Food Festival at Vijaya Forum Mall, Chennai

There is a reason why I am not fond of food courts, no it is not about the food, it is more about the crowd. Most malls have a food court on the top floor which houses a plethora of restaurants and the place is buzzing with people, some waiting for food while others are chatting away while digging into their orders. And then there are the counters where one needs to pick up a prepaid card from, which is used across the restaurants. I think I have a card from each mall in my wallet. And overtime you go to the mall, you need to recharge this card before you can go place your order. But then, unlike most other malls, Forum Mall in Vadapalani has a food court that is not over crowded or noisy. 

This was my 3rd or 4th visit to the food court, which is a good sign! I was here that evening to check out the Chennai Food Festival. This is a festival where the restaurants in the food court showcase one special dish and have offers running as well. Some restaurants have also included a few new dishes for the festival.  Before I forget, this festival is on from November 28th to December 14th 2014. New menu for food festival have been cooked up at joints.  

Apart from the new and improved menu, the food festival also showcases
- Cooking demonstrations
- Fusion Music Show and

- Comedy Chef Performance [ which I discovered will happen on the stage set up in the centre of the seating area]

The entire place is decorated with red banners and plenty of lights, a tad too much if you ask me, but it does add certain charm to the place.

So, coming back to the food that I got to taste- there was the paneer tikka from Dishoom [ a division of Salt, a restaurant I love]- the paneer was soft and not overloaded with spices or marinade. Following close on heels was the Pani poori from Kailash Prabhat - I love their poori, it is made with sooji unlike the others. Just when I was thinking I would love a juice,a long came a plate with watermelon juice from Squeeze stall. 

 

The evening was turning out quite well, we were yapping away, laughing and chattering nonstop, reliving fun moments and the food just kept pouring onto our table one after the other. Even before we were done with the pain poori, along came the Pizza from Quiznos. Since when did Quiznos make pizzas? well, apparently they do. The pizza was good, but by the time we got to it the pie was nearly cold. We also had a plate of sandwich from one of the stalls [sorry, forgot the name]- it was an interesting sandwich. there was a veg patties in place of the filling and then there was another tier with fresh coleslaw. It was quite filling and fresh. 

And now comes the piece de resistance. A tray with two plates came to our table. One had small banana dosas and other had a cup with 2 vazhapoo vadai. I used to love bananas  but then stopped eating them and so wasn't sure I would like this, but fell in love with it, it was just divine. The vadai needless to say was amazing and yummy [was left wondering why there was no chutney served with the vadai].. ID sure has wowed me once again and I do hope they introduce

this dosa and vadai into their menu across centers. 

Hmm, have I left anything out? have i missed out anything?? Nope, am done!! :D 

So, you can see you are spoilt for choice when you do visit the Food court in Vijaya Forum Mall anyway, more so till the 14th December!! Next time you are in that part of town, you know where to head for a bite.. 

Meanwhile, to register for the special cooking classes, call 4904 9000.

Address:

#183, NSK Salai, Arcot Road, Green Park Private Entrance, Vadapalani, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600026

044 4904 9000

Disclaimer: The reviews posted on this blog are based on my personal experience. Also remember these were just my views!! Remember, no two palates are the same. Bon Appétit :-)

Absolute Barbecue, Chennai

Well, now that you have feasted on the photographs, do I need to tell you more? :)

I was at Absolute Barbecue on GN Chetty road. Of all the years of being in Chennai, I have come across quite a few restaurants that open up and are good. But this is probably the only restaurant that I see doing phenomenally well that every single person is raving about their experiences here. Not one or two, but more than just a handful have been recommending this place to anyone who asks for a place to go for lunch or dinner and then there are those talking about how difficult it is to get a table here and how one needs to book well in advance. 

Well, I have been here three times and every single time the experience has been memorable, food has been just as good and service is outstanding. Infant, the staff is constantly checking up on you, making sure things are to your liking, if you need anything else or giving you tips on what else you should try while there. 

The evening began with the grills being placed in the table, and then there were the skewers brought forth- some with non veg and others with veg. I am a veggie and so I got to taste their sinful paneer, potato, mushrooms, assortment of vegetables and then of course the coconut kebab and american potatoes which were all divine!! They also bring forward the freshly grilled pineapple that is cut in front of you and served hot- the pineapple with cinnamon is simply outstanding, i could eat just that and be a happy camper.. 

If you still have space after the starters, you should check out their Wish grill- it is a counter where you pick the veggies, noodles/rice, sauces and they cook it for you on the ginormous grill. There is also a pot of freshly steamed idiyappam served with one side dish [this works for both veg & non veg]. And if you have more space [you are probably Gadothgachan or his relative], you must have some plain rice with Daal makhani..

Wait, it doesn't end there.. There is dessert counter to be attacked- cold stone ice cream, few dessert items and then there is the dessert of the day- I have had Ghevar with Rabdi and Moong daal halwa- both of which were yumm. There is also a fridge of sorts with shelves lined up with colourful desserts- pudding, kheer, cake and much more.. 

If you are gaping and wondering how expensive the place is, let me reassure you it is not. Veg is priced around Rs520-550 while non veg is close to Rs600. They also have a early bird rate that works during certain hours of the day. 

Address:
Absolute Barbecue

No. 45, Tower Victorie, 3rd Floor, T. Nagar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600017 089397 59382 Website: http://www.absolute-barbecue.com Disclaimer: The reviews posted on this blog are based on my personal experience. Also remember these were just my views!! Remember, no two palates are the same. Bon Appétit :-)