Kalakal Cafe, Chennai

This was turning out to be quite an interesting Saturday. After a few hours on the Mylapore Food walk, we decided to head over towards Kotturpuram to meet the regulars at Kalakkal Cafe.

An initiative byVidya Sagar, the campus is actually a school for children with special needs, and this café is a space for those with various disabilities to come and hang out. The place is open from 4.30 to 6.30pm two saturdays in a  month. There are ramps for those on wheelchairs, mugs with handles/sippers, and simple food that suits vairous palates. I have been wanting to come here for months, but everytime i plan, the plan falls through and finally saturday i was glad to have made it.  Anuradha Shankaran [Anu Akka as they all her] is the coordinator of this Cafe. As i walked into the cafe, the poster on the wall caught my eye. It had a painted image of a tea jar with the title "Diversitea?"- Just one word to encapsulate the spirit of the place. There were few other paintings that were up on the notice board, each one speaking volumes about how smart/talented/deserving each and every individual who came there was. The food in the stall just outside the cafe offers snacks [bun, samosa] from Winners Bakery at subsidised rates, and they also offer drinks such as Tea, coffee, hot chocolate and so on.

We had a cup of hot chocolate and split a few samosas/buns between us. They were very good.

On Saturday, there were a few already at the cafe by the time we reached. Apparently, most have a fixed auto wala who drops them off and comes bacck at 6.30 to pick them up. Only 2 of them had come with their dad, others on their own.

I met,

Ummul Khair has finished her law course and now works with a law firm. She is into general law. She was the most independent of the lot.

Karthik Chandrashekar who runs a book lending called Sri Chakra Lending Library  in West mambalam and a sense of humour that would put the leading comedians to shame. When i asked him on what book he was reading now, he instantly replied " These days am reading only Facebook". If you want to pick up books, donate books, please do so at his library that is open through the week. 

Anjana, who's completed undergrad and battling with a few personal issues. She kept saying she wants to go to Kanpur to meet a lady who she'd met here earlier. And wanted us to give her info on trains and timings. 

Janakiraman- He is one of those who cant speak, he uses a board that has alphabets, numbers, and months and he points to the letters forming words... 

Santhosh- He was the last to arrive, pulled in by his dad. He kept asking for snacks and his dad kept telling him "no, you just had something at home"  He had a diary and insisted we all fill in our email and facebook id in it.

I heard a dog barking and followed the noise to find a cutie pie in a small room of sorts. He was a basset hound that kept barking at me. The security said his name was Mani.. Such a cutie pie... 

There are a few others, but they werent present on Saturday. Even though these are specially abled people, they are all so talented and smart, that i wish the society gives them more opportunities and allows them to spread their wings further.... They are all familiar with Facebook and were so keen on adding us all in and staying connected. You can also read about them on friend's blogs--  karthik and Deepa .. 

No 1 Vidya Sagar Formerly The Spastics Society Of India, Near Anna University, Ranjit Road, Kotturpuram, Chennai - 600085.
Ph-044 22354784,22354785

They are open on 2nd and 4th Saturdays of every month. Do visit, and do what you can.. It need not be monetary, just spending some time with them... thats all they want!!

Mylapore Food walk.. The Mylapore Festival

The Mylapore Festival has been happening for a few years and i havent been able to go for it. But this year, when the gang at CFG said "lets do a Mylapore food walk on 11th Jan between 2.30 - 5pm" I made sure to mark in my calendar and go for it. It so happened that the saturday was when a lot of plans were being made and i dint know how many i could attend, and how many i would have to miss.. I ended up missing a Tweetup...

Fazil & I arrived in Mylapore around 2.20pm, found a spot to park his car and made our way to Karpagambal Mess, which was the meeting point. There were crowds thronging the streets, especially around the temple as there was the Puri Jagannath Rath and ISCKON devotees singing bhajans and trying to get close to the chariot. Managed to locate Nishanth at Kalathi Newspaper mart [at the corner of East Mada Street and South Mada Street.]along with few others, and that was where the evening began.

A glass of chill Rosemilk [all of Rs12], perfect for that warm afternoon; the flavours were amazing, reminded me of the rose milk syrup we used to buy [that tiny bottle] and the man behind the counter said they had those bottles for about Rs70- 80. Enjoyed the glass of rosemilk, met a few new members and chatted a bit before scooting from there.

The trail had been set, and next on our agenda was Rayars Mess, that was in a narrow alleyway, tucked away between houses. If you are not familiar with the area or the place, you are sure to miss this Mess. A tiny space, with a long room housing 3 tables that could seat 4 in each, a small kitchen and 2 wet grinders busy churning out dough for Dosa, and Adai. Kumar anna, the man who owned the place was there cooking, serving, chatting, and collecting money [ he said - people who come there eat and give money and go, there are no fancy equipments, or a man behind the bill counter here, and this is how its been forever] We were among the last few to eat, and i enjoyed the Urulaikizhangu bonda and half an adai along with a sip of the coffee. Was good. In all we were 20 of us and the bill came to Rs800, a mere Rs40 per pax. And the food is better than what we get at the big restaurants.

In mornings, Rayar mess is jam packed with breakfasters, serving up Idlis by the dozen, while afternoons they served-

Potato bonda
Adai
Rava dosa - plain & onion
Coffee

Gulab Jamun
All served with Chutney[s] & Sambar


We met an elderly couple there, the aunty mentioned they were out shopping and thought they might get hungry and came to Rayar. She also added that the standard of food has gone down since they moved here. Was curious about us, asked how we came to know of these places and enquired about where else we were headed.. I was damn kicked about hearing their stories of years gone by and how the city has changed..... everytime i hear the tales, my love for the city increases...

It was time to move on, and the final stop for the evening was Maami's mess [Pichu Pillai Street, Off East Mada Street], on the street across from Kalathi/Karpagambal mess.. The lane was filled with gypsy women showing off their beads and jewellery colletion. Apparently they have moved to this street because the one near the temple is packed during the festival season. They had beads of all colours, neck pieces, earrings, bracelets and some even had catapults[ which a friend's son bought]. They sat there laying out their pieces with small children helping them out, some stood and smiled asking us to take their picture while others hid behind their mothers and peeked at us.

A few steps into the street, and there it was- Maami's mess, or Mami Tiffin stall as it is called with a fancy Pepsi sign board. The place was also packed to the brim and so we stood outside while a few ventured inside. There was a boy standing next to me calling out to his father in the apartment above. Picked up a conversation and discovered he was in 5th std in a nearby school and his family owned Mami tiffin stall. He dint want to climb the 3 flights of stairs and was yelling out from here, but in vain. :-)

Suddenly i heard my name and noticed S holding a vattai tumbler of hot filter kaapi [coffee] and moved ahead to the group and we began talking about food. Some tried the piping hot Vazhakkai bajji and Molaga bajji, but i gave it a pass as the bonda was still sitting heavy :) A few minutes chit chatting, a group photo and we were all set to move on to the next agenda for the evening.

Some bid good bye, while others said they were going to return here to Mylapore for the evening Food Street, where a lane between Karpagambal and Kalathi would be transformed to an Eat Street with stalls laid out. Wow, what fun... next year i shall explore that.

The one place we couldnt make it to was Jannal kadai, near Kapaleeshwar temple.. And remember, during the festival, best is to park your vehicles where you find a spot and walk around, beware of the crowds!! 

Off we went looking for the car, excited about the next destination.... The city sure is bustling with activities and things to do..

The Grand Siam, RK Salai, Chennai

Ah, the 1st showcase in 2013. Well, i was looking forward to this one as we had visited another Restaurant under the same group- Chao and the experience had been anything but delightful. But it was an evening of surprises, good and otherwise. While it was lovely meeting the regular suspects, i realised how close we had all grown over the year, and the bonds developed between some of us stronger than others. 

The 1st thing that struck me about Grand Siam were the Buddha idols placed across the restaurant- there was one on the maitre de's table, a bigger Buddha with a mini fountain of sorts in the main lobby and then a few small ones in alcoves across the place. The decor was quite pleasing and the lighting just right, not too bright nor was it dark and dingy. The place looked small on the outside, but upon entering i noticed it was quite large and i also got a glimpse of the neat kitchen. The tables had a vase with a single strand of Orchid on them, reminding me of another restaurant. I noticed couple of others sipping on a drink that had a strong ginger flavour, and passed up on it. The 2nd one that came around too i nearly missed but for a few sips from KK's glass. It looked pink, had fizz and a green Shark stirrer dunked in it. I called it the Shark suicide point :D

 We were given a long table on the right side f the restaurant, and we seated ourselves after a wee bit of debate on where the vegetarians will sit and non vegetarians will. We were 6 veggies, and well, the night seemed long and tad frustrating. The traditional meal opener was served on the table-Mien Khem- a plate with a few baby spinach leaves- coconut shavings, onion, peanuts, red chilli, ginger, lime pieces and jaggery syrup. You serve yourself all that you like on a baby spinach leaf, fold it and eat the whole thing. It is quite yumm and we had a few of these while we waited for the soup. 

1st came the Tom Yum Phak soup- a light vegetable stock with veggies [baby corn, carrots, broccoli, mushrooms] cooked with Thai herbs and spices - galangal, lemongrass, red chillies, kafir lime leaves.. It was very watery and not as spicy as what i've had in other places. The major let down in the soup were the mushrooms, as much as i love them, i felt the ones in the soup were beyond their date and therefore were chewy and had a smell. 

Following this, we saw a plate with an assortment of starters- corn tartlets, spring rolls and mushroom in skewers served alongside a good portion of Raw mango salad. The corn tartlets were good, spring rolls were a bit bland, but tasted good with the peanut sauce. The mushrooms once again were a let down, they had a burnt taste and lacked flavour. The salad was divine, i could have had a bowl of just that and been happy with the meal :) 

Through the meal i must have had a jug full of water, or even more, that is how spicy some of the dishes were. And i had to keep beckoning the waiter to fill up my glass. Moving on, the mains on the non veg side started arriving while we waited wondering what was in store for us. Between meals, we got the chance to speak to the Chef, share our opinions and feedback, and hear his side out. 

For the mains, we saw a bowl of plain rice arrive, a Thai Green curry[ wonder why they add brussel sprouts, it kinda alters the taste adding a touch of bitterness to the dish], a stir fry salad with the tofu and sprouted beans[ which was yummy], a stir fry of veggies [ felt a bit soggy, and broccoli was definitely overcooked] and a bowl of noodles [ i dint taste this but from others learnt it had a strong spring onion flavour]. Oh and there was also the plate of deep fried potatoes and baby corn tossed in a thai sauce [ was good, but the potato could have been sliced smaller]. I had a few spoons of the rice with the different side dishes and the sprouts salad stood out, in terms of texture and flavour. 

It was time for dessert, for once i skipped the cup of Lemongrass tea, diving into the bowl of Tub Tim Grob [Water chestnut in coconut milk]- it was good, but i must agree that i have had better ones. We heard there was also another dessert on the menu- Pumpkin pudding with coconut ice cream, but alas dint get to sample it.

Address:

1/200, Dr Radhakrishnan Salai,
Opposite Maruti Suzuki Showroom [next to Duchess & Kabul]

Mylapore

Phone 044 45568323

A meal for 2 [vegetarians] would cost close to Rs600. This was a pre set menu served to us.. Shall update cost of this shortly

This was part of a Chennai Food Guide showcase conduced by Chennai Food Guide and so i am not going to rate the place. But i will tell you this- if you are bored of the usual Thai restaurants, give this one a shot, and do let me know what you thought of the food/service/ambiance/price.  All i shall say is the Restaurant needs to notch up their service, pay more attention to the dishes and they will see more crowds at their doors vying for a table!

Remember- This was just my review of the place, my opinions might vary from yours. And the dishes might change, so will  other factors!

Dario's, the new veggie resto in town

A casual chat on Whatsapp brought forth an idea and eventually turned to reality. Yes, this is how we ended up at Dario's last night for dinner. I asked a friend who lived in the neighborhood if he had heard of Darios, thinking it was an ice cream place, only to discover it is a pure Vegetarian Italian restaurant. 

Another friend chimed in saying she has been wanting to take her mom there, but was not sure. By evening, i had booked a table and we were there for dinner.. :-)

A family outing after long, that too for a meal- why am i making a special mention? Well, it is a rare thing for us as a family to go out to eat. Eating out is reserved for when someone is visiting [one of my uncles ;)], but then last new year we made an exception and went out to lunch at Rajdhani. Gramma wanted to repeat the same, minus a few members, but that dint happen. And finally, I announced "let us go out for dinner" and the rest is the evening..

I googled, found Dario's website, checked out their menu online and was glad it had items the troops enjoy.. A small nag was that dad prefers roti, subzi kinds, but then put that thought aside and thought what the hell, let us try.. Made a reservation for 7.30pm, and good thing i made the booking. The place was packed and i overheard the Maitre'd tell someone on the phone the earliest they can give them a table was 9.30pm. I can imagine the thandav my family would have thrown had we not got a table and made to wait for 2hrs... jeez...

Tucked away near Ashwini Hospital on Kasturi Rangan road [the road next to Chola], Dario's is a fairly small place. But only when you enter the building do you realise how not so small it is. A house that has been transformed, it is quite cozy and quaint. The walls are all white, with nothing but different funky Mona Lisas staring at you. There is Mona Lisa with Steve Jobs face, Dhoni, Charlie Chaplin, and just about everyone else you can think of. Infact, throguh the decor, Mona lisa with variations adorn the walls. The main hall has a huge mosaic of Mona Lisa, quite colorful and vibrant. 

As we waited for our table, i was surprised to see a familiar face. He mentioned he was the CEO here and that the place was barely a week old but doing fairly well.. Another guy who took us to our table was also familiar, i had seen him at another restaurant earlier. [guess the restaurant world is also a small one, you are working here or there] 

Our table was tucked away almost at the end of the house, but was a nice nook. Granpa loved the private space, and started making plans to bring in more family for a meal there.  We started the evening with a complimentary plate of Focaccia bread with a tomato+capsicum dip. The meal officially began with an order of 2 starters and 4 soups 

Soups- 

POMODORO-   A thick creamy tomato soup with onions and basil- Dad enjoyed this and so it must have been good and pure tomato soup. :)

FUNGHI - Cream of mushroom soup - looked almost black and tasted like mushroom, order only if you LOVE mushrooms
PAESANA -  A peasant style mixed vegetable soup with chickpeas- quite a light soup, it had a whif of basil

BROCCOLI -Cream of broccoli soup with onions and roasted almonds- this was the most amazing of the soups... Absolutely delicious...

The starters were - 

CREMA DI SPINACI-  Spinach and fresh cheese dip with parmesan, served with warm pita bread- This was quite simple. I actually requested for another cup of the dip they gave with the Focaccia.

ARANCINELLE- Sicilian rice balls stuffed with peas and cheese served with pink sauce and red chilli- The rice inside was not your normal rice, it had an interesting taste and we quite liked it.

As the conversation flowed, so did the food. We all tasted the other dishes and tried to identify the ingredients. Was fun.. For the main dishes, we decided to order different dishes so we can try different flavours. 

Gramma was the 1st to decide, she pointed to the RISOTTO GENOVESE [Creamy rice with potatoes, basil, garlic, pinenuts and parmesan cheese] and said that is what she wanted. and it was good, the basil flavour stood out, maybe a tad strong, but was delicious... 

Dad wanted something light and so opted for the PENNE POMODORO [With classic tomato sauce, basil and cheese along with yellow zucchini & capsicum slices ] which was basic pasta. 

 Granpa wanted pasta, and we ordered PENNE ARRABBIATA [With spicy tomato sauce, red chilli and onion] which he loved, it was spicy and yet not over the top.

I wanted to try something diffferent and chose GNOCCHI DO MASSA GNAZIU [Home-made gnocchi with rucola, served with a spicy tomato and cream sauce with fresh rucola and cheese], well it was different from what i had envisioned the gnocchi to taste like but was simple subtle and the sauce was heavenly. I literally licked the plate clean. 

and mom had her eyes set on CRESPELLE AI FUNGHI [Baked pancakes with mushrooms, garlic, cheese, tomatoes and peas], we actually asked for the one with Asparagus but werent sure since we were told Asparagus soup wasnt available. Thin crepes with filling topped with white sauce, and i am guessing it had been baked wee bit as well.

Dessert anyone? Couple  of heads wagged a NO, and then others wagged a MAYBE. So, we decided to order 2 desserts and just split them. After going to and fro, i ordered a Panna cotta and a Lemon Cheese cake. They were both good, one tad sweet while the other had strong lemon flavours. The plates were polished within minutes and therefore no photos... :)

Phew... That was one awesome meal.. The soups and starters came within 10mins, but the main dishes took over 20mins to arrive on the table. The dishes were all good, portions quite large and flavours distinct in each of the dishes we had ordered. 

If you are fed up on Eden or Cream center, or for that matter dont mind a good Italian meal, hop into Dario's.. 

Ambiance: 8/10 [they also have an outdoor seating area]

Price: 7/10 - the meal for 5 of us came to Rs3100 [roughly 500bucks per person]

Service: 8/10

Overall : 8/10

Address:

#11, Kasturi Rangan Road,
2nd Street,
Teynampet,
Chennai- 600018
Ph: 044-4919 3333
Landmark: Next to Ashwini Hospital [1st right after the Russian Cultural Centre]