Food & Dining Guide

Rhapsody, Marriott Courtyard , Anna Salai, Chennai

noreply@blogger.com (ck2) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 04:07:00 +0000

We picked this place, because someone said, it was a good italian food place in the city. I love italian food, well mostly the carb rich pasta, but the bread and their sauces too. And so it was worth putting this to a test. I guess every recommendation comes with a catch. Is their good, good enough for you? Or what exactly does good mean?

Chennai always known for its idli, dosai, vadai and sambar is increasingly playing host to a variety of cuisine. The most popular ones, though, are the junk food exported from the US - KFC, Pizza, etc. So a visit to Rhapsody would have been a nice distraction. Situated bang in the middle of what most people would consider the artery of Chennai - Anna Salai, our erstwhile Mount Rd, its located within the Marriott Courtyard hotel. I have been to the hotel a couple of times, a decent place, with a lot of pretense.

The same pretense shows through in their service and food selection at this restaurant too. We walked in, there were three of us, and were greeted politely by a 'lost' host. He was not sure if we were there to drink and be merry or eat and sleep. Well, you see, there is lounge bar, right there within the restaurant. A lounge bar, that played sports on a large screen TV. Thats a first. A fine dining place, that comes with a sports bar, that masquerades like a lounge bar.

Well we there for business. Food. Quickly ordered the main course, since time is always a constraint for many reasons. No soups or starters. It was easy to skip the starters, because we were served an assorted selection of bread. Many were cold. Off different varieties served, the flat bread stood out, in taste. The rest was just baked yeast. Common tea shops serve similar selection of bun. Right there, the italian restaurant failed its test. A fine italian place also serves very, i mean very very, good bread - hot, crisp and hard on the outside and soft on the inside. Or some variant of this. Never dull bread.

I dont know why. I came to eat pasta. But the menu item 'grilled salmon' caught my fancy. The many years living in the US, i had perfected my 'Grilled Salmon' (or similar fish steak) order. I was a fool to visualize the food before it arrived or at the time of the order. One colleague, ordered the pizza, since he wasnt so adventurous. The other picked the pasta dish made with angel hair pasta.

Conversations, if interesting, reduces the wait for the food to be delivered to the table. And apparently we didnt have to wait long. My friend who ordered the pasta is a globe trotter. His pasta dish arrived at the table. We had a knife and fork, the only silverware at the table. No spoon. Another test, failed. How do you eat pasta, the long kind, without a spoon? But a request, delivered an ordinary large spoon to the table. That was good enough, but not ideally suited for the pasta gumbtion. Luckily the waiter saved grace, by asking, if he wanted cheese. He then brought a big lump of cheese, grated it right on to the pasta. They seem to have got one part right. The pizza was good, and better than the fast food variety.

My fish arrived in decent shape, but it was clothed. Yes, they apparently thought it was best to grill the fish with its skin. But they choose to leave the skin only on one side, and removed it from the other. What ever side, they picked they left the skin on the wrong side. Nothing irks me more, than seeing skin on a piece of meat. The fish was cooked well, just as i had asked. But it was devoid of any spice or flavor. Thats fine, in america or europe, where it may be the desired way to consume, not here. I would appreciate a little flavor of salt, and a bit of spice. So i asked for pepper, the fresh kind, so it could be ground right over your food. Instead i was treated to the two regular spice, that is found on any average food table - regular salt, regular factory mass produced devoid of any flavor pepper. Fail again.

So without the soup, and binging on free starters, the main course and drinks set us back, a little more than two grand. It was a decent experience, i wont call the food bad. But i dont think their claim to be a fine italian restaurant is legitimate. While one can always pretend to be something, it takes diligence, and more importantly simple astuteness to mimic something thats foreign to you.

Idli & Dosa, Satyam Cinema, Royapettah, Chennai

noreply@blogger.com (ck2) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 10:08:00 +0000

Idli & Dosa, or ID, as their funny logo shows, is a only-Veg restaurant right inside the Satyam Cinema complex. Satyam Cinema has been revolutionizing the concept of cinema going in Chennai for sometime, and this restaurant (not exactly new, now) is one such enhancement.

As you enter in, you can soak in some classy decor and bar stools. Yes bar stools around the chef's work area, so you can see him cook up some dosa, idli or vada etc. Watching fresh dosa being made, is not new, but bar stools surely are. The regular tables and chairs are different too. The seating chairs had wheels, and so they moved around easily. It also provided some avenue to spend time, while waiting for your food to arrive. The table was already served. Your plates (steel ones) were already laid out, and so you could immediately serve yourself some chutney and start licking your fingers. Although i first mistook these plates to be place-mats or some fancy holder for the food tray to arrive, and did have some misgivings about eating from it. The host arrived quickly and pulled out the menu card from his back pocket. Neat little menu cards, with limited options too, and moderately priced. What i didnt notice, until a little later, was that it could be used to place orders too.

The food took a tad bit longer than expected, but not long enough to kill us. But the best surprise was in store only on arrival of the food. I ordered plain dosa, and also munched down a keerai vada waiting for my dosa to show up. The other order from our table was idli. The keerai vada, was at best oily, very crisp or rather should i say hard. It tasted very mediocre. The dosa was a big bore too. The chutneys white (coconut), red (onion) and green (coriander/mint) didnt add major flavour either. If it werent for the sambar, i would have left the place disgusted. I also ordered filter coffee, which came in a fancy cup, and was again just barely decent.

The experience was at best average, altho the ambiance did soak in nicely. I particulalry like a backdrop picture showing the different phases of the moon, using a rava idli. The waiters were attentive and quite courteous, although at times, they were lost, a case of too many chasing around few seated tables. So while it was nice that you could call out to anybody, lack of one dedicated person to your table, did reduce the personal touch.

On the whole, i would give it a pass, but wouldn't hesitate to try it, if i ever were to come out of a movie famished and starved. Considering that we down large popcorn bucket, puffs and sandwiches at most movie outings, i would think that this would be a rather rare occurrence. And then again, HSB's Swathi is just around the corner.

Durga Park, AMS Raj Palace Sundar, Adyar

noreply@blogger.com (ck2) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:56:00 +0000

A last minute decision on sunday evening, caused us to get in the car, and drive to a restaurant for dinner. The day was almost over, getting ready for monday played on our minds, to pick a restaurant close by, but to avoid boredom, it had to be something new preferably. The choice was Kokum, which i had just located inside MRC Nagar that morning or the new Raj Palace Sundar. A quick left turn after crossing the Adyar bridge, brought us inside the erstwhile Andhra Mahila Sabha location, which is now the home for this hotel and its restaurant.

There is only restaurant, Durga Park, and is located in separate building. This was an old building tastefully converted into a restaurant. We entered into a small hall about 10x10, to be greeted by no one, but were able to see a buffet laid out to the left. A lot of men dressed in dark suits (mostly black or blue blazers) were standing in line, leading us to believe that maybe some party or marriage had taken over the place. Soon one of the waiters came up to us and directed us to another room to right, which we had seen earlier, but avoided because it looked like a hastily converted dining area. The table and chairs were not the usual restaurant chairs, but more like the marriage hall types. When questioned he indicated that the restaurant was booked. Ok. My question at this point should have been, why keep it open at all? Why not indicate that today it is closed to casual diners?

Well, not to make a big fuzz, we sat a table in the corner of the room. There were already another family seated at a larger table, with room for one more large family of about 6. Our table of four, seemed placed rather oddly in a corner, but was ok to seat children and two adults. He brought us a buffet menu, priced at Rs. 300 for an adult and 150 for a child, it seemed fair. But we were not in a mood for buffet. We were looking for just a couple of dishes to close out the night. He indicated al-a-carte menu also was available, and brought us the menus, he did bring one menu each (i guess since the rest of the crowd was not using the menu). The buffet, by the way, is regular for weekend dinners. The non-veg buffet, had only 3 non-veg dishes, one each for mutton, chicken and fish. I think based on your preference and liking, the chances of a win-win on the buffet is only 50-50 or less.

The menu was fully of all kinds of cuisine, southern, chinese, tandoor, punjabi etc, all fitted into about 4 pages. I was wondering why a restaurant which supposedly located in AMS would have any cuisine other than Andhra style. I reasoned that the guests at the hotel would probably want more options, and hence the only restaurant offered a mish-mash of everything. I tried specifically to stay away from chinese and north-indian. There are better restaurants for these kind of food.

We quickly ordered a starter chicken chat (i forget the exact title) and pappad, and the main course was kozhi varthathu (chettinad style), meen kozhambu, chicken biryani, pulkha, roti and some curd. The pappad (masala) was on the house. All of this cost us only about Rs. 500, inclusive of bottled water. Well the food arrived rather quickly. I found that a little strange, but who is to argue, and since we were hungry and tired, it was heaven sent. But the reason was apparent soon, the kozhi varthathu and meen kozhambu were based of the same gravy, same taste, same spice, well like i said 'same' gravy. It was good, no complaints there. The biryani was average, and no different from very many chicken biryanis available elsewhere. The roti and pulkha were pretty pathetic, not from a taste perspective, but from shape, form and style of cooking. You would think they would be dry and devoid of oil, well these seemed to be soft (more from wetness of oil or humidity). All in all the meal was not bad, but a big disappointment based on the expectation to eat Andhra sytle food.

When the food from the main course arrived, i asked the waiter about the starter. He said there was nothing on his list. Looking at the food in front of us, i figured this was more than enough, and said fine. As we began eating and made about 1/4th our way into the meal, a chappy came with our starter. I said thanks, but we are already eating our meal, so no thanks, and please take it away. Smart fella, he goes back and arrives about 4-5 minutes later with a small boxed meal indicating our starter was packed. I wanted to smile at his cheeky attitude or his manager disposition. But i said, boss, we are not going to take it, please cancel and take it back. Well, no major shakes, they didnt make a fuzz after this or about this. But we did get a visit from a 'manager' or someone who apparently seemed to have just worn his jacket to visit our dining area. I dont think he was visiting us on accord of this dispute, but must have suddenly realized that we and now two other guests in this room must be missing his warmth. He strode in adjusting and buttoning his jacket, and asked if everything was fine, and soon walked away, never to be seen again.

At two points during the visit, i was considering leaving this place, the first was when they had indicated the main dining area was booked, and the second was when we saw the menu devoid of any andhra specialty. I was seriously considering going to Kokum. In some sense it was good that i stayed on. We may have been tempted to visit this place at a later date, but now, i doubt if we will go back to this place, considering it doesnt have anything unique to offer. A few points to its credit, the place was new, and so had a very clean and fresh smelling bathroom (something that is rare even in larger and better restaurants). The waiters were not discourteous and tried their best to accommodate visitors and our wishes. The food was just better than average, but it may also be based on our choice of dishes. They are also priced modestly. However, i am disposed to not visiting the place, since my expectation was that this restaurant would offer a specific cuisine or atleast specialize in the andhra cuisine. This is a restaurant meant mainly to cater to the guests at the hotel.

Cream Centre, RA Puram, Chennai

noreply@blogger.com (ck2) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 04:46:00 +0000

It was vegetarian season, thanks to an upcoming trip to Sabarimala. We had been frequenting the usual idli-dosa places, and wanted to try something different, but also particular that it had to be a full and only vegetarian restaurant. While Cream Centre was one of the options that night, i wasnt quite sure where it is located. Well, we found it without any difficulty. We were also lucky, we were early, in by 7pm, and managed to find a table within about 5-10 mins. As we entered, i was wondering where we had come, since it seemed decent but rather ordinary.

All that changed when we were seated and presented the menu. For once, the waiter at our table, gave us an extra menu, meaning more than the usual 2 or 3 normally provided at a table at restaurants. I wonder if we should start ranking restaurants based on ratio of menus to guests at a table. By that category, i would give this place a four star rating - "****". Anyway, the menu presented, was breathtaking, mind-blowing, and fantastic....(please insert any other accolades possible). The pictures, the presentation, the sampling provided, simply amazing. An appropriate movie dialogue would be from Jerry Macquire, "you had me at hello".

It soon turned into another problem. What to order.... or for the first time, in recent history, what not to order? It was tough choice to pick something and leave out another. It was like you were doing great injustice to the Onion Rings, by picking the Cheeseballs. But finally we did pick the cheeseballs and falafel as starters, lahori sizzlers (based on the my waiter's advice), veg panner sizzler, penne pasta and quesadilla (thats case-a-diya, not kusad-illa !!). Ordering out of the way, we settled for the usual long wait for food to arrive. Only to be surprised. The food came fast to the table, but in the wrong order and one at a time.

We had the Penne Pasta first, immediately followed by the falafel sandwich. In a few mins, just enough for the solitary falafel sandwich to go around the table, for a measly bite each, we had the cheeseballs and the quesadilla. So two dinners and the two starters. The quesdilla looked more like a starter, as we were waiting for the sizzler, we decided we must augment the order. And we ordered an aloo methi parantha!. The penne pasta was still be worked by my kid, but everything else had disappeared from the table. We were then presented the veg panneer sizzler. It is now that the waiter had realized that he was missing something, he soon came and apologized for the missing sizzler. I guess there is a reason why i am the butt of all the jokes, thanks to my blog. That was my sizzler, and my mouth that had watered at the menu stage was soon going dry. Still waiting for the sizzler, we received the parantha. I was done eating, or my appetite was gone. I had half the mind to cancel the order. Everyone else had finished their meal, and the parantha was like an extra filling and making its rounds.

Well, i did get my sizzler, all steaming and hot. I was hungry and so i swallowed my pride along with some of the hot steamy food. The sizzler was good, but i may have given it raving ratings, if it had come sooner. Now it was just too hot, and had to be transferred to another plate from the iron skillet, and seemed more messier than it should have been. All this wait and some extra food, ate into empty space for dessert. So it was left to me to slowly work my way through the sizzler, while others watched. A nearby table had a very similar problem, all but one order had reached the table. We exchanged glances, but i guess they too were in a similar state, one person hungry and still waiting for food.

In summary, it was a good place, good food, a tad bit expensive, but the service like most other places was just about average. In all this mess up, my waiter, was friendly, but his manager or bosses didnt make their appearance or even make apologies. I was tempted have a small chat, and cancel, but i had not eaten, and i kept wondering if this poor chappy's salary would be docked because of some mistake in the kitchen. I only wish people in the service business took some more care. It would help attract and retain customers.

But then who really cares. We finished our meal, paid up, with a decent tip (in-spite of the small mess up) and walked outside into a sea of people. From madi-sarai mammis to noisy children to english speaking tamil-girls to kurtha-pyjama daddies and many of the usual all-veggie desi crowd. At that point the wait would have been anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour. What the hell, why would anyone care about attracting customers and more importantly retaining them!. In an country of a billion people, where almost 30% have all the money to spend, and fewer places to spend them in, you cant expect great service. Demand is always higher than supply.

Oh by the way, before i sign-off, a place that charges about Rs. 100 for small starter, can afford to have more than one bathroom per gender accessible.

Fisherman's Fare, Egmore, Chennai

noreply@blogger.com (ck2) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 19:52:00 +0000

I have been to this place a couple of times. The names makes it seem like it only serves seafood. Well, it does predominantly serve seafood, but i guess the demand of people who simply want to eat biryani and the likes of panneer butter masala are too much to keep it of the menu.

The place is nothing much to write about. Its not jazzy and it would appear from the name. The road it is situated on is one of the more crowded ones, but there is decent parking (for about 6 cars) right in front of the restaurant. In any case these cant be held against the restaurant. But the inside appearance must surely be something, that they can do a better job off.

The most recent visit was during lunch on a working day. A colleague and i walked into an almost empty restaurant, though it was early for the usual lunch hours, which would have started an hour later at about 1pm. The place did get crowded and almost full, by the time we finished and walked out at about 2pm. Since we were early we had a choice of the entire restaurant to sit, but we were dissuaded from sitting at the one place we sought, because of some electric work possible. The person who seated us was friendly, so one cant take offense to this simple request. But it is still a bit difficult to comprehend how restaurants showcase something, only to deny you later. This happens more when it comes to items on the menu, to hear the all too frequent apology, "sorry sir, this item is not available today"!!

After a protracted view of the menu, we chose to order the combos. I chose the chicken tikka combo (well, i am not a great fan of seafood. I eat only some kinds of fish, and absolutely no shell-fish and other stuff the ocean). My colleague chose a fish tikka combo. We also got some hot pepper chicken soup, only when it arrived, it was made the chinese style, with egg-drop and all. It was good, steaming hot and helped my cold, but would have been rather ridiculous on a hot afternoon in madras. The timing of the soup was right, and we got our food just after the soup bowl was cleaned up. The combo platter was perfect for lunch. Two dishes of chicken, one dry and one with gravy, some rice, one dhal, some rotis, a bit of salad. The other combo had two dishes of fish. But i noticed that one of it was strips of fish, deep fried with batter, something i wouldnt have been too excited about. The food was good, and there was nothing to complain. Although people wanting to know about prawns, crab, squid and other seafood stuff on their menu, will have to search elsewhere.

The combo also came with a drink. Since i had a bit of cold, i asked for something warm. All their bottled softdrinks were stored cold and so not an option. The guy (waiter, server) said they have appy or frooti (both of which come in a tetra-pack). I chose the appy, only to specify that he brings it in a glass and not in the pack itself. Well, he did, only he that he brought the empty glass and tetra-pack to my table and insisted on doing the magic in front of me. I first requested him to go do it somewhere else, since we were in a serious conversation. He did a small walk and came back to the table to do it again. I again, requested but now without the please, and also showed actions, in case he didnt quite understand. He now proceeded to walk around the table, and attempted to do this, on the opposite side. I lost my cool and told him, please take it away from the table, go to the kitchen and do this. I dont think he did that, but he did take it away from my table and bring it back in a glass soon.

Overall, it was a pleasant experience. The food was good. The service was friendly to the usual nonchalant (which is pretty much common in any restaurant in the country). I guess its part of the 'it feels like home' mantra, many people try to follow. I must consider this place again, probably with a larger group, so a better choice of orders can be tried.

Dynasty, Nungambakkam, Chennai

noreply@blogger.com (ck2) — Sun, 31 May 2009 03:47:00 +0000

This is an all time favourite, or used to be. Part of the Harrisons Hotel, has been in existence for a better part of my life. The old style hotel has now been torn down, and rebuilt into a multi-storey building hosting the same restaurants as before, Meenam and Dynasty. There was a time when the Harrisons Hotel opened smaller Dynasty outlets around Chennai. There were about 2 or 3 around chennai, not including another bakery called Harrisons (i think).

I have been here a few times. I specially loved the older version, because of the sprawling setup. But then, those kind of places are rare these days inside chennai. If i remember correctly, i was introduced to the 'manchurian', thanks to Dynasty. Good chinese food, meant Dynasty once upon a time. Unfortunately, while they have not gone bad, they seem to have lost their edge. The quality of the food is surely not in line with times.

The services was mixed. I must thank Mr. Jeffery (forget his last name), who seemed to care, but boys in the red suit were not as friendly or careful. Mr. Jeffery with his black coat and all, is the head waiter (if you can use that title here), and obviously was required to override decisions or rules. The lower boys were quick to say 'no' to anything, but the moment you bring it to Mr. Jeffery's attention, the issue is resolved amicably. We were a group of ten, and were at first squeezed into a table for 8, in an empty restaurant, in anticipation of a crowd coming later or because the extra table will come in the way!! The next thing that required Jeffery's attention was approval to change the channel on the TV.

We ordered starters, main course all too quickly, hungry as we were. Crispy lamb, dry chilli chicken, veg balls manchurian, and crispy chicken and fuyong. The crispy chicken leg is a chicken bone, all covered with chicken meat, dipped in a special batter and deep fried. It is unique here, most other places, offer a version of this called chicken lolipop. The fuyong was also good, as expected. However, after eating, i wish we had ordered the fuyong without chicken in it.

For main course, it was two kinds of fried rice, and soft noodles, both of which were just about good. But of the dishes we ordered, Lemon Chicken, made with sliced chicken, deserve a very good rating. The other dishes were just about ok, and not worth calling out or remembering. The fried rice or noodles in India, is different from what i have eaten in the US. There is very little oil used in the cooking of both these food, that it could qualify for a health food. I specially love egg fried rice here or in most chinese places, adding meat (chicken or other), seem to introduce a different flavour, making it less desirable.

We finished with some deserts, mostly ice cream, because the menu had nothing special to offer here. The date pancake was just ordinary, compared to ones we get at Mainland China, nearby. People dont seem to care about competition, they believe that crowds will come because of some old glory. One should only look at the Buhari's on Mount Rd for some lessons.

Vrindavan, New Woodlands, Chennai

noreply@blogger.com (ck2) — Fri, 29 May 2009 11:42:00 +0000

This is not new, its been there for ages. This is one of the restaurants inside the New Woodlands Hotel, on Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai. This is their attempt to 'up the scale', i guess more on the monetary side, than on the service side. The restaurant is a multi-cusine vegetarian restaurant, and is also 'Jain food' friendly. I have been to this hotel a million times, but 99 times of a hundred it is to the faster 'south indian restaurant' now called Krishna Restaurant. The visit to the Vrindavan side is only when there are special 'guests' in the party, or if the other side is packed.

Food is not a problem here. It was never a problem with this or the other restaurant in New Woodlands. In fact, the name 'woodlands' has become quite generic, and i have not been disappointed visiting one of these copies or originals or branches (i dont think they are branches, but more like within the family or something like that !!, i dont know and so no judgement regarding that). It appears that if you name something woodlands, the food is decent to good.

The service on the other side is somewhere between indifferent to decent. It appears to be a common trait with all restaurants in India. It is difficult to get good quality service. This place wasnt so bad, but, i am sure there is scope to improve. We ordered Idly, Dosa (couple of different varities) and then later coffee. Well, if you go to a Woodlands, get the Idly and Dosa, not the noodles and roti/naan etc. Straying from this mantra is asking for unnecessary trouble. Not that it will suck, but hey, if you wanted roti/naan, go to a dabha. Yeah, except its difficult to find a vegetarian dabha.

I am sure they share kitchens at this hotel, because i couldnt find any spectacular difference in taste. They all tasted just as good. One thing that stands out, and caught my fancy, while sitting and eating, is the decor. There are some beautiful painting or pictures, primarily based on Krishna, but also mainly keeping with the theme of Vrindavan. I snapped the picture on the right, a long while ago using a camera phone. The reddish tinge, was because of the limited lighting inside.

One other comment about the Woodlands place, is the bathrooms. It is common to all the restaurants, and it is kept quite clean. There is a guy also standing there, watching like a hawk for split water etc., and cleaning it up fast and regularly. For that purpose alone, it is worth repeat visits. While this is great, the parking can be crazy when the marriage halls are full. So good to avoid the place when the marriage season is in full swing.

Duchess, Alwarpet, Chennai

noreply@blogger.com (ck2) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 08:29:00 +0000

Duchess, is an interesting name for a restaurant. Am not sure of the inspiration for the name, but the cuisine or food offered is all over the place. You can order chinese, continental, some bit of indian, and also order from Kabul, the restaurant next door. Duchess are Kabul are part of the Shyam Group, which runs Savera, Amaravathi, Malgudi on ECR and a bunch of other restaurants in and around the city. If this not clear from the menu or other specific statements, just look at the water that is served, bottled water that is.

While i am writing about Duchess, now, i have been to this place often. And it is one of the more common stops for the family in the city. And that brings up the problem of what to order everytime you go there. After a lot of soul searching, you usually end up ordering the same thing again and again. On the positive side though, if the whole family likes the place, then usually different people do have different tastes, and so the table will be assured of some choices and sometimes new ones too.

The recent visit to the place was yesterday and one last week too. It was coincindence that two visits happened so close to each other, on second thoughts it was more of a happenstance, specially if it is on the way home. The favourite starter was chilly chicken (dry), and our experience has proven that this dish is going to come fast to your table. We also ordered fried baby corn, not my favourite. How the hell do you eat this veggie? The chilly chicken dish is served hot and is spicy too. It is safe to have water around before you get started on this. We do order soups, usually chicken corn, but that is only for more elaborate meals. They do serve some fresh roasted pappad and mint chutney, which are usually good to keep you occupied till your order is ready to be served.

The order during first of the two recent trips, was egg fried rice and veggie hakka noodles. I prefer egg over chicken fried rice, becuase i think there is some wierd smell associated with the latter. Both these dishes are also quickly served. We also ordered a lemon chicken gravy dish, which was a disaster. I have no clue what concoction was used, but it was a mess to look at, and tasted even lousy to the palette.

The second time, it was sizzler time. The desi version of steaks sizzlers. Well, you can get all kind of sizzlers. We got the chicken pepper steak, which was decent, but for some saucy stuff that was poured on the chicken. I guess it was done to hide the poor quality of meat (as in the fat and other uneatable parts). I would think that they would take extra care to choose the piece of flesh or meat. We also got the chilly chicken starter. Seafood came in the form of Phuket fish, which was sear fish all nicely cooked in some spicy sause. Was decent, but i think the spice used for many of these are all the same.

The place is about ok, in terms of ambience and also in terms of service. But their restroom (bathroom) simply sucks. They are not any different from most other restuarants here in chennai, all of whom ensure that the bathroom is the most smelliest and unclean place. This is true even sometimes with restaurants located in 3 and 4 star hotels.

I would go back again, simply because its a fave amongst the family, its also on the way between the center of the city and home in adyar. Although i will have to hold my nose and search for any hidden toilet paper and paper towels when i use the bathroom to wash hands etc.

Thattukada, Spencer Plaza, Chennai

noreply@blogger.com (ck2) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 01:41:00 +0000

This eating place had opened a while back in the Spencer Plaza food court. I also helped some of my colleagues and friends not so aware of the mallu (malayalee, as in person from kerala) ways, understand what these dishes meant. But, i didnt quite enjoy the ambience in the food court and so had avoided the opportunity to eat from this place. Well, finally i was presented with another one, that allowed seating in their reserved area and i took it.

There was a lot to offer. My other rationale for not lunching here was that, the portions (biriyani etc) could be huge and i didnt want to sleep after lunch. So it took a while to read and re-read the menu to choose something appropriate. I finally settled for 'poricha kozhi and parotta', thats mostly dry fried chicken, with kerala style parotta. My friend accompanying me ordered fish curry and rice. The food arrived soon, 'cause i think there is very little cooking done at the site. Meals come prepared.

I got two parottas, and two fairly sized pieces of chicken meat (with bones) and some nice thick gravy stuck to it. The first taste was awesome, just the way i liked it - spicy and hot - mallu style. The gravy was thick enough, but had managed to seem inside the flesh and was marinated nicely, cooked to perfection. I also got to taste the fish curry, typical mallu curry, coconut based gravy, rich with the sour tasting pulli (tamarind), and spiced up to give you a kick. The parottas and chicken quickly disappeared. I was tempted to ask for more, but this was filling and decided the greed had to wait for another day.

Just as i was leaving, i confirmed, if they were open late and provided parcel/pickup. An obvious question, to a mallu would have warranted a retort, but i was answered with a exuberant yes and confirmation that they are open late till 9pm in the evening. I guess thats when the mall also bring their shutters down. By the way, in the evening, around 4, you could also stop by for a 'meter chaya' and masala vada. All done kerala style.

Delhi Dhaba, ECR, Chennai

noreply@blogger.com (ck2) — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 07:06:00 +0000

Delhi Dhaba, on the ECR close to the toll gate (just before, if travelling from thiruvanmiyur) and is part of the same group that runs Amaravathi and Savera Hotels in Chennai. We had been here before, but the last time we ate at Malgudi, which was the same food (taste and concept) as the Malgudi inside the Savera Hotel. The Delhi Dhaba is the north-indian (read punjabi) version of food.

The restaurant is inside a nice complex, that includes Malgudi and a chinese restaurant, a shop selling some 'desi' stuff etc. We had stopped at Malgudi here previously after visiting the ISKCON temple still being constructed off the ECR. Lot of space, made parking a breeze, but it shouldnt have been a concern, because they also had a valet service. The decision was made to eat biryani etc., so the choice became Delhi Dhaba. We were quickly disappointed, by a very nonchalant host, or should i say ghost, who was more interested in staring at space. This ghost clearly couldnt see people, even though his curse and black coat, allowed him to be clearly visible to everyone. After a little thought, we helped ourselves to a table available in the closed room (airconditioned), even though the weather was perfect to sit out.

We sat and waited for what seemed a good ten minutes before patience ran out, and we attempted to seek attention to our table. The waiter (i am not sure what the professional terms used), soon arrived with 1 menu for the entire table. Meanwhile, the ghost, actually managed to collect a lot of menus lying on a table nearby, and calmly walked out. I think i am certain, he couldnt have seen us, sitting almost right in front of him. I wonder if the table was in different position, if he would walked thru' to get to the door.

The order placed, included murgh and panneer kabob, chicken biriyani, veg pulao, makki roti, sarson ka saag and some raitha and pappad. The waiter after his initial embarassment was quick on his feet and turned very helpful and fast. We were hungry and he indicated he can deliver everything (or anything) we order fast enough (we of course didnt quite ask him how fast is fast). But true to his statement, the kabobs reached our table in about 5 minutes. And it turned out to be good. I dont know, i guess the expectation were low, so we were amazed at the quality. But that didnt last long.

The biriyani and chicken were just about average. The veg pulao was very mediocre. But the makki roti and saag were really good. Well, i enjoyed them. It had been a while since i had treated to myself to these, and so comparision to original or regional preparation aside, i think it tasted good, just as it melted in the mouth. The food service was quite fast. But i think we paid a price for speed, in terms of quality of food. They also seemed to be stingy in dishing out portions, because they hardly filled the vessels they were served in. All of this also, came at a nice price ( a tad bit expenisve total i thought).

A mixed experience, in all. I think i will visit Malgudi again, but not this Dhaba. And on ECR, i think there are a lot of choices, for me to pick Malgudi, specially thinking we may have to see the ghost again. Altho' i must say the hosts at Malgudi (previously) were quite friendly. And oh ya, only one other reason to choose this clump of restaurants is the killi jyotsyam and kai jyotsyam offered at the location.

Benjarong, Alwarpet, Chennai

noreply@blogger.com (ck2) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 04:10:00 +0000

This is not from a recent visit. But i have been here a few times. It is favourite among some members in the family, but i dont necessarily love the experience or the food.

First things first. The decor, the ambience is great. There is a 'thai' lady, usually sitting in the front as you enter carving flowers from carrots and other vegetables. It is an interesting side-show for kids. Once you are seated and the first order has been taken, you are treated to some leaves. It tastes like nothing i have eaten before. My first time, i thought this was basil leaves. But no. I havent dared to ask, lest i find out it came from the Bougainvillea plant from the garden. Jus kidding. So this lil pleasure of eating green leaves with peanuts, chopped onions, sweet nectar, dried fish. Hmm, some chewing stuff this. Keeps you occupied for sometime.

But not enough, cause you soon are done or bored with this. And then the wait begins. The service has always been slow. I wonder what the deal with "expensive" places and slow service. Slow service doesnt necessarily mean great food and good service.

The food is ok. Better than ... (well there is no other thai alternative in Chennai). But i have eaten in several Thai places in the US and the food here doesnt compare. Not even close. So maybe it is tweaked to the local taste !! Wonder why, because in the US we ventured to Thai restaurants, because it was the closest to Indian food !!

My main problem is the rice served with curry dishes. They use basmati or some equivalent. And it is probably been washed after cooking, 'cause it is devoid of any stick stary. This rice just floats in any curry. Just imagine eating briyani rice with some curry! The whole point of Thai food, i think is mixing and eating the rice with the dish. So that the rice also soaks up the curry. Again since i have been aclimatized to eating chewy and thicker rice (with some guey starch) that blends nicely with the curry, soaks it all up and gives you a wonderful experience. Well, so much for all this watery saliva that builds up in your mouth. Try the noodle dishes, 'cause you may not then share this disappointment so much.

Try it. You wont be disappointed, if you have eaten Thai food before. But if you have, you will be sure to compare.

Ratna Cafe, T Nagar, Chennai

noreply@blogger.com (ck2) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 09:20:00 +0000

This is not the first visit to Ratna Cafe. I have been to original in Triplicane, as well as to this one in T Nagar before. While i did rave about the sambar-idly combo before, this time around, we were served a watered down version. It was clear, just as the clear liquid floating, when the sambar was presented in a sitting cup.

The ambience has deteriorated since my last visit a few years ago, when it was fairly new. The service too seems have become poorer since then. There wasnt any exceptional crowd in the A/C dining room upstairs, to warrant this bad service. The food was decent, if you were to excuse the sambar. The server did bring in some fresh can of sambar (this is the trademark dispensing dish), but it was not a major improvement. I think the sambar of the day was a disaster.

We may not visit this place again. Rather try the location in Velachery or probably brave the visit to original.

Osteria, Deccan Plaza, Royapettah, Chennai

noreply@blogger.com (ck2) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 08:58:00 +0000

This is vegetarian season, that is because of the Sabarimala mandalam time. And so there is frantic effort to constrain ourselves to Veggie places in the city. This in itself might throw people off. What looking for a veggie place in Chennai ? Well, yes, but it should not be a dosa idly place !!

Anyway back to Osteria. A recent article in The Hindu about a dosa festival let us to the Deccan Plaza Hotel. Only to find out that the Dosa buffet actually closes at 6:30 !! So not wanting to hit the streets, we walked across the lobby to Osteria, a vegetarian Italian dinning experience.

We were welcomed very warmly, considering that there was only one other patron seated inside. Jokes apart, the people were very friendly and even brought some popcorn to the table, because my kid had seen it inside. It is normally only served as sides when you order a drink. Hunger in the stomach, lead us to order fast. An appetizer, a salad and main courses.

Hummus was our choice. Dont ask me why. When i saw it, i felt like it. The salad was regular salad with ceaser dressing. The pasta was penne pasta with red sauce and a lazagna (with a request to hold zucchini). Soon, they delivered a loaf of hot garlic bread. Soft and succulent, it melted as you chewed on it. The hummus and salad arrived, both decent, but with no major shakes to talk about. I guess that was only because it paled in comparison (from a story view) on what was to follow.

The penne pasta arrived, hot and steaming, done very well and was quickly dished out to all of us. The sauce was well done and had coated the pasta well, making it a very nice and tasty meal. I was pleasantly surprised by this pasta meal. I guess that answers the expensive price tags. Authentic cooking or good chefs can be expensive. But the experience so far was shattered by the lasagna. I guess since we said 'no zucchini', we were to be punished.

The lasagna was filled with stuff, that included peas. But the taste was killing, the cheese (forget the name), was so pungent and sour that it immediately was rejected by all, except me. Well i am a fan of things sour, buttermilk, puliyodharai, sambar etc. Talking about sambar, this lasagna was close to sambar rice, or maybe we can call it sambar pasta with cheese. The veggie filling in between broken strips of pasta felt like you were eating some mashed sambar rice. Inspite of the pungent flavour, i did manage to take a couple of helpings (small tho'). But this would be on our avoid list in the future.

Not wanting to leave with a bad taste, we ordered chocolate cake, over tiramisu. And we were not to be disappointed.

To sum it all, it was a pleasant experience, a tad bit on the expensive side. The expensive part didnt reflect in portions, presentation, decor or otherwise. It however was served with a pleasing smile and friendly people. I must however, caution, that the restaurant was quite empty and not sure if the same experience can be expected under the duress of a full crowd.

Grains of Paradise, RA Puram, Chennai

noreply@blogger.com (ck2) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 02:51:00 +0000

This is a new place, about 8 months old, as admitted by one of the waiters at the restaurant. I had seen this place a few times, but never grabbed my attention. There is also an Italian restaurant named Mmmafia, just above this place, run by the same management.

First off, parking is a pain everywhere in Chennai, and this place is not different. And so, the thankful service of valet parking solves this frustration quickly. However, when you leave the keys, you are befuddled, as to how they are going to solve the problem.

One flight of stairs, and you are at the entrance of this interesting dining place in Chennai. Well, it is a vegetarian food place !! I was a little surprised, the decor, the menu, and all, you would have thought different. You are just used to this, vegetarian means Saravana Bhavan and Udipi places, and Tandoori/Chinese cuisine means non-veg is included.

The dining experience was mixed. They had a good collection of food (new names, combinations you may not have heard off before). The specialty choices appears mostly from the north (Jaipuri, Rajasthani etc find mention in the menu). One interesting started we tried was Makki Sheekh, a combination of panneer and corn/maize. Panneer in many forms appears all over their menu. Thanks to the large crowd we went with, we had to settle for the tame, malai kofta and panneer butter masala along with some rotis, to ensure that it was acceptable by most. The malai kofta had a distinct taste, while the panneer butter masala was a disappointment. Their rotis and naans had nothing noteworthy to speak about, but were good enough and as expected from a decent tandoor oven.

A few people from our party also ventured into chinese food and were not disappointed. I tasted a lil bit of the american chopsuey, and it was good, but i chose to stick with my pudhina parota (they were out of methi !!) and garlic naan. As is usual, in these group dining efforts, there is roti/naan left at the end of the curry dish, or the roti/naan run out soon. And then the second order takes long enough to kill all appetite. This time was not very different.

Somewhere in the middle i was enthused to try out lassi, considering the food so far looked and tasted decent. And i was thoroughly disappointed with the watery buttermilk mixed in with some dry fruits, which looked more like crap floating. But the people were kind enough to try a second time, with no major improvements. I must now state, that the service was better than par, and people took care to serve and attentive in general.

The dessert was a limited menu. They were also had only vanilla, strawberry, choclate, butterscotch and mango ice-creams !! I mean they should have a problem carrying more flavours, considering they only had about 5 other items on the dessert section. The special of the day was jelebi with ice-cream. The other item ordered was the shahi-tukda. Both of these were awesome. The jelebi fresh and hot, and so a little late, but served with nice cold vanila ice cream. The shahi-tukda was neatly done, small pieces, mixed in with dried fruits and nuts, again the best i have tried of this dish so far.

All in all the experience was very welcoming and pleasureful. The prices were also not exorbitant, but reasonable for the place. I plan to go back, and try some different items on the menu. I will be sticking to the tandoor and Indian cuisine, 'cause if i want chinese, i think there are other options.

Zameendar, Shanthi Colony, Anna Nagar, Chennai

noreply@blogger.com (ck2) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 03:48:00 +0000

Shanthi Colony, today, bears no resembleance of how it existed 2 decades ago, or even about 10 years ago. And Zameendar restaurant, bang on the main road, built on what used to be HIG flats is only a reflection of the same. I had first heard about this from an office colleague, but didnt get a chance to stop and try until recently. I had passed the place a while back and for some reason the signs outside didnt seem very appealing.

I visited Zameendar last saturday, for a late lunch. It must have been a little after 2. We were greeted by friendly people and seated quickly without a fuss. After some carefull consideration of the state of the stomach and the many different options provided by the menu, the quickest and fastest bet seemed the meals. We ordered meals and few dishes to actually make it a non-vegeterian fare. The meals arrived promptly as expected, may be a tad-bit slow for our growling stomach. Of course while waiting we had all the time to chow down on the vadams that were placed in front of us. They even replaced the dish continously through out the meal.

After 2 rounds of vadams, thali plate covered with a banana leaf and nice small 'katori' of sides including sambar, rasam etc, arrived. The friendly waiters were quick to notice that food was drying up on the plate, be it the chappatis served at the start or the rice served subsequently. There were just enough of them to look after the tables under their domain and were effecient and friendly, a nice welcoming change from a lot of restaurants. When we were stuffed with all the food we could eat, the head waiter did ask us, if we wanted to order any desserts before closing and making the bill. We had to say no, although i intend to go back and try out a less gluttonous fare, to be able to sample the menu better.

The meal was tasty and good. All the side dishes bore some true south-indian flavours. I particularly liked their sambar and another curry (tough to name) that were served in the meals thali. One of the chicken dish we ordered was not up to the mark. I even forget the name of this, because it was the waiter's recommendation for a boneless dry chicken. In any case, i attribute even this unpleastness to our need to stuff ourselves with some real carbs or rice. Again, this happens once in a while, when the palette demands only a particular kind of food and any other accompaniments may not add any flavour and sometimes even turn-off the taste buds in those moments.

A small note of possibilities tho'. The door man and waiters are attired in ethnic clothes. I guess these were first ordered when the restaurant started out. Given that the restaurant is open seven days a week, it is possible that there is little time left to wash and clean these. However, the management can do well to take care of these clothes, if they do feel it is important to the ambience. It was a small mental note made, while waiting for food to arrive. I guess another options is to somehow automatically determine the hunger level of arriving patrons and then keep feed them quickly and appropriately that they fail to notice these small and subtle things.

Another important note, and much appreciated by me in particular. The bathroom was clean, altho' a little smelly. But it was nice to observe that the place was cleaned recently and spacious enough. The bathroom in most indian restaurants used to be a hole in the backyard, with a bucket and a mug nearby. These days it is refershing to note that some resturants in the city and elsewhere seem to pay particular attention to this.

Subway, Spencer Plaza, Anna Salai, Chennai

noreply@blogger.com (ck2) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:32:00 +0000

Subway, the sandwich (shaped in the form of a submarine) chain from the US, has been doing decent business in India. Today they operate out of Chennai, multiple outlets, serving major localities in the city. I am not so sure if these are franchisees. But knowing the US model, where Subway is the most franchised chain, there is no reason why these shouldnt be too.

The reason, i bring that up, is because, this commentary is very much about the Subway experience in India as compared to its chain in the US. I have been to about 5 different locations in Chennai. But a few highlights about this specific store has also been expressed, specially about the 'elli'.

First, things first. Their 6"seems so much smaller, that it appears to be based on a whole new scale. The other is the fad that is supposedly 'american' or 'phoren', blasting english music (and many times playing songs with questionable or vulgar lyrics). I had to point this out to a manager of a store, asking if he was paying attention to the lyrics, and didnt meet much success in getting him to understand.

The food is good, the sandwich here does justice to the name and quality they are famous for. The stores in India seemed to understand the mind here and so have two lanes one for veg and non-veg options. This does create problem when you want to 3 non-veg and 2 veg sandwiches !! Wonder why the non-veg guy cannot just take the veg order ? But then thats how it works. The sandwich artist do a decent job of carving and stuffing the sandwich. The sandwich and other food options are also priced nicely. You can get a 5.386" Veggie Delite for about Rs 78/-. Hmm, on second thought i take that back, that is a lil pricey, but hey, you are buying 'american' food.

The other surprising thing about fast food chains, is how dumb the people behind the counters become. I used to think it was a phenomenon that existed in the US, but i saw this in London, Bangkok, Malaysia and now here in Chennai too. So it is universal, they are all robots that do only what they are told to, and what their machine in front will allow them to.

This store at Spencer Plaza had interesting visitor or resident during my last visit. An Elli, rat, mouse or whatever name you would like to refer it by. The little chap ran from the inside. Luckily there is no kitchen where anything is really cooked, so his impact may have been small. In any case, he ran undistrubed to the dining area. And here is how the dumb phenomenon works best. I had just finished my order, and was not particularly repulsed, because i hardly saw it, except for the vanishing tail behind a chair. But i did change my mind about eating in.

Anyway, another customer had seen the 'elli', and brought it to the attention of the 'sandwich artist'. The artist, of course, knows only how to stuff sandwiches, and so stared back. The gentleman asked 'are you going to do something about it, or just stare?. Obviously this man didnt have a Phd, otherwise he would have known that this was not just an ordinary stare. To this challenge, our local friendly sandwich artist, moved an inch to the right. The manager/cashier, by then, knew he had to do something different, so he came out in front to see if he could interview the 'elli' in person. Of course, our good friend and mascot of Lord Ganesha, knew better, and was no where to be seen. This whole thing soon turned out to be just another myth, obviously. The store was back in business, the Gentleman walked away cancelling his order, the diners a few left, a few stayed, the money was back to being counted, and the artist was back at carving bread and stuffing lettuce.

Liu's Waldorf, Adyar, Chennai

noreply@blogger.com (ck2) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:24:00 +0000

This is one of the oldest and still running chinese restaurant in Chennai. Well, it looks and feels like it. Located very close to IIT Madras, on the main Sardar Patel Road, in Adyar, this restaurant has been around of ages. I remember going to the place as a kid. It used to be run by a Chinese family. I still remember the husband and wife who seated us and were serving us. I still think it possibly owned by them, no reason to think otherwise. Unless, of course, when you wonder about the condition of the restaurant now.

I visited the Waldorf again recently. The entrance is now a very crowded place, with two or more other eating places nearby, and the road on which it is located, is now a major artery within Chennai. But surprisingly, it had parking space for about 3-4 cars, and about 2 dozen bikes. The restaurant had a worn out look. We chose this place, out of desperation because we didnt want to travel very far and were hungry. We made a good choice. Waldorf was always known for its quality chinese food. This time too, they didnt let us down.

We were about eight people, quickly settled down in a corner, and were ready with our order. The veg fried rice, egg fried rice (i voted down chicken fried rice, i somehow am not a fan of that), waldorf special chicken, waldorf special veg. I also noticed the fooyoung, i hadnt seen one a menu for a long time. I ordered this egg dish, which probably closely related to an egg omellete. Even the waiter, answered to my query about it saying "its an omellete". We then waited. Waited for what was about 5, or maybe 8 minutes, to see the waiter carrying medium sized bowls of piping hot food. We soon added a few more dishes thinking we have ordered less, considering there were a few 'Bhim' in our mix.

The food was good, but they could have taken more care in preparing chicken dishes. The experience all together was a little mixed though. The restaurant should take more care in its cleaniliness etc. The waiter were dressed in clothes which were probably cleaned once a week or less. The glasses for drinking water were cleaned, but they were not dried and had water drops inside and outside. The people were friendly and helpful, specially the parking attendant outside. I only wish they had take more care. But, i guess, considering they dont charge a lot of money for decent food, they are probably just about managing on the numbers side.

Malgudi, Savera Hotel, Royapettah, Chennai

noreply@blogger.com (ck2) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 14:24:00 +0000

Malgudi is one of the restaurants within Savera Hotel. I dont recall, when i first visited this place, or when they actually carved out or created this restaurant inside. But, i have been here many times and pretty impressed with their food selection. Malgudi is a smaller and lesser expensive version of Dakshin (located within the Park Sheraton). Malgudi offers a collection of vegetarian and non-veg food delicacies from south india. If you open the menu, you can choose from food from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

The best bet is the thali, again you can chose from veg/non-veg. This gives you a quick tour of the food from these places. But if you want to pick and choose and soothe a specific hunger or taste, then feel free to flip through the menu and take a leap. The non-veg dishes compare decently to the restaurants that specialize in one cuisine. Most of the time, i have chosen the thali, many times the non-veg, and few times the veg. Their dosa and appam that comes with this thali is recommended. And you can eat as much as you want. The only problem with the thali format is that, you are served dishes in a particular order. You must specifically request them to bring dishes out of order.

They give you some free starters, vadams with different chutneys. But then you will really have to be on a strict diet, to pass up on the soft mangalore bondas. They also have a selection of delicacies that are more the home cooked variety than usually available in restaurants. Trust me, i could give you a list, but a visit is much better experience.

Their service could improve. They try, but at times, a lot of people are around, but not necessarily paying enough attention. This is true of most hotels and restaurants in Chennai and India.

To add to the experience they also have a 'killi jotsyam' and/or 'kai jotsyam'. So, if you miss these interesting diversions and fortune tellers of yesteryear, you can experience it here at Malgudi. Now it would have been complete, if they also had the 'boom boom maadu'.

Ente Keralam, Alwarpet, Chennai

noreply@blogger.com (ck2) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 15:59:00 +0000

They serve a good payasam. Well, you can make that home, if you are a mallu. But if you are not, and you crave for it, this is a place to go. Also carry your mastercard, cause the bill falls in the priceless category.
Expensive. That is only because i am a mallu. I eat this or similar food everyday. And there are other places in the city - kalpaka, kumarakkom, tharvad, etc, that provide the similar fare for a better price. I guess the dining experience and silver ware makes the difference. And by far, this lives up to the other restaurants, from the same management. But also like his other restaurants, it falls short of excellence. Its good imitation, it does give a run for the original cuisine, but you know a few things here and there could make a difference.

I remember the appam and stew (or ishtu), the fish fry and the payasam. But then again, nothing was monumental to think about returning soon. It would be nice for a grand occasion, where you need a nice ambiance and are willing to spend the money.

Talking about the payasam, the Aiyappan temple in mahalingapuram can serve an equally good payasam (off course it is the prasad from an offering to the god, but hey its good food too).

Sparky's, Spur Tank Rd, Chetput, Chennai

noreply@blogger.com (ck2) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 15:42:00 +0000

Their tagline or slogan reads 'never trust a skinny chef'.... well apparently the fat guy chef has suddenly lost a lot of weight.
I cant but be amused at the sudden change of quality and service at the place. Dont get me wrong, they are not bad. It is a good place. The people are friendly. However, the service and food from my first visit to the fourth had changed.

As far as the food and menu is concerned, you wont make a mistake. The restaurant gives you a pleasant experience of a standard american diner. Ofcourse without the bottomless coffee or soda. Well, to expect that in India, is some way off.

They have a buffet on friday evening, which gives you a good value for money (not to be compared with typical indian buffet) and also provides an opportunity to taste different dishes.

They are very children friendly and allow the kids make a big noise without getting irritated. It does create a good and pleasant atmosphere. The decor (kind of similar to TGIF etc), gives you a nice perception of America. To expats, there are things that they can associate to, and i guess feel at home, no matter where you are from in the US.

Tandoor Express, Spencer's Plaza, Chennai

noreply@blogger.com (ck2) — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 11:14:00 +0000

If you are in the craving for a fast and good roti's, and if you can pardon the ambiance and the service, then Tandoor Express in the food court at Spencer Plaza Phase I is worth a visit. Since my office is in the building, i do have the luxury of strolling around and deciding on a place to eat. Tandoor Express was a chance stop, two days back.

I stopped at their counter, in the rather unseemingly crowded and noisy foodcourt, since i was a little tired of my first option. I noticed a combo, for two stuff parathas and lassi. Wow, my mouth watered. Since the stuff parathas options included, aloo, egg, kheema, gopi, mooli, and panneer. But i was craving for lassi more than anything. I dont think i have had a good lassi in chennai recently (last good one came from Yaadgar near New College in Royapettah, now closed down, so thats a good 10-20 years). But, my luck, that day, they had a problem with lassi and so i walked away. As luck would have it, i was at the store again the next day. And this time, i was in for luck with lassi.

So here it was a combo of two parathas and lassi. I chose egg and aloo paratha. Short wait, brought me two hot parathas, a paper cup of lassi, some dahi and a pickle. Talk about disappointment. The lassi cup was small and the lassi was between good to mediocre. They also served a little dahi (curd) on the side. Little means little, i think the measure it out by the teaspoon, as in one teaspoon per paratha. So that meant i got two. The pickle was even strange. It was one piece of mango, as in about 4x5x8cms, no evidence of the usual gravy, it could very well have been on the plate as left behind from the previous customer. But they were kind enough to fetch me a little bit more of the pickle. The waiter took pity on seeing my plate, or maybe it was guilt. So they bought about 2 more of such similar stuff, but this time with a tad bit more gravy. Gosh, talk about being stingy. The day before it was lassi, maybe now they ran out of pickles, and they were scrapping the bottom of the bottle.

But the parathas were good. Closed to heavenly, i must say. Atleast the anda (egg) paratha. It was hot and burnt my tongue and mouth, which i am still suffering from today, ie a day later. I quickly worked my way through one half of the egg and aloo using any evidence of dahi and pickles. When they were all gone, i tried to flag the attention of the waiter for more, and also ordered an extra glass of lassi. However, i had no patience to wait. Soon they my plate was almost getting clean. And my cup was running dry. At no time, were there any evidence that my additional order had been placed and anything was going to come to my table.

So, if you can pardon the waiters, the crowd and the noise, but feeling like having some good parathas during lunch time, here is a place. But then what are the chances?

Kumarakom, Gandhi Nagar, Adyar, Chennai

noreply@blogger.com (ck2) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 02:45:00 +0000

This is only one of the many Kumarakom restaurants in chennai. The others that i know of are located in Shanti Colony, Annanagar and the first one that started it all is at Nungambakkam, near Palm Grove hotel. The main usp of this place is kerala style food, hence the name to show the link to the now famous backwater resort in kerala.

I have eaten from this place a lot. More often delivered to my home, than actually eating at the restaurant itself. The nice part of eating at the restaurant, apart from the food, is the music. There is a karaoke machine, and the people sing along, mainly malayalam songs, but also a few other songs. I have seen one person very regular, maybe the owner. He has decent voice, but the whole experience can be soothing when you are enjoying the food, or very irritating when you are hungry waiting for your food.

My favorite is Karimeen Pollichathu. I really never ate this fish before. But this is a constant order at home and so an acquired taste. But what i really like is the masala. The chilli paste that is rubbed all over the fish. That really sets the flavour for this dish. You can get the same if you order their regular meen fry too.

The other main attraction is the rice, the kerala style boiled rice. I have huge craving for this 'motta-motta chor', or rather the full blooded rice. One look and you would think that this rice will fill you up sooner than eating the regular thin grain variety. But you would be surprised. Kumarakom also serves kerala style parotta. At the restaurant you cannot go wrong by ordering the regular meals, which comes with pappadam, kachiya mullaga and moru. I have tried the drier varieties of chicken, but i am sure they are probably not as great as the beef ulathiyathu etc.

All in all, it is fine food. The service as always falls short, but its nothing to complain about. Its a small restaurant, and so the wait can be long depending on the time you land-up. I, luckily havent had to wait long at all. Most times we are either early for lunch or late, so we miss the peak time.

Tic Tac, Montieth Rd, Egmore, Chennai

noreply@blogger.com (ck2) — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 05:12:00 +0000

I have been to this place a few times, but eaten the food from here (delivery) many times. Their rolls are the most awesome. Coming to think of it, thats all i really get from there. I was there at the restaurant recently, and was provided a similar quality of food.

We ordered egg rolls, panneer rolls, but passed on the chicken rolls (the tikka rolls are good too) because of trying to cut down on meat and non-vegetarian. We also got some rotis and dal-makhani. They also serve chinese too. Now, thats what is amazing in many restaurants in chennai and for that matter in India. They have everything under the sun, instead actually cooking what they are best in.

In any case, the service was not great at the place. It was crowded and full, which is not uncommon these days in any restaurant in Chennai, good or bad. I guess, with this kind of patronage, most restaurants are going to be lax in their service. The owner (i think) being around, helped in this case, he asked his people to reach out to us. So, while it was not bad service, i think extra care is possible.

The food, itself, specially their panneer rolls are amazing. I can easily say, its one of the best i have eaten. There is competition tho', so they need to make sure they keep their edge. And if you dont particularly like their service or having to wait for seating, you can order out (delivery).

Rasam, Purashawalkam, Chennai

noreply@blogger.com (ck2) — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 17:43:00 +0000

Rasam, is the name of a new (not so new now) restaurant started by Sri Krishna Sweets. Rasam serves food from the land called Kongu Nadu. Ok, i too was a little flabbergasted when i heard the name first, not knowing the history or geography of Kongu. The hyperlink will take you to wikipedia which has all the information you may want to know about Kongu Nadu, or the land of the Gounders.

Some of the items that were on the menu, is something you are so used to, that you dont realize where they came from. Of course to most food lovers, the history of the food and its origins are so inconsequential compared to the joy of just tasting and eating the food itself. The restaurant and the decor inside reminds you of an old home, complete with furniture and art pieces.

We landed up there on a later thursday evening, to a crowded joint. We were greeted very politely and asked to wait in a spacious waiting area, with magazines and stuff to keep you occupied. Well, the only thing on our minds was food. We didnt have to wait very long. Smiling faces amongst the well groomed staff, helped a lot, in maintaining your peace as we waited for our turn.

The ordering was tough. The food is all vegetarian. But there a huge number of choices, that it was tough to decide which to try. And i think i will not be doing justice if i tried to list the options i tried. Everything we ordered, we wiped it clean of the serving plate. We picked a bunch of appetizers, and a couple of main course items, so that we got a sampling of the menu. But yet, i think, we didnt do justice. I intend to go back again. Soon.

The only downside, is the bathroom, not the wash room. The bathroom, toilet, loo or restroom, what ever you want to call it, was hidden away in the back, by the staff quarters. I am not sure why they didnt think it was important to keep one where patrons could access it easily. Now as to why, i wanted to use it so urgently? Well, with two kids, its tough to predict when they choose to use these services, usually its when it most difficult to access or find.

Basera, ECR Road, Chennai

noreply@blogger.com (ck2) — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 17:19:00 +0000

This was long due, well atleast was more due, since i knew it was owned by my classmate from school. I had noticed this many times, but we were always in a hurry to get somewhere, Mahabs, Mayajal, Pondi, etc. And since it is located on left side of the road, when driving away from the city, it is not easy to stop by, when you are returning from your destination, to pick this out as a place to eat.
But that was before. Now that i have been there, tasted the food and service, i think i am ready for more. Even i as was turning into the restaurant entrance, i wasnt sure if this belonged to my friend or not. But the small writing on the entrance of the name of the company gave it away.

First things first, nice parking. Any decent restaurant must provide some amount of parking for its patrons. While this is difficult to expect inside the city, it is a must outside. Well there is plenty of parking and neatly laid out too. As we turned the corner inside the parking lot, the children squealed in delight on seeing the small playground. To my disappointment they were now planning to immly run into the playground. It was as life saver, considering that food always takes time to be delivered to your table.

They have multiple options in seating. You can be seated in the open, under a tree on wooden tree trunks for a table and stool, or you can opt the traditional indoor air-conditioned seating, or for the more adventurous, you can climb up to the room on stilts. We opted for the third, as we didnt want to loose out on the pleasant and breezy outdoor, but also didnt want to be dodging the sun, as it played hide and seek between the thick clump of trees and shrubs. Thats the other part, the number of trees, shrubs, plants and other stuff they have taken time and attention to grow and groom.

The main attraction was the food itself. It was good to great. We started with Chicken sheek kabab and Chicken Tikka kabab, both were well done and marinated. Its not one of my great favs but i do pop a piece of it every now and then. And this was good too. Basera, too had different cuisines to offer typical of most places in Chennai, it had the regular north-indian punjabi, chinese, continental and a small offering of south-indian too. We stuck with punjabi, since i was in the mood for bread (naan and roti). So quickly we ordered Butter Naan, Pudina Paratha and Aloo paratha, along with Daal Makhani and Dahi. An order of chicken biriyani completed the lunch order.

The butter naan was on the of flakiest and softest ever. The pudina paratha was soft and crisp too, meaning, it had a nice crisp exterior and a soft chewy inner layer. The aloo paratha was a little disappointing, but then i have never really eaten a good aloo paratha for a long long time. The chicken biriyani was tame, nothing to rave or complain about. But the Daal Makhani, is something to write about, was nice, creamy and flavourful. I have seen so many perversions of this dish that should be pretty easy to cook, that its not unusual to get disappointed. But this was just perfect Daal Makhani ever, there are a few other places i have eaten that dish out such good one.

Before i close out, i must also write about the dahi (yoghurt). Altho' it was not a perfect solid version, which would have been more pleasing to the eye, its the taste that matters at the end. Yoghurt taste can vary based on the culture or base used to develop the yoghurt. Well that is science, what mattered was, the dahi here again didnt disappoint me. Another basic item that restaurant ignore or are casual about, but an important part of the indian meal, that a small screw-up here, can ruin the entire appetite.

When everything but the chicken biriyani had been completely cleaned out. We ordered for Gulab Jamun, one order with ice cream. The Jamun appeared made from scratch, and so seemed a lil unshapely, but that also caused it to taste great, unlike coming from a box or factory like setting. And add ice cream to the syrup to get the one of the best dessert ever.