Revamped Bar menu at The Flying Elephant, Park Hyatt

Beetroot Ravioli

A cocktail with Gin base... 

Panner e Hasan

Steam Edamame & Truffle Dimsum

Taouk Shish- Char Grilled Chicken, Onion Dumac salad with Turkish Bread

Three Cheese Jalapeno and Pesto Mushroom Tikka

Pumpkin Ravioli

Garlic Naan, Plain Naan, Dal Makhani & Butter Chicken

  

2 Veg Pizzas

Churros with three dips- Salted caramel, dark chocolate and apple cinnamon sauce.. 

Dessert Platter- included Dark Chocolate Cake & Blueberry Cheese Cake

The highlight apart from the delectable food was meeting their new Executive Chef Michele Dal Cero [Mikela Daal Cherro is how it is pronounced] who is from Verona in Italy, but was working in Korea for the past 7years before which he did a stint at Shangri-La in Mangolia for a year. It was fascinating listening to his stories and experiences across regions and people. He was all praise for the team at Flying Elephant, saying they were quite smart, quick to learn new recipes and replicate them unlike some of the people he has worked with earlier. We also spoke in length about food from his hometown, his family and the region around. I love hearing stories, it infact adds to the whole experience and tells you so much about a person and their heritage. 

The Food & Drinks

The first thing I read on the new Bar menu was Three Cheese Jalapeno & Pesto Mushroom Tikka.. Few items down was the Steam Edamame & Truffle Dimsum. Now with dishes like that on the menu, the curiosity to try the dishes was quite high and I was literally holding my breath waiting for these dishes to arrive at the table. The evening though began with the beautiful Beetroot Ravioli, which I have had before and with every bite it plays on your senses.. The beetroot has been cooked in so many different ways that you take a few minutes to wrap your head around it. And you can imagine how the rest of the evening must have been..

As for the food and drinks, the evening sailed along quite smoothly. I had three different cocktails, all with gin as the main base, one had curry leaves, other two were far more subtle.. cant remember the names, I just let the staff decide and surprise me :D [ya I take risks like that] 

The dimsum melted in our mouth, the truffle flavour singing a song till it reached the tummy... The Middle Eastern flavours of the Taouk Shish was quite good, I tasted the bread with pickled onions and the vegetables from the skewers... The Mushroom tikka was heavenly, I love Mushrooms and this one was stuffed with pesto, crumb coated and cooked on the grill..  The pumpkin ravioli was again one that I have had before, and loved it this time as well- the sweetness of the ravioli, the crunch of the paper thin wafer and the sweet sauce... What is good about the menu is all the dishes are almost like finger food, no mess no need for fancy cutlery, pick it up, pop in your mouth [maximum 2 bites] and enjoy the flavours...

To wrap up the meal we got two desserts, one was a platter and the other well we got served cos we are sweet people, if you ask nicely they might get it for you as well.. Am talking about the Churros.. Mamma mia, it was heavenly... I loved it on its own and with the various sauces, esp the apple cinnamon... Dying to try my hand at making it at home~!! 

Well, after a meal like that, all one needs is a good book and some sweet company to snuggle with..You would end up dreaming about the various flavours of India .... spices singing sweet melodies...  ;o) 

A meal for two should work out to Rs2500 ++ and this is available for dinner from 7pm at Flying Elephant...

Address:

Park Hyatt 

39, Velachery Main Rd, Guindy,

Call 044 7177 1234 for reservation


Disclaimer:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParkHyattChennai

The reviews posted on this blog are based on my personal experience. Also remember these were just my views!! Remember, no two palates are the same. Bon Appétit  :-)

Eastern Wedge - Pan Asian - Pure Veg, Chennai

When a new restaurant hits town, there is always curiosity,  but then when it is Pure veg, and Pan asian, curiosity makes way for a "drop everything and go over for a visit" momentum. That is exactly what happened with Eastern Edge...

I have known Chef Ramkumar for a few years, and when I saw a few interesting images on his Whatsapp status, I pinged him asking about it. He was tight lipped till early December and then last friday I got the opportunity to visit the place, and try the food.. Only word that comes to my mind at the end of it all - "Delicious"...  

From the Cool Cream Milano Pvt Ltd, Mr Mahadevan's holding company, [which also owns Sera and Ente Keralam,Va Pho among others] comes the newest kid on the block - Eastern Edge, Pan Asian- Pure Veg restaurant... It now sits proudly where Darios once did and offers cuisine spanning across Japan, China, Malay and Thai....  

The menu has been crafted by Chef. Tetsuya Yanagida from Japan and Chef. Low Chee Ee from Malaysia and of course our very own Chef Ramkumar who has been with this group for nearly 16 years experience at the helm of it.. They had Chef come down from Japan, show how the dishes are made, train the staff here before handing over the reigns. Big bold flavours, simple subtle cooking spices, simply cooking methods, each dish standing out with a unique identity of its own... These are what you can expect at Eastern Wedge

The menu does not run for pages and pages, but there are enough options to leave you spoilt for choice... Here are the dishes I tried that evening,

The crunch of the water chestnuts is something alright... I kept going back for 2nds and 3rd and more...

Such a delight to dig into this bowl of cold salad- it has noodles, the sesame dressing, veggies, tofu/paneer...  

 The Chanko Nabe with Udon noodles and assorted vegetables is a house special, and this is the 1st time they are trying a veg version of this dish... It comes with choice of three broths, we chose the Miso one and I loved it.. Such a warm comforting bowl it was... 

I loved this dish as well, the rice and the gravy that had a certain amount of warmth to it was just WOW... 

If your family is like mine "we will not enter a restaurant that cooks non veg even though they have a  good veg spread", take them here and you can thank me later!! Or if you are curious to know what pure veg pan asian cuisine offers, well, just drive down here right away... ;-) 

Kudos to the team for giving us yet another restaurant that not only ticks all the boxes in terms of flavour, options and pricing, but one that is such a delight to dine at... 

Meal for 2- Rs800-1000/-

Website- https://eastern-wedge.business.site/

Address:
11, Kasturi Rangan Road, 
Kasturi Estate, 2nd Street, 
Poes Garden, 
(Next to Ashwini Hospital) 
Chennai - 600018  

Disclaimer: The reviews posted on this blog are based on my personal experience. Also remember these were just my views!! Remember, no two palates are the same. Bon Appétit :-) 

Street food in Indore

The minute I told a friend Indore was on my agenda, he immediately began rattling out places to go to, and things to do.. And his last visit to Indore was a good decade ago, but well most of the monuments and places continue to be popular among travellers even today. Amidst that long list was this area called Sarafa Bazaar, known for its Chaat. But what made it unique was the place came alive post 8pm and stayed open till about 2am, daily. During the day the area is renowned for the jewellery stores and is a market of sorts for those seeking to buy jewellery. This bazaar/market is situated right behind the Rajwada Palace, a crumbling remnants of the Holkar dynasty... 

As you walk through the lane, your senses are assaulted by the aromas wafting from the various stalls on either side. Some are putting together chaat, while others are deep frying jalebas and then there are other stirring pots of what looks like indo chinese dishes, not to forget the range of indian desserts sitting pretty in huge bowls.  You are spoilt for choice, and the beauty is that all these stalls are open till the wee hours of the morning. No matter how busy the stall owner is, they don't mind chit chatting. I did kick up a conversation with almost all I visited, and discovered that most of them have been setting up stalls for 30+ years, some of them mentioned how their father had started the show and they had taken over. 

The other good thing is they take cash or paytm as payment.. Most of the dishes are priced between Rs40- 60.  Here is a photographic tour of the place....

 Paranthas.

Paneer tikka.. across spice levels.

Chinese Dosai

Burger with paneer patty

Dahi and Vada soaking in warm water...

 Rabdi and Gulab jamun

 Sesame chikki and gajak

Pani Puri water- 5 different kinds

Momo stall

 Hot Gulab jamun, Carrot halwa, moong daal halwa and gulab jamun

Jaleba- Giant Jalebis..

Paan.. Chocolate, pista, butterscotch, strawberry and many others.. 

Kulfi on the wheel..

What did we try? Well, here is a collage of the dishes we sampled across 1.5hours, and walking through those streets...... 

Top left onwards 

Bhutte ka kees [corn chaat], 

Dahi vada,

Moong dal halwa,

Shikanji [made with milk & dry fruits], 

Pav bhaji, 

Kulfi (mix of flavours- chocolate, butterscotch and few others)

Garaadu [sweet potato] 

and Momos [not in photo] 

Next time you are visiting Indore, remember to explore this street and let me know what you ended up trying!! 

Fabindia launches 2 Fab Cafes in Chennai

 From a brand that is renowned for their cotton/silk kurtas and sarees, they have now taken a step into the food arena as well, giving customers a wholesome experience. This new outlet was at the corner of Eldams Road and TTK road, and was huge... I was at the newly opened Fabindia Experience center, the 2nd one in Chennai [ 1st one at Besant Nagar].. After spending a few minutes at the store, I made my way to the 3rd floor, where the Fab Cafe was located. 

Right next door is a space where they hold workshops and an ideal space for kids to stay busy with fun activities. Infact, a friend was telling me how her son loves to play there while she & her husband enjoy some quiet time at the cafe.  The view from the cafe is breathtaking, you get the entire view of the busy street below and watch vehicles go by on the flyover as well.

Chef Sunil Chauhan is the man behind the menu and must say it is quite an impressive one. He steers clear of white sugar and flour [Maida] and there are so many alternatives, healthier dishes as well. The menu is a melange of Vegan, Gluten free, Dairy free and Diabetic friendly as well.  This was also the 1st place where I saw Quinoa flour & Jackfruit flour based items on the menu. 

If you are looking for a new place to explore or some new dishes, then this is where you should go. Lemme also tell you they have quite a range of Vegetarian dishes! :) 

Masala Chai with Coconut sugar and a beautifully flavoured biscotti.. 

A variety of drinks- [Top to bottom, left to right] Kokum with coconut milk and a drink with pineapple juice, tender coconut water and chia seeds. Sugarcane and Lemongrass juice with soda...

Spinach & Chestnut momos with two dipping sauces..

Pani puri with three different waters

Pickles- Beetroot pickle, raw papaya pickle and chilli pickle..

 Jackfruit flour roti, quinoa roti, mix grain roti, and paneer stuffed roti with a Punjabi Saag with paneer in it.- the sabzi was divine, could have had a bowl of it and been happy.

Crispy veggies but not deep fried, they were dehydrated, served with cashew cheese that had mint sauce mixed it. The veggies were light as air and beautiful.. 

 Fried Shakarkandi chaat... tangy, sweet, spicy and yummmm

 Ajwain Croissant- It took a bit of getting used to, the flavour, the texture...

 Four different home made ice creams..

 Cheese cake with strawberry sauce... Loved the cheesecake, while the sauce was tad sweet.

 Caramalised Banana cake... It was packed with banana flavour, so if that is your thing then this is the dessert for you...

I sure wanna come back here for their breakfast, considering the menu had me going oooh, wow, nice, yumm at the pancakes and Shakshuka and the smoothie bowls.. It is quite obvious that a lot of thought and research has gone into the menu!! 

Address:

New Door No. 390, Old Door No. 225, 3rd Floor, TT Krishnamachari Rd, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600018 

Timing: Open from 8.30am to 10.30pm [even though store closes by 9pm]

Disclaimer: The reviews posted on this blog are based on my personal experience. Also remember these were just my views!! Remember, no two palates are the same. Bon Appétit :-)