The Rise of Rahu!

Rahu is feared to be the most dangerous planet in a horoscope and it's Dasa is so dreaded that it instills and induces extreme fear among natives running it. It has destroyed many relationships and has literally crushed the confidence of people. But having said all this, Rahu can behave turbulently and can either make you reach the skies or literally pull you down to ground zero. When Rahu works well, the kind of success it can give is stratospheric and phenomenal. Usually Rahu is said to do well in the Upachaya (growth) houses especially 3rd, 6th and 11th.

I'm herewith listing the success stories of 3 of the greatest Indian batsman who achieved meteoric rise during their respective careers and the common Dasa which was running for them during the major period in which they achieved their cricketing laurels happened to be Rahu. All three of them happen to be world cup winners and have combined to score over 100 international centuries during their respective Rahu Dasa period.

The first name happens to be India's greatest test opener Sunil Gavaskar who was instrumental in winning test series abroad in England and West Indies and making India a force to reckon especially in the long form version of the game. He made his debut in Mar 1971 and retired in Mar 1987 and his entire career ran in tandem with Rahu Dasa (Dec 1970 to Dec 1988).

The second name is perhaps India's most loved cricketer of all time Sachin Tendulkar. Though the early part of his career was in Mars Dasa, it was during Rahu Dasa when his game trail blazed to an all together different level and he started accumulating centuries by the dozen. The pinnacle moment of his storied career was when he helped India lift the World Cup after 28 years. 1998 was the year when he shot himself to an elevated plane and which incidentally criss-crossed with the time Raha Dasa started. He debuted in Nov 1989 and retired in Nov 2013 and his Rahu Dasa ran from Apr 1997 to Apr 2015.

The third name is India's current cricketing sensation Virat Kohli, He was always known to be an up and coming talented cricketer but the levels he has reached in the last few years is nothing short of histrionic. His run scoring ability especially in the limited overs form of the game is tectonic and looks set to shatter more ODI records. He made his debut in Aug 2008 and his Rahu Dasa started running from July 2009 and will go on up to Jul 2027 when he may have already hang his boots. In this half period of Rahu itself, he has managed to make over 50 international centuries in his distinguished career.

Thus Rahu ain't all that bad when placed well and when it does perform, it can propel you to extreme heights that are totally unfathomable. Jai Ho Rahu!

P.S : I'm sharing the rasi charts alone of all these 3 cricketers along with some basic info. Ayanamsa used is BV Raman as it reflects the timing of events better however the planetary placements and ascendant remains the same even by using Lahiri or any other ayanamsa. Timing may be slightly off by a couple of minutes or so but the ascendant doesn't change.

Sunil Gavaskar: (10th July 1949, Mumbai, 20:42 PM) Capricorn Ascendant, Uthara Shada (Uthiradam) moon and Rahu in 3rd house of Pisces
Sachin Tendulkar: (24th April 1973, Mumbai, 13:00 PM) Cancer Ascendant, Poorva Shada (Pooradam) moon and Rahu in 6th house of Sagittarius
Virat Kohli: (5th November 1988, New Delhi 10:28 AM)
Sagitarius Ascendant, Uthara Phalguni (Uthiram) moon and Rahu in 3rd house of Aquarius

Cafe Marina @ Welcome Hotel - Splendorous feast of a buffet!

Cafe Marina at Welcome Hotel, Alwarpet serves up an absolute splendorous feast of a buffet that is sure to tingle your excitement. They offer a plethora of options and they literally pamper you with the choicest of offerings. This is an exclusive Sunday brunch and worth every bit of it.

It's quite an experience as you're taken by the pool side where you get to use the swimming pool as part of the brunch deal along with crunching over some delightful delicacies in the form of a variety of chaats, skewed grillers and a swirl of drinks both mocktails and cocktails. It's like the perfect setting on a Sunday afternoon sipping your drink by the way side of the gushing waters along with munchies to go along and you really can't ask for more.

After the outside escapade, you are led into the cafe which is well spaced out and contains an eclectic mix of varied cuisines. You have your usual soup, starters, salads, main course and desserts laid out in an elaborate manner and you can still continue to have your drinks, chaats and grills too if you want.

I was quite full with the initial largesse but from whatever I tried as part of the brunch was worth relishing. They had a lilting chole & aloo curry to go with Indian bread. The main course gravies were mostly good and they also had a big pot of biryani to satisfy both the veg and non veg lovers. The salad and snack counters also had lots of interesting options such as a cheese platter, a concocted mix of mango & cheese which was riveting, a packed up slice of sub and so much more. There was a coastal angle too with appams being made in the live counter and to accompany stew & egg curry. There were also your usual pasta's and a few continental dishes also added to the fray.

The desserts were no less and had an elongated passage and most of which I consumed seemed to be delicious. The chocolate gateaux was a masterpiece, the pineapple tart had class written all over it. There were some Indian touches to it too in the form of besan ladoo & Gulab Jamun. Apart from this there were also different flavours of ice cream for that final thwack.

On the whole, it was an exhilarating experience. The service was wonderful and always willing to help. They were always at our beck and call and made every effort to ensure that we have a good time. The rates are a huge plus point. The entire spread which allows you to indulge in a lavish buffet along with enjoying your time at the waters with barbecue, appetisers and unlimited drinks sets you back by just a shade under 1600 bucks. It's totally worth the value.

If you're looking for a wondrous laid back Sunday brunch experience where you just want to spend some easy chilled out time relaxing as you please and gorging on a bonanza of delectable's, Cafe Marina should definitely be at the top of your list.

Broken Bridge Cafe - When fusion trances with innovation for the win!

It was a delightful young early weekday evening and we decided to spend time at Broken Bridge Cafe which is a part of Somerset Hotel. The ambiance gives a breezy woody feel with hues of brown decor in addition to the plant like greenery surrounding. It gives a chiselled feel and ignites the laid back dictum in all it's vigour.

This is a recently opened restaurant specialising mainly on fusion cuisine. The menu is a simple slider but they've innovated tremendously within this space to bring out a lot of unique experiments. Amongst the items which we had, the majority hit the dart right at the center and it was just in a couple of stuff that felt the need for improvement. The menu comprises of small plates aka starters/appetisers and large plates meaning to convey the main course dishes. There are no gimmicks or over the top tomfoolery happening at all and the menu conveys the point as to what it intends to offer.

In the small plates, the show stealer was undoubtedly the Curd rice fritters. Innovation reached varying heights with fried golden balls made to mimic curd rice with hinges of lemon pickle. This was truly one 'one of a kind experience'. They resembled your usual fried cheese balls ala starter but on taste you get the riveting effect of mushy curd rice and to boot also was served a mayo dip with largely lime essence. Audacious work of fusion but I must admit it worked very well. The kalakki (scrambled eggs) with goat jam on bread was another delightful starter. The panneer Makhni papdi chaat was nothing much to write home about. Just a touch of makhni gravy over papdi puri's which were just decent. The spicy corn cakes were kind of nice and I thoroughly enjoyed the palak and Goat cheese flat bread. If you're able to withstand the smell and rawness of goat cheese, then you're bound to love it.

For the large plates, we tried achari 3 cheese kulcha melt as well as mushroom & olives goat cheese kulcha melt. These were really nice spread with melted cheese which was really hard hitting. I loved the flavours of these kulchas which gave a lovely crunch while consuming them and they good enough just to consume stand alone though they also came along with fries,dip and ketchup for company. Also got to try the blue cheese naan which if you are fond of the aroma of it, it'll dunk you in big time and to go along with it a juicily sumptuous panneer tikka masala gravy.

In the dessert draw, the filter coffee baileys tiramisu ruled the roost. Served in an ever silver tumbler, it was simply jaw dropping drool worthy. The skim of tiramisu infused with layers of coffee powder had everything in it to make you dig unabashedly. The nutella custard and maltova crumble was alao equally relishing.

The prices seem par for the course and not really in the vicinity to pinch your pockets. The service was amicable, friendly and on the button. Overall, a really pleasing experience dining at Broken Bridge. If you like a little bit of twists and fusion in your food without the core getting compromised, you should definitely head over to this place for a resolute fine dining encounter.

Winter Palace - When Russian cuisine comes knocking down South!

I must admit, penning a review for this restaurant is no easy task. Winter Palace situated as part of the Russian Consulate in Alwarpet is Chennai's first ever restaurant serving Russian cuisine. Chennai has touched the borders of different European cuisines but Russian is absolutely a first and quite an audacious choice. With these kind of diverse cuisines, it's just about whether you like it or don't find favour to it and for me it was bordering around a ball park average figure.

I found some of the dishes to be pretty good and some just didn't suit my style as it felt too off for my taste. Russian cuisine is amazingly bland with very less salt and spices and unless you get accustomed to this kind of food, it won't be easy for you to like it. Added factor being vegetarian, it adds to the problem. With these issues being already prevalent, my end experience was kind of decent.

In the vegetarian section, you find majority items being done up with potatoes/mushrooms. They had an aubergine rolls which were really nice stuffed with walnuts and cream. The soup was more like a cold fruit salad and didn't really sparkle my taste buds. The zucchini veg cutlet felt like consuming an omelette and was rather distinct on taste. A momo like dish with steamed potatoes were rather decent nut however I did find it hard to like as there was hardly any spice. The potato cutlets as well as the bread with a mushroom cheesy gravy were quite good.

In the main course side, the pizza called as the 'Khachapuri' felt a little flat for me as it didn't possess the masala element to draw me in. I needed to slather flakes and pepper to get the spice content. The pesto pasta was one of my favourite items. It had very strong hard hitting flavour of pesto and came infused with the right blend of cream.

In the dessert section, I absolutely adored the Napolean cake. Coming with a biscuit texture with buttery cream flowing from all directions and sprayed with chocolate sauce was as drool worthy as it got.

The rates seem par for the course. The service was amiable but the time taken for dishes to reach our tables was a little too longer than expected. Having never tried Russian cuisine before, it would be easy to complain and not fair on my part. I guess you need to have am acquired taste and get used to it before being sure whether you will lap it up. More than anything it was a learning experience and it's always nice to try varied and completely different cuisines. I wouldn't mind coming here again just for the brilliant cake and also to maybe try a wee bit more of their potato based stuff. If you're the one who likes exploring, you should surely check out Winter Palace.

Stuffles - Eclectic Vegetarian Fare!

When a majority of items in a restaurant turns out to be as per your liking, you end up going back as a pleased customer and that's exactly how Stuffles turned out to be. This new vegetarian multi cuisine restaurant serving an eclectic fare of various vegetarian spread turned out to be pretty good.

Stuffles is located in the off road by the side of Ega theatre in Chetpet. The spacing is nicely divided and the ambiance looks presentable. Options in store ranges mainly from continental to Indian with a touch of fusion also added along.

We started our foray with soups in the form of cream of spinach and roasted corn. The former appeared a little too bland for the palette but the latter with a subtle hint of burnt corn was aromatic.

The starters packed a punch with most of the options being tried out vying for top stakes. The panneer bhurji khakra coated with a swirl of flavours and ingredients was superlative. The Mediterranean Mushroom was simply melt in the mouth with the smack of cream tucking in flavourfully. The peri peri fries were slathered with finely grated chilli powder going along very well with the spicy dip. The stuffed tawa panneer with a smatter of green chutney was soft and rosy. The aloo chutney had the desired spunk.

The main course saw us having a bite of their wood fired pizza's. Half and half pesto as well as broccoli & cheese were well done up and the cheese burst pizza was a show stealer. It had everything in it to treat your mouth with awesomeness. The chatpata burger was loaded heavily with toppings and the cream cheese layering made it feel juicy. The Indian side of the draw possessed a stuffed bulky Naan which were very good to consume. In the gravies, the Dal Makhni tasted wonderful but the panneer lababdar lacked a little bit of the spice and didn't have the requisite thickness. We also had a Italian Pasta sizzler with 3 different kind of pasta's made out of white, green and red sauce which was immensely likeable.

For desserts and drinks we had Gulab Jamun cheesecake, filter coffee pannacota, a couple of fruit based slushes and a couple of mock tails. I felt most of them were decent. The cheesecake could have been a wee bit softer and the iced drinks kept us going through the meal.

On the whole, it was a really pleasant experience. The service was on the ball and we kept getting our stuff at crisp intervals. The rates are fairly reasonable and doesn't give any reason to really slouch.

If you're looking for a good fine dining vegetarian restaurant offering plethora of options, Stuffles certainly can be earmarked.