Masaledaar - Pleasing North Indian Cuisine!

Make no mistake, Masaledaar whips up really pleasant North Indian food. This is one of their recent outlets and is located in GN Chetty Road in T Nagar. The place is small but they have done a good job with the spacing arrangement.

There is not much to talk about the ambiance and it's all about the food. The menu is a simple green colour slider with limited options and not overflowing just to have stuff for the heck of it.

We started with a tomato soup which was fairly nice. The corn starter was quite good too. But what lorded the show was the absolutely amazing Chandani panneer tikka. Being a Paneer afficionado, I wanted to check this place after hearing how jaw dropping well they make this sinful delicacy. The first thing which caught my eyesight on the menu was this and it did really live up to expectation. The panneer pieces were buttery smooth with dollops of cheese being coated across generously. It was truly melt in the mouth stuff.

For main course, we had Indian bread and peas pulao with yellow Dal fry and a curry called Goldasta panneer. The Dal was really nicely made and the panneer curry was sumptuous as well. We ended our meal with a delicious scoop of paan ice cream and we also had lovely glass of chaas which kept us company during our meal.

The service was quick witted and we got the items at a fast clip. The rates are a huge plus point. For the taste and quantity served, this is a real big win.

In conclusion, if you're looking out for some good authentic North Indian cuisine without really burning your pockets, Masaledaar should definitely strike a bell.

The Farm - Fresh & Cream

The Farm is like the ideal getaway spot away from the hush and bush of the city side to just soak in the sun and cozy along a laid back easy peasy meal. We were here unfortunately not at the right time in the sense we arrived just after their breakfast window got closed and there was a still good one hour to get sorted before the lunch touchdown were to start. However we weren't in the mood for too much food and hence settled down with a few desserts and beverages for company.

The place as such is in the interior of a divide and you would find plenty of greenery in the adjoining areas. The dining space is under a huge thatched roof and infuses comfort and lazy dining in every way. They make all their products farm fresh and in house. There is a lovely green house passage also which you can witness and the ambiance as such is minimal with not too many stuff stacked up. Miniature vehicles are found at the entrance just as an added attraction.

So we ordered for 3 of their cakes viz a banofee pie, lemon tart and a ricotta cheese cake. The banofee as well as the lemon based one was wonderful with the flavours flowing in resolutely. The added spread of fresh cream to touch up for the soft lemon cake was a total win. The cheese cake though disappointed a fair bit. It was raw with the taste not coming along and also the base crust was a little too hard for the liking. For drinks, we tried the cold chocolate and the hot chocolate both of which were well delivered. And as a breakfast option, we had a shot at the strawberries & cream which was a smacker of every sort. I absolutely loved the dulcy cream which accompanied the freshly made strawberries and this was kinda addictive that we had extra orders of the same.

It's a little hard to rate a place not having consumed their signature food offerings. As we were leaving, they were just about to start on the making the breads and I have a strong feeling the pizza's are going to be very good. Would definitely like to come back here to have a crack at them as well as other continental offerings.

The service wasn't the greatest. I wouldn't want to judge too much as the time which we entered, the place was technically closed. The rates seem quite reasonable. Most of our desserts were priced in the 200 range and seemed worth the money.

The Farm seems to be a wonderful getaway spot for a lazed out weekend afternoon with sumptuous food for company over which you can spend a good worthwhile time of a couple of hours.

Kipling - The evergreen perennial favorite from ECR

I have been residing in Chennai for over 2 decades but somehow never got a chance to go to this popular eatery close to the seaside at ECR called Kipling Cafe. A Sunday plan was made and finally I got heading there. First up, the ambiance is lovely and though it isn't the most ideal during lunch hours, they have lovely cottage kind of set ups for families to come and have a laid back meal. The presence of a fan underneath definitely helps.

Their menu is largely continental and there are also options on Thai. This is one place which also shouts of a good liquor spread and if you want to have something to gulp down along with your food, you do have options aplenty.

We started off with appetisers in the form of cheese garlic bread and ricotta cheese fritters. The former was a good way to start proceedings. Nothing exceptional but the bread was buttery soft and possessed a dollop of cheese on top. The ricotta cheese fritters were very good. They were breaded rolls comprising inset a mixture of ricotta, mashed potato, cheddar and chives with a wonderful mustard parsley sauce for company.

On to the main course, we tried the Mediterranean Pizza which was loaded with different veggies such as olives, broccoli, sun dried tomatoes, zucchini and spinach over a pesto base. The flavouring was very good and it was nice to have a bite of this pizza. We also had a penne pasta made up of pink sauce which was fairly nice and creamy possessing of the rightful ingredients. I just also had a shot at the Thai basil fried rice which was packed with abundant of flavours.

For desserts, we just had a Tiramisu. This was the usual kinds and mushy on the mouth. A good ender to the meal after all the savoury stuffs taking predominance all the way till the end.

The service was fairly quick and our food arrived at regular intervals. The re filling of water and clearing plates however could have been a little prompter.

The prices are definitely a bit on the higher side. This happens to be one of the elite outlets down this alley and it's really not a surprise.

If you want a lovely little place to chill and relax over a getaway weekend with good food and refreshing drinks for company, Kipling should certainly be within your plan radar.

Summer House Eatery - 80% continental and 20% everything else!

The Summer House Eatery is a well crafted cafetaria which has blossomed on the by lanes of Alwarpet in a really peaceful locality. The outlet is constructed out of a residential home and shares a co working space with a couple of other ventures. There is sufficient parking space available and the place oozes fanciness in terms of it's decor and on the quirk factor.

The space is well bifurcated and there is also a lawn passage outside seating arrangement. It infuses the perfect ambiance and this looks like the kind of getaway spot to head to for cozy laidback lunch offering. It induces the rightful insouciance and appeals on every angle with the way it's done up.

The food, from the monicker can be easily made out to be continental but to widen the radar, they have added along some fusion with an Indian touch as add on. So primarily can be summarised as 80% continental and the other 20% has a mix of Indian, Mexican, Thai et al.

The outlet as such is opening very soon but we were here for an invite to savour some of their benefactors. They are still on an experimental mode and as the days pass along, you can expect a lot of interesting stuff in store.

First up on the appetiser section were the Arancini balls. These were big in size, juicy on the exterior containing dumplings of risotto rice and veggies on the inside. It was presented quite well too over a spreading of a delightful chilli mayo dip. Next up were the Avocado and corn crostini bruschetta. The bread was super soft and slashed along was an interesting slurpy dip called the mexican goddess which is made up predominantly with avacado and other dressings. Sauteed corn was garnished and this one was a winner. And then arrived the Truffle fries. This was a bit of a damp squib as the flavour of truffles didn't come across at all. Felt like eating normal crispy French fries with powdered cheese coated along. The cauliflower taco with thecha and sour cream was passable. They are still working on this one and it'll be served with a salad in the upcoming days.

On the main course section, we got a bite at their delightful savoury crepe options. Both the creamy mushroom as well as the caprese crepe with tomatoes, pesto and mozzarella were done up in sterling style with the taste of the ingredients coming out very well embedded on those loose egg beaten sheets. One area which totally ruled the roost were the pasta's. Virtually each one of them were so enjoyable to consume. If you're a pasta aficionado, the Summer House is like the ideal outlet to gorge sumptuous drool worthy pasta's to your utter delight. They have some really rare creations such as spaghetti with thai chilli jam and shitake mushrooms. This one was a bit of fusion but worked really well with the essence coming out wonderfully. The cacio e pepe spaghetti was another starlet with the garnishing of pepper and parmesan doing the magic. Their aglio e olio was easily one of the best I've ever had. The roasted garlic flavour was beautifully well played. Other than the set of pasta's, we also had a coastal based vegetable in goan coconut curry with steamed rice. This was strictly decent and nothing of the kind to get excited about.

On the dessert section, we tried a number of their sweetened crepes. Going along in line with the savoury based one's, these also passed the test with flying colours. It was just about rightly presented with the spreading of the assortments underneath the layering coming out top on taste. The nutella as well as the caramel one was much sought after. We also had a shot at a few shakes viz peanut butter, salted caramel etc. These were quite normal and lacked a bit of thickness. This is just a selective stock house of desserts and many more will be coming up really soon.

On the whole, it was a lovely lazy sunday lunch with delicious victuals for company to go along with a classy environmental sunlight surrounding. The prices have not yet been finalised and hence will refrain from commenting on that front. On a holistic picture, The Summer House Eatery is a fantastic add-on to Chennai's bustling food circle. And from initial feelers and the way things are already set up, this eatery should surely be enjoying a rosy ride from it's customer base. Wishing the team of 'The Summer House Eatery' all the very best.