Memories of Viru!

Virendar Sehwag played the game his way and the only way he knew right from the beginning to the very end. He put paid to his own downfall many a time but here was someone who didn't care for glory or reputation. All he knew was attacking batsmanship which brought glory to the fans watching him bat and reputation to Indian cricket for having produced their most destructive batsman ever.

It's still a mystery how he survived so long in test cricket and made runs all over the globe. The transition from a part time batsman who could bowl a bit to moving to the top of the order scoring over 8000 runs with an average of close to 50 speaks thunderous volumes of this Nawab from Najafgarh. Indian cricket history has had many opening batsman but the greatness chapter closes with just Sunny and Viru's names. And mind you Gavaskar was a proper technical gnaw who played the game how the text book demanded unlike Viru who re-wrote the textbook via his own style.

Once labeled a Sachin copybook, eventually you saw even Tendulkar change his game according to the times but Viru continued his aggressive streak not backing down one bit for anyone and being his own usual domineering self. He was an epitome of confidence and his self belief and no nonsense spirit was really admirable.

It was truly a sight watching him in a belligerent mood traumatizing international level bowlers of yore by swatting and making mincemeat out of them. Cricketers will come and go but there are few special one's who remain close to our heart and Virendar Sehwag was surely one among them. Thanks for all the excitement and entertainment of watching you all these years. Your presence on the cricket field may have vanished but the memories will forever live on!.

25 years of a Magnum Opus - Michael Madana Kama Rajan (MMKR) ★★★★★

There are only some movies which can claim to be downright rib-ticklingly funny on so many counts. Michael Madana Kama Rajan (MMKR) is one for the ages and can never be replicated.The kind of all round performance on virtually every front makes it firmly etched as one of Tamizh cinema's greatest creations. Seldom have films been so everlastingly entertaining and MMKR rightly falls into the place of all time great cinema.

It's been a quarter century since its release on Diwali day - 17th October 1990 but even to this day references are made with regard to the characterization's and dialogues. MMKR chestnuts are one of a kind and every now and then you would inevitably associate a fleeting presence of this movie in some form or the other sometimes even acting as an ice-breaker.

There are just too many things to marvel about MMKR ranging from the spectacular performances, timed to perfection dialogues, scintillating screenplay causing confusion aplenty, story with plethora of twists and turns, direction at pace with the events and the brilliant music and BGM. The subtlety and poise in each of the quadruplet roles portrayed by Kamal is breathtaking and each of the artists induce so much life to the characters and add to the fun quotient. The humorous dialogues and wordplay never ceases to invoke the funny bones, remember - Yaarukku kalyanam? Nekka? Nokka? Nekkum nokkumaa?, Indha Avinashi oru visuvaasi, Thripurasundari illai thiruttu sundari nee etc to just name a few. A pulse racing story line backed up a gripping screenplay and deftly handled direction causing nerve wracking excitement to go along with the pot boiling mixture of chaos, mayhem and hullabaloo over mistaken identity. And what fabulous array of songs in different dimensions making it such a memorable soundtrack and one cannot shy away from mentioning the precision of the re-recording which reigns supreme in elevating the scenes to a higher pedestal. It's seriously hard to pinpoint one flaw.

The synergy effect works perfectly in Michael Madana Kama Rajan where every individual in the movie is a hero but the movie ends up becoming the biggest hero of em all. A comic caper catering to the masses and the classes and to the young and old, this one's a cult classic in every way. Many of us grew up in the 90's with this film and for many of the movie buffs this laugh riot remains one of the most watched movies ever. One won't be surprised even if it has been seen over a triple digit times as it offers so much unlimited entertainment guaranteed.

25 years has passed since the saga of Michael Madana Kama Rajan and it's place as one of the undisputed comical giants of the silver screen will forever remain. Remembering everyone's favorite MMKR for completing a landmark silver jubilee. There are great movies and there is Michael Madana Kama Rajan - a riveting laughathon like never seen before and perhaps never ever after!.

Some tit-bits & trivia on MMKR:
● It was the second association of the Kamal Hassan and Crazy Mohan combo after the immensely successful Apoorva Sagotharargal (1989).
● MMKR was a Diwali release of 1990 and incidentally there were 5 other films releasing the same day with Ilaiyaraaja as the music director - Amman Kovil Thiruvizha, Mallu Vetti Minor, Puthu Paattu, Chatriyan and Sirayil Sila Raagangal
● Sundari Neeyum song was picturized by playing the song at twice the original speed in order for Kamal and Oorvasi to lip sync correctly.
● The song Sundari Neeyum was supposed to be sung by KJ Yesudas but dates played foil eventually leading to Kamal singing himself. Infact in an interesting tale, YG Mahendra actually congratulated Yesudas on the song and when KJY quipped that credit should go to Kamal, it left the former completely stumped.
● MMKR was perhaps the first Tamil or even Indian Film to feature a laptop as early as 1990.
● It was the first film to have 'Face Morphing Technology' in Tamil Film Industry.
● The Bheem boy character who is the body guard for Kamal Hassan is played by Praveen Kumar Sobti, an Indian athelete who was 6'7" and a Double gold medalist in discus throwing in the 1966 and 1970 Asian Games.
● There were 2 songs in the movie which were not shot but part of the audio records viz Aadi Pattam Thedi sung by Mano, Chitra & chorus and Maththa Poovu Oru Penna rendered by Chitra, both penned by Vaali.

Amazing Amadora!

Amadora has been on my wishlist for a very long time. Glad I was finally able to make it here. We headed here after finishing our dinner duty at the nearby Delhi Highway. The place is located in a secluded lane off KNK. On a cursory glance, the area feels quite dark and lonely but alas only for a wee bit and your perception changes immediately seeing flocks of people and sprangling vehicles move in and around this small street.

Amadora is a house converted into an ice-cream parlour. This one's a little different from the usual run off the mill ice cream places which you associate to be splashed with lots of color and feeling very play schoolish. It is muted in terms of color but has it's own charm. Walls decorated with sweet quotes, blackboard drawn with colored chalks highlighting the special stuff for the day and the elevated chairs with jigsaw shaped tables give it a unique touch. The desserts on display already give an indication of the goodness to follow.

They have loads to offer making your sweet tooth crave for some indulging decadence. We were 4 of us and ordered the following items: a scoop of caramelised white chocolate and jaggery each, a lemon ginger popsicle and an underbaked cake with 5 bean vanilla ice- cream. Both the white chocolate and jaggery had strong flavoring and were ravishing to say the least. It was a delight to suck every spoonful joyously. I am a fan of popsicles and I couldn't but wait to lick that whitened stick of sweet enigma. The ginger aroma was inherently prevelant and my childish insticts were in full fore enjoying this lipsmacking icy delight. And boy oh boy awesomeness reached a new level as soon as I donned one spoonful of the scintillatingly mouth wateringly brilliant underbaked cake. Ah, it felt like attaining nirvana and with the 5 bean vanilla ice cream to boot, this was one jaw droppingly gyrating dessert. No exaggeration, taste it for yourself and you would know.

The rates are pretty much on the higher side but considering the output that went into the mouth, you surely wouldn't cringe as you would have seldom tasted such delicious desserts. I am sure coming here again to attack more of their stuff :).

North Indian at Delhi Highway, Nungambakkam

The best plans are made impromptu. There have been so many occasions on which I've been wanting to experience the Dilli ka khana but for some or other reason it wasn't materialising. And finally am relieved that Delhi Highway has been finally ticked off the list.

It's located in the ever happening Khadar Nawaz khan road and the place is crowded with a heavy influx of predominantly the northie crowd. It works on the system of first come first serve and thankfully we were allotted a table within a waiting time of 10 minutes.

From the name, you can easily figure that it's a place serving out and out Tandoori fare. They also have some chaats added to the mix. The ambiance is a touch predictable and the creamy and brown shades give that mild mughlish durbar feel and the gloomy dim light's make it quite visible that you're in a North Indian restaurant.

We began our course with a Dahi papdi chaat and a couple of starters. The chaat was pretty standard and that extra I was expecting was surely amiss. And the tandoori front started with the Achari Paneer Tikka. The reddish chunks of cottage cheese were soft and nice but way off from being exceptional. It was certainly nice but that zing of wallowing a succulent piece of my ever favorite panneer wasn't felt. The other one, Tandoori Aloo with grated cheese lavishly coated over the oval pieces of boiled potatoes was quite decent.

On the main course we had 4 versions of Indian bread - Butter Naan, Garlic Naan, Aloo Kulcha and Rogani Roti. And for the curries we went with Paneer Lababdar and Veg Kohlapuri. The Indian bread were quite substandard to be frank. Some of the pieces were so hard and the fluffiness was just not there. The Paneer gravy was quite nice cooked on an onion gravy but the veg Kohlapuri at best could be termed ordinary. We decided not to have any desserts.

Overall the food was just bordering along the average and it was a bit of a disappointment especially because the expectations were set much higher. Though nothing could be termed downright bad, I didn't get the feel of relishing some good ol North Indian khana.

The service was pretty quick with the items being brought and served to our table in quick fashion. The quantity served was quite a let down and the abominable pricing makes it all the more worse. At best, this dine out experience left a lot to be desired.

Channel 9 Cricketing Yore and Remembrance of Greigy and Benaud

Two gentlemen made watching cricket all the more exciting thanks to their erudite and cogent skills with the mike.

One, a burly giant sized man with unmatched enthusiasm whose excitement for the game was infectious and who used to go ballistic at the need of the hour making folks watching home to soak and harness the atmosphere in the middle. His unique way of analysing the pitch was one of a kind.

The other was perfection personified and was a pioneer with his reporting style and wry sense of humour. There was none better to summarise the activity happening on the field in such a nonchalant ease and subtle fashion. No wonder he is rightfully bestowed with the moniker of 'Voice of cricket'.

The Australian summer with Channel 9 used to be so much fun and it was a feast to listen to these masters in enduring flow describing the action on the pitch. Both of them are not with us anymore making the game sad and the audience sadder, but the memories will fondly live on and I personally cherish those childhood days of watching Live cricket listening to these 2 luminaries in the commentary box adding to the entertainment quotient and making it an aurally pleasing experience.

Remembering Anthony William (Tony) Greig and Sir Richie Benaud on their birth anniversary. Thanks for all the wonderful memories.

Nostalgia Revisited at Eden's Harrisons

The Eden at Harrison's is a perennial favorite and rekindles a lot of good old memories. Years back when Chennai didn't have a siege of restaurant's as how it is today, this was one good place for fine dining attracting numerous customers. Even now despite other options and the apparent competition, Eden still has it's legion of fans. Take my word it is one good restaurant to take your family and friends and it's highly unlikely that you will end up being disappointed.

This outlet is situated on the 3rd floor in Harrison's hotel located on the way towards Chetpet main road. It is well lit and bright and the tree top artifact on the roof gives it a nice touch. The decor is nice and cozy comprising of Ivory colored cushions and virtually everything about the place has remained the same since it's inception dating back to the 90's.

The menu is a very simple 2 pager and it has been virtually the same for a decade with nothing new added along the way. You might wonder that they haven't evolved but the fact is they know what they are good at and play the A game to the 'T'. Knowing well their strengths perhaps they never found the need to venture into newer territories and here it's about playing their cards close to the chest and they do a good job at it.

Though the spread here is continental, tandoori and a skosh of South Indian, it is on the continental where they count the shots. This is perhaps one of the first places I have tasted Lasagne and baked dishes. I loved it then and I continue to enjoy their lipsmacking baked to perfection dishes even now. Another area where they walk the talk is on the appetizers. Just love whatever they have to offer here whether its the corn on toast, Bharwan paneer, veg cutlets, tangy aloo and many more. Their north indian stuff is also pretty good but somehow I have had better stuff elsewhere and in relative terms with the continental i feel they fall way short. The bit of south Indian is just to add the numbers. Never really tried much of them. They also have a separate single dessert page with sundaes, shakes and ice cream and their most popular item here is 'When was the last time i checked my waist' which is a dessert suffused with chocolate in abundance.

The rates have been hiked up over the years but well within the norm keeping the inflation factor. You wouldn't really complain much especially after gorging some of their delicacies. The service is really quick and the food will come to your table faster than you expect. Valet parking is very much available as it's situated inside a hotel.

Eden holds good on most grounds and has kept it's charm intact over the years. Restaurant's may come and go but this Eden restaurant at Harrison's will always hold a dear place in the heart.

Cheesy Juicy Burgers opens at Perungudi

I have heard quite a bit about Cheesy juicy burgers from friends who have claimed that their burgers are economical and great VFM for the size of burgers offered. I have not been fortunate to have sampled them in their older outlets at ECR and Adyar. But, having open an outlet close to my office vicinity, I was waiting to jump the gun and try it out at the soonest and check for myself if all the brouhaha about the place holds good.

This outlet is located bang opposite in between of RMZ-1 and the SP infocity campus. The strategic locale does play to its advantage as there are a truckload of employees working round this area and this burger chain comes as a welcome change to try out something different from the usual and limited options which this surrounding has to offer.

It was a friday afternoon and almost 2 when I was on the lookout for a place to eat when it struck me that it was the ideal time to check CJB out. And having a few ticket vouchers helped as they agree to take in both this and Sodexo passes. The joint is small and has just 4 tables. It has an open entrance and inside the walls are covered with bricked wallpapers and you also find some artifacts hanging on the walls. The seating is very simple containing plastic chairs. There isn't anything really worth mentioning about ambiance but on a relative perspective it scores on the neatness quotient considering the scalor in and around.

The menu is a one page thick bound pamphlet listing the veg and non veg burgers along with the sides. The options on veg are not too bad and apart from roughly 7-8 normal varieties they also have a couple in the special section - one with corn and the other having Mushroom. The ones sans 'special' do not come with cheese and you are required to pay 15 bucks extra for a slice. As I was in the hungry mood I decided to go in for the the Special Mushroom burger which was supposedly coming with a double patty layer. As expected the burger was giant sized and I found it difficult to juggle up with one hand in the process making use of both hands to hold the big brown bun and stuff it into my mouth. The burger was meaty and tall and it was difficult to wallow the entire length in one go thus making it messy. I must confess it's fun to get messy when eating burger because its supposed to be like that. The mushrooms were hidden inside the patty and there were a few onions to go with it. The patty made of aloo was well marinated and had a nice crust to it. The size was big but the filling could have been a wee bit better. Though it was overall pretty good, I felt it lacked the juiciness and the zing of eating a big sized burger was somewhat amiss. However I must say that it is way better than some of the ones offered at other places. Also them being new, it may take a bit of time to get into the groove. One thing however which was disappointing was the lack of french fries served with the burger. Nowdays it's almost taken for granted and more so since I had their special high end burger I did expect a small portion to have along with my burger and sadly I didn't get any.

The service was quick with my burger arriving in a whisker. But personally felt the prices to be on the higher side. The normal veg burgers are all priced at 100 plus and you need to shell out extra on the cheese too making it come upwards to the 150 barrier and the special ones usurp the pricing much further. Most employees working in these giant campuses are given passes of approx 50 bucks to spend on a day and this place seems too far fetched and more so since it's placed in an office dominated area, it relegates itself to a place where people will visit only on a special occasion rather than as a usual lunch/dinner spot. Some balance on the pricing factor should definitely help.

I am not sure how regularly I will be coming here but I will visit whenever feasible to try the other varieties of burgers and sides before coming to a well drawn out conclusion.

Cleo's Grill&Cafe

Indra Nagar is witnessing a sudden splurge of restaurant's in its suburbs and Cleo's Grill & Cafe happens to be one of the newbies in town. It is located in the 4th avenue and might be a little difficult to locate but shouldn't be much of a concern if you have done your homework with maps.

The name Cleo's derives itself from the popular character of Cleopatra and this restaurant specializes predominantly in grilled based food. There is an interesting twist to it as the management felt there isn't any real good grill food chain in the city prompting them to start one of their own.

The place is small but nicely compartmentalized into different enclosures and the ambiance gives a gloomy effect with a dim lit feel. The decor is very comfortable and the hanging lights across each table gives it a nice touch.

We were invited as a big group to try some of their offerings and were offered a set menu which comprised loads of stuff. The non vegetarians especially had much to relish with starters of all kinds in abundance. Listed below is my take on the vegetarian side of things. We started our sojourn in the form of welcome drinks and there were a couple of them - Crazy frog and the Pomogingy fizz. The former was refreshing and icy and made of a mix of Blue curacao and mango whereas the latter was punchy and mildly spicy in a combination of Bovonto and Pomogranate. After the drinks, it was time for soup which was a Grilled Bell pepper soup. It was appeasing especially with the subtle smoky flavor with a dash of cream and cheese. Then we were served a crunchy noodle salad which was akin to an Indian chaat based dish with the requisite spices getting us prepared for the bigger palate in store. Next it was time to target the starters and for veg we had 2 paneer based and a solitary mushroom. The cleos grilled paneer appeared first which was a charcoal based square of paneer smeared with a tangy tomato paste and went along jocularly well with their Orangish chilli mayo. It was a little on the spicier side but nevertheless really well made. The other cottage cheese one - Fiery paneer kabab was more along the traditional paneer tikka kind you get at most places and tasted decent. It had a slightly burnt feel to it and came with mint based mayo sauce. Contrary to the term fiery, the former paneer sans the fieriness felt spicier than the latter. The Cheese stuffed mushroon were in the form of cutlets with big button sized mushrooms within the layer and a coating of cheese on the sides. It was passable and not something to really rave about. I must make a mention of their mayo sauces for accompaniments which were thick and different from the usual add-ons and they played a key role in elevating and complementing the eating of the starters. After that was time for the main course - Indian bread, zafrani rice with Paneer tikka masala and Dal Makhani for company. We got to taste a special type of naan which was laced with herbs and spices which tasted wonderful. Also got myself a slice of Olive and Garlic Naan and the fact that it was well made and fluffy was well visible. The Paneer Tikka masala had succulent pieces of cottage cheese which were cooked in a tomato based gravy and the Dal Makhani was fair enough albeit a far way off from some of the better black dal's I have had. Didn't have the wherewithal to try the zafrani rice but from the spoonful I tasted, it had a nice aroma and flavoring to it. We also were given Bovonto with Ice cream which served as the perfect foil for having this kind of food. We rounded off with desserts - Chocolate mousse & Mango cheesecake in a glass and a Nutella Banana Pancake. The choco mousse was soggy and it was a delight to cream it across and put into your mouth. The mango cheesecake was soft and tasty and the Pancake was okayish. Also as a final dash we got a skosh of Gajar Halwa with ice cream which tasted a little different and not really suiting my taste buds.

Overall it was a very decent experience with most of the items bordering from the good to very good and some areas needing a bit of an improvement. Considering the relatively smaller spread of vegetarian items, it was surely more than passable. A non vegetarian eater should be able to give a better verdict considering the options galore.

The service was amiable. They catered into all our requests in a friendly manner, but however felt they could have been a wee bit quicker in bringing some of the items. The rates seem marginal and competitive. Being located in a quite street, there is ample space for bike and car parking.

At the end of it all, it was quite a satisfactory affair.

Hoppipola comes to town

Hoppipola is all set and ready to take the Chennai pub scene by storm. After already making a splash with it's ventures in Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore, the radar of this happy go lucky pub has extended it's footing towards Chennai and thankfully so. This resto pub is located in the basement of Spring Hotel, Nungambakkam and the initial feel well and truly indicates it having the shiz factor going for it.

The place appeals instantly and the interiors are tastefully done. It is bright, colorful and vibrant as opposed to the eerie darkness usually associated with a pub. It is much more than just that and trebles up as a great place to eat, drink and play. Zest and zeal is inherent and the tons of fun events make this place really happening and uber cool.

It was just the 4th day of its launch when we as a big group were invited to check this place out on a friday evening. It's very much in its nascent stage but witnessing the activity and atmosphere prevalent, there's no doubt that it has already been lapped up by chennai vaasis and the bar has been raised.

We got to sample a plethora of food and drinks and most of them won the brownie points. The non vegetarians especially were raving about some of the stuff served, veg wasn't too bad either ranging from average to good with some being top notch. The pizza's though lacked a bit of bite but the cheesy macaroni was baked to perfection having a smooth texture and tasted kick ass. The hummus were bloody brilliant and kind of addictive. Kudos also to the presentation. Also they had very many interesting sauces coming along with the starters, some were punchy and had a lovely twang to it. And for dessert we were served a ravishing baked cake with banana engraved on top and we were literally fighting with one another to grab a bite of the pastry. The drinks were in variety and abundance and it was fun gulping down the different drinks they had in store. Some of us also indulged in frolic playing some of their interesting games.

The service was exceptional. The bar tenders keep the place extremely lively and entertaining. The choice of music is great keeping the tempo and pep going on incessantly. The rates seem par for the course and surely within limits. Valet parking also works in full swing. Despite being new in the market, most bases have been covered which speaks a lot.

Nungambakkam rightfully stakes claim to being the area invested with the best restaurant's in town and with the arrival of this lounge bar, it's position has been elevated a notch further. There is something for everyone here and rest assured you will have an awesome time experiencing Hoppipola.
Will i come again - Hell Yeah.

South Indian Fusion @ Madras Kafe

Madras Cafe has it's moments . It's a decent place to stop over for a quick bite of south Indian tiffin tossed up in a fusion avatar. It is predominantly the usual south cuisine customised to give it a twist. You have snacks in the form of cheese fingers, potato wedges, assorted platters etc in the ayal naattu (outside land) section and in the namma ooru (home land) part you have your vadais and bhajjis.

The place specialises on dosa's with a truckload of varieties and you also have your usual idli, chappathi, poori and also idiappam, appam, Chole batoora et al. They also have something called Barotizza, an indianised version of pizza with toppings on a chappathi base and also kothu barottas and barotta rolls. Also there is an area called Hall of sandwiches with many stuffed cheese based ones. Also there are variety rices and beverages and smoothies and shakes for finishers.

We had a mix of tiffin items such as podi dosai, onion uthappam, paneer tikka masala dosai, fried podi idli ,kaara cheesy varuval and a filter kaapi and masala chaaya to round off. The fries were oozing with cheese on the top, however the bottom part was left orphaned. The tanginess was missing a bit. The podi dosai was also ok but however it was just podi smeared without oil in it which was a bit of a let down. The paneer tikka masala was perhaps the best we ate here with the triangular dosa having abundant pieces of paneer masala and also it went well with the chutneys and sambar. The onion uthappam was strictly ok and nothing to regale about. The podi idly which took oh so long to be brought to the table was worth the wait and was well deep fried and had a lovely punch to it with podi in magnanimous quantity enveloped all over the idli's.

The place is neat but isn't something that will work big on the ambiance front. The big poster drawing of Madras with the Mylapore backdrop and the Marena beach tries giving it an authentic flavor. The Hindi music playing in the background however sticks out sorely taking the charm away.

The prices are pretty reasonable and par for the course. All the items we had set us back by 500 bucks and a bit which wouldn't really make you slouch. The service at times had it's issues with water not being refilled promptly and also time taken to bring the stuff which was much longer than expected. Also the lack of tissue papers in the tables were irritating. And the disappointment of not having many things from the menu adds to the woes.

The Madaras Kafe has its shares of hits and misses. It surely isn't a bad place to head out for some tasty south indian food being a tad different than the usual.