Moon And Sixpence, Hablis, Chennai

“She loved three things — a joke, a

glass of wine, and a handsome man.” 

― W. Somerset Maugham, The Moon And Sixpence

 

This is what came to my mind when I heard the name “The Moon and Six Pence”. And this time I wasn’t reading about the book, but about the Irish Pub inside the Hotel Hablis, Guindy.  The name had me curious, I wondered what the inspiration was behind it, if there was a story or a connection and that is what lured me to the pub on that Thursday. A quick ride up to the 1^st floor and you spot the walls covered with Irish proverbs and sayings.  A narrow passage is what you walk down, with a door labeled “lounge” on the left and another straight ahead as well.  Quite a few posters and pieces cover the wall outside, while the inside has been kept minimal.

Done up with brown wood, the place is beautiful. To add to the décor there are a few glass panels with Guiness, Jamerson etched on them. And then there are the random selection of books and bottles, not to forget the clock with The Moon and Six Pence [hereforth shall be referred to as MASP] written on it and the beautiful Pool table sitting right at the end, almost in a corner. It reminded me of a scene from the movie “accidental husband” where Uma Thurman goes looking for Jeffrey Dean to tell them about how they are supposedly married, it is a mistake and to ask him to sign the annulment papers!

The pub incidentally has 3 sections- the Lounge, the main bar area and the Patio [which is also the smoking section]

We were all in the Lounge area, some glued to the Bar area while rest of us found a table nearby. To kick start the evening, I had a mocktail- lychee juice blended with cranberry and some soda and it was quite good. I did spend a few minutes in the bar, firing away questions about the various drinks they had, valuable lessons you see :D I also had a glass of red wine [ a domestic one], which was not really geat, so am curious to see their wine list.

We also met with the MASP Manager  who is Irish, Aine Edwards, who spoke in length about how the pub was true to the Irish standards, in terms of décor and others, but food was a fusion keeping the Indian palette in mind. We also met with Chef Nagaraj and Prabhu who made sure we tried a wide range of dishes that evening.That evening was also when Hashers were meeting there to gulp down as much beer as they could [they normally do a long walk and then drink beer, but that evening they skipped the walk and hit the pub straight]

The one awesome thing about the place is that you can sit wherever you want, and get the same service; children are allowed [a point that puzzles me] and stags are also welcome…

With reference to the food, they serve a variety of Pub food- starting with the Fish n Chips to ravioli to Apple pie.  Though I felt the ratio of non veg to veg was slightly lopsided, leaning towards the Non veg side, the veg dishes that I had were quite good. Here is a round up of all that we sampled,

Clockwise from Top- Stuffed Mushroom, Mushroom Cappucino[ soup which was served piping hot with an assortment of breads which was good] and then the last dish is the MASP salad [fresh and filled with flavour, loved that they had artichokes in them]

Also featured is the ipad using which you can go through their menu and place the order.

Clockwise from top- The open ravioli which was simply yumm- 2 sheets of pasta with quite a filling of vegetables and cheese topped with more cheese and a subtle marinara sauce served with 2 slices of  garlic bread. Then featured is the Barley & veg soup- very light and quite nice, again served with 3 different kinds of breads and a bread stick as well. Below- On the left is the Bailey's Cheesecake [loved the texture, but do wish it had more Bailey's in it.. lol] and the Apple Pie with ice cream and a custard sauce [perfect flavours, but I kinda love my pies hot and the crust crisp]

The non veg dishes- Lamb Steak & Mushroom Pie [ braised lamb pieces with mushroom in a rich gravy topped off with Mashed potato crust]- I loved the mashed potato in this and those who dug into this did love the dish. Next is the Blackened Chicken Supreme a grilled chicken served with blackened spice and grilled vegetables, I once again stole the veggies while the others devoured the chicken. And finally is the MASP burger. The fries not just in this dish but in all they were served were simply amazing- triple cooked and hand cut - Out of the world! There were more non veg dishes served, but before I could click they were gone-Stuffed Scottish Salmon, Fish n Chips,Oven Roasted Salmon. Sixpence Stew, Sriracha Wings and Supion.  

And with that we were done and the clock was all set to strike Midnight, but the place was still abuzz. I know for a fact this is a place I will go back to, the ambiance and what I saw did catch my eye!  

Address:

Hablis No.19, Grand Southern Trunk Rd, Guindy, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600032 

Phone:044 2233 4000

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  :-)