Meri Rasoi

TAJ COROMANDAL

2012-02-05T19:54:00.001-08:00

This was one outing gifted to me by my son on my b'day.Since we have seen all other Taj hotels, we decided to go to Taj coromonadal.Entry is quite grand and spacious, since wanted to have a buffet we asked there and it was available in two restaurants..Golden dragon and Anise, we opted for the latter as we like north Indian food.....

Since we hadnt booked the table, we waited for some time till he seated us, and we couldnt get the best ones..looking outside, so I think its better to book in advance.

For the appetisers they had..3 fruit juices, one milk shake and tomato soup...all good.

Starters...sadly there was no variety for vegetarians..there was paneer tikka and pizza, pasta...to me pizza pasta are more main dishes than snacks.

In the main course as usual some vegetables ,including one paneer, two daals..one methi daal and one daal makhaani, three types of rice...curd rice, plain boiled and veg biryani, dahi bhalla and plain curd and 4-5 variety in salad, with kulcha, naan and chapati.....kulcha was awesome, havent eaten so good anywhere else.Dahi bhalla was too sweet for me.Rice variety wasnt good.But all vegetables and dal were prepared well/

Dessert..2-3 Indian sweets, few mousse, puddings, fruits, cakes and ice cream. .Gulabjamun was too sweet,but chhena kheer was delicious,and so was the ice cream. Even dry fruit pie was very tasty.

Ambiance...is good, and seating spacious, thats what other places lack..I dont like hitting others whenever going to take something..or too much noise and crowded look.

Service..is not good, they were very slow, I found the service better in Connemara.

I would love it, if they prepare a comprehensive menu for buffet, otherwise, one is left at sea to choose and sometimes we miss also something.

Pricing..very expensive at around 1800/per person including taxes for Sunday lunch.

TAJ COROMONDAL

36,MG ROAD NUNGAMBAKKAM

CHENNAI

GRT GRAND...

2011-11-27T21:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we went to GRT grand fro a lunch buffet. It was raining heavily and we were getting so bored sitting at home., so thought of trying a new place, and were we surprised..yes..it is a very nice place with awesome food......Only I missed some juices or soft drink..

They started with mushroom soup, since we dont like mushrooms, my hubby asked for tomato soup, though they didnt have it in the menu, still he got it for us, though took some time.

Starters...lots of variety..baby corn with dip and broccoli with dip..there were tens of things with dips, then potato dumplings...tasty,onion rings,cheese toast..also tasty, and papad and salsa..salsa was awesome.

in the main course, we had lots of variety...vegetables in balsamic,, kozhambu,sweet potato fried with something and many more, what I liked specially was paneer preparation and one potato dry,dahi vada,rice with corn and lemon rice and butter nans were very soft and good..rare to find anywhere.

Desserts..now this is my favourite counter and they didnt dissapoint me....it had, malpua, rabri, kheer, rajbhog, kaju roll, coconut barfi, trifle pudding, chocolate cake,cheese cake, tarts and few more and three types of excellent ice cream.

Preparations are good, and so is the service and ambiance.....

All this for 760/ person.

And at the end they give some mouth freshener too..it is really worth it

COPPER POINT
20, Sir Thyagaraya Road, T Nagar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600017 044 28150500

JEEVAN.your cafe

2011-10-24T21:42:00.000-07:00

When we saw in the paper that CCD people have opened a cafe, we wanted to see it.Now a days my hubby also keeps looking for pure veg restaurants. It is in Nungambakkam on Jagannathan street, near Motimahal.First thing I look for is ambiance and comfort, so it has a ethnic look(my favourite) and seating is comfortable.

Then in the food, with north Indian food as the permanent menu, rest everyday they keep rotating..that is for buffet lunch, Dinner is a la carte.

we went for lunch and there they had...
Jaljeera and chhaas and mushroom soup, I dont like mushrooms, so didnt try it, but chhas was very good.
In starters we had Golguppas,panner fried and spiced .Golguppas were good.
Then they had4-5 types of salads,
in vegetables..shahi paneer, stuffed chichinda,potato fried,panchratan daal,rasam,banana flower,gobhi manchurian,pakori curry and some more southIndian preparations.and pastas
Rice....lemon rice,boiled rice,pulao,curd rice,fried rice.
Naan and chapati.
Dersserts..Gulabjamun,carrot halwa, semian pyasam and icecream..all very good.
Sevice is also good and all this for Rs250/ person only..
I found it a big steal.

THE PIANO

2011-09-07T22:29:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we tried Savera hotel on RKSalai road.There they had buffet in their Piano restaurant.
I just loved the food here, their most of the preparations are very good.
We started with mango drink,thye had one strawberry and one punch too. we tried the first one, but it was too sweet.
For the starters they had..paapdi chaat,samosa, kachori, gobhi manchuria, and pakoras, golguppas.

In the main course there was..two varieites of aloo.both yummy,and paneer bhujai, beans,3types of south Indian curries, curd rice, three varieties of pulao..all very tasty, and noodles with 6-7 varieties of salad including choley also..rice varieties were very good and so were the naans.

for the desserts there were 5-6 baked varieties and few were really good, three types of icecreams with toppings, then, moong daal pyasam, almond gulabjamun and carrot mysore pak..these two were awesome, I really hogged them and then some fruits.

All in all a very good buffet and price is also reasonable...730/ per person.

what I miss there is the endings, if they add paan to it, it would be awesome and the place should be more spacious.
But I would love to go there again

SAVERA HOTEL,
146, Dr.Radhakrishnan Road,
Chennai – 600004
India

Phone : +91 - 44 - 2811 4700

MINT LEAF

2011-08-18T03:05:00.000-07:00

This is one of the fine dining Indian restaurant in London. It has many branches here.we went to the Piccadilly one.Very nice ambiance , service and food too.Paneer preparations were yummy For a detailed menu you may check here.We could get the parking also and its the biggest advantage here.The pricing is little on the higher side, but then its called an upscale restaurant, so one is warned in advance. we were 8 people and men took wine, whereas women took soft drinks and then one starter each and then main course.Then since it was bday celebration we had chocolate cake and it made up for desserts. It came out 30 pound per person...for an enjoyable evening.
Mint Leaf Lounge & Restaurant

12 Angel Court, Lothbury, Bank
London EC2R 7HB
T: 020 7600 0992F: 020 7600 6628
l: reservations@mintleaflounge.com

Opening Hours

Monday - Friday
Mon - Tue: 11.30am - 12:00amWed - Fri: 11.30am - 1:00am'''

Restaurant Opening HoursMonday - Friday

Lunch: 12.00pm - 3.00pm
Dinner: 5.30pm - 11.00pmBAR FOOD AVAILABLE FROM 12noon -

Press and Public Relations Enquiries

onday - Friday

lease contact:
Gerard McCann
General Manager
Mint Leaf Restaurants0207 930 9020

Mon - Tue: 11.30am - 12:00am
Wed - Fri: 11.30am - 1:00am

Monday - Friday
Lunch: 12.00pm - 3.00pm
Dinner: 5.30pm - 11.00pm
BAR FOOD AVAILABLE FROM 12noon - 12pm

Please contact:
Gerard McCann
General Manager
Mint Leaf Restaurants
0207 930 9020

Suffolk Place SW1Y 4HX

ZIZI

2011-07-26T02:53:00.000-07:00

It is an Italian restaurant, and a favourite of my son. we frequently go there,specially the one in Canary Wharf.
Here the ambiance is good, one gets an excellent view of Thames and service is also good with a smile.
Detailed menu can be found here..what I like is..
in starters...Arancini
Crispy risotto balls stuffed with mozzarella
and peas, served with a tomato chilli sauce. 5.15..this is like Indian cutlets:)
and

Bruschetta al Pomodoro
Toasted ciabatta with fresh baby plum tomatoes,
basil and red onion. 4.95

In the main dish we ordered Pizza Margharita and one pasta..pizza is delicious , we normally like thin crust.

in dessert I just loved....
Torta Amaretti

Mascarpone and amaretto fl avoured cheesecake with
a fruit compote and fresh mint. 4.95
Tiramisu..is also good.
Light sponge soaked in espresso and liqueur, layered with mascarpone and cocoa. 5.10

and for chocolate lovers...

Chocolate Melt
Rich chocolate dessert with a soft, melting centre served
with vanilla mascarpone or gelato. 5.25 V..it is sinfully delicious.

TAJ CLUB HOUSE CHENNAI

2011-06-14T05:48:00.000-07:00

Last week on our anniversary we went to Taj club house for buffet Lunch, as we had already seen Fisherman's cove and Connemara..I decided to check this one.
Here the ambiance is good like a five star and they have lots of variety too..
In the non alcoholic section they have two types of mocktails.I liked the strawberry flavoured.
For starters, it was usual chaat, 2-3 fried items, and assortment of breads.the last one was really good, chaat..I dont think any good hotel serves the real taste:(
Then they had all sort of pastas,pizzas and noodles, variety of rice and Indian breads, and yes salads.Rice was very good ..all varieties, dont know why they kept biryaani and daal on a separate counter and we came to know only when we were full, whereas both these items were very yummy..otherwise there was very little variety in vegetables and whatever was there wasnt good even.
Dosa was also there.
In desserts, they had gulabjamun, chamcham, and carrot halwa, and then there were tarts, cakes, mousse,ice cream etc etc.
I dont know why most of the good hotels look after western taste more than Indian palate, even on the table we had olive oil and vinegar, instead of chatneys.
and in then I missed any paan, saunf, supari..anything like that.
All in all I wouldnt say that food is good, its only for the ambiance if you want to pay, then fine.
All this for a price of 1100 plus taxes..per person.
Taj Club HouseNo. 2
Club House Road
Chennai - 600 002
Tamil Nadu
India
Tel : (91-44) 66313131
Fax : (91-44) 66313030
Email: clubhouse.chennai@tajhotels.com

SIGREE

2011-05-19T22:25:00.000-07:00

In my building whenever I lamented about the shortage of north Indian good food, everybody told me to go and check Sigree, so I went there with lot of expectations:) but not all of them were fulfilled.
A la Carte menu is highly overpriced, so we set out to have the buffet lunch.

They dont have any cool drinks in the buffet..its only soup..and I dont like to have starters without anything to drink..so starting only dampened my spirits:)

In the starters, they have 2-3 items with chilli paneer and some pakora and chaat also..chilli paneer was good, but here I never like Golguppas anywhere and sometimes I get tempted to start my own corner, because I make them much better then them.

Then in the main they had...4-5 type of salad, chola, one paneer dish,daal, and few other vegetables and rice....I miss the pulao here and dahi bada, they had curd rice too. but preparations were good.all this with naan and chapati.

In the dessert we had...some payasam, two flavours of icecream,jalebis, gulabjamun and some baked delights too.....good fare.

All this for 500/--per person..its value for money if they include some cool appetizers too.

Ambiance is OK and service is too prompt, as soon as you sit they start plying you with the dishes, it looks like as if they want you to finish and go, whereas in buffets, I prefer to relax and enjoy with some privacy, here they hurry you up.

SIGREE
Hotel Tulip Aruna Complex,
5th Floor, 144 Sterling Road Chennai,
Tamil Nadu 600 034
- 044 42664222

Pleated Masala Khasta Bread

2011-02-14T17:58:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe from Nita Mehta's book. The bread is very "khasta", not sure how to translate that to english - maybe you could say butter crisp. It's not crisp like potato chips but crisp like phyllo pastry. You can fill the bread with any filling of your choice. The original recipe called for a mushroom filling but since we don't eat mushrooms I made a potato filling like the one used for samosa.

For the bread:

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup butter (cold)

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk

1/4 tsp ajwain (carrom seeds)

Method:

Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt together.

Cut butter into small cubes. Rub the butter lightly into the flour till it resembles like bread crumbs.

Add milk and kneead lightly to form a dough.

Cover and keep aside in a cool place or in the fridge till you have the filling ready.

Roll out the dough into a square about 10" long. It's more important that the dough layer be thin - so if it's coming out longer than 10" that's fine.

Imagine that the square is divided into 3 parts and leaving the center part intact, divide the corner most parts into diagonal strips around 1/2" inch in width.

Spread the filling in the center.

"Close" the bread by overlapping the diagonal strips alternately from each side.

Bake in an oven at 350 F for 40-50 minutes till the top is golden brown and crisp.

For the filling:

The instructions for the filling are somewhat hand-wavy because I never measure them. So I would say go with your instinct and adjust according to your taste buds.
Ingredients:

3 medium size boiled potatoes, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup peas
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp dhania powder (coriander powder)
1 tsp amchur (dry mango powder)
3 tsp oil
salt to taste

Method:

Heat oil at medium heat and then fry the onions till golden brown.
Add the dry spices (except amchur). Fry for 15-30 seconds.
Add the potatoes, peas, salt and amchur. Mix well.
Taste it to see if the spices are per your taste. It's better to have the filling spicier than your level. The spicyness gets toned down because of the bread.

My family absolutely loved this bread!

RAJDHANI EXPRESS

2011-01-19T22:04:00.000-08:00

Express Avenue mall has this restaurant,last time when we went there we didnt chk it. But then someone said that this is a chain restaurant and have good, so we thought of trying this week.
And we were in for a disappointment. They serve thaalis and food was very mediocre .Nothing very tasty,though it was usual affair
Buttermilk,
Dhokla,layered samosa
6-vegetables and daal but nothing was tasty,
boiled rice and khichdi
phulka,makki ki chapati and poori, papad
White rasogulla,malpua..it was good and kheer..very insipid
service was not very good, every time we had to call the bearer, and ambiance is also very ordinary.
At the rate of 300/ per person its not worth it at all, if one compares the same type of food, Mansukh is much better.
I wouldnt ever go there again

NANKHATAI

2011-01-13T00:17:00.000-08:00

Once you make this receipe you will never be able to eat the nankhatais in the market. They are so good:).This receipe was told to me by my very old friend Anuja, an expert in baking
.ingredients
1cup sugar-ground
1cup ghee
1and half cup of maida
half cup besan
sieve maida ; besan and mix all the ingredients together thoroughly and nicely ,then make small flat balls ,put them on a greased tray a little apart. make a cross over them with knife. and bake them in a preheated oven at 400 degree for 15 minutes(time may vary a little depending upon the oven and quantity, so please check it.

MANSUKH

2011-01-01T21:36:00.000-08:00

I have been hearing about this place for a long time, once I went there , but couldnt find it, this weekend we got lucky and tried it.

It is a small place but food is good. We tried Maharaja Thali.
It is a thali with unlimited quantity and fixed varieties.
Chhaach.sour curd with salt and pepper and mint is served as appetiser and in the starters there are three snack..dhokla,cutlets and kachori...all of them are very tasty, so we start with a pleasure:)

In the main dish we have gujarati kadhi,paneerveg, daal,one more curry, dahi vada, chapati, poori,rice, curd rice and,papad.

For the desserts..carrot halwa, rasmalai and icecream..I just loved the first two.
If one doesnt want to take thali, they have all sort of parathas and other snacks and sweets too.

And end it with Paan.
All this for 160/..per thaali.

Ambiance is just ok and so is the service, but food is delicious and value for money is more even.and they have all gujarati snacks and north Indian too.

MANSUKH

10 Ramasamy Street
T. Nagar
Chennai -600017

ph:044.24351258

Cafe Pascucci

2010-12-23T22:08:00.000-08:00

One day we went to Express Avenue mall.I think this is the the so far best mall in Chennai, with enough space and all brands and with pleasant interior.Earlier I used to like Citi centre, but now days it seems to be quite small with not many stores and always crowded.
Here while strolling we found this italian cafe..its on the back side of entrance.
We ordered tomato Bruchetta, one cappuccino and one desert..it was something fruits , cream and icecream.
and all three items were delicious and very well served.

Prices are moderate and ambiance is good. I liked the place and it is certainly worth a visit.I enjoyed both the things bruchetta and my dessert...I have never tasted something so good, like this, its cream but tastes like ice cream.

49, Whites Road., Royapettah, Chennai
Landmark: In Express Avenue Mall
phone.9840922895

LA ROYAL MERIDIAN

2010-12-05T20:23:00.000-08:00

This weekend were planning a picnic to Chunambar, but rain god put an end to our plans ,so we went to Brunch at La Meridian. We found it very good in almost everything. Ambiance is very good and service is also good.About food I am going to tell you in details.
We opted for buffet brunch , so the variety was unlimited.
Many types of bread and fresh fruit juices, I chose grape juice and it was delicious, but moctail was just OK.
Then in the starters they had 2-3 type of pakoras, cheese cutlet, 2 varieties of fried potatoes,vada pao, paani puri, patties etc etc. Paani puri I didnt like much, but rest of the items were good.
Vegetable soup was there.
In the main course, as ussual there were 7-8 types of salads, 8-9 vegetables,noodles, two types of rice, three varieties in curd..dahi vada, curd rice and plain curd,with Naan and Roti.Here I mainly liked Paneer makhani only, as two three vegetables were with garlic flavour and I dont like that. I missed veg pulao, as they had Chinese fried rice and boiled rice only. One more thing in south I miss that they dont give tamarind sweet chatney with dahi vada:(. But Naan were good and all in all tasty affair.
Desserts...Too many..all flavours of icecream, gulabjamun,rasogulla,kesar barfi, jalebi,anjeer halwa,and some ten numbers of baked items, from tarts to cakes to pastries and them mousses. I loved this section, specially Jalebi.
Why have they stopped giving Paan or saunf in the end? I miss that.

And all this for 1100/ per person with non alcoholic beverages, with alcoholic, it was 1500/

It was worth it and I would certainly go there again.

LA ROAYL MERIDIAN
1 GST Road,St Thomas Mount
CHENNAI..600016
PH..044.22314343

QWIKY'S COFFEE

2010-11-28T20:28:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we were walking thru 100 ft road and I saw QWIKY cafe..it looked so cute, that we went there to try it.Its a very nice and cosy place.Ambiance is good and so is the service.
We ordered cappuchino, one elaichi tea and vegetable platter.

Tea was very good, normally I never like tea outside, either its not hot, or not good flavoured, whatever, but here it was good.
In vegetable platter they served..veg nuggets,fried potato,french fries, 2 cutlets and some salad with two types of dip ..everything was perfect.
Good place for snacks and coffee, it has icecreams, pizzas and burgers too and easy on the pocket too.
Here is the vegetable platter........

I would recommend it any time

Qwiky's Coffee,
#14,Veejay Towers, First Floor, 100ft Bye Pass Road,
Velachery, Chennai 600 042

The mainstreet..Residency towers

2010-08-08T21:42:00.000-07:00

I had heard about a little on this restaurant so yesterday we gave it a try.we tried lunch buffet on Sunday

Its location is perfect as it is on Thyagraya road..bustling market and as soon as we entered we said..wow...ambiance is very good, they have a british theme.so it is decorated in Victorian style.

In the drinks they..had fruit juice and butter milk.......both Ok

The soups..there were veg and non veg both, we had tomato cum vegetable soup..again just ok.

Starters...fried,idli and somne gobhi manchuria and pakora..all were soaked in oil and I didnt like at all.
There were Panipuri and papdi chaat also,but no good.

Now the main menu...in the salad as usual there were 7-8 varieties including pasta and lobia etc, then bread varieties with cheese.
Side dishes..sambhar,daal,paneer makhanwala,fried potato and few regional varieties.
Rice.plain steamed,lemon rice and curdrice and dahi vada
In the bread section, there was nanof different variety.
North Indian preparations were just not good , like we dont like dahi vada without tamarind chutney.

Desserts..This section was really good, yummy and lots of variety..all types of cakes,pastries mousse, strudel, fresh fruits, 3-4 typews of icecream,kheer,gulabjamun,sugar free sweets and other Indian sweets.

Entertainment..there was live crooner and he was good.

Service wasnt very good as it was too crowded....they need to improve their main section instead of having so many varieties of salad and all.

All this came at the price of Rs. 650/ person inclusive of taxes.
If one wants to just enjoy the ambiance its a good place,but not for relishing food.

THE RESIDENCY TOWERS

115, Sir Thyagaraya Road
Chennai/TNagar, Tamil Nadu 600017
044 2815 6363 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 044 2815 6363 end_of_the_skype_highlighting

TAJ FISHER MAN'S COVE

2010-03-15T22:25:00.000-07:00

This is a very luxurious resort, where one can book sea side cottages or villas also.
On Sundays they have buffet breakfast and buffet lunch..we had their BF..it was delicious and there was so much of variety..almost everything in 550/ per person. They had stuff paratha,idli,dosa, lemon idli, upma, utthapam,all sort of breads, muffins,waffles, juices, lassi, cereal and fruit sand of course coffee,tea,milk.

Their dinner buffet was 850/per person and it also had amazing variety including paani poori also(I think it was that day only, not a routine.Their vegetarian food is a complete delight..we had paneer methi, deewani haandi and daal makhani wih all types of bread, nowhere we have found so soft paneer and chapathis.

In mocktails we tried..evening sun.a mix of orange juice and lime and

teetotallers Pina Colada....it is a mix of ice cream, pine apple juice and coconut water..this one I liked and grilled vegetable sandwiches too.

I would say its a perfect place to enjoy..

Ambiance...very good
Service ..very good
food..also very good..though for vegetarians curries are very limited.
Price...I wouldnt say expensive..its good value for money.

Fisherman's Cove
Covelong Beach
Kanchipuram District 603 112
Tamil Nadu
India
Tel: (91-44) 6741 3333
Fax : (91-44) 6741 3330
Email : fishcove.chennai@tajhotels.com

GREEN PARK

2010-03-07T21:55:00.000-08:00

Green park is located in Vadapalani and has a huge space. Ambience inside is good. We went there for Lunch Buffet. and found it good..here are the details...

Starters...one non veg and one veg,...daal vadas and without any chatney, this is one area I found where they could add some dishes, specially for north Indians, there os no snack and even vadas had no chatney.

Beverages..Jeera paani and lassi(salted)....Both were good but I would have preferred some juice or some aerated drink.

Soup..Mulligawny..my hubby found it very tasty, I prefer tomato soup only.

Main course...5 types of rice.
8 varieties of salad.
2 types of pastas
vegetables..khoya paneer, karela, 2 curries in south indian style, daal masala, and one fried vegetables...bhajia type..this they could have given hot and served as starters with chatney,3 types of papad and butter naan..yes dahi bada also..in south indian style that is without tamarind chatney and with sour curd, but it was tasty.

desserts....Here they had very good variety...balushahi,gulabjamun, gajar halwa, peanut barfi,mysore pak, payasam, rabri..all indian sweets..then fruits, 3 types of icecream,pudding, trifle, cheese cake and some more...and they were delicious.

Tea and coffee..I saw the counter, of course we didnt take it.

And all this for the price of440/ per person.

Ambiance..good an good seating,

Service is also good

Food preparations are good, except that they could add some more variety in the main course and starters.

SH 113
Chennai, Tamil Nadu
044 66515151

KOFTA

2010-02-04T23:01:00.000-08:00

My hubby is very fond of Koftas, so i make lot of variety in them. ..this I make with raw banana...

1 banana

2tbsp gram flour

1onion

2 tomatoes pureed

oil for frying

salt to taste

1tsp ginger garlic paste

red chilli powder..half teaspoon for kofta and half for curry.

1 teaspoon kitchen king or any other curry powder.

wash and grate banana, I never feel them as the peel is very nutritious.

mix gram flour and salt and red chilli powder...and make balls..if its too wet, then add a little gram flour...with a medium sized banana we can make 10 balls

Fry these balls(kofta) and keep aside.

Now to make gravy.. grate or grind the onion and saute it with 2 tbsp oil....

when it is light brown, add ginger garlic paste and kitchen king and saute for one more minute.

Then add pureed tomato, stir it and then add one glass of water and let it boil at slow fire for3-4 minutes..add salt also.

Then add koftas and simmer for 3-4 minutes.

Ready to serve, you may garnish it with green coriander and fresh cream.

HOT CHIPS & PARFAIT

2010-01-26T20:20:00.000-08:00

Hot Chips

This one of the new joints opened on Taramani Road Velachery... The advantage here is that one can get everything under one roof be it coffee, juices, sweet, or snacks like idli, samosa, vada, , Pizza and food also like veg, roti all that..north Indian, south Indian everything, but as is the wont here, that when we went at 3..lunch items were not there......
This is a very medium type place where everything is moderate, whether preparations, ambiance or cleanliness.

Parfait.....

This also on Taramani road velachery....and its a fast food joint.But I didnt like the seating system and ambiance at all..its so pedestrian.But the pastry was good and so was the price, reasonable.. 35/....good for having no nonsense food when we need it, not when we want it. Prefer to take away from this place rather than eating there.

GAJAR KA HALWA..MICROWAVE COOKING

2010-01-01T03:57:00.000-08:00

Gajar ka Halwa is a favourite sweet for my whole family and they like it to be prepared in a particular way, carrots should never taste raw, hard or too soft. And here in Chennai we dont regularly get those red carrots.This time when my daughter came, it was her first choice, so I had no choice , but to make, since I was busy with other things in kitchen , I decided to make it in microwave, initially my daughter was quite skeptical, but when she tasted it she said..wow:)

Here is the recipe..easy to do.

Carrots..500 gm

2oo gm khoya

1tbsp. desi ghee

250 ml. full cream milk( standard will also do)

150 gm sugar or little more as per taste.

2 tbsp.finely chopped cashewnuts and almonds

1/2 tsp cardamom powder..optional.

Peel, wash and grate the carrots.
Put the carrots in a microwavable bowl ( I have that small cooker of Milton).add the milk. and put it for 10 minutes in microwave covered.

Take out and check if the carrot is done, if not put it for another 5 minutes.

Then take out and mix khoya thoroughly and put it in the microwave for 7 minutes without covering...By this time it must be dry..if it is not then put for another 3 minutes.

Now add sugar..mix thoroughly, then add the ghee and put it in microwave for another 5 minutes

Your delicious Halwa is ready..garnish it with chopped fruits and cardamon powder before serving.

PS: Take care while taking out the bowl and checking as its very hot

CAFE TAPAS

2009-12-15T19:35:00.000-08:00

This is the new boutique cafe recently opened in Velachery..a good thing to happen because on this road there was not a single eating joint where one could sit in comfort and enjoy.

They have given the deco of ecofriendly place..some walls are lined with bamboos, some lovely jute bags in their selling section..yes they have a few things to buy also. Seating is also good, not cramped, the only thing is tables are a little small.

Here one gets hot and cold coffees, shakes, smoothies juices and soups in drinks....Rs.40-65

Pizza, chaat, sandwiches,burger and salad for the main course.....Rs 35-99/--

Pastries in the dessert.

They have a NIrvana ...its a combo meal of..soup/salad......chat/burger/sandwich......smoothi/shake for 99/--only and
For children..chaat and smoothie....It is either for 35 or 55...I forgot:)

We ordered..Pizza Indiana.....it had a topping of paneer, onion and capsicum, I liked it.
Coffee was also very good , then pastry with hot choclate and cream was .just yummy.

Service is good with a smile.....place is worth a dekko,
The only thing I missed was that they should have icecream sundaes..I love them the most as a dessert or as it is..I am happy that now we have a neat and nice place in Velachery itself.

PS: In my next trip I tried cheese toasts and just loved them:) and cold coffee is also very good..so creamy..worth it.

CAFE TAPAS

47 B,Velachery Main Road
Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600042
098 40129493

WOODLANDS

2009-11-23T03:12:00.000-08:00

When we went to shopping in Tnagar,we werelooking for a spotto have some food,and when I saw woodlands board,I thought thatnothing better than this,it is just next to Nallis.

But we were highly disappointed with everything..ambiance is sort of dingy type,no emphasis on cleanliness or hygiene.The glasses they serve water in,look so dirty,and when the waiter brought lassi..it was dripping from all sides.Their menu is Ok,it is a multi cuisine, but their rates are higher than Sarvana or equal in some,but nowhere near them in presentation or service.Though tea was very good in taste,but I felt appalled at their dirty and dark ambiance,crockery and cutlery.

Service..bad
Rates..high
ambiance..dark and dingy
Food...good

Nageshwara Rao Road, Panagal Park
T. Nagar
Chennai -600017

044-24346627

CAFE TAPAS

2009-10-27T02:43:00.000-07:00

This is the new boutique cafe recently opened in Velachery..a good thing to happen because on this road there was not a single eating joint where one could sit in comfort and enjoy.

They have given the deco of ecofriendly place..some walls are lined with bamboos, some lovely jute bags in their selling section..yes they have a few things to buy also. Seating is also good, not cramped, the only thing is tables are a little small.

Here one gets hot and cold coffees, shakes, smoothies juices and soups in drinks....Rs.40-65

Pizza, chaat, sandwiches,burger and salad for the main course.....Rs 35-99/--

Pastries in the dessert.

They have a NIrvana ...its a combo meal of..soup/salad......chat/burger/sandwich......smoothi/shake for 99/--only and
For children..chaat and smoothie....It is either for 35 or 55...I forgot:)

We ordered..Pizza Indiana.....it had a topping of paneer, onion and capsicum, I liked it.
Coffee was also very good , then pastry with hot choclate and cream was .just yummy.

Service is good with a smile.....place is worth a dekko,
The only thing I missed was that they should have icecream sundaes..I love them the most as a dessert or as it is..I am happy that now we have a net and nice lace in Velachery itself.

TAPAS CAFE

47 B,Velachery Main Road
Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600042
098 40129493

BESAN COCONUT BARFI

2009-10-18T21:02:00.000-07:00

This Diwali I made besan( gram flour) and coconut Barfi, and everyone loved it, so thought of posting it but i forgot to take the picture, so i am writing the recipe will post the picture next time whenevr i make it.

Ingredients.....

2cups gram flour
2cups grated coconut
1 cup khoya (mawa)
2 and half cup sugar
1 and half cup water
half cup desi ghee

Roast the gram flour with ghee o0n a medium firt and then low heat....when it starts leaving the sides take it off.
Roast the coconut a little and keep it aside
Roast the khoya a little on a very low heat and keep it aside.
Now in a pan take sugar and water and make syrup of 3-4 consistency....to chk it take alittle(be caustious as its very hot) betweween your fore finger and thumb and seee that while stretching how many threads you see..its a thick consistency....then put all the things and take it off the heat and mix quickly thoroughly..... and shift it to a greased plate....and let it cool
Then cut into the pieces.

Meri Rasoi

TAJ COROMANDAL

GRT GRAND...

JEEVAN.your cafe

THE PIANO

MINT LEAF

Opening Hours

ZIZI

TAJ CLUB HOUSE CHENNAI

SIGREE

Pleated Masala Khasta Bread

RAJDHANI EXPRESS

NANKHATAI

MANSUKH

10 Ramasamy Street T. Nagar Chennai -600017

ph:044.24351258

Cafe Pascucci

LA ROYAL MERIDIAN

QWIKY'S COFFEE

The mainstreet..Residency towers

TAJ FISHER MAN'S COVE

GREEN PARK

KOFTA

HOT CHIPS & PARFAIT

GAJAR KA HALWA..MICROWAVE COOKING

CAFE TAPAS

WOODLANDS

When we went to shopping in Tnagar,we werelooking for a spotto have some food,and when I saw woodlands board,I thought thatnothing better than this,it is just next to Nallis.

Nageshwara Rao Road, Panagal ParkT. NagarChennai -600017

044-24346627

CAFE TAPAS

BESAN COCONUT BARFI

10 Ramasamy Street
T. Nagar
Chennai -600017

Nageshwara Rao Road, Panagal Park
T. Nagar
Chennai -600017