Kefi, Mediterranean Dining...

If someone had told you that you could dine under the stars, enjoy a Tagine, you might have looked at them as if they were speaking a foreign language. Well, it is possible. All you need to do is head over to Taj Club House and go straight to the rooftop restaurant- Kefi. You will see what we are talking about.... 

There is both an outdoor and indoor seating area, and if you are lucky and if the weather is good, you could enjoy  a glass of wine with the cool breeze keeping you company. Else, you could sit inside in the air conditioned area and dine in style.  

We got lucky during the Levantine lounge, the weather was pleasant and so we sat outside. But this time around, the days were proving unpredictable, there had been bouts of rain in the evening and so we decided to dine indoors. We chose the corner most table and got comfortable. Chef Siddiqui came over, introduced himself and explained a bit about the menu at Kefi. We noticed the staff bringing over plates of what is called “Amuse Bouche”. Name is amusing isn’t it? These are little bites that the restaurant serves, complimentary to get the evening started. Chef also mentioned that it gives the team some time to prepare the soups/salads/starters ordered.  We were served Cassis Reduced Melon with mint tabouleh[green greek salad made with different kinds of herbs, tomatoes and cheese]. It was quite refreshing. We then took time in ordering beverages and drinks. I opted for red wine, while the teetotalers chose mocktails.

Then came the Mezze Sampler, it consisted of Hummus beiruti [Hummus topped with onions, tomato and parsley], Moutabel (Char Grilled Aubergine with tahina sauce), Spanakopita (Baked pastry triangles filled with spinach, feta, and pine nut), Falafel (Deep Fried Chick pea) while the non veg eaters also got a Sambusek (pastry crescent filled lamb and pai nuts) These were served in large rhombus shaped plates, very neat and simple flavours. Familiar and refreshing! As the conversation flowed, so did the wine and laughter. We were busy clicking photographs, chatting up on life, and general yapping.

And then there was sudden silence. The waiters brought out trays with small dishes that had smoke floating everywhere. We were all curious and like little children sat there zapped and in wonder. These were palate cleansers- lemon sorbet. Once again, this is used to not only give the palate a break from the familiar flavours, but also to buy time for the chef to prepare the main dishes. It was delightful, so refreshing.

For the main dishes, the vegetarians were served the Aushak [pronounced similar to "Oh shuck"],Homemade leek ravioli sautéed mushroom and fennel. It was so light and creamy. Loved it. For the meat eaters, they had a  Pollo al chilindrón (Corn fed chicken with sweet paprika, red pepper, tomato), which they devoured with delight. 

And then came the part of the meal we look forward to, Desserts. We were in for a treat, a plate with various Desserts arrived on the table. There was a piece of Baklava, a chocolate tart, divine fig slice and an Almond cake. We were also asked if we would like to try the Greek drink called "Ouzo". We nodded yes, curious to try this drink. I had heard of it and an uncle has also mentioned trying the same during his travel. A small shot glass with clear looking liquid was placed in front of us and we were told it is typically had with desserts, to break the sweetness. A tiny sip revealed it was strong in flavour and quite a treat for the taste buds. Made with Star anise, it was strong, sweet and strong.. I know I said it twice, that is how strong it was. :-) Tequila felt like water after gulping down the shot.  Subsequently, to wind up the meal, we also went ahead and tasted the Turkish Coffee sans sugar [even though we were warned it would be quite bitter].

A Photofeature of the evening at ITC Grand Chola [Indiblogger meet]

Have you read my earlier post on the Indiblogger meet? No? Blasphemy i say... 1st go over here and then come drool at the images.... Go on, whatcha waiting for? Ok, you now have my permission to scroll down and enjoy the visual treat... :-)

Isnt it gorgeous? The beautiful chandelier in the main lobby.

 

Light oh so bright- The various light fixtures across the hotel and a floor pattern made of square tiles

Tring Tring, you called? The funky vintage telephone that i noticed across several lobbies

Psst.. keep this a secret, shall reveal what it is once opened

 

 

Welcome.. Wrap your hands around em birds and slide open the majestic doors. 

The beautiful door handles

 Which side do i turn? The corridor on the 30th floor, well, it is the 3rd floor, 

overlooking Madras Pavillion Restaurant

Glowing in the dark, ITC Grand Chola at 8pm. Shining like the Royal Palace it is.

 Hello, go on, enjoy the Hotel- the stairs seem to beckon. 

This is what greets you as you enter the Hotel through a side entrance

 

 Star light star bright, well, these shimmer in the ceiling like little twinkling stars, 

up above the grand staircase is where you find them.

 

So, wonderinng why I dint place the images in order? That is so you dont sneak away to visit the Hotel leaving me behind. Take me along and i shall give you a mini tour!! Smart, aint I? :-)

An evening at ITC Grand Chola courtesy Indiblogger

 

Dammit, I am going to be late. Was stuck on the flyover in North Usman road for nearly 10mins and I could feel the clock tick away. I am one of those who would rather be early than late, but today I knew I was going to be late, albeit a few minutes.  Finally, at 2.20pm I reached the gates, and i was ready to meet the Cholas, err, fellow bloggers. I was at ITCGrand Chola. Having driven past this majestic place a few times, I was eager to explore and hoped Indiblogger & ITC Grand Chola were going to give us a tour of the place before the end of the evening.  

As i made my way to the RajendraHall, on the 2^nd floor for the Indiblogger meet, I hoped the Kings & Queens were not too angry with my tardiness. Phew, I was welcomed with a smile by what i assume was one of the soldiers at the Palace. :-)) 

 Unlike the earlier meets, I noticed there were round tables with chairs. Looks like the Kings had become modern after all.. I was asked to register [maybe this was to keep track of all the souls who came late, deserved a punishment], and a secret Wi-Fi sync, I found a seat in a table with a few familiar faces and said Hi Hello to others [I think I even breathed a sigh of relief to have made it to my seat.. alive].   We were nearly 80 souls, err bloggers that evening. Phew, and I knew for a fact that Chennai had many more.!! Trying to distract myself, I started looking around the hall, it was huge, and there was nowhere you could hide, except maybe under the table.. lol... Did i mention the tables had a little flower center piece and a martini glass with candy apart from a small jar of cookies? Yes, and the cookies were refilled as well. Each of us also had a bottle of water… 

The evening began with the court brought to order by Mr Phillipe from ITC Grand Chola, subsequent to which their Digital Marketing team took over. Running us through their “tweetsfortreats” campaign, they went on to lure us with a whole bunch of prizes to be won that evening- ranging from 500Rs vouchers to accommodation and meals. We were all hooked and done for right then and there [I knew I was done for..]. The rest of the evening went by with each of us crossing our fingers & toes hoping to win the biggest of them all [and ofcourse get out of there alive]…

And in true Indiblogger style, we had the “60 seconds of fame”, where we had to introduce ourselves, speak about our blog, and just about anything else we wanted to ramble on. Some were crisp & to the point, while others were quirky and well, there were a few, rather one who decided to give us a History lesson on the Cholas [was there going to be a pop quiz? *nail biting moment*, Just then I a "go to jail" flash on the screen and nearly jumped out of my seat in fear..eeps]  During this, there were a few who won vouchers [Ratzzz for having hit 15000 ft to Himalayas carrying the bag that she received from Indiblogger, another person for an NGO activity, and so on.. you get the drift…] We then were up on our feet, tapping em to Gangnam style and playing musical chairs... Run Run run i say!! was this a dry run for the jail punishments? ....

What followed next was the highlight of the evening… Um, after a brief fuelling ofcourse.. more like stuff up the pig before you slaughter moment... gulp... It was time for HIGH TEA [now, i’ve never really understood this concept, it is neither lunch nor tiffin, it is more like samosas & chai, satiate your hunger just enough, but leave you wanting more..go figure]

There was quite a spread- potato bonda, kachori, vazhapoo vada, Mexican empanadas with salsa and different kinds of sandwiches. Wait, there is more.. An island in the center of the hall with mouth watering dessert platters- Chocolate cake, cookies, tarts, meringue, chocolate, dry fruits & nuts…. Need i go on? It was quite an elaborate spread and delicious one at that. I got an opportunity to meet and  interact with the  Chefs, hear their experiences with ITC Grand Chola and of the menu that evening. As i looked around for coffee or tea, i noticed there were these tall containers with colorful liquids- Fresh Figs & Almond shake, Cucumber & celery juice, Banana & honey shake, Fresh lime juice, Watermelon juice and one more. I chose Figs, and it was yummilicious. A few opted for tea, and got to experiment with the wide variety offered.  There was Tea and Coffee in the main hall as well, along with cookies. 

Allowing myself to drift away into la la land, I let myself be amazed at how well organized the entire thing was, Kudos to ITC Grand Chola. Ok, lemme not digress. The next task.. err activity was to form groups of 10, come up with a team and enjoy a tour of the place with one of the guides [ITC staff], and along the way come up with a story as well. We were the Raja Raja Cholas, and the story theme was Tintin and Cholas meet, or something of that sort.

We dint win the best story or anything, but we sure had a blast on the tour, guided by Gaurang [who’d hurt both his palms on a motorcycle accident that morning and had not even taken the day off.. how about that!] He was chilled out, knew every single sitcom we mentioned and we had a whale of a time, walking around the premises, for nearly an hour. [was there going to another high tea? at the end many wondered]

ITC Grand Chola is HUGE, even Huge is an understatement- spread across 8 acres, with 600+ rooms, multiple restaurants and bars, a cigar room, beautiful spa, a majestic swimming pool near the gym, the place is magical indeed. While standing near the pool, we felt like we were on top of the world, the city seemed to be down below.

The attention to detail, the rooms, the swanky lobbies, the resident lounge, the meeting rooms, the facilities & technology that has been incorporated are all fit for a king, well, for someone who loves luxury and comfort. The pictures will tell you what am talking about… 

And then, we were back in the main hall, curious to know what next! I had wondered what we would be doing for 5hrs [the event mail said 2-7pm], and there we were back in the hall, as the clock stuck 6.45pm. Who’d have thought!  A few minutes spent on sharing our experiences of the hotel, and then came the “Let’s see who won what”.[i kept waiting for someone to point their sword towards me - you there, come up here, you were late werent you, buhahaha.. off to gallows with you"]

Instead, prizes were given out to the Best team, best tweeter and *drum roll please*, yours truly won a prize as well “best photographs shared on the move”... Woohoo… Who’d have thought indeed? No blood shed, no tears rolling down cheeks...Me with my Blackberry, but well, it was fun… I won a 1night 2 day stay at ITC Grand Chola and was/am mighty kicked about.  Wait, that was not all, ITC Grand Chola was giving out a prize to everyone who was in the hall, how cool was that? We were each given a small piece of paper that had our prize in it. We had to redeem it for a voucher and that was our return gift. Again, i got lucky, I won a meal at Madras Pavillion for 2.. Woohoo once more!! 

It was one awesome evening- Lovely ambiance, amazing people, good food and a fun meet!! Thanks @indiblogger for giving us this opportunity and thank you @itcgrandhotels for being such wonderful hosts!!  

Quick facts about the Hotel:-

The architecture is based on the Chola temple architecture; influences from Brihadeeswara temple & Gangai konda chozapuram evident in the designs all along the place and there were not one or two, but 4 entrances.

The hotel has a total of 10 food & beverage centers, including Peshawri [Northwest Frontier cuisine], The Royal Vega [vegetarian restaurant], Ottimo [Italian cuisine],The Madras Pavilion [a 3course meal kinda resturant], Cafe Mercara[coffee shop],  and then there was Nutmeg[gourmet shop], Cheroot Lounge[ Drinks & Cigar lounge], Pan Asian, Modo Mio, The Pub and Tranquebar[this was originally supposed to have been an all women pub]. 

 

There are in all 6 swimming pools... The Presidential suite is over 4000 sq ft of space with its own private pool and valet. From what i gather, there are nearly 4 categories of rooms, one wing dedicated to women entrepreneurs and travellers. 

Oh and the Elite rooms come with allergen free, pure air etc etc...The pillars are fitted with RFID sensors. Rooms are operated using an iPad, you walk in, plonk on the bed and everything else can be controlled using the tablet. Meeting Rooms are not only functional, but swanky- especially the one called "Tanjore" . Kaya Kalpa- their spa is said to be the largest of its kind... 

ITC Grand Chola
Mount Road [next to Alexander Square building, opp Maruti center]
Guindy,
Chennai- 600032
Phone: 044 2220 0000