Peaches turns one

“Peaches” is not the 1^st name we thought of. We infact ran through nearly 100 of them, scraping at each of them- Tiranga, 3 Rascals and what not, till finally we landed at “Peaches”, shares Raghu.  Hailing from a family where his father was into business, Raghu met up with 2 other friends and after much brainstorming they decided to start the restaurant and see where it is headed.

They were 3 guys who were excited, passionate and wanted to do something new. Subsequently, they met with Chef Kaushik [Eatitude] who helped transform their idea into reality and get going on the restaurant. 

After much deliberation, the trio decided to start a “Pure vegetarian” restaurant, esp since Velachery was an up and coming locality and pure veg is a cuisine that will work here. Locality was one thing they dint really have to deliberate over, and they knew there was going to be no compromise on quality of food they served either. Once the idea was in place, plans were drawn, they did a survey over 40days among people they knew and got them to test out the menu as well [12^th to 19^th Sep 2012]. On 20^th Sep 2012 is when the doors opened…

The menu too went through various stages, from being extensive, it was narrowed down, and over time a few dishes were chopped off the list, while others were added in. The restaurant was slowly evolving and getting ready to open the doors to the market. And today, they are a year and 2 months old.  Today, they can serve 58 covers and are proud owners of the 1800 sq ft restaurant.

Targetting families who enjoy Indian food, and who are open to world cuisine, they designed the menu and kept coming up with new innovative dishes and festivals. Earlier this year, they had the Burrito eating contest, where a 2kg burrito was to be eaten in the shortest time. And now, they have launched Sizzlers, about 5 of them. We wonder what they are going to come up with next…

Venkatesh manages the kitchen and back end while Raghu manages the front and marketing aspect of the restaurant [thanks to his experience in marketing & servicing].

Some of their signature dishes which we got to taste were

Starters : Bread Mozzarella Sticks, Malai paneer tikka, Aatish-e-aloo and the Mushroom crostini followed by Phuket Paneer and Schezwan baby corn.

Drinks: Florida Sunrise and Lime mint cooker

Mains: It was raining sizzlers- there was the Oriental Sizzler, Italian sizzler, Tandoori Sizzler, Chettinad Sizzler and finally the Big Fat peaches Sizzler. The best of the lot was the Chettinad and Oriental Sizzler. The amazing thing about each of these Sizzlers was that the items on each of them was different, even the wedges and side of vegetables. There was the veg cutlet to the masala vada, the Chinese fried rice+noodles to Indian Biryani and the Italian gentle flavoured vegetables. These should make their way into the menu long term!!

Desserts: Hot chocolate fudge sundae, Banana boat and Mango sundae... 

Here’s wishing them a great journey ahead!!! Next time you are around Velachery and in the mood for some good food, albeit vegetarian, head straight down the road next to Phoenix mall about 2kms to Peaches [above Andhra Bank]

You can read my earlier review here

 Peaches

No.81, 9th Cross Street,
Rajalakshmi Nagar, 
100 Feet by Pass Road, 
Velachery, Chennai, 
Tamil Nadu 600042
Ph- 044 4201 9454

Disclaimer:
The reviews posted on this blog are based on my personal experience. Also remember that restaurants and eat outs sometimes change with time, so does their food and service. So, kindly consider these factors while visiting the places. Remember, no two palates are the same. Bon Appétit  :-) 

Entree, Express Avenue

There we were in the mall, wandering aimlessly when hunger pangs began hitting us. We spotted Entree on the ground floor and decided to go check it out. The manager told us it was a pure veg place, and they offered both a la carte and buffet. We walked around seeing what the buffet had to offer, liked what we saw and chose the same. Priced at Rs 600, it is good value for money meal. The buffet began with a soup, going ot a range of straters spanning Indian, Italian and Thai, and then ofcourse came the main and desserts. I loved the noodles and thai curry, and salad options as well. They had a variety of premixed salads, extra olives, dressings that one can choose from

The dessert section had a few pudding, cakes and ice creams, along with payasam as well. Apart from this, friend ordered for a Tiramisu which arrived in style with a side of cut fruits. Overall, we enjoyed the meal. 

There are two entrances to this place- one from within the mall and other through the EA hotel entry!! 

Address:

Entree Located on the ground floor of Express Avenue Mall [in the luxury section] 

Ph: 044 28463333

Lunch Buffet at Spice Jar, The Residency

Imagine walking into a room and the aroma of cinnamon, cloves, cardamon and ginger hits you, leaving you in a whirl of flavours? That would be heaven or hell, depends on what you like or not. I remember feeling this when we walked into one of thestores in the  spice market in Kochi. 

So, when you tell someone "time to visit the Spice Jar", you invariably end up imagining the above mentioned scene unfold. I walked into Residency, GN Chetty road with this in mind. But then I saw a huge restaurant, with glass walls and a row of huge glass jars filled with different spices high up above the buffet counters.  I was here a few days ago, after a late night movie for a cup of coffee. And today I was here to try their Lunch Buffet. First order of the day was to get myself a glass of Fresh Lime Soda Salt [in fact this has become my favorite drink, and I don't mind having a glass of this very now and then].  Once we had settled down, spent a few minutes catching up on our lives, work, and sundry. Looked around to see a large crowd in the table nearby, also managed to catch a words here & there [sounded like someone was celebrating their birthday, pretty soon the entire crowd had piled around the lady and were giving out gifts, gushing wishes and yakking away]

We made a beeline towards the Buffet to check out the spread, and soon grabbed a plate each and took a sampler of sorts- bread, salads, the veg kebab and sipped on the soup served on the table. Mine was a clear veg soup with a few pieces of colour zucchini in it [was very bland]. The non veg soup looked spicy [ almost like the hot & sour]. I wish they had a similar soup for veggies.. The kebab was good and so were the salads and breads. Quite a few rolls to choose from- brown bread, herbed rolls, white bread slices and few others as well. I also tried the corn & spinach bake which was simple and good. I make this at home with variations [mushrooms, paneer, etc]. 

The place had a constant flow of people, which is always a good sign for a restaurant. I remember visiting Chin Chin, the chinese restaurant on Women's day and enjoying the lunch spread there. Suddenly, breaking into my thoughts I heard Mr Madhu introduce the Chef  [Bengali] who chit chatted for a bit about his favorites, the dishes he is in charge of and places he has worked before. 

While we were trying to order another drink, the staff mentioned there was nannari sharbat available in the buffet. Instantly, we all walked over to the table with 4-5 jugs, and tasted the nannari juice. Yumm! Alas, they dint have too much, so some of us got nannari, while others took roohafza. There was also buttermilk which I liked [ no ginger no coriander.. yayy] 

The highlight of the buffet is there were as many if not more number of Veg dishes as Non Veg. I enjoyed the garlic noodles and Red thai curry the most. Skipped the Indian dishes and went straight for the desserts. There was a payasam of sorts, a bread pudding, coconut strudel, and plain ice cream [2 flavours- Vanilla and Strawberry]... The chef brought a Caramel custard since the one in the dessert section was nearly over. It was just again lacking in flavour, but atleast did not have an overpowering eggy taste.

Overall, the food was alright, nothing over the top, but then it is value for money. 

The veg buffet is priced at Rs597 [Rs475+taxes] and the non veg at little bit more for the weekend and it is tad less during the weekdays.  [shall reconfirm on the rates]

Address:

Spice Jar

#49, The Residency, 

G.N.Chetty Road, 

T Nagar, Chennai- 600017

Ph : 04428253434 Extn 6118 / 7401204255

Spoonbill, Chennai

It was my Birthday, and as promised i was going to have dinner with my bestie [love the Amy refers to Penny as her Bestie in TBBT -uff, The Big Bang Theory for all those who are staring at the acronym wonderinng what it is.. :D] and her little bunny boy... We went to and fro on sms "Jacobs or Spoonbill" we were both ok with either, she'd been to Spoonbill but was willing to go again... After much dilly dallying, rather "am ok with this, unless..." kinda chats, we settled for Spoonbill..

I had seen the restaurant couple of times while going down TTK road, but yet to explore further. It is situated right above CCD [hopefully you are not wondering what that is.. in case you are... Cafe Coffee Day], yes one more outlet has sprung up in town. You walk up the narrow flight of stairs to Spoonbill [ i dint see an elevator, is there one anywhere? - wondering in case i want to take grandparents there]...

You cant help but smile as you enter the restaurant. the bright orange colour Spoonbill on the wall is what caught my eye. The entire wall was empty but for that bird, and it stood out. I have seen a few real spoonbills, the bird during a trip down the Coromandel coast, but am sure they were white and not orange.. :-)

A wall near the entrance has a few large images, of coffee cups with spoonbill logo and name on it, some of food, and people grinning ear to ear. After a brief stroll down the open kitchen, we found a table near the window. The menu card was big and interesting, so many items i had only heard off and seen on TV.

We chose to go with the combo meals, a veg burrito and a non veg burrito accompanied with french fries[ for the munchkin], water and a drink. Friend also suggested picking up a few Pav buns as the little one will like them.  They had Mexican, Indian, Chinese, European, and the whole menu was around popular street foods...

It is a cool concept- these combos. I was told i could order a drink or water or juice and could pick out whatever i wanted from the refrigerator across the bill counter. I was given a small device, which i was told will light up when our order was ready. How cool is that!

Spent the next few mins running around the place, well, ok, strolling around with junior, while he was fascinated with the drinks in the refrigerator and the unit that was a pest killer, err mosquitoes and flies that is. He saw a fly hit the blue tubelight, and fall with a buzz sound and wanted to see more.. well, looks like all the bugs took the cue and disappeared as the next show dint happen for a while.. lol...

Got back to the table, chit chatting with friend about our birthdays, when suddenly the pager started coming alive. I spotted one of the men behind the counter beckon.. Our order was ready.. Yipee!! And the food was divine... I enjoyed the Burrito- the tortilla, vegetables, refried beans and the gaucamole sauce... The french fries were crisp and perfectly seasoned. I tried the grape juice while friend stuck to Diet coke. We then decided to share a plate of Pandina [did i get the name right? it resembled quesedilla], the filling was Pesto and cheese- sinful, and i wish i could have finished it up, but was stuffed..

And then came the lovely surprise.... Charlie singh, the owner of the place came over to our table [no, he wasnt the surprise..d'oh!], holding a plate with a chocolate cupcake and a candle on it... The little munckin on my lap promptly blew it out... haha... and we dug into it.. The cupcake was warm, moist and  not over the top sweet or chocolatey....

What a fun evening that had been... Actually, time out with these 2 [and the hubby] is always fun & memorable!   Happy birthday to me once again :D

Ambiance: 9/10

Service: Self service :)

Price: 8/10 [ The entire meal was close to Rs600, which i felt was quite reasonable] 

Address:

#239, TTK Road,  [Above Cafe Coffee day]

Alwarpet, 

Chennai 600018

Dewberry's, Chennai

Tucked away inside a lane on Radhakrishnan Salai, Mylapore, Dewberry's Resto Cafe is a small cozy cafe/restaurant serving up Fusion food amidst a lovely ambiance. The stone pillars greet you, making way for a narrow path, and a small water body on either side with small stone structures in them. There are a few tables in the outdoor seating area and inside too i noticed a few tables. The place is fairly small, can probably seat about 60 people in one go[35 outdoor and 25 indoor].

Welcomed by Kavitha, one of the partners we made our way into the AC seating area[ think next time i'll sit outside, looked nicer]. I had noticed a board "Instinct" near the entry which Kavitha explained was the textile division she managed and pointed to the store located with the cafe premises. Apparently, the cafe shared walls with her home. 

 

Love in a berry

While waiting for others to come, we decided to go ahead order beverages. I chose the Love in a berry [which was a mixed berry drink- made with fresh fruits and concentrate]. It was quite good, but when Doc Waz ordered the Lime & Chilly cooler, i knew i should have ordered that. Packed with lime and chilly flavor, it sure had a punch and kick to it. 

 

Caramel Fruity

 Chicken Tortellini

                                                                                

Chippy Fungi

As the evening wore on, the food started arriving on our table.. For starters, i chose the Chippy Fungi- Deep fried mushrooms served with tortilla chips, a creamy sauce and plenty of olives & coloured peppers [it was yumm, just that the torilla was a bit chewy]. It had quite a unique texture and was delicious. Oh, how can i forget the interesting Bruschetta that Kavitha recommended? It was Bruschetta with fruits and cheese on top-Caramel Fruity. For the meat lovers, the Chicken Tortellini and Gamberoni [Prawn dish] were offered.

 After a round of ooh, aah, yummy, interesting and other possible comments, we were once again lost in the menu cards looking for an interesting main course to order. Playing it safe, we asked Kavitha to order [a mix of veg & non veg of course].. What arrived was quite a mix of flavors and delights.

There was Magic mushroom pasta [ oh well, stop dreaming, none of us were in a trance or hallucinating, these were just regular mushrooms parading as magic mushrooms], Spaghetti with chicken in red sauce, Paneer Brazilia sizzler[Veg sizzler], Minced chicken bolognaise [chicken sizzler].... 

Paneer Brazilia sizzler

Magic mushroom pasta

There was also the Farm fresh fold over [Fruitlette-> a fruit platter with Quesadilla filled with vegetables & cheese -> there were giant slices of watermelon, kiwi, apples, couple of strawberries & grapes lined along the plate]. and Grilled fish fillet [Grilled Bass fish served with rice]

 Farm fresh fold over

 

Grilled fish fillet

Phew.. we were stuffed...  all of us made sure to click shots of all the dishes and taste them, atleast a nibble to satiate our curiosity... Between conversations around our lives, work and food, nearly 2 hours flew by. We were looking forward to digging into some desserts before calling it a night.

Original Sin

 

I ordered the Original Sin [ pancakes with apples, raisins flavoured with nutella and served with a side of fruits though i asked to leave the fruits out since we already had a fruit platter on the table half eaten]... The pancakes were too leathery and it had a strong Elaichi flavrou...Made me wonder if i had maybe committed a sin... 

The other crepe based dessert was the Simple Simean [think i got the name right, crepes with Banana and Nutella with a fruit platter]. 

Simple Simean

 Some of the other desserts ordered were Fried chocolate balls[ they were like little bondas with gooey chocolate  inside], Simply chocolate [a tall glass with Chocolate biscuits topped with ice cream and melted chocolate- mars or 5 Star] and then the Strawberry strawberry glory [Strawberry shortcake served with fresh cream topped with fresh strawberries].

 Strawberry strawberry glory

What an evening it was.. The conversation continued even as we walked out, and as the night wore on. Off i went in search of an auto with the sweetness of nutella lingering in my mind... 

Food - 7/10
Ambiance- 8/10
Location- 8/10 [hidden in the lane, away from the noise of the main road]

Address:
Dewberry's - The Resto-Cafe 6/29, Rajasekaren Street, Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai Mylapore, Chennai 600008

Directions: Turn left after HSBC bank, near Van Heusen Showroom on Radhakrishnan salai..just ahead of Citi center, on left side] 

  Phone: 044-28473439
Timings: 12pm to 11pm

Escape Dine

When the food court is jam packed, and the restaurants are overflowing with people, the only place to head to is Escape Dine inside Escape Cinemas in the 3rd floor in Express Avenue Mall in Chennai.

My friend and i made a beeline for a table in Dine and since then the table seems to have become our spot. Everytime we visit, we are shown to the same table [and trust me when  i say we have been there plenty of times] :)

The rich wood furnishings and glass partition wall adds to the ambiance. It keeps away the prying eyes of those who are looking for movie tickets or walking in or out of a movie and gives the guests enough privacy. There is a buffet open during Lunch , with unlimited Biryani [both veg and non veg] along with a soup and dessert for about Rs299.

And if like us you dont think you do justice to the buffet, then go for the A la carte menu.. My friend loves Desserts, so she goes straight to the Dessert page in the menu card and promptly orders one for each of us before looking at the main dishes..

We normally skip the Starters and head over straight to the Main course. I have had their Vegetable Biryani.. Panneer Tikka Masala with Parantha or plain rice, and once tried the Mushroom based pasta.. All these dishes come pipoing hot and quite yummy..

 The portions are pretty huge, enough for 2 people, especially if you are going in for a dessert.  I also quite enjoy the Brinjal curry and onion raita that comes with the Biryani... 

My friend orders either a Mutton biryani or Chicken biryani with extra spice...Going by her expressions, i would say she too enjoys the food! 

And now for the dessert.. Many a times, we pick out one or two from the menu only for the waiter to come back saying they either dont have it or have run out of it.. Apparently the desserts come from Ecstacy in Satyam Cinemas and arrive here twice a day...

The very 1st time we ordered the Hazelnut mousse served on a ginger short bread [it was from Ecstacy by Mikeal Besse] and was divine... Actually, so are all the desserts we  have had here, that come with a scoop of sinful vanilla ice cream...

 The Blueberry Cheese cake...

Dark chocolate fantasy [dont remember the exact name]

Next time you are in Express Avenue and are looking for a quiet place for a meal, march straight into Escape cinemas towards the Dine!
Psst- Sorry about quality of images, invariably whenever i am here i seem to have only my Blackberry to rely on!!


Food 8/10
Service 8/10
Ambiance 8/10
Price 8/10 [A meal for two should cost between Rs500- 700.]

Timings: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. 
Address: Escape Dine
3rd Floor [ inside Escape cinemas on extreme left]
Ph: 044 28464809 .

Pastas

The last weekend when i was away and travelling, i ate Pasta atleast once a day, not because i love it that much, but because it was the only item on the menu apart from the boring Rice and Roti.... :-)

Back home too, i enjoy cooking Pasta- everytime i try to bring home a different kind of pasta, experiment with different sauces/pesto and recipes [ all of which are created by yours truly] and dish it out.. I can proudly say that till date it has not disappointed me.. Am happy about my taste palate... :-)

Even though pastas originated in Italy, it has become quite common here in India too... And a good alternative to rotis, rice, pizza and sandwiches... 

Some of the different kinds of Pastas are- 

 

Farfelle- Bow Pasta, which is my alltime favourite- cos they look so cute :)

 

Fettucine, long flat noodle kind of pasta.. i like these, but grandparents find them difficult to eat, so they are the last resort

Fussili- twirly pasta... Love these as well..

 

Spaghetti is a long, thin, cylindrical pasta, ideal for pasta made with sauce

Conchiglie, these resemble little shells and come in 2 sizes, small and big...

Penne, the traditional small pipe shaped pasta... Most commonly found and used... These come in single colour and Tricolour as well..

Fusili pasta made with Wheat flour.. These take a bit longer than the maida ones to cook, but are healthier... 

 

Lasagna, pasta in the form of sheets that is used by layering the sheets between vegetables, topped with chees e and baked in the oven.. I havent made this, but have had it in restaurants..

I have seen a few more varieties on the net and heard from Friends who live abroad, but not seen them as part of the menu .. 

Which is your favorite????