had that sappota twang right on the button and you could feel the flavour hitting on every spoon. However the outright starlet in the dessert section was the "Chai Galli special falooda". It had a perfect motley of fruit, sweet and nuts with the texture and thickness being bang on. It was a delectation decorated to devour. Easily would say, one of the best falooda's I've ever had.

On the whole, Chai Galli turned out to be really pleasing and engaging. It wouldn't be much of a surprise if you fall in love with the place. I had a personal connect with the decorations and the music playing in the background which had a lot to do with the 90's which is in sync to my growing up childhood phase. The service was quick witted and they were more than willing to help us with our choices. The prices won't worry you much as they are all rated within the normal border range.

This place would surely ignite a tinge of nostalgia within you. Your love for Bollywood and happy loud good ol music will be satiated here. It's lovely the way they have captured and brought in all these quirky elements within the minimalistic surrounding environment. It definitely felt nice visiting this outlet and if you're the one looking for some shiz in a local langoti set-up, 'Chai Galli' is your direction forward.

Tawa 9 - No Frills but Good Food!

Tawa 9 is quite a no frills place. It isn't like the perfect spot for a fine dining experience but nevertheless serves some pretty good food. If you're looking for a quick evening snack, this outlet is ideal to knock your door. They also have good enough options for lunch and dinner.

The ambiance is pretty simple. It's enlarged by large spaces of orange and the seating arrangements comprise of just plastic chairs. There is one big poster depicting the best of Chennai. Don't look too much in the ambiance space. This is more of a place which serves decently good food at reasonable prices.

We ordered for a corn cheese canope which was quite well made with lots of cheese, mayo and corn stuffing topped with podi. The cocktail idli was the best of the lot. It took a reddish avatar and was really crispy. It was lovely eating this dipped with the coconut chutney. The chilli cheese dosa was again quite good. The dosa's inside was infused with a paste of cheese and chilli and though not spectacular in taste, it did serve the intended purpose. The last of the items we had was a panneer pudina paratha which again they got right with the pasty mix consisting of flaky pieces of panneer doing the trick.

Overall, it was quite a pleasant meal. It's a little known outlet serving quite an extensive fare of vegetarian food viz of the North Indian, South Indian and Chaat variety. Don't expect too much in terms of fine dining experience and all but if you're looking for a quick bite of tasty food without flinching your pockets, Tawa 9 is a handy bet.

P. S: They have revamped the place and it's now well spread out and it portrays a far brighter picture. They've also added plenty of stuff on their menu and it's no more just a short eats snack place.

The crispy fried idli as usual were sensational. They lord over the corn canopes. Tawa has been added to their forte and they have brought in plenty of items made on a Tawa. Their Tawa dosa was very good and so was the fried rice. Options on shakes and desserts have also gone up the ladder. Would now recommend it as a good vegetarian restaurant down the alley which caters to a full on spread as well as possessing a fine spread of short eats and starters.