We decided to do Chinese for dinner and the first option which came in mind was Mainland China and pronto decided to head there. It is located on a small by lane perpendicular to Cenotaph Road and it's impossible to miss as the restaurant is huge and in your face. Valet parking is very convenient and never an issue.
Large doors and big sized statues embrace you on entering Mainland China and as you step in you sense the feel of China through the smell , look , wardrobe and mild music playing along. The ambiance feels quite and peaceful much in tune with the chinese culture. You would find Red and black being the predominant colors and you would find a lot of them at this place on the chairs , walls hanging articles etc.
Now coming to the food started off with the Peppery Lemon soup. It was light and flavored heavily with pepper and a tinge of lime with veggies floating along like mushroom , brocoli , carrot , cabbage etc. It was burning spicy but still felt it to be decent enough and set the tone for the larger picture.The starter which we had was the Mushroom Chilli garlic which was flavorful and nice on the mouth , the fungi were extremely soft and almost chewable kind and there were few other assorted veggies added which went along well. For main course had the golden garlic fried rice along with stir fried vegetables. Found the rice to be bit plain and not up to the mark , the strong garlic flavor also wasn't prevelant. The side however was nice with an amalgam of veggies in a black gravy.Ended the dinner sojourn by having one of their mock tail oreo crushed with mint which I really liked. The cookies were grated very thinly and had a nice lingering taste along with the chocolate shake.
The service is top notch and the waiters really know well about the items in store. The time taken to bring in the food also was fast barring the main course which took a little longer still nothing to complain about. The rates simply put are expensive. It's a granted fact that you have to shell out excessively if you were to dine here.
Chinese is not my most favorite cuisine and I tend to get the feel that most chinese food in different restaurants across the city tend to taste roughly the same. But with Mainland China you are guaranteed of consistency and a good eating experience which makes this quite a favorite for many. It's definitely one of the prime chinese outlets in the city and will always continue to be so.
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Maplai - the taste of Down south!
Maplai has been on my radar for sometime now and finally headed there on a weekday dinner to satisfy my appetite.
Good first signs with valet parking being available and it looked vibrant at least from the outside with colored lights glowing in a pattern.
It feels a small place and seems like they haven't spaced out the tables very well. Its polarised into different spacing with a couple of tables in each of the divided space. In a way its good because you feel away from a crowd and feels a place safe to have a peaceful meal. On the other hand it looks like they can accommodate very few people at a time and they will be hard pressed if people come in big numbers.
Enough of jabbering, coming to the numero part - the food. The menu seems to be quite interesting with quite a few innovative options. It's not a place for the vegetarian but if you like your eggs you are saved quite a bit. They have various variants of this oval shaped delicacy.
For starters , we ordered for a Chettinadu Bashed Potato which was brown in color and smeared with a fine powdery mix and spread across with karuga pilai and mayonnaise to accommodate. It was crunchy , delicious and perfect foil for starter material. Great start I should say.The other starter was Muttai Kalki which was smudged and soggily floating around and felt like having a caramel custard sans the taste. It was quite diiferent and found it palatable though nothing special about this one.
For main course ordered Egg Appam and Paneer Nilgiri. The Aapam's were nicely done up with the bullseye right in the center and well cooked. The paneer gravy was done up with mint and was tea green in colour. The curry was fair enough with the paneer in judicious quantity being deep fried and soft and chunky.
And ended the dinner sojourn with a thirst quencher in the form of a Bovonto Icecream Soda. Seemed a speciality dish of theirs , it was nothing but Bovonto mixed with Vanilla ice cream giving a flavorful feel and felt it apt after having this kind of a meal.
The real winner however about this place is the pricing. When every other restaurant charges the roof nowadays , you would be surprised to find quite a number of items at double digit rates for a place with a neat and clean enough ambiance such as this. It was pretty much a surprise I must admit.
If you love poultry or even if you are just an eggetarian , it's certainly a decent place to hog some good food and it just doesn't pinch your pocket much. Maaplai is surely worth trying !.
Good first signs with valet parking being available and it looked vibrant at least from the outside with colored lights glowing in a pattern.
It feels a small place and seems like they haven't spaced out the tables very well. Its polarised into different spacing with a couple of tables in each of the divided space. In a way its good because you feel away from a crowd and feels a place safe to have a peaceful meal. On the other hand it looks like they can accommodate very few people at a time and they will be hard pressed if people come in big numbers.
Enough of jabbering, coming to the numero part - the food. The menu seems to be quite interesting with quite a few innovative options. It's not a place for the vegetarian but if you like your eggs you are saved quite a bit. They have various variants of this oval shaped delicacy.
For starters , we ordered for a Chettinadu Bashed Potato which was brown in color and smeared with a fine powdery mix and spread across with karuga pilai and mayonnaise to accommodate. It was crunchy , delicious and perfect foil for starter material. Great start I should say.The other starter was Muttai Kalki which was smudged and soggily floating around and felt like having a caramel custard sans the taste. It was quite diiferent and found it palatable though nothing special about this one.
For main course ordered Egg Appam and Paneer Nilgiri. The Aapam's were nicely done up with the bullseye right in the center and well cooked. The paneer gravy was done up with mint and was tea green in colour. The curry was fair enough with the paneer in judicious quantity being deep fried and soft and chunky.
And ended the dinner sojourn with a thirst quencher in the form of a Bovonto Icecream Soda. Seemed a speciality dish of theirs , it was nothing but Bovonto mixed with Vanilla ice cream giving a flavorful feel and felt it apt after having this kind of a meal.
The real winner however about this place is the pricing. When every other restaurant charges the roof nowadays , you would be surprised to find quite a number of items at double digit rates for a place with a neat and clean enough ambiance such as this. It was pretty much a surprise I must admit.
If you love poultry or even if you are just an eggetarian , it's certainly a decent place to hog some good food and it just doesn't pinch your pocket much. Maaplai is surely worth trying !.
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Hola, by the beach side!
Woke up on a Monday morning to find a surprise mail from Zomato inviting me for their year end celebrations at this restaurant named 'Hola'. The excitement turned into disappointment as my wavering mind started to think that surely such a restaurant doesn't exist in Chennai only to find out how wrong I was. It was very much in Namma Ooru and somewhat even closer to home. Coming to know that it was a roof top restaurant and looking at the scenic beauty in the pictures made me palpably excited and that very moment I decided that come what may , I am surely not going to let go of this opportunity :).
The cornerstone of this restaurant is the ambiance which wins hands down. Strategically located close to the beach , this is an ideal place to have a peaceful , laidback lunch/dinner amidst the gentle zephyr blowing across serenely. It is located in a 2 storied building called Malgaadi adjacent to the age old Dhabba Express and looks like the only real upscale restaurant in that area especially since its surrounded by a cluster of smaller restaurants closer to the beach.
On the food side , they primarily focus on Italian and Mexican. On this starry evening managed to lay my hands and mouth on the following :
Drink - Curry Leaves Mojito
Starter - Italian Cheese Baked Nachos
Main Course - 4 summers Pizza , 4 cheese Pasta
Dessert - Chilled Cheese Cake
The Mojito was decent however the big sized curry leaves were quite a dampener disturbing the flow in relishing the drink.The Italian Cheese Baked Nachos were copious in quantity but wasn't as luxuriating and decorated as I expected. The tortilla chips were kind of dry and the spread of the topping was not judicious with some of the pieces being alienated with nothing on them. As condiment they had the Cheese\Salsa\Cream sauce and Kidney beans to toss up but being the lazy kind would have ideally liked them to have been already prevalent in the standalone dish. The Main course was the best on the day with both the 4 summers Pizza and 4 cheese Pasta living close to expectation. The Pizza was thin crust spruced up with Mushroom , Brocolli , Zucchini , Bell Peppers etc and gave a nice crunchy feel. The four cheese pasta again like the Pizza were loaded with similar ingredients and gave an aromatic lingering taste. The Cheese cake was a complete hoodwink , it wasn't one by any stretch of the imagination and was just a normal pastry which tasted decent.
Overall the food was a mixed bag with the Main course taking the prize and the others occupying a distant subaltern position. Must be said that they still have quite a lot of ground to cover. The rates seem to be extremely exorbitant which almost relegates it to being a restaurant apt to be visited only on a special occasion. The service was amiable and would expect the same irrespective of this being an invite only event.
I would like to Thank Team Zomato for taking the efforts and arranging this Eatles meetup. It surely was a memorable evening visiting this new resplendent restaurant, confabulating in food talk with like minded foodies and receiving all those wonderful presents.
Truly, an experience to remember!.
The cornerstone of this restaurant is the ambiance which wins hands down. Strategically located close to the beach , this is an ideal place to have a peaceful , laidback lunch/dinner amidst the gentle zephyr blowing across serenely. It is located in a 2 storied building called Malgaadi adjacent to the age old Dhabba Express and looks like the only real upscale restaurant in that area especially since its surrounded by a cluster of smaller restaurants closer to the beach.
On the food side , they primarily focus on Italian and Mexican. On this starry evening managed to lay my hands and mouth on the following :
Drink - Curry Leaves Mojito
Starter - Italian Cheese Baked Nachos
Main Course - 4 summers Pizza , 4 cheese Pasta
Dessert - Chilled Cheese Cake
The Mojito was decent however the big sized curry leaves were quite a dampener disturbing the flow in relishing the drink.The Italian Cheese Baked Nachos were copious in quantity but wasn't as luxuriating and decorated as I expected. The tortilla chips were kind of dry and the spread of the topping was not judicious with some of the pieces being alienated with nothing on them. As condiment they had the Cheese\Salsa\Cream sauce and Kidney beans to toss up but being the lazy kind would have ideally liked them to have been already prevalent in the standalone dish. The Main course was the best on the day with both the 4 summers Pizza and 4 cheese Pasta living close to expectation. The Pizza was thin crust spruced up with Mushroom , Brocolli , Zucchini , Bell Peppers etc and gave a nice crunchy feel. The four cheese pasta again like the Pizza were loaded with similar ingredients and gave an aromatic lingering taste. The Cheese cake was a complete hoodwink , it wasn't one by any stretch of the imagination and was just a normal pastry which tasted decent.
Overall the food was a mixed bag with the Main course taking the prize and the others occupying a distant subaltern position. Must be said that they still have quite a lot of ground to cover. The rates seem to be extremely exorbitant which almost relegates it to being a restaurant apt to be visited only on a special occasion. The service was amiable and would expect the same irrespective of this being an invite only event.
I would like to Thank Team Zomato for taking the efforts and arranging this Eatles meetup. It surely was a memorable evening visiting this new resplendent restaurant, confabulating in food talk with like minded foodies and receiving all those wonderful presents.
Truly, an experience to remember!.
Monday, December 8, 2014
Old is Gold - Maneka, Palmgrove
They say Old is Gold and God only knows how many years this restaurant has been in existence. It still continues to get a sizeable crowd every now and then. You get an old world charm here. It feels so 90s, nothing about the place has changed but taste of food remains the same.
The ambiance is plain jane but perhaps that's what makes it appealing. Unlike the new age restaurants which harps on colored lighting and radiant designs , this one still uses the traditional good old tube lighting. Even the waiters are clad in full white.
They really don't feel the need to ape any of their contemporaries. They know well their strengths and play to the cards. It doesn't try to be fancy by any stretch of the imagination and prides itself in its old age methods.
The food here is a delight and their Thali's seem to be the most preferred. I mostly tend to have the Palmgrove Special Thali which comprises of a Naan/Roti , Paneer Butter Masala , Dal Tadka (Really enjoy their Dal!), Chole, Pulav, Plain Rice, Rasam, Raita, Curd rice, soup and to boot Gulab Jamun and an Ice cream sundae. Its quite a wholesome meal, only grouse is they could make it unlimited. The other meals are also nice and if you like spicy you should try the Andhra Special meals which comes with Podi and Gongura Chutney which is unbeatable. Their tiffin items also muster up some weight.
The service is usually pretty fast. The rates have gotten high over the years, but still wouldn't consider it being too expensive. Would always perenially be a good choice restaurant especially for the family audience.
The ambiance is plain jane but perhaps that's what makes it appealing. Unlike the new age restaurants which harps on colored lighting and radiant designs , this one still uses the traditional good old tube lighting. Even the waiters are clad in full white.
They really don't feel the need to ape any of their contemporaries. They know well their strengths and play to the cards. It doesn't try to be fancy by any stretch of the imagination and prides itself in its old age methods.
The food here is a delight and their Thali's seem to be the most preferred. I mostly tend to have the Palmgrove Special Thali which comprises of a Naan/Roti , Paneer Butter Masala , Dal Tadka (Really enjoy their Dal!), Chole, Pulav, Plain Rice, Rasam, Raita, Curd rice, soup and to boot Gulab Jamun and an Ice cream sundae. Its quite a wholesome meal, only grouse is they could make it unlimited. The other meals are also nice and if you like spicy you should try the Andhra Special meals which comes with Podi and Gongura Chutney which is unbeatable. Their tiffin items also muster up some weight.
The service is usually pretty fast. The rates have gotten high over the years, but still wouldn't consider it being too expensive. Would always perenially be a good choice restaurant especially for the family audience.
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Above Sea Level @Raintree, St Mary's Road
Its the ambiance which blows you away. Surely stakes claim for being one of the best outdoor restaurant's in the city. The panoramic view is just wondrous and has to be witnessed to be believed. Its a place to experience the beauty of the night sky over a quiet dinner.
The food is primarily of North Indian and Sea food and you would be hard done if you're vegetarian. However at Above Sea Level its more about being there and enjoying the zephyr billow across your face than about the food and drinks you have.
I went plain sailing on this occasion and just had a mocktail, a baked nachos for a starter and a grilled panneer dish for main course. The mocktail was a concoction of apple , orange and lemon and pretty nice on the mouth. The Nachos was strictly ok, i found the juiciness and creaminess to be missing and also expected it to be more wholesome and evenly spread out but it didn't turn out that way with some being abundantly layered with cheese , jalapeno and toppings and some being just plain dry tortilla chips with nothing on them. The grilled paneer was a skewer type also containing brocolis in between the chunks of cottage cheese with some salad and potato wedges for company. Both the panneer and brocolli were well cooked but however felt the zing was missing.
It really wasn't a night where I was in the mood to go full out on the food. Quite interested to try out some of their North Indian Bread and Curries on another visit perhaps. The rates are obviously expensive burning quite a fire hole on your credit card. Felt the service to be slow taking enormous amount of time to bring in the food.
But whatever said of the minuses , this is a place to enjoy the scenery and sereneness engulfing you. A perfect place for a candlelit dinner , special occasion or even just to enjoy a relaxed soothing dinner away from the vicissitude of life. You should experience Above Sea Level atleast once!.
The food is primarily of North Indian and Sea food and you would be hard done if you're vegetarian. However at Above Sea Level its more about being there and enjoying the zephyr billow across your face than about the food and drinks you have.
I went plain sailing on this occasion and just had a mocktail, a baked nachos for a starter and a grilled panneer dish for main course. The mocktail was a concoction of apple , orange and lemon and pretty nice on the mouth. The Nachos was strictly ok, i found the juiciness and creaminess to be missing and also expected it to be more wholesome and evenly spread out but it didn't turn out that way with some being abundantly layered with cheese , jalapeno and toppings and some being just plain dry tortilla chips with nothing on them. The grilled paneer was a skewer type also containing brocolis in between the chunks of cottage cheese with some salad and potato wedges for company. Both the panneer and brocolli were well cooked but however felt the zing was missing.
It really wasn't a night where I was in the mood to go full out on the food. Quite interested to try out some of their North Indian Bread and Curries on another visit perhaps. The rates are obviously expensive burning quite a fire hole on your credit card. Felt the service to be slow taking enormous amount of time to bring in the food.
But whatever said of the minuses , this is a place to enjoy the scenery and sereneness engulfing you. A perfect place for a candlelit dinner , special occasion or even just to enjoy a relaxed soothing dinner away from the vicissitude of life. You should experience Above Sea Level atleast once!.
Friday, October 3, 2014
ARR Concert at Nehru Indoor Stadium!
The ARR concert at the Nehru Indoor Stadium was a mixed bag. The show started off with Vaanga Makka Vaanga rendered by Haricharan even before Rahman made an entry and then the showman arrived in a palanquin to an absolutely deafening roar. The crowd were literally on their feet giving a raptourous welcome and then when he got underway to perform Oorvasi Oorvasi the atmosphere was electrifying.
The unplugged on piano was lovely comprising of Thendrale Thendrale , Anjali Anjali and Netru Illadha Maatram. The choice of selection of songs were good and included a lot of his early 90's which I am extremely fond of and biassed. The thud of the opening Mridangam and the resonating flute bits made Narumugaye delightful , Chandralekha / Mukaala Mukaabala / Kaloori Salai / Endrendrum Punnagai were high octane trailblazing and set the stage on fire , Minsaara Kanna began sedately and then Srinivas and Kalpana unleashed absolute brilliance going forward making it one of the highlights of the show , Aathangaara Marame was cherubic and fun esp with the added attraction of the set , En Kaadhale by Hari and Mano with sax backing brought back childhood memories of repeated listening of this gem in napster & winamp eons ago. In the recent songs Aila Aila acored high where the female singer Natalie who seems to have a dynamic voice range gave an awe inspiring energetic rendition.
The stage set up , lighting and design was top notch and the wonderful array of colors glittering across the venue was a bedazzling spectacle. It was so chic and quirky especially witnessing the fireworks sparkling from the guitars.
There were also a lot of scope for the instrumentalists and they did a fabulous job. Raghav Sachar played sax with elan and Punya Srinivas on the veena along with a duet on the sitar with Azad Khan made Netru Illadha sound even sweeter. Naveen pirichu menjified in his flute portions and Violinist Ganesh took Ennavale and Kedaram to a different plane. Sivamani playing different percussions was entertaining as usual.
However some of the disappointments were the show began extremely late which is happening time and again and there is no excuse for starting a show at quarter to 8 when scheduled for 6.30. There were some off pitching and slip up's by the singers in certain songs , also the sound of the vocals appeared quite jarring at places and to boot were some obviously visible minus one tracks in the background.
Personally would have liked the concert to end with Thai Manne Vanakkam as opposed to a Jai Ho. Despite some of the quibbles overall it was a decent experience and I enjoyed it much more than the previous ARR concert at YMCA in Dec , 2012.
Pros :
- Breathtaking entry by ARR
- Nice selection of songs comprising vintage 90's and fairly recent ones
- Wonderful set design and lighting
- Great scope and performance by instrumentalists and percussionists
Cons :
- Very delayed start and early completion making the concert last less than three hours .. Also ARR being the man of the show not being constantly on stage was a touch disappointing
- Too much time wasting in between songs .. (Thankfully no anchor)
- Going off shruti by singers in quite a few numbers and also missing lines or singing in advance
- Some obvious in your face karaoke tracks
List of Songs :
1) Vaanga Makka Vaanga - Kaaviya Thalaivan
2) Karna Veeran - Kochadaiyaan
3) Oorvasi Oorvasi - Kadhalan
4) Thendrale Thendrale - Kadhal Desam
5) Anjali Anjali - Duet
6) Netru Illadha Maatram - Kadhalan
7) Kannodu Kaanbathellaam - Jeans
8) Narumugaye - Iruvar
9) Rasathi - Thiruda Thiruda
10) Thirai Kaadhu - En Swasa Kaatre
11) Naan En Pirandhen - Coke Studio
12) Sa Re Ga Me - Boys
13) Kanden - Ambikapathy
14) Kalloori Salai - Kadhal Desam
15) Nenjukkule - Kadal
16) En Kadhale - Duet
17) Aathangaara Marame - Kizhakku Seemaiyile
18) Ennavale Adi Ennavale - Kadhalan
19) Nenje Ezhu - Mariyaan
20) Minsara Kanna - Padayappa
21) Konjam Nilavu - Thiruda Thiruda
22) Enge Pogudhe - Kochadaiyaan
23) Oruvan Oruvan Mudhalaali - Muthu
24) Maatram Ondrudhaan - Kochadaiyaan
25) Aila Aila - I
26) Mukaala Mukabala - Kadhalan
27) Endrendrum Punnagai - Alai Payudhey
28) Jai Ho - Slumdog Millionaire
The unplugged on piano was lovely comprising of Thendrale Thendrale , Anjali Anjali and Netru Illadha Maatram. The choice of selection of songs were good and included a lot of his early 90's which I am extremely fond of and biassed. The thud of the opening Mridangam and the resonating flute bits made Narumugaye delightful , Chandralekha / Mukaala Mukaabala / Kaloori Salai / Endrendrum Punnagai were high octane trailblazing and set the stage on fire , Minsaara Kanna began sedately and then Srinivas and Kalpana unleashed absolute brilliance going forward making it one of the highlights of the show , Aathangaara Marame was cherubic and fun esp with the added attraction of the set , En Kaadhale by Hari and Mano with sax backing brought back childhood memories of repeated listening of this gem in napster & winamp eons ago. In the recent songs Aila Aila acored high where the female singer Natalie who seems to have a dynamic voice range gave an awe inspiring energetic rendition.
The stage set up , lighting and design was top notch and the wonderful array of colors glittering across the venue was a bedazzling spectacle. It was so chic and quirky especially witnessing the fireworks sparkling from the guitars.
There were also a lot of scope for the instrumentalists and they did a fabulous job. Raghav Sachar played sax with elan and Punya Srinivas on the veena along with a duet on the sitar with Azad Khan made Netru Illadha sound even sweeter. Naveen pirichu menjified in his flute portions and Violinist Ganesh took Ennavale and Kedaram to a different plane. Sivamani playing different percussions was entertaining as usual.
However some of the disappointments were the show began extremely late which is happening time and again and there is no excuse for starting a show at quarter to 8 when scheduled for 6.30. There were some off pitching and slip up's by the singers in certain songs , also the sound of the vocals appeared quite jarring at places and to boot were some obviously visible minus one tracks in the background.
Personally would have liked the concert to end with Thai Manne Vanakkam as opposed to a Jai Ho. Despite some of the quibbles overall it was a decent experience and I enjoyed it much more than the previous ARR concert at YMCA in Dec , 2012.
Pros :
- Breathtaking entry by ARR
- Nice selection of songs comprising vintage 90's and fairly recent ones
- Wonderful set design and lighting
- Great scope and performance by instrumentalists and percussionists
Cons :
- Very delayed start and early completion making the concert last less than three hours .. Also ARR being the man of the show not being constantly on stage was a touch disappointing
- Too much time wasting in between songs .. (Thankfully no anchor)
- Going off shruti by singers in quite a few numbers and also missing lines or singing in advance
- Some obvious in your face karaoke tracks
List of Songs :
1) Vaanga Makka Vaanga - Kaaviya Thalaivan
2) Karna Veeran - Kochadaiyaan
3) Oorvasi Oorvasi - Kadhalan
4) Thendrale Thendrale - Kadhal Desam
5) Anjali Anjali - Duet
6) Netru Illadha Maatram - Kadhalan
7) Kannodu Kaanbathellaam - Jeans
8) Narumugaye - Iruvar
9) Rasathi - Thiruda Thiruda
10) Thirai Kaadhu - En Swasa Kaatre
11) Naan En Pirandhen - Coke Studio
12) Sa Re Ga Me - Boys
13) Kanden - Ambikapathy
14) Kalloori Salai - Kadhal Desam
15) Nenjukkule - Kadal
16) En Kadhale - Duet
17) Aathangaara Marame - Kizhakku Seemaiyile
18) Ennavale Adi Ennavale - Kadhalan
19) Nenje Ezhu - Mariyaan
20) Minsara Kanna - Padayappa
21) Konjam Nilavu - Thiruda Thiruda
22) Enge Pogudhe - Kochadaiyaan
23) Oruvan Oruvan Mudhalaali - Muthu
24) Maatram Ondrudhaan - Kochadaiyaan
25) Aila Aila - I
26) Mukaala Mukabala - Kadhalan
27) Endrendrum Punnagai - Alai Payudhey
28) Jai Ho - Slumdog Millionaire
Friday, September 12, 2014
Bombay Brasserie - Indian Food and French Renaissance !!
Finally dawned upon the chance to have a peekaboo into the most happening and trending restaurant in Chennai right now. I was simply taken aback by the sheer class of this place. Both the exteriors and interiors have been so tastefully designed that you just can't but marvel about the opulence glittering right across you. The picturesque setup and the different palate of colors esp. their signature Turquoise blue make it look so cool , chic , urban , quirky and delightfully appealing. This Hi-fi restaurant is totally designed to excellence and the place sure stakes claim for being perhaps the most good looking restaurant in town . The ambience is superlative and needs to be experienced to be believed.
Speaking about all the good looks , you wonder whether the food quotient will be able to match up to the class of the decor. This place primarily focuses on the culinary delicacies from the North of India. Started off on our foodie journey by having a Nariyal Aur Subz shorba which was a watery coconut soup with veggies mostly comprising of smudged pieces of cottage cheese. It was light on the tummy and felt like having rasam.
Coming to the starters and this being a predominantly Tandoori restaurant you sure were going to have a veritable Paneer affair on the cards. It is one thing which never fails to excite me and seeing copious offerings of it on the menu with different names decided to ask the waiter to help in choosing and the suggestion was Lucknowi Paneer Paraath. They were just 4 pieces but large in size and jawdropping in taste. They were succulently soft and marshmellowy mellow and you could literally feel them melting juicily into the mouth. It was also pretty unique as it was coated on top with a masala which looked like a layer of omelette , but whatever it was surely didn't let any stones unturned and was delightfully salivating. The non veg starters ordered met with a kind of mixed response.
For the main course , decided to go only with Indian Bread and ordered Naan , Chilli cheese Kulcha , Hare Pyaaz Kulcha. The kulcha's especially were soft and fluffy and loaded inside judiciously with the relevant toppings. It sure was intriguing and felt as if they could do justice on their own without any side dish.
However we did order couple of gravies , one being the Dum Ke Kali Dal and the Tarkari Masaledar. The Black Dal was good but the zing was missing somewhere and it wasn't as creamy as some of the Makhani's i've had elsewhere. The Masala gravy was pretty nice with an amalgam of veggies comprising Aloo , Gobi , Paneer , Capsicum , Peas etc.
Ended our dinner sojourn by having a Paper baked chocolate pudding. I envisaged this dessert in some way but the resultant was something else. It was basically fudged chocolate cake in one strata with vanilla ice cream on another and chocolate sauce to dip in a small bowl. The ice cream to accompany the cake was quite too little and nothing much to write home about on this one.
Overall had a mixed experience on the foodie side with some items standing out and some bordering on the decent category. In relative terms with the ambience factor , the food part has some catching up to do. The service was ok but the refilling of water and the add-ons could have been a wee bit quicker. The rates are on the high side but justified considering the location and the resplendent setting.
Nungambakkam is home to some of the finest dine outs and can boast of being the Numero Uno in the food circle of Chennai. With Bombay Brasserie , its reputation just got elevated a notch further up the ladder.
Speaking about all the good looks , you wonder whether the food quotient will be able to match up to the class of the decor. This place primarily focuses on the culinary delicacies from the North of India. Started off on our foodie journey by having a Nariyal Aur Subz shorba which was a watery coconut soup with veggies mostly comprising of smudged pieces of cottage cheese. It was light on the tummy and felt like having rasam.
Coming to the starters and this being a predominantly Tandoori restaurant you sure were going to have a veritable Paneer affair on the cards. It is one thing which never fails to excite me and seeing copious offerings of it on the menu with different names decided to ask the waiter to help in choosing and the suggestion was Lucknowi Paneer Paraath. They were just 4 pieces but large in size and jawdropping in taste. They were succulently soft and marshmellowy mellow and you could literally feel them melting juicily into the mouth. It was also pretty unique as it was coated on top with a masala which looked like a layer of omelette , but whatever it was surely didn't let any stones unturned and was delightfully salivating. The non veg starters ordered met with a kind of mixed response.
For the main course , decided to go only with Indian Bread and ordered Naan , Chilli cheese Kulcha , Hare Pyaaz Kulcha. The kulcha's especially were soft and fluffy and loaded inside judiciously with the relevant toppings. It sure was intriguing and felt as if they could do justice on their own without any side dish.
However we did order couple of gravies , one being the Dum Ke Kali Dal and the Tarkari Masaledar. The Black Dal was good but the zing was missing somewhere and it wasn't as creamy as some of the Makhani's i've had elsewhere. The Masala gravy was pretty nice with an amalgam of veggies comprising Aloo , Gobi , Paneer , Capsicum , Peas etc.
Ended our dinner sojourn by having a Paper baked chocolate pudding. I envisaged this dessert in some way but the resultant was something else. It was basically fudged chocolate cake in one strata with vanilla ice cream on another and chocolate sauce to dip in a small bowl. The ice cream to accompany the cake was quite too little and nothing much to write home about on this one.
Overall had a mixed experience on the foodie side with some items standing out and some bordering on the decent category. In relative terms with the ambience factor , the food part has some catching up to do. The service was ok but the refilling of water and the add-ons could have been a wee bit quicker. The rates are on the high side but justified considering the location and the resplendent setting.
Nungambakkam is home to some of the finest dine outs and can boast of being the Numero Uno in the food circle of Chennai. With Bombay Brasserie , its reputation just got elevated a notch further up the ladder.
Saturday, August 30, 2014
An evening with Jalpaan!
After hearing all the rave reviews , a visit to Jalpaan was always on the cards. Having heard that they had opened their new outlet closer to home at Adyar , was all the more looking to seize the opportunity to dine at this place and finally the transition from 'Wishlist' to 'Been there list' was complete as I headed here for dinner on a Saturday evening.
It is located in Sardar Patel Road in the complex that also houses GRT Jewellers. It is on the 3rd floor and as you peekaboo from below , it looks like a pretty small place but on actually entering you find that it is very spacious and can accomodate quite a large bunch of customers. There is a lot of brownness converging the surroundings with Brown seats and surfaces. In between the walls are square lit yellow coverings and the roofs are smeared with an array of small bright lights sparkling over. It gives you that mild Punjabi feel and flavour.
The plates and glasses were covered with silver coating and the menu was in the form of a thick binded album book running across quite a few pages comprising mainly of Tandoori and Italian food. We started our foray with the Big Nachos which had large thin slices of the Tortilla chips garnished on the side with an amalgam of exotic veggies. It was deceptive in appearance as when you unveil the bottom portion of the chips you find a luxurious spread of Red kidney beans with cheese topping. It was very heavy and totally relishing. Wanted to try one of their chats and the Karara Palak chat looked interesting. It was like a Dahi Puri chaat with Fried spinach pieces replacing the Puris and sprinkled with the curd and the desired sweet and spices. It was different and kudos for the experimentation.
The next in line was the much awaited Paneer Tikka. In many restaurants , the taste of Paneer seems to have a big weightage in rating the overall portfolio of the cuisine and as an evergreen lover of this sinful delicacy my curiosity and temptation was pretty high. And it perfectly lived up to the billing by being superlative. Had the SARSONWALA PANEER which were marinated in yoghurt paste tossed up with herbs and spices. It was spongy soft and it was an experience slicing and dicing the yellow square and seeing it melt waftly in the mouth :)
For the main course had a Naan , Paneer Kulcha and Jalpaan Dal. The Indian Bread was fluffy and well made and their signature Dal Makhani was out of the world. The lentils were simmering over the delightful gravy giving the perfect feel to the taste buds. Easily one of the best Black Dals i have ever had. Also had a Boondi Raita for additional company which was decent with a slight tinge of masala. Rounded off dinner by having one of their mocktails "Pink Panther" flavoured with a dash of strawberry , pineapple , almond and hazelnut blended with cream and it was absolutely delightful and a perfect signal to end a very satisfying meal.
The pricing is par for the course and the service was pretty quick barring the regular refilling of water which could have been more prompt. The ambience is pretty neat but still a little way off from being exceptional. But the most important part the food is scrumptious and that's what holds the key. All in all looks like another epicurean success story. For me personally , another welcome addition to the list of good restaurants to dine out in the city thus further widening the radar :).
It is located in Sardar Patel Road in the complex that also houses GRT Jewellers. It is on the 3rd floor and as you peekaboo from below , it looks like a pretty small place but on actually entering you find that it is very spacious and can accomodate quite a large bunch of customers. There is a lot of brownness converging the surroundings with Brown seats and surfaces. In between the walls are square lit yellow coverings and the roofs are smeared with an array of small bright lights sparkling over. It gives you that mild Punjabi feel and flavour.
The plates and glasses were covered with silver coating and the menu was in the form of a thick binded album book running across quite a few pages comprising mainly of Tandoori and Italian food. We started our foray with the Big Nachos which had large thin slices of the Tortilla chips garnished on the side with an amalgam of exotic veggies. It was deceptive in appearance as when you unveil the bottom portion of the chips you find a luxurious spread of Red kidney beans with cheese topping. It was very heavy and totally relishing. Wanted to try one of their chats and the Karara Palak chat looked interesting. It was like a Dahi Puri chaat with Fried spinach pieces replacing the Puris and sprinkled with the curd and the desired sweet and spices. It was different and kudos for the experimentation.
The next in line was the much awaited Paneer Tikka. In many restaurants , the taste of Paneer seems to have a big weightage in rating the overall portfolio of the cuisine and as an evergreen lover of this sinful delicacy my curiosity and temptation was pretty high. And it perfectly lived up to the billing by being superlative. Had the SARSONWALA PANEER which were marinated in yoghurt paste tossed up with herbs and spices. It was spongy soft and it was an experience slicing and dicing the yellow square and seeing it melt waftly in the mouth :)
For the main course had a Naan , Paneer Kulcha and Jalpaan Dal. The Indian Bread was fluffy and well made and their signature Dal Makhani was out of the world. The lentils were simmering over the delightful gravy giving the perfect feel to the taste buds. Easily one of the best Black Dals i have ever had. Also had a Boondi Raita for additional company which was decent with a slight tinge of masala. Rounded off dinner by having one of their mocktails "Pink Panther" flavoured with a dash of strawberry , pineapple , almond and hazelnut blended with cream and it was absolutely delightful and a perfect signal to end a very satisfying meal.
The pricing is par for the course and the service was pretty quick barring the regular refilling of water which could have been more prompt. The ambience is pretty neat but still a little way off from being exceptional. But the most important part the food is scrumptious and that's what holds the key. All in all looks like another epicurean success story. For me personally , another welcome addition to the list of good restaurants to dine out in the city thus further widening the radar :).
Monday, July 28, 2014
Remembering the melody King V Kumar!
V Kumar was an excellent composer whose melodies continue to hold stead even today. Most of his tunes are embellished with such a fine melody structure and the nonchalant way in which he has played with the swaras in his compositions are such a delight.
The mellifluous melody "Unnidam Mayanguguren" rendered by KJ Yesudas with the scintillating piano run-ins is haunting to this day , still remember how captivated I was listening to the arresting tune of "Oru Naal Yaaro" for the first time , the hilariously tuned Tam Brahm dialect based song "Aduthatha Ambujathai Paarthela" is so much fun and always brings a smile and what can one say about his other beautiful compositions such as "Punnagai Mannan Poovizhi Kannan" , "Oraayiram Karpanai" , "Kathodu Naan Paaduven" , "Vaazhvil Sowbagiyam" , "Sapthaswaram Punnagayil" , "Madhanorchavam Rathiyoduthaan" , "Naan Unnai Vaazhtthi Paadugiren" etc which have truly stood the test of time. Many of K Balachander's movies are adorned with musical gems thanks to this man.
Remembering the melody king Mr V Kumar on his birth anniversary !!
Unnidam Mayangugiren - Then Sindhudhe Vaanam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lc1v6uBKtKs
Oru Naal Yaaro - Major Chandrakanth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFHqu24QevA
Aduthathu Ambujatha Paathela - Edhir Neechal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gfOuldRWzU
A nice playlist comprising some of V Kumar's best compositions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNFckaXXUwE&list=PL5CAKqOYehDv0x_aUviFfzcyR_FFPwtfz
The mellifluous melody "Unnidam Mayanguguren" rendered by KJ Yesudas with the scintillating piano run-ins is haunting to this day , still remember how captivated I was listening to the arresting tune of "Oru Naal Yaaro" for the first time , the hilariously tuned Tam Brahm dialect based song "Aduthatha Ambujathai Paarthela" is so much fun and always brings a smile and what can one say about his other beautiful compositions such as "Punnagai Mannan Poovizhi Kannan" , "Oraayiram Karpanai" , "Kathodu Naan Paaduven" , "Vaazhvil Sowbagiyam" , "Sapthaswaram Punnagayil" , "Madhanorchavam Rathiyoduthaan" , "Naan Unnai Vaazhtthi Paadugiren" etc which have truly stood the test of time. Many of K Balachander's movies are adorned with musical gems thanks to this man.
Remembering the melody king Mr V Kumar on his birth anniversary !!
Unnidam Mayangugiren - Then Sindhudhe Vaanam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lc1v6uBKtKs
Oru Naal Yaaro - Major Chandrakanth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFHqu24QevA
Aduthathu Ambujatha Paathela - Edhir Neechal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gfOuldRWzU
A nice playlist comprising some of V Kumar's best compositions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNFckaXXUwE&list=PL5CAKqOYehDv0x_aUviFfzcyR_FFPwtfz
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Mahela's SSC Love Affair!
The love affair between Mahela Jayawardene and SSC just simply refuses to stop brewing.
It is almost like an unwritten rule that Mahela has to always score a truckload of runs each and every time he goes on to bat on this feather-bed of a track tailor-made just for him to keep making centuries.
The eye-popping hegemonic 11 centuries at the SSC apart , it has been a truly defining test career for Sri Lanka's Mr Silken Touch. Over 11 and a half thousand runs , highest ever test score of 374 by a right handed batsman , highest ever partnership of 624 runs with his buddy Sangakkara , 34 test centuries equalling the likes of legends like Sunny and Lara.
The caressing drive through the covers , the finessely timed late cut and the clinicality of his inside out shot will always hold a special place in the hearts of cricket lovers. When Mahela is on song its truly a sight to behold. We will truly miss you.
It is almost like an unwritten rule that Mahela has to always score a truckload of runs each and every time he goes on to bat on this feather-bed of a track tailor-made just for him to keep making centuries.
The eye-popping hegemonic 11 centuries at the SSC apart , it has been a truly defining test career for Sri Lanka's Mr Silken Touch. Over 11 and a half thousand runs , highest ever test score of 374 by a right handed batsman , highest ever partnership of 624 runs with his buddy Sangakkara , 34 test centuries equalling the likes of legends like Sunny and Lara.
The caressing drive through the covers , the finessely timed late cut and the clinicality of his inside out shot will always hold a special place in the hearts of cricket lovers. When Mahela is on song its truly a sight to behold. We will truly miss you.
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