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.