Recipe- Makki Di Roti & Palak Subzi

No, you read it right. We had Makki Di Roti & Palak Suzbi. I know the traditional combo is Makki di roti and Sarson ka saag, well, we don't get Sarson ka saag [the Mustard greens] in Chennai and so this alternative :)

When we had visited Delhi earlier this month, when i mentioned i like this combo, my aunt asked her maid to make it. Mom & I walked it down to this cool organic store called The Roots and bought Maize flour.We devoured the rotis and the Sarson ka saag, and mom decided she wanted to make them once we were back in Chennai. Since there was a packet of flour leftover, we brought it with us and yesterday mom made it for lunch.

She had asked the maid how to make [in her broken hindi] and managed to make a few small rotis, invited me over for lunch excitedly :)

What you need:
Maize Flour - 2 cups   

Salt -to taste
Ghee - as required to knead the dough

How to make:
1. Add salt and ghee to the flour and mix well till becomes a nice soft dough.
2. Make balls or divide the dough into portions
3. Take a plastic sheet and pat the dough on it, making it into a roti [dont make it too thin, it will stick to the sheet]... Alternatively you can roll out each ball between the folds of a greased plastic sheets.
4. Heat a tawa and cook the roti on it till both sides are done.
5. apply a dollop of butter or ghee and serve hot.

Palak Subzi that mom made was the usual subzi you make for rotis and it did go well with Makki di roti...

What you need:
Palak/spinach leaves - a bowl of chopped leaves
Onion- 1
Tomato- 1
Green chilli- 1[optional]
oil- as required
Salt- as required
Garam masala- 1 tsp
Cream/milk/curd- 1 tsp

How to make:
1. Boil the palak leaves with a dash of salt and make a puree
2. In a pan, add some oil and saute the onions & green chilli, once they turn golden brown, add the tomatoes and saute for a few more minutes.  [you can blend these if you wish]
3. To this add the spinach puree, salt, garam masala and allow it to cook
4. Add some cream/milk/curd just before you serve...

You can add palak to make it Palak paneer or potatoes if you desire. 

Bon Apettit!!

Thiruvathirai Special

Thiruvathirai, a star, also a festival celebrated in the marghazi masam [Dec-Jan] is a day when we celeberate the thandavam (cosmic dance) performed my Lord Shiva. Another side to this day is that it is Lord Shiva's star birthday today, the star being arudhra. The one thing i remember about Thiruvathirai is lunch menu, unfortunately it consists of items i dont like, well, these days i have a nibble and dont grunt as much. What is on the menu? Kali and Thalagam.. Sounds greek and latin, well, not really, but it is a wierd combination and mix of flavours.

We were in Delhi recently, and mom made Kali cos my uncle loves it and well, that was probably the 1st time i ate some on my own [with no one breathing down my neck] and actually liked it.. Hmm... so, today at lunch, i made myself some rotis and had a spoonful of kali as well :-) [Good girl i am]

Kali is a sweet dish, while Thalagam is a graavy made using 7/9/11/13/15 vegetables [something like a heavy duty sambar] 

How are these made? For the 1st time, i paid attention to mom and gramma when they explained the dishes. So, here goes..

Kali

What you need-

Raw Rice - 1 cup

Mung dal - 1 tbsp

Jaggery- 3/4 th cup

Butter-2 tbsp

Water - 2 to 3 cups

Coconut- 1 tbsp grated

Cashewnuts- fried in ghee

How to make Kali-

1. Wash and dry the rice 

2. Dry roast the rice and daal till the rice turns light golden.

3. Grind to a coarse powder or finely [depending on your preference]

4. In a kadai, add 2 cups of water to the jaggery and let it come to a boil. When it does, run it through a sieve to make sure there were no dust or foreign particles in the jaggery

5. To this liquid, add the rice - daal and coconut. Keep stirring and add water if you feel the mixture is too thick. Like Sooji upma, the rice will absorb the water, so dont worry if it looks runny. 

6. Stir for a good 15- 20mins till the rice cooks and starts releasing ghee around the corner. 

7. Sprinkle the fried cashewnuts and serve. 

Thalagam
What you need-

Vegetables of your choice- Today gramma used 15 veggies- Carrots, yellow pumpkin, beans, potato, sweet potato, arbi, butter beans, snake gourd, flat beans, string beans, brinjal, chow chow, raw banana and so many more.... [typically Indian veggies are used] - Chop them up into bite sized pieces.

Dry red chillies- 5 to 6 [depending on how spicy you like the dish] 

Toor dal - 1tbsp

Rice- 1/2tbsp

Coconut - 1/2 cup grated

Black Sesame seeds- 2tsp

Tamarind- the Size of a small lemon

Gingely oil- 2tsp

Mustard seeds- 1tsp

Salt- to taste

 

How to make the Thalagam-

1. Just like you make sambar, soak the tamarind in a cup of warm water for 5 - 10 minutes , squeeze and set aside the tamarind juice. 

2. In a pan, heat some oil, add the mustard seeds, allow to splutter and set aside. 

3. In the pan, add some more oil and add the toor daal, red chillies, rice, coconut and sesame seeds. Saute them till they all turn light brown colour and then grind to a fine powder. 

4. In the pressure cooker put all the chopped vegetables, tamarind juice, some salt and cook till they are tender. 

5. Now add the ground powder, and water if required. Mix and allow to cook well.  

 Note: The mix should not be too runny or light, it will be like a gravy/koottu. 

In with the new, out with the old at Tuscana in Chamiers

"hum chup nahin bait sakthe [we cant sit quiet]" is what Vipin says leads to such new concepts... The reason why they keep innovating, rolling out new dishes and coming up with interesting dishes. This time around, they have literally revamped their entire menu- adding a few new dishes, removing some and making sure customers are spoilt for choice. Oh, and did i mention there is a slash in prices as well? yep! There we were at Tuscana in Chamiers Road, with Chef Willi greeting us and ushering us in. Vipin explained the whole process of how their menu has changed, the new software they are creating in house which will keep track of stock, making it easy to monitor and audit and of the new plans they have for the days to come. 

But wait, you need to wait till Saturday before you can taste the new dishes. We got a sneak peek into what is to come and must tell you, some of the dishes are a treat for our senses.  After gulping down a glass of Orange-Cranberry juice, i was chatting away with Vipin and others in his team to understand the new menu and the changes to expect. 

The table was set with a few bowls of different kinds of Olives, some were stuffed while others were plain, few bread sticks and two martini glasses- Hummus and Salsa. The Hummus was divine, and i loved it with the bread stick.

The food began to arrive within minutes and the 1st plate to land on the table was Bruschetta- Crisp slices of bread with mushroom and assorted pepper topping, fresh and full of flavours. The next in line were the sinful  Cheese veg tarts- with cauliflowers, leeks and bell peppers, it was just amazing. 

And then came the much awaited, spoken about dish that Tuscana is famous for- their Pizzas. Apart from the plain white flour pizza, there were also a few Gluten free pizzas that came out of the kitchen. What else is new? Well, they are launching a range of Multi grain pizzas- quite good i must say. Was a bit skeptical, but i quite liked it- the texture, the flavours and the light base. I tried a slice from each of the pizza, and loved the one with the Broccoli on it. 

Just as the conversation flowed without a pause, so did the trays of food. The last to arrive were the dessert- coffee panna cotta [tasted a bit like instant coffee & was a tad strong] and vanilla panna cotta with blueberry compote[was yumm, but different from their usual panna cotta].  

We left the place wondering about the dishes that were going to disappear from the menu and of those that were making an entry.  As i walked down the spiral staircase, conversations flowed and so did the food from the kitchen.... 

Wishing Tuscana all the very best!!!

Location:

Tuscana

Chamiers Rd, Nandanam  Chennai

Adj to Park Sheraton Hotel, few doors down from Amma Nana Store.

Ph- 044 45038008

 

The 2nd outlet is 

Wallace Garden 3rd Street, Aayiram Vilakku  Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600034

Ph- 044 4500 0008

[Recipe] Pottukadala Chutney

I wanted to make something for the Dosa, but was unsure what.. Couldnt make onion based as grandparents dont eat, so waited for gramma to return from temple visit.  Asked about chutney/thogayal options and she suggested making this with pottukadala..

What you need:Pottukadala[broken roasted gram] - 1 cup
Thengai thuruvinadhu [grated Coconut] - 1/5cup [or more]
Puli [Tamarind]- a small ball [size of  the new Rs5 coin]
Pachai milagai [Green chilli]- 3
Ennai [Oil]- 1 tsp
Kadugu [Mustard seeds]- 1tsp
Broken uluthamparuppu [urad daal]- 1tsp
Uppu [Salt]- to taste
Thanni [water]- to grind

Variation:
Poondu [garlic] -3 pods
Varutha Verkadala [roasted peanuts] - a handful

How to make:
1.In a pan do the tempering- add oil, mustard seeds and broken urad daal- let them splutter
Also add the green chillies, saute them slightly.
2.Remove the green chillies and add the other ingredients to it- pottukadala, coconut, tamarind, salt, and water [this is also when you add the garlic pods-no need to saute them]
3. grind to a paste [ texture depends on your preference, i like it a bit coarse]
4. Pour the tempering on top and serve

                                                Left- Garlic chutney and right is the plain one
Tastes yumm with Dosa, idli, poori, and even pongal.

Loi Krathong - Festival of Lights,Benjarong

Coinciding with our Karthigai deepam was Loi Krathong, the festival of lights for those in South East Asia, primarily Thailand. And in lieu of this festival, Benjarong is hosting the Loi Krathong Festival.

An elaborate spread reflecting the true flavours from those regions and showcasing some of the interesting ingredients they use in the cooking. A journey that began with a beautiful deep violet orchid flower all the way to the Lemongrass ice cream, it was quite a treat, for the eyes, stomach and the soul.

While we waited for the rest of the invitees to arrive, the chef laid out the specialties on a table along with a traditional urn. Two gold runners running criss cross added the glitz to the wooden table. The walls adorned with simple art work, few of which were made of paper, resembling those used in the puppet shows, were all reflective of the strong culture of the region.

A tall glass of Wild orchid [a mocktail- blend of lychee, guava & orange] it was quite a refreshing drink. There were two menus, one vegetarian and the other non vegetarian. The only thing common were the salad and dessert.

While the CEO and Chef spoke to us about the festival, and the recipes, we were served quite a few varieties of appetizers, sala and the soup. We had

Hed Tohy tod namprik pow - Crispy fried mushrooms & bean curd[tofu] tossed with roasted chilli paste & thai sweet basil.- Quite light and filled with flavour, it gave us a sneak peek into what to expect.

Satay je- a mix veg satay on a skewer- pineapple, mushroom, bean curd and assorted peppers.

The salad was Yum hed hoo noo- cucumber, celery, carrot, and black fungus tossed with sesame seeds - it was very nice, and easy on the palate. The one salad that i have enjoyed in the past is the Raw papaya salad, which i recently made at home as well.

The veg soup was Gaeng Som phak- a sour & spicy sooup with mix of vegetables along with lemongrass, galangal and other thai herbs. It hit right at the edge of the throat and was quite spicy & pungent as well. Needed a few glasses of water to get over it :)

Phew, i was stuffed.. But wait, there is more. The beautiful thing about Thai cuisine is their use of various flavours and textures. The main course blew me away....

Phad woonsen phak- Glass noodles cooked with exotic vegetables- This was my favorite of the entire menu. The noodles had a lovely texture, and the chef told us they just had to be dunked in hot water for less than a minute and tossed in vegetables. It had brocolli, zucchini, capsicum, onion and spring onion as well.

Another dish that had me surprised was Makeow yang pahd namprik pow[i know, imagine trying to order this in a restaurant, i'd die of starvation before i get it right]- this is a grilled sesame aubergine tossed with roasted chilli paste & thai herbs.- The brinjal melted in our mouths, and it had a hint of sweetness to it. I also tried a small piece of the omlette, simple & fluffy, it went well with this dish.

As we sipped on lemongrass tea, the chef requested we try some Khao nung [Steamed rice] with Kaeng bamaa phak [ red curry with vegetables that had a bit of Burmese influence as well]- this was zero spicy, which the chef mentioned was because of the Burmese spices added to the red curry paste.

This menu sure is a burst of flavours. But from the time i walked in and saw the menu, the one dish i was dying to try was the dessert- lemongrass ice cream. Lo behold, out came a long plate with a bowl holding the ice cream and a sticky rice topped with Coconut custard [with a hint of cardomom flavour] The lemongrass ice cream was a delight, such a refreshing flavour. Teppan[upstairs] serves Wasabi ice cream, which is yet another unique dish that i am yet to see on another menu.

Before i bit the team at Benjarong goodbye, i was asked if i wanted to light a candle and let it float in the pond they had created? Ofcourse, i jumped on it. Made a wish for myself & for the hotel, let it float and hope all dreams come true!!

This festival is from 27th Nov to 9th Dec, so if you want to bid goodbye to your past and make a fresh start, join them in the festival of lights and bring joy to your lives!!  :-)

Ambiance: 8/10
Food- 8/10 [spice factor is the only thing that stops me from giving them a higher rank]
Price- 7/10- A meal for 2 in this festival will cost about Rs2000/-
Overall- 9/10

Address:
#537/146, T T K Road [on the road leading to Adyar Park hotel],
Alwarpet,
Chennai- 600018
Ph: 044 24322640

Brunch with friends at Madras Gymkhana Club

What can be better than spending a few hours in the company of good friends , food and fantastic conversations!! That is exactly what we did on Sunday.... The venue was decided as the Madras Gymkhana Club and we had decided to land there by 1pm... And for the 1st time, there are no photographs, that is how busy we were catching up and yapping away, in between mouthfuls of food.

The spread was quite good- Mulgitwany soup
Different kinds of bread
Salads- russian, pasta, mix vegetable
Onion raita
Thayir vada
Papads

Freshly made hot crisp dosa with chutney & sambar

Veg buffet-

Veg biryanu
Dal makhani
Panneer butter masala
Bhindi sabzi
Salan Bhaingan
Aloo fry

Continental dishes- 

Mash potato baked
Mix veg augratin
 

Others Plain white rice
Garlic rasam
Curd rice+ pickles

In nonveg-
Chicken biryani
2 side dishes
A chicken dry item
And 2more (will ask friend what they were and update)

Desserts:
Strawberry mouse
Vanilla ice cream
Vanilla-mango cake
Gulab jamun

Total value for money
Food- 8/10
Service- self service
Ambiance-its huge hall, open space, plenty of natural lighting..

Address:

Anna Salai Mount Road, Chintadripet  Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Ph: 044 25368160

Only catch, find a friend who's a member!!

The Veg buffet is Rs250 while Non veg is Rs350.. I guess this is between 12noon to 3pm, we were there beyond 3 and the staff had begun cleaning the space..

During weekdays, the buffet is upstairs in Buttery ball (kids below 16yrs not allowed as they serve alcohol)

Chao, T Nagar

"Chao".. well, it means hello in Vietnamese and to think Ciao means Bye in Italian.. One word, so many meanings. Similarly, Chao, the restaurant has many faces, many avatars so to speak. It offers an eclectic blend of interiors, a menu that takes us on a journey from Vietnam to Singapore, China to Thailand....

Spending a few minutes exploring the venue, I discovered it was on two levels, the basement bigger than the ground floor. it also included a Lounge-a private dining area... The walls are adorned with various figurines and pieces made of wood, a tree stump leading to a light fitting under which sits a majestic Buddha. A narrow winding staircase tucked away in a corner. The ground floor offers a few cabin like settings, two small and one large. Glass, wood and light is what catches your eye as you step into this swanky restaurant that is just a few weeks old. 

Situated on north Boag road, almost opp the Singapore Consulate, adj to Coffee Central, the restaurant belongs to Ramesh & his partner Jagadish. Ramesh, being an architect has spent quite a bit of effort in decorating the place and it is quite visible.

Greeted with a cup of hot Lemongrass tea, I chatted with Shalini Muthukumar [Ramesh's sis in law] who also owns the label "spice dip". Pretty soon, the table was full, and Chef Dhiraj started bringing out plates of food... not only did they look good, but tasted delicious as well. He was kind enough to remember the vegetarians from the non veg clan and patiently answered my 1001 questions.

Starters:

Green Mango Salad

 

Corn Tartlets - Tartlets filled with crispy corn kernels

Devil's potato - Crispy fried and sauteed potato wedges

Veg Dim Sums served with garlic sauce

Mushroom Pepper Salt - Crispy & juicy mushrooms tossed in pepper, chili flakes and garlic and served on a bed of fried noodles'

Rice wrap rolls served alongside Lemongrass dip - Rice wrap sheets stuffed with raw vegetables and tofu rolled up.

 

Devil's chicken

Chao Thai Grilled Fish - Boneless fish fillets marinated, grilled and served on skewers

Wasabi Prawns - Crispy fried Prawns tossed in smooth Wasabi mayo.

 Satay Prawns - Juicy prawns marinated, grilled and served on skewers

I spent quite some time sampling the dishes, trying to figure out the spices, method of cooking, sorting through my curiousity and i noticed another array of dishes coming towards our table. They were the main dishes announced Shalini.

Thai Veg Green Curry- It was very different from what i've had, was surprised to find Brussel sprouts in the gravy

Jasmine Rice- A rice cooked with jasmine infusion though with no jasmine flavour[thank god]

Singaporean Bee Hoon - Fine Rice noodles with bean sprouts[ this was the best of the lot]

Cashew Garlic Garden greens - Stir fried vegetables mildly cooked with Garlic sauce and cashews

 Sambal fried rice- Non veg

Basil Chicken - Fine Minced tender chicken served in hot basil sauce

And finally, as i flipped through their extensive menu card [which has been beautifully separated into 2 sections- Veg & Non veg], i spotted quite a few familiar desserts. The ones we got to taste were

 


Tub Tim Grob - Water chestnuts in coconut milk served with crushed ice

Pumpkin custard with Coconut ice-cream- This was an afterthought of sorts. I noticed it on the menu and requested Shalini to serve us a plate or so. and no sooner there were more than one plate of this dessert served up, but they kept disappearing...








It was one fun evening... As always.... If you are driving down the road, and feel hunger pangs kick in, then pull over and do try the restaurant. 

Price- A meal for 2 will roughly cost around Rs1500 - 2000 

Address:
#49, North Boag Road,T. Nagar address 044 65555553, 044 65555554
[Opp Singapore Consulate and Adj to Coffee Central] Drive down from Residency towers/10D towards GN Chetty road, and you will spot this restaurant on your left.


This was part of a CFG Showcase that I attended and was conducted by Chennai Food Guide.

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  :-)

[Recipe] Raw Papaya Salad... Som Tam

We have a Papaya tree in our backyard and today morning i noticed granpa asking the gardener to bring in the only papaya fruit on it. It was raw and green, but he said we can make a dish out of it and so had asked the gardener to pluck it. But then, gramma said lunch menu was already set and cant add one more dish. I spotted it a while later and immediately bells went off in my head. I was transported to Benjarong and the plate of Raw Papaya Salad that i love having there. Called "Som Tam", this is a popular Thai salad. It has all possible textures and flavours, and is quite light as well.

So, here is how i made the salad.

Ingredients:
1 small raw [green] papaya
1/2 cup roasted peanuts
2 tomatoes- remove seeds and cut into thin long strips
1 cup blanched green beans  
1 carrot grated/chopped lengthwise, same as the papaya   

 1/2 Green capsicum- cut same as the papaya

Optional-  
Spring onions & some crushed garlic
1 red chili, sliced, seeds removed (optional)  
Few Basil and Coriander leaves.

Salad Dressing- 
2 tsp. soya sauce
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil/peanut oil
3 Tbsp. lime juice
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp salt

  Preparation:  

1. In a bowl, add all the vegetables and mix them well.. 
2. In another cup, mix all the dressing ingredients, stirring till sugar dissolves and the dressing becomes one uniform liquid. Taste and adjust depending on your preference. 
3. Pour the dressing on the vegetables and toss till well mixed.
4. Finally, put in fridge, add a liberal amount of peanuts and serve cold. 

Prep Time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 10mins [ blanching beans]
Serves: 3-4  

Marrybrown, Ispahani Center, Chennai

Ispahani center, a place that i wish existed during my college days. A place that had quite a few interesting stoes and coffee shops, a place that was among the 1st mall to enter the city, a place where i used to work out. Today, it is a mall, rather so called mall that has quite a few eat outs and a few shops, but is pretty empty most of the time. Looks like Express Avenue has taken over, it is now the new honeycomb attracting all the bees...

As decided, I arrived at Ispahani center before 7.30pm only to see the others already there, well almost all of them. There were a few new faces, but familiar names and we said Hi hello and connected. Soon, the table was full and one of the staff brought over a hand written menu. It contained a list of items that they had on their menu, most of which were new. He was going to give us a taste of as many as possible. For once, i noticed the number of Vegetarian items beat the Non veg ones hands down. Whoopie.. [ya ya, small pleasures]

So, what did i like the most of the stuff i tasted?

Jigger Fries - these are french fries with a difference- there are two flavours- Mexican spice and Sour cream & onion. Reminded me of the popcorn in Sathyam cinemas where you can add flavours to the popcorn. Only suggestion was to not dunk so much of the spice in the fries and maybe to add this to some of their other dishes as well.

Chilli cheese poppers- These were like mini bombs, mini chilli cheese fried starters that were quite good. Served alongside a tangy spicy mayo sauce, they were quite yummy

Xtreme burger- Yep, I had a burger after what seemed like ages. This was a simple veggie burger with corn and black pepper [the pepper hits you on the 1st bite and it was different, the patty had a nice crunchy exterior and the bun was also nice & soft]. The burger was easy to eat, it dint have mayo oozing out of the sides or lettuce/onions slipping out as you struggle to take a bite :D

Mango Shake- This was quite thick and quite nice, refreshing. It was made with mango puree and vanilla ice cream blended together. They have now introduced not one or two but 6 flavours in this :-) 

Few other dishes that were served up for us veggies were,

Veg Chilli poppers- these were little nuggets made with veggies and chilli flakes, served with basic mayo sauce - was quite bland, couldnt feel the heat of the chilli flakes

Smileys- umm, the usual smileys, McCain?

Cottage cheese burger - forgot the name, it was ok, since we were full, I brought it home and felt the patty was mushy and bland.
  

 

What? you are bored of reading all the veg dishes? well, you have to wait your turn. For those on the other side of the fence, that is, the non veg eaters, they got quite a few options, but most felt the dishes all tasted similar, and were quite bland... What did they gobble up?

Chicken Poppers
Buffalo wings
Chicken lollypop
A tub of what looked like fried chicken drumstick/wings and
Hottop burger
anything else? you should check Divyan's blog post

No desserts? Damn, nothing gets past you eh!! Well, we did get 2 different desserts, but unfortunately they were no great shakes.

There was the jello with ice cream and Brownie with ice cream. The former was ok, esp since i like jello but the Brownie was just weird- it was hard, dry and tasted like Threptin biscuits. I did see a spoon break and another little piece fly towards a customer... Looks like they need to relook at the recipe or look at an alternative.

Overall rating- 2.5/5

Will i go back again- Not really, not unless there is a kid or someone who demands a burger or french fries when am wandering around Ispahani or near a Marrybrown....

Address:

Ispahani Center, 123-124 Nungambakkm High road, Nungambakkam, Chennai. 

Phone: 044 28332922, 42032923. 

They also have branches across the city. 

Disclaimer:


This was part of a CFG Showcase that I attended and was conducted by Chennai Food Guide.
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  :-)

Kuttanadan food fest at Ente Keralam

Do you like Fish?

Do you like Chicken?

Do you also like Crab and every other sea food available?

Do you like Aapam, Puttu, and Parotta?

Ok, ok, one final question- do you enjoy Kerala cuisine?

If you answered YES to all or any of the above, then you can hop skip jump this post and head straight to Ente Keralam and enjoy their Kuttanadan food fest. No, there is no point in you going next week.Why? Because the fest ends on 11th Nov. 

What is special? Well, there is an elderly couple who have come down from the Kuttanadan  region and have designed the menu. The lady Mrs Mariam [forgot her surname] is such an adorable lady who loves food, and it shows in the way she talks. She sat next to me, spent a few minutes and literally rattled out all the recipes. I managed to understand most of it, and some missing pieces were fitted in by Chef Jaishankar [hope i got his name right] who was with Ente keralam.

The Chef was stumped that i was there for the fest but I was vegetarian, but he smiled and said he will serve us all the veg dishes they had.. The meal began with a version of Tender Coconut Water [ tender coconut water, mint, splash of 7up, and a pinch of sugar]- I wish they had kept it as nature made it... 

Following suit was a Tapioca Cutlet and Vazhapoo vada, served with beetroot sauce and coconut chutney resp. The sauce was interesting, the vada was crisp and both dishes tasted of coconut oil. Everything here is cooked/fried in coconut oil [takes some getting used to]

I ordered aapam which was served with mix veg stew and then i had the most divine dish called Pineapple Puttu, which was served alongside kadala curry[black chick peas]. The Aappam was sweet, while the puttu was yummilicious. It had pineapple juice and pieces, and melted in your mouth[ I infact told the chef to include pineapple puttu as part of their regular menu]. You dont need a curry for this dish. I also tried a few spoons of Ghee rice with Kadala curry and quite enjoyed it. The main fest was filled with Plenty of non veg dishes- ranging from karimeen moilee to prawn polichadhu and several other fish and chicken dishes. They also had a few duck based curries and one with Clam.The Chef said clam was not common here in Chennai and again it was an acquired taste. 

The desserts were not very impressive- I was served a plate with 2 small cups- one had ada pradaman [ a payasam with little pieces of jelly like things made with milk] and a jaggery based payasam[ milk, rice and jaggery]. Loved the latter, while the former was not really my thing.  They also have a selection of ice creams and tender coconut payasam on their main menu which is available during this fest as well. 

The elderly couple came and spent some time talking to me, and she then sat next to me and said a prayer - thanking the Lord for bringing her to Chennai, introducing her to me and others, giving her the opportunity to show us what their world was like and prayed the Lord to take care of all of us and grant us all our wishes. I was so touched! She then said "I am going to go eat in the other room, you come sit with me if you want". What a sweet lady. The man remained silent. She mentioned she cooked to earn a living, while he cooked for friends, and in temples for free, as a service. I was served a glass of strong tea with cinnamon to help cleanse the palate and help digestion before I bid adieu to the team and the couple.

Well, if you do visit Ente keralam before 11th, and are there for lunch, make sure to say a Hello this lovely couple.

Ambiance: 8/10

Food: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Price: 7/10 [ meal for 2 costs between 800 to 1300]

Locations:

Ente Keralam
AC-61, 5th Avenue, Shanthi Colony, Anna Nagar
Chennai
Tel 044 43500181

1, Kasturi Ranga Avenue 1st Street, Poes Garden, Kasturi Estate
Chennai
Tel 044 4232 8585

Old No.60,New No.115,
Kasthuri Avenue, MRC Nagar
R A Puram Chennai 600028.
Tel.: 32216590.

The Dessert Studio, Chennai

The sweetness of chocolate, tartness of strawberry and the added flavour of sweet cream was what i felt in my mouth with the 1st bite of the crepe. I was at Dessert Studio, the newly opened place in Khader Nawaz Khan road [ it is in the same campus as Espirit, tucked away on the 1st floor, with the entrance on the side]

You could miss this place  if you dont know of it or dont notice the name board in the front. Completely white, the burst of colour on the ceiling is such a feast for the eyes. Simple decor, few white tables with cute egg kinda designer chairs, and a self service counter. That is all you find here. If you are the observant kind like yours truly, as you open the main door, you will notice the wall with three categories mentioned on it-  Choco Berries (UAE), Yogo-D-Lite (Italy) and Shake-a-Take (UK),- three different banners, three times the number of options to choose from.

 

 Founded by Food Spreads Pvt Ltd’s Jinshad Haziy, Rishdin Nasir and Anas Nasir, the Dessert Studio offers quite a variety of Shakes, Yoghurt Ice creams [which came in 3 sizes] and Bites [Crepes, waffles and desserts- Apple walnut crumble and such...one that was in their display reminded me of Theobrama]. The interesting thing is each of the three banners have a seperate billing counter, good or bad? Both i guess. It is a bit cumbersome if you want to place an order that has items from across their menu. Imagine hopping from one counter to the other, you will be tired and frustrated. Luckily, me and my friend headed towards the Choco Berries section. We chose the Strawberry Belgian Chocolate Crepe and waited a few minutes before it was ready.

 I love Strawberries, i like chocolate and i love Crepes, so this was just perfect. The crepe was thin and light, filled with rich chocolate [ which was not too sweet]. I just wished it was  bigger and lasted longer than 10 bites. :-) [That is just greedy me].

Friend wanted to take something home for her kids, and since they loved ice cream, she chose Strawberry Yoghurt ice cream only to be told they dont parcel them [as the ice cream melts and taste is lost]. She then settled for Milkshakes, Kit Kat milkshake since her kids liked the chocolate the most.

It is a nice place, no doubt, with a limited menu, but something they seem to have mastered. I hear they also plan on launching a brunch soon, just hope they dont dilute the menu and start offering everything under the sun and become one of those places we see around every corner.

Ambiance: 7/10
Service: Self service [cant reallly rate it.. but polite staff who are ready to help]
Price: 5/10 [ The Crepe we ordered was Rs170 not incl tax, the shakes i think were Rs80]
Overall Rating : 6/10 [but nothing new, nothing that makes you go WOW]
Address:
#8 Khader Nawaz Khan Road [Espirit compound, next to new Crimson Chakra]
Ph: 044 42010699

URL: They dont have a website, but do have a Facebook page- DessertStudioIN

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  :-)

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