The charanam of this song has always blown me away. Much before the album 'Breathless' came into existence, it was this composition which was known to stir a chord when it came to continuous singing before leaving a breath. It is so beautifully structured that it goes about the full monty in jaw dropping mode with subtle swara bits constantly going back and forth. The other eye liner is the way it reaches a crescendo and then in nonchalant fashion does a 'U' turn connecting the bridge handing over the baton to the Pallavi portion. SPB does an awe inspiring job crooning this really hard nosed passage and IR is a pioneer in his own right always inventive and creating marvels in the midst of a blink of an eyelid. 'Mannil Indha Kadhal' is an evergreen favourite and this is a humble attempt at trying this pyro-technic of a musical labyrinth which has always fascinated beyond imagination.
Sunday, January 21, 2018
Friday, December 15, 2017
Noodle Theory - Simple and Effective!
The Noodle theory is a simple but effective model. It works on the ad-lib concept of making your own wok. They have plenty of options and a few of their sauces are killer. They also have couple of starters, bao buns, drinks and brownies to complement the stringy noodle intake.
It's virtually a 5 step process where you first get to choose the base product ie the rice or noodles. You have bountiful options here with some rare choices also such as vermicelli rice, udon, soba etc. Once you're clear with the base product, next up is choosing the protein where you have tofu, panneer and just veggies. Once you're sorted on that front, you need to pick your veggies. You can choose as much as 5 types ranging across basic as well as exotic kinds. After that it's about picking the sauce which you want to cook your noodles/rice with. This is the one that can confuse you as you have plethora of choices from mild ones to the really wild spicy one's. Interesting concoctions such as japanese red wine, mallaka etc are available. And then the finale is closing out with the garnish. You can choose any 2 products from a stack of 7.
We were a group and tried a number of rice and noodle options. I found most of the sauces to be really good and the noodles were well constructed with abundance of flavours. There were certain surprises such as the vermicelli rice noodles cooked with a teriyaki sauce which was terrific. The jasmine rice aroma took our breath away. And almost all the noodle fare pressed the right buttons.
On the starters, we tried all of them which were available and the winners happened to be tofu in pepper overdose and the crispy chilli potato. The former especially packed a punch and the raw spiciness with the chunky tofu garnished with Chinese spices satisfied my desideratum.
We also tried a couple of their Bao buns namely the veggie and chilli panneer version and both were quite nice. The brownies were quite average but this was more of a filler to our meal and it isn't fair to expect too much out of them. They also have a bunch of drinks named after interesting personalities. The lemon based ones with a tinge of ginger were especially refreshing and ideal for the tongue.
Overall, it was a resounding thumbs up. They've done their best within the limited arrangements. It seems to be buzzing with people thronging the outlets at regular intervals. It isn't a traditional fine dining kind of outlet but the quantity and taste makes you think otherwise as what they served ticked the boxes on almost every front.
If you like your noodles and sauces and want to consume a slurpy based meal filled with an aroma flavours and interesting ingredients, the Noodle Theory is sure to entice you.
It's virtually a 5 step process where you first get to choose the base product ie the rice or noodles. You have bountiful options here with some rare choices also such as vermicelli rice, udon, soba etc. Once you're clear with the base product, next up is choosing the protein where you have tofu, panneer and just veggies. Once you're sorted on that front, you need to pick your veggies. You can choose as much as 5 types ranging across basic as well as exotic kinds. After that it's about picking the sauce which you want to cook your noodles/rice with. This is the one that can confuse you as you have plethora of choices from mild ones to the really wild spicy one's. Interesting concoctions such as japanese red wine, mallaka etc are available. And then the finale is closing out with the garnish. You can choose any 2 products from a stack of 7.
We were a group and tried a number of rice and noodle options. I found most of the sauces to be really good and the noodles were well constructed with abundance of flavours. There were certain surprises such as the vermicelli rice noodles cooked with a teriyaki sauce which was terrific. The jasmine rice aroma took our breath away. And almost all the noodle fare pressed the right buttons.
On the starters, we tried all of them which were available and the winners happened to be tofu in pepper overdose and the crispy chilli potato. The former especially packed a punch and the raw spiciness with the chunky tofu garnished with Chinese spices satisfied my desideratum.
We also tried a couple of their Bao buns namely the veggie and chilli panneer version and both were quite nice. The brownies were quite average but this was more of a filler to our meal and it isn't fair to expect too much out of them. They also have a bunch of drinks named after interesting personalities. The lemon based ones with a tinge of ginger were especially refreshing and ideal for the tongue.
Overall, it was a resounding thumbs up. They've done their best within the limited arrangements. It seems to be buzzing with people thronging the outlets at regular intervals. It isn't a traditional fine dining kind of outlet but the quantity and taste makes you think otherwise as what they served ticked the boxes on almost every front.
If you like your noodles and sauces and want to consume a slurpy based meal filled with an aroma flavours and interesting ingredients, the Noodle Theory is sure to entice you.
Friday, December 8, 2017
Ice Kraft - A tryst with Ice & Cream!
Ice cream parlours are on the prowl. You literally find one opening every other day and there is an inherent similarity in most of them. However that's not the case with Ice Kraft. I didn't come with any great expectations but left with a sounding impression that this place is here to stay and going to capture the market.
The place is located in the main road of GN Chetty road in T Nagar. It's quite nicely done up with a small lawn space seating overseeing the inside portion where the ice cream action takes place. They also have a portion upstairs where it's a little more private and peaceful. There is an envelope of blue overseeing the place. A dash of white added along gives it a lovely little professional touch up. There isn't too much on the ambiance front except for portraits picturing ice creams with quotations.
We were here on an invite and tried a variety of their offerings. First up, had a shot at the Hurricane fries. It was powdery and that sprinkle was felt in the mouth. It wasn't spicy by any means but the spread could have been subdued a bit. The cheesy potato wedges were absolutely wonderful though. Just the right dosage of cheese laced on top and this was a delight to eat with the dip. The sweet potato was another stunner. It had everything going for it and tasted delectable and was a great combination with the peri peri sauce. The corn also was nice to taste with this spicy red peri sauce. We also had a couple of salads which were well done up with both the thousand island as well as the herbed garlic lebnah being pleasing in taste. It had the perfect mix of creaminess and tonnes of exotic veggies in the mix.
Now, coming to the main part of the programme, the sweet stakes. This was an area where they literally aced it. Almost all of their creations were really well played and it was rejoiceful trying their sweetened delicacies one after another. The freakshakes lorded the show with both the Nutella crunch as well as the Tiramisu being spectacular. If you like your shakes to be messy and overloaded, you should definitely try this one out. It was overflowing like a waterfall with the sweet avalanche gushing. I particularly took liking to the nutella which gave that socklodager chocolaty punch. We also were served a twist in the form of sweetened fries in the mode of red velvet oreo and red velvet brownie fries. The former was absolute kick ass. Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, this one was certainly enjoyable taking a dab at. The latter didn't pass the muster as opposed to the former as the brownie taste didn't come across appealingly.
The place is located in the main road of GN Chetty road in T Nagar. It's quite nicely done up with a small lawn space seating overseeing the inside portion where the ice cream action takes place. They also have a portion upstairs where it's a little more private and peaceful. There is an envelope of blue overseeing the place. A dash of white added along gives it a lovely little professional touch up. There isn't too much on the ambiance front except for portraits picturing ice creams with quotations.
We were here on an invite and tried a variety of their offerings. First up, had a shot at the Hurricane fries. It was powdery and that sprinkle was felt in the mouth. It wasn't spicy by any means but the spread could have been subdued a bit. The cheesy potato wedges were absolutely wonderful though. Just the right dosage of cheese laced on top and this was a delight to eat with the dip. The sweet potato was another stunner. It had everything going for it and tasted delectable and was a great combination with the peri peri sauce. The corn also was nice to taste with this spicy red peri sauce. We also had a couple of salads which were well done up with both the thousand island as well as the herbed garlic lebnah being pleasing in taste. It had the perfect mix of creaminess and tonnes of exotic veggies in the mix.
Now, coming to the main part of the programme, the sweet stakes. This was an area where they literally aced it. Almost all of their creations were really well played and it was rejoiceful trying their sweetened delicacies one after another. The freakshakes lorded the show with both the Nutella crunch as well as the Tiramisu being spectacular. If you like your shakes to be messy and overloaded, you should definitely try this one out. It was overflowing like a waterfall with the sweet avalanche gushing. I particularly took liking to the nutella which gave that socklodager chocolaty punch. We also were served a twist in the form of sweetened fries in the mode of red velvet oreo and red velvet brownie fries. The former was absolute kick ass. Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, this one was certainly enjoyable taking a dab at. The latter didn't pass the muster as opposed to the former as the brownie taste didn't come across appealingly.
Finally I had my much awaited tryst with the black charcoal ice cream. This was a first for me and I was looking forward to have a dribble. It was quite nice though I really can't say about the taste because it was something totally new. But nevertheless, I kind of enjoyed the charcoal scrape with the tinge of coconut which was quite pleasing. We had a number of shots at different flavours served on the black charcoal waffle cone and each one of them was lip smacking. We also had ice cream coming along in taco shells which was done up really well. We tried the charcoal flavour as well as the berry which I took real fondness to.
On the whole, it was a roller coaster of an ice creamy experience. The quality of the highest order and they also seemed to have got most of their innovations bang on without trying to go too over the top. They are planning to bring many more sweetened inventions to their inventory and for the dessert craving aficionado, this is an outlet which can give your ice cool creamy instincts a definite high five.
Sunday, December 3, 2017
The Wharf 2.0 - A serene experience!
The Wharf provides the perfect atmosphere to chill on a lazy weekend with good food and an ambiance that screams serenity. It is perched completely away from the city limits and is located by the seaside of the temple bay resort. It is a wonderful getaway spot if you're looking for a long drive along with the mood for relaxation and combined with easy paced foodie delicacies.
There is both outside and inside seating arrangements. It is done up like a shack with thatched roofs with an open grilled cooking area and a bar counter. The place depicts insouciance and a laid back feeling in full vigour. It is like a fine opportunity to soak in the sun and slice up a lovely little meal away from the hustle and bustle of the city environment.
The place by itself has modified itself and received a face-lift. From being a purely sea food restaurant, they've revamped their set up in a major way. The version 2.0 is bright with a melange of colours making up the picture. Also on the food side, they've added in a skosh of items to satisfy everyone's palette. Sea food is still prima facie their torch bearer but also added along are grilled and barbecue food and also plenty of vegetarian options and an array of desserts.
They are based on the concept of the 5 elements of nature viz Earth, water, fire, air and space. Each have specific items categorised under them based on a logic. For example, fire denotes most of the stuff being grilled and fiery whereas the earthen side brings to the fore the vegetarian fest whereas the space is to depict the mass available after consumption of food, so in this case it covers the dessert draw.
We were here for a bloggers meet and were provided a set menu for the day comprising of a number of starters, main course and desserts along with a sample few welcome bites. We began with a bite of a herbed roasted mushroom starter along with a beetroot refresher. These were just to cleanse ourselves for the bigger picture awaiting us.
In the starter section, the crumb fried olives were top notch. This is an earthy creation with this appetiser comprising olives and coming along with a blue cheese & paprika dip. Spreading the blue cheese on those brownish crispy balls sure added some extra romance to the gnarling tongue. I thoroughly enjoyed slurping this one up. On the fiery side, the panneer tikka mustered up quite a fury. They were charcoal grilled, slathered with the right dosage of spices and super soft in texture. It was wonderful consuming them with the peanut and green chutney.
The main course spread had a delightful mushroom based dish called Dastaan-e-Kumbh. Another of the vegetarian fare included the Bhutte Aur Gajar ka Sheekh. Both of these were fire creations and you could feel the dynamism striking the senses. The kumbh felt surprisingly smooth and the touch up of malai added wonders. The sheekh kabab laden with corn and veggies were one of the best I've had. The above two were more of the starter category though categorised under mains. However we did have a shot at Garlic Naan with a couple of sides viz Dal Makhni and Balti Panneer. The Naan was soluble and having strong aroma of garlic. The Dal Makhni was a little off the mark as I found it to be a bit too liquidy and the creaminess was sorely lacking. The Balti Panneer however was delectable and balancing the indian bread really well.
And the finale were the desserts. We opened our account with the Gulab Jamun cheese cake with candy floss. Gulab Jamun seems to be the new fad in the world of desserts. Experiments with this insanely mouth watering indian sweet is being tried out in various avatars. Not only does it walk the walk as a standalone sweet piece but is also rising a storm by providing a perfect blend of synergy by being used in various forms. This dessert was lacquered with a touch of liquor to mildly complement the sweet essence by giving a slightly bitter tinge. Not too sugary sweet but enables you to relish the smack and thwack it provides your sweet tooth. The other one we tried was the deconstructed cappuccino chocolate marquisse. Again, this wasn't too sweet and had a nice taste to it. To end it all, there was a big surprise waiting called by the name of 'Hard Surprise'. I would personally term it as the 'Brown Blown Bombshell'. This was a broken chocolate bomb nitrogenised and containing inside exotic delicacies like red velvet cake, mascarpone, white chocolate terrine and filled with cinnamon butter crumble, indian sweets and seasonal fruits with berries. It was quite a sight to see the raw material getting converted via the process of manufacture into this delightful finished product which was rich and sweet in abundance.
On the whole, it was a wonderful experience. The service was exemplary and the staff were at our beck and call waiting to serve us to the best of their ability. The twirling waves of the sea with the zephyr blowing across gently is a fantastic add-on and you seldom get to match this escapade anywhere else. Prices aren't mentioned as it was over an invite. I would strong recommend that you go visit The Wharf'. Not only do you get to chill by the sea but it comes with tremendous pluses in the mode of good food, laid back ambiance, generous service and an overall serenely cherished atmosphere which is sure to make your day/night a wonderful experience to remember.
There is both outside and inside seating arrangements. It is done up like a shack with thatched roofs with an open grilled cooking area and a bar counter. The place depicts insouciance and a laid back feeling in full vigour. It is like a fine opportunity to soak in the sun and slice up a lovely little meal away from the hustle and bustle of the city environment.
They are based on the concept of the 5 elements of nature viz Earth, water, fire, air and space. Each have specific items categorised under them based on a logic. For example, fire denotes most of the stuff being grilled and fiery whereas the earthen side brings to the fore the vegetarian fest whereas the space is to depict the mass available after consumption of food, so in this case it covers the dessert draw.
We were here for a bloggers meet and were provided a set menu for the day comprising of a number of starters, main course and desserts along with a sample few welcome bites. We began with a bite of a herbed roasted mushroom starter along with a beetroot refresher. These were just to cleanse ourselves for the bigger picture awaiting us.
In the starter section, the crumb fried olives were top notch. This is an earthy creation with this appetiser comprising olives and coming along with a blue cheese & paprika dip. Spreading the blue cheese on those brownish crispy balls sure added some extra romance to the gnarling tongue. I thoroughly enjoyed slurping this one up. On the fiery side, the panneer tikka mustered up quite a fury. They were charcoal grilled, slathered with the right dosage of spices and super soft in texture. It was wonderful consuming them with the peanut and green chutney.
And the finale were the desserts. We opened our account with the Gulab Jamun cheese cake with candy floss. Gulab Jamun seems to be the new fad in the world of desserts. Experiments with this insanely mouth watering indian sweet is being tried out in various avatars. Not only does it walk the walk as a standalone sweet piece but is also rising a storm by providing a perfect blend of synergy by being used in various forms. This dessert was lacquered with a touch of liquor to mildly complement the sweet essence by giving a slightly bitter tinge. Not too sugary sweet but enables you to relish the smack and thwack it provides your sweet tooth. The other one we tried was the deconstructed cappuccino chocolate marquisse. Again, this wasn't too sweet and had a nice taste to it. To end it all, there was a big surprise waiting called by the name of 'Hard Surprise'. I would personally term it as the 'Brown Blown Bombshell'. This was a broken chocolate bomb nitrogenised and containing inside exotic delicacies like red velvet cake, mascarpone, white chocolate terrine and filled with cinnamon butter crumble, indian sweets and seasonal fruits with berries. It was quite a sight to see the raw material getting converted via the process of manufacture into this delightful finished product which was rich and sweet in abundance.
Thursday, November 30, 2017
Thaligai - Traditional Brahmin Heirloom Cuisine
Thaligai thrives on heirloom cuisine, the kind of food that has passed on from traditions down the ages. There is a lot of nostalgia involved with the kind of recipes and spread which is sure to inkle a memory especially for the age old brahmin households. The food here is predominantly from down south and more so of the kind which is dished up in yesteryear Iyengar homes.
The food is sans garlic and onion and looks to go the healthy route. Thaligai as such refers to a wholesome meal fit for a feast. They have a stack of tiffin based items which you usually wouldn't eat much except on those rare festival days. Their motto is to preserve the vintage cuisine made famous by grandmothers of bygone generation in a renewed slightly tweaked format to cater to the younger crowd.
I'm not sure how exactly it'll be lapped up but the effort to bring in authentic brahmin cuisine deserves the plaudits. My feeling is that they will be more popular during seasons such as the music festival in Dec and also for the US based return folks who would be longing to consume this kind of food.
We were here on an invite to savour some of their specialities. Apart from the dining space at the ground, they have a private dining area which is well done up and seems peaceful. We had a plethora of items ranging mostly from short eat snacks to evergreen favourites and a few rice items and ended up with sweet and degree coffee.
I wouldn't go into specifics of each of the items but some of the stuff i really liked was the Morkazhi, diamond dosa, neer Kozhukattai, bhajji and bonda. The Morkazhi had a delectable taste to it as it was smudged with a flavour which was really hitting the senses. Their Mor Kulambu was also absolutely lovely. The sandwich idli was pretty different with a dash of tomato chutney spread in between the layers for it to resemble a sandwich. This was a very interesting innovation. The Neer Kozhukattai was in fact a soup, i couldn't figure this out at all. It had a lilting aroma with pieces of kozhukatta floating inside and gave a slight avial kind of taste. A real different soup which was like never before. The bonda's had a nice aloo masala tinge and the mysore one was soft and fluffy. The ladies finger bhajji was also crispy and great to munch. The diamond dosa had a slightly spicy masala inset which I quite liked. And for enders we had a jaw dropping delicious Ashok Halwa which was simply melt in the mouth and final flourish was a resoundingly strong filter coffee.
On the whole, it was a lovely experience. The food was great and homely. It was a bit mild and more catering to the healthy side which may not please everyone but once in a way it's a nice option to try out. The prices are pretty reasonable. Thaligai will have it's legion of fans. I appreciate the fact that they are taking the efforts to preserve tradition by bringing in the lost wonders of Brahmin cuisine. They are also intent on adding twists along the way for that 'x factor' and keeping their target audience lured. I wish them all the best in this endeavour and hope they find a firm footing in this ever growing food circle of Chennai.
The food is sans garlic and onion and looks to go the healthy route. Thaligai as such refers to a wholesome meal fit for a feast. They have a stack of tiffin based items which you usually wouldn't eat much except on those rare festival days. Their motto is to preserve the vintage cuisine made famous by grandmothers of bygone generation in a renewed slightly tweaked format to cater to the younger crowd.
I'm not sure how exactly it'll be lapped up but the effort to bring in authentic brahmin cuisine deserves the plaudits. My feeling is that they will be more popular during seasons such as the music festival in Dec and also for the US based return folks who would be longing to consume this kind of food.
We were here on an invite to savour some of their specialities. Apart from the dining space at the ground, they have a private dining area which is well done up and seems peaceful. We had a plethora of items ranging mostly from short eat snacks to evergreen favourites and a few rice items and ended up with sweet and degree coffee.
I wouldn't go into specifics of each of the items but some of the stuff i really liked was the Morkazhi, diamond dosa, neer Kozhukattai, bhajji and bonda. The Morkazhi had a delectable taste to it as it was smudged with a flavour which was really hitting the senses. Their Mor Kulambu was also absolutely lovely. The sandwich idli was pretty different with a dash of tomato chutney spread in between the layers for it to resemble a sandwich. This was a very interesting innovation. The Neer Kozhukattai was in fact a soup, i couldn't figure this out at all. It had a lilting aroma with pieces of kozhukatta floating inside and gave a slight avial kind of taste. A real different soup which was like never before. The bonda's had a nice aloo masala tinge and the mysore one was soft and fluffy. The ladies finger bhajji was also crispy and great to munch. The diamond dosa had a slightly spicy masala inset which I quite liked. And for enders we had a jaw dropping delicious Ashok Halwa which was simply melt in the mouth and final flourish was a resoundingly strong filter coffee.
On the whole, it was a lovely experience. The food was great and homely. It was a bit mild and more catering to the healthy side which may not please everyone but once in a way it's a nice option to try out. The prices are pretty reasonable. Thaligai will have it's legion of fans. I appreciate the fact that they are taking the efforts to preserve tradition by bringing in the lost wonders of Brahmin cuisine. They are also intent on adding twists along the way for that 'x factor' and keeping their target audience lured. I wish them all the best in this endeavour and hope they find a firm footing in this ever growing food circle of Chennai.
Wednesday, November 1, 2017
Fromage - A cheese friendly affair!
Fromage pronounced as "Fraw-mazh" is the French equivalent of cheese. It's apparent from the name that the ever loved delicacy 'cheese' forms the significant part of the items in their menu. The restaurant is located as part of the 'Somerset' property and is a perfect addendum complementing the happening resto bar 'Radio Room' just by it's wayside.
The interiors are well played. Lovely toned blue doors adorn the settings and the white wall touch ups with meaningful portraits hung showcase the show of this place. It isn't over the top by any means and in fact gives a rosy picture with regard to the surrounding environment.
On the food, they have a menu comprising of a cuisine which has a European touch. Cheese is something which gets instills the Cheshire cat instincts within me and it was a pleasure seeing a card laid out with cheese in all it's splendour.
We were here to try a selective hand picked menu chosen for the day. We started with the soup of the day in the form of a Gouda cheddar which was quite interesting. The cheese was quite subtle but the presence of it could be felt all along.
In the starter section, we had three kinds of veg servings. We began with the delightful spinach, corn and cheddar tarts. These were sinfully cheesy and mouth wateringly mushy. The tarts were so damn soft that it was a feast biting into them with the cheesy liquid melting jocularly inside the mouth. This appetiser was gob smacking awesome. Next, we moved on to the Onion Jam Goat Cheese Rolls. This is as exotic as it gets. The combination worked wonders with the tangoing of goat cheese and caramelised onions in these golden fried rolls coming along with a lip smacking sweet tinged jam. This was another top notch appetiser. And lastly, we had the Tomato confit bruschetta with parmesan. This was a little lesser in awesomeness compared to it's predecessors but nevertheless quite good on it's own fettle. There were tomatoes galore and the shearing of parmesan cheese over crusty slices of bread was quite nice to consume.
The main course was all about Pasta's and it's brethren. The speciality of this place is the cheese wheel where pasta is made in spectacular fashion by scraping and cooking it inside those big sized oval shaped parmesan cheese wheel. The cheesiness was tingling along meltingly over the layered pieces of penne/fusili and it was quite a delight consuming them. You could feel the cheese in all it's fullest fury. Apart from the pasta, we also tried the veg Lasagne which was pretty good made in a tomato base with oodles of cheese spread along. Also was tried the Mac'n'cheese pasta. Though i found this slurpy, the salt content felt a little off.
On the whole, it was a really pleasing and satisfactory meal. You don't get to consume such high quality stuff of imported variety of cheese in many places within the city. And the quality and taste of majority of the items were resoundingly good. The service was amiable and ever ready to help us out. The rates aren't mentioned as the meet was over an invite. Even otherwise for the kind of offerings, the pricing is definitely on the competitive bracket. A shout out to Eazy Diner for hosting us and ensuring that we have an enjoyable meal. You would also like to check their application which will enable you make reservations at various top restaurant's within the country at ease via a click of a button. All in all, it was a meet full of fun and frolic with the satisfaction of a quality meal aced by Fromage.
The interiors are well played. Lovely toned blue doors adorn the settings and the white wall touch ups with meaningful portraits hung showcase the show of this place. It isn't over the top by any means and in fact gives a rosy picture with regard to the surrounding environment.
On the food, they have a menu comprising of a cuisine which has a European touch. Cheese is something which gets instills the Cheshire cat instincts within me and it was a pleasure seeing a card laid out with cheese in all it's splendour.
We were here to try a selective hand picked menu chosen for the day. We started with the soup of the day in the form of a Gouda cheddar which was quite interesting. The cheese was quite subtle but the presence of it could be felt all along.
In the starter section, we had three kinds of veg servings. We began with the delightful spinach, corn and cheddar tarts. These were sinfully cheesy and mouth wateringly mushy. The tarts were so damn soft that it was a feast biting into them with the cheesy liquid melting jocularly inside the mouth. This appetiser was gob smacking awesome. Next, we moved on to the Onion Jam Goat Cheese Rolls. This is as exotic as it gets. The combination worked wonders with the tangoing of goat cheese and caramelised onions in these golden fried rolls coming along with a lip smacking sweet tinged jam. This was another top notch appetiser. And lastly, we had the Tomato confit bruschetta with parmesan. This was a little lesser in awesomeness compared to it's predecessors but nevertheless quite good on it's own fettle. There were tomatoes galore and the shearing of parmesan cheese over crusty slices of bread was quite nice to consume.
The main course was all about Pasta's and it's brethren. The speciality of this place is the cheese wheel where pasta is made in spectacular fashion by scraping and cooking it inside those big sized oval shaped parmesan cheese wheel. The cheesiness was tingling along meltingly over the layered pieces of penne/fusili and it was quite a delight consuming them. You could feel the cheese in all it's fullest fury. Apart from the pasta, we also tried the veg Lasagne which was pretty good made in a tomato base with oodles of cheese spread along. Also was tried the Mac'n'cheese pasta. Though i found this slurpy, the salt content felt a little off.
On the whole, it was a really pleasing and satisfactory meal. You don't get to consume such high quality stuff of imported variety of cheese in many places within the city. And the quality and taste of majority of the items were resoundingly good. The service was amiable and ever ready to help us out. The rates aren't mentioned as the meet was over an invite. Even otherwise for the kind of offerings, the pricing is definitely on the competitive bracket. A shout out to Eazy Diner for hosting us and ensuring that we have an enjoyable meal. You would also like to check their application which will enable you make reservations at various top restaurant's within the country at ease via a click of a button. All in all, it was a meet full of fun and frolic with the satisfaction of a quality meal aced by Fromage.
Friday, October 20, 2017
Immortal Re-recording from Mouna Ragam!
This is an immortal piece of music from an evergreen movie where the heart melts and the soul lingers with emotion every time I listen to it. The climax re-recording pierces like a spiral down your throat and the underlying theme of the music remains a perennial favourite from times gone by. This was immensely tough to play with so many shifts back and forth enabling me to go the full mickey jumping in from one octave to another continuously. I could never do justice to these mind boggling BGM's but just attempting to play them gives sheer joy. Mouna Ragam climax + underlying theme music.
P.S : Headphones recommended
P.S : Headphones recommended
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
Focaccia - An Italian masterpiece!
The signifying feature of all Hyatt restaurant's are that they are in an open space environment with the live kitchen being viewable from the outset. They may all be located in the large mass space but it never intrudes the privacy in any way. Focaccia is defined by lovely wood work and upholstery. The dim lights just about ignites the rightful feel for a quite feel good meal and the pleasant music playing at the background definitely adds to the charm of proceedings. Their large kitchen is stuffed with all need to do Italian ingredients and is well co-ordinated and has a buzz about it. You can even feel the aroma of the ingredients resonating creating an expectation of what to expect.
We were here for a special event titled "The Return of the Drama Chef". The menu was specially curated handpicking a few selective stuff. Story goes that the Italian chef recently happened to go to his hometown of Milan from which he was able to import varieties of chestnuts, truffles, Italian cheese et al which aren't usually easily available in India and hence these items comprising such stuff were specifically part of this concept festival menu.
Coming to the food, it was well and truly one of the finest Italian food rendezvous which I've ever had. The items served were nothing short of spectacular in virtually all angles from the presentation to the flavours to the taste and in a nut shell it was cut out class defined in every way.
The appetizer section had a couple of vegetarian offerings. One of those were the patata al uovo - a pastiche of potato and egg. Potato and egg when combined form a jaw dropping combination and when floated on a bowl filled with pecorino cheese fondue with truffles slathered along eleemosynary, it was divine and totally of the melt in mouth kinds. The other one was the giardino florito - somewhat equivalent to a salad. I don't recollect any kind of food being so appealing just to look at. This was constructed like an exotic garden planted with goodies in abundance. A whole bunch of exquisite veggies with truffles forming the signature fare imported specifically from Milan to get the crunchy effect and smeared with pecorino cheese fondue for that lilt. A work of art literally and foodgasm in it's truest sense.
Surprisingly it was after the starters that we had our tryst with the soup. It was a pumpkin based soup and easily one of the finest I've ever had. Never felt the flavours of a soup to be so inherent and vehement. The aroma slithering in the pumpkin tasted heavenly with chestnuts floated in gregariously and garnished with casera cheese made from semi skimmed milk and made popular in Italy. It was not just some soup, the taste buds have seldom been tantalised like this ever before.
Moving on to the main course section with the pastas and pizza's, we got to try a Leek fondue Risotto, mascarpone ravioli and a gourmet truffle pizza. Risotto is the Italian equivalent of Indian rice cooked in a broth. I've never really been too fond of the Risottos I've tried out but this leak fondue risotto garnished with fresh black truffle was just kick-ass. It was rich in texture by being consistently creamy with just the right bit of stickiness and had a lovely lingering taste to it. The mascarpone ravioli was made with asparagus soup, parmesan cheese and loaded with truffles and was a sheer masterpiece. This one was a temptational tongue twirler. My oh my, the joy of creation of food just shot up another level. A dunk at this and the tongue gets all chiselled up and has no choice but to signal it's intentions to drool. The pizza was no slouch either being resoundingly rich on flavours and the freshness of cheese was so intact. We also had a shot at a spaghetti made with olive oil and garnished with pot holes of truffles which again raised the bar.
In the dessert draw, we tried the chocolate millefuille chestnut mousse which was presented beautifully with a soft cream layer inset a double decor chocolate biscuits part. This was quite crunchy and delightful in taste. But truth be told, it was the chestnut soft cake with a hint of rum which stole our hearts. It was marmalade smooth moist, caressingly creamy and delectably delicious. This one had all the ammunition to melt waftly in the mouth.
On the whole, it was a sterling dinner made riveting right from start to end. Each dish competed with each other for top stakes and our meal only kept getting better and better with hardly any blip noticed. The chef was really engaging and made our overall experience really pleasant. As it was an invite over an 'on the house', I refrain from mentioning about the prices.
Foccacia, no doubt is one of the premier restaurant's serving Italian cuisine and just going by this particular Italian affair, they are just streets ahead of the pack. Without a shadow of a doubt, this outlet serves the most sublime Italian cuisine in the whole of the city of Chennai.
We were here for a special event titled "The Return of the Drama Chef". The menu was specially curated handpicking a few selective stuff. Story goes that the Italian chef recently happened to go to his hometown of Milan from which he was able to import varieties of chestnuts, truffles, Italian cheese et al which aren't usually easily available in India and hence these items comprising such stuff were specifically part of this concept festival menu.
Coming to the food, it was well and truly one of the finest Italian food rendezvous which I've ever had. The items served were nothing short of spectacular in virtually all angles from the presentation to the flavours to the taste and in a nut shell it was cut out class defined in every way.
The appetizer section had a couple of vegetarian offerings. One of those were the patata al uovo - a pastiche of potato and egg. Potato and egg when combined form a jaw dropping combination and when floated on a bowl filled with pecorino cheese fondue with truffles slathered along eleemosynary, it was divine and totally of the melt in mouth kinds. The other one was the giardino florito - somewhat equivalent to a salad. I don't recollect any kind of food being so appealing just to look at. This was constructed like an exotic garden planted with goodies in abundance. A whole bunch of exquisite veggies with truffles forming the signature fare imported specifically from Milan to get the crunchy effect and smeared with pecorino cheese fondue for that lilt. A work of art literally and foodgasm in it's truest sense.
On the whole, it was a sterling dinner made riveting right from start to end. Each dish competed with each other for top stakes and our meal only kept getting better and better with hardly any blip noticed. The chef was really engaging and made our overall experience really pleasant. As it was an invite over an 'on the house', I refrain from mentioning about the prices.
Foccacia, no doubt is one of the premier restaurant's serving Italian cuisine and just going by this particular Italian affair, they are just streets ahead of the pack. Without a shadow of a doubt, this outlet serves the most sublime Italian cuisine in the whole of the city of Chennai.
Sunday, October 15, 2017
A blitzkrieg of an interlude - Raja Raja Chozhan!
I absolutely adore the first interlude which turns up after the initial pallavi passage of the song Raja Raja Chozhan Naan. It takes off pronto going at a trailblazing pace and in the blink of an eyelid slows down in resolute nonchalant fashion while shifting gears to the Charanam. It's like a beautiful connecting bridge showcasing different contrasts and all this is done keeping the core cistern intact. The track as a whole is a genuine gem. It makes you run around the paddy fields and as you keep moving around, you tend to uncover a rich tapestry of bright spots within the labyrinth. This one's worth exploring every bit as what you eventually unearth is a treasure chest of epic proportions.
A song for the ages, three decades have passed and it still sounds as fresh as a dew drop. The zig zag patterns, back & forth movements and jumping across octaves, the nous in the handling of alien notes within the scale, the resplendent singing and the composition as a wholesome result makes this one of the most memorable and evergreen compositions churned out in Tamizh Cinema.
This is just a small attempt at trying this mind boggling interlude which has always captured my imagination. I humbly know it can never be even remotely close to the original but just the joy of venturing out an experiment of the genius Maestro makes the whole process vindicated. Please listen and let me know your views. More importantly if you haven't really placed an extra ear at the interlude, give it an overarching hear and get marvelled at this bazooka of a magnum opus laced with intricacies and layered with musical brilliance!.
Friday, October 6, 2017
Mezze - A Middle Eastern Marvel!
Mezze is another new restaurant that has cropped up. But wait, it's not your usual run off the mill place. This place serves delightful cuisine from the Middle Eastern region. I have always been intrigued by exquisite delicacies from the regions of Lebanon, Turkey, Greece etc and this one is a great addition as they serve such exotic stuff not usually available.
The place as such is small and shrouded in a quiet street off R A Puram. Parking space is ample though there isn't valet facility available. It's not a full fledged fine dining kind of space hence you wouldn't really expect it. It's like a boutique restaurant with the wall arts presenting a kaleidoscope of creations. These regions are known to infuse different colours and you could find a bit of kitschiness in the surrounding. It ain't too obtrusive and is well played within the space constraints.
Staying just a road away and being hearing all the things about this place, I couldn't hold back for long and hence decided to give this outlet a visit. The menu is simple with not too many items stacked but just about right with options. I went for a hot Mezze in the form of a Harissa Sambusa and a cold Mezze was an obvious choice of hummus with pita bread.
A Sambussa is the Middle Eastern equivalent of the Indian samosa and is semi circular in shape as opposed to triangular with the similarity being both are stuffed and loaded. This Sambussa was filled with potatoes and entangled with a string of cheese. And for touch up was a Harissa dip which is an orangish chilli paste which it went along very well with. It was absolute melt in the mouth stuff and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Now, Hummus is a thing which I love very much. There is an enticing taste to it and i don't know what it's about but that subterfuge should be handled really well to get the desired taste. It's subtle yet creamy and this version of it was top notch. I have a thing for Hummus and this is one dish which i love getting down and dirty with. Dump it in the pita bread and eat or else just get whacky by pruning with a fork or even hand and shove it inside the mouth. I totally digged this one which satisfied every bit of my taste buds.
Being a single diner, I didn't go for desserts. There are quite a few items which i have zeroed on in the menu which I am craving to try on my next visits. The service was of high order and very helpful in enabling me to choose what I wanted. Also patient enough to clear all doubts. Mezze's usually are small plates but I found the quantity to be a bit too exiguous. That was my only grinch as it just got over so soon.
Overall a nice little place in this neck of the woods. In and around this locality is known for pretty good North Indian and South Indian food not to forget even a choice of lovely dessert places but nothing as distinctive and arousing as something like this which has transcended from the Ottoman empire to being popular in the kitchens of the Middle east and Mediterranean region. Welcoming this venture with open arms and surely this place can expect my visit more often.
The place as such is small and shrouded in a quiet street off R A Puram. Parking space is ample though there isn't valet facility available. It's not a full fledged fine dining kind of space hence you wouldn't really expect it. It's like a boutique restaurant with the wall arts presenting a kaleidoscope of creations. These regions are known to infuse different colours and you could find a bit of kitschiness in the surrounding. It ain't too obtrusive and is well played within the space constraints.
Staying just a road away and being hearing all the things about this place, I couldn't hold back for long and hence decided to give this outlet a visit. The menu is simple with not too many items stacked but just about right with options. I went for a hot Mezze in the form of a Harissa Sambusa and a cold Mezze was an obvious choice of hummus with pita bread.
A Sambussa is the Middle Eastern equivalent of the Indian samosa and is semi circular in shape as opposed to triangular with the similarity being both are stuffed and loaded. This Sambussa was filled with potatoes and entangled with a string of cheese. And for touch up was a Harissa dip which is an orangish chilli paste which it went along very well with. It was absolute melt in the mouth stuff and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Now, Hummus is a thing which I love very much. There is an enticing taste to it and i don't know what it's about but that subterfuge should be handled really well to get the desired taste. It's subtle yet creamy and this version of it was top notch. I have a thing for Hummus and this is one dish which i love getting down and dirty with. Dump it in the pita bread and eat or else just get whacky by pruning with a fork or even hand and shove it inside the mouth. I totally digged this one which satisfied every bit of my taste buds.
Being a single diner, I didn't go for desserts. There are quite a few items which i have zeroed on in the menu which I am craving to try on my next visits. The service was of high order and very helpful in enabling me to choose what I wanted. Also patient enough to clear all doubts. Mezze's usually are small plates but I found the quantity to be a bit too exiguous. That was my only grinch as it just got over so soon.
Overall a nice little place in this neck of the woods. In and around this locality is known for pretty good North Indian and South Indian food not to forget even a choice of lovely dessert places but nothing as distinctive and arousing as something like this which has transcended from the Ottoman empire to being popular in the kitchens of the Middle east and Mediterranean region. Welcoming this venture with open arms and surely this place can expect my visit more often.
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