Food options across the ocean.. Eight AM in San Francisco - 3

It was around 8 when I landed in San Francisco, picked up my suitcase and was waiting for my broinlaw and niece. Once they arrived, we piled in my bags and he announced we were gonna drive around the city, do some touristy things, grab breakfast and then head home around noon. I was happy, but my niece was not too kicked [ I guess it gets boring after a point when you get dragged around to the same places over and over again...]but she was a sport and came along :) 

We headed straight to Lombard Street [ or crooked street, drove down the zig zag roads- quite exciting, thrilling and scary at the same time], parked the car on the lane across from it and went up the steps along the Lombard Street. Up we went one by one, they are steep but not tiring. And then we came down.. By this time, hunger bells began hitting our tummies. My broinlaw suggested we head to 8am for a bite, since it was rated as #1 on yelp. Since it was literally just a few blocks away, he suggested we walk. 

Walking is no problem, but the streets in San Francisco are either going all the way upwards or downwards... So either ways, you have to make an effort to keep going.. This one was downhill, and so going towards it was gonna be easy but coming back up with full tummies ,now thats another thing... We walked,cracking random jokes, commenting on places along the way and the biggest joke was we reached Eight am at 9am, and left there around 10am.. :D

Its a small cafe of sorts and looked like a popular one as the place was packed. They have few tables indoors and some outdoors as well. We had to wait a few minutes for a table, and got to sit outside. The weather was beautiful- chill and bright. The buildings around were either hotels or libraries, & museums. We spotted quite a few walk by with dogs, one such group took the table next to ours. 

Getting down to business, me & broinlaw ordered Frittatas - I chose Haight Ashbury [mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, bell peppers and swiss cheese], while he chose Castro [chicken apple sausage with Manchego cheese, only egg whites], and my niece went for the Crepe-called 9am [ fresh strawberries, cream cheese and chantily cream] 

Along with our breakfast, we also asked for coffee -black, decaf and strong is how it was. Milk here is optional as is everywhere else in the country and comes in little pockets referred to as "creamer". 

Our Frittatas were served with a bowl of fruits and a side of baked sweet potato+potato as well. It makes it quite the filling meal. We enjoyed the view, the food and left there in about an hour back towards the car... Huff puff up the hill, me lugging my backpack [that had laptop, camera and few other valuables*]

* I was lugging my backpack cos the city is renowned for thefts and my browinlaw suggested I remove anything valuable from the car and carry it with me!! There are enough sign boards that scare you about the same... 

Royal Marwar Festival, The Dining Room, Park Hyatt, Chennai

Milk flavoured with saffron& sugar

Khandvi, Dhokla, Samosa and Hara Kabab served with a medley of chutneys- Tomato and mango. There were also Khakras to nibble on

 Dal Bhati churma where the Bhati had masala stuffing inside.. 

Mango chutney and Lashun ki chutney [Garlic chutney]- sinful  

 The Mains- Paneer Sabzi, Palak Mattar, Gatte ki sabzi, Ker sangria, Dum aloo and Panchmel Sabzi [some of  these keep changing on a regular basis]

The different breads- Besan ka chilla, Moong daal Chilla, Bedmi roti and Palak puri. 

The desserts- Moong Daal Halwa and Kheer made with Rice - Simple and yumm

If there is one cuisine I love, and dont mind eating repeatedly it has to be Rajasthani food. From the very first time I had a Daal Bhati churma I was in love. And so am excited to tell you that The Dining Room, restaurant at Park Hyatt Chennai has converted itself into a Royal Palace from the princely state of Rajasthan for the Marwari food festival. 

Royal Marwar, the land of Maharajas in the princely state of Rajasthan is not only famous for its rich culture. But what makes the state distinctive and popular is its delectable cuisine. Rajasthani's love food and it is evident in the preparations. Dal Bati Churma and Gatte Ki Subzi are the most famous dishes from the state.  

Even though they did have a few dishes from neighbouring states, we shall forgive them. Why? The fare from Rajasthan was simply divine and had me walking on the rugged roads of Jaipur biting into a Ghevar while looking for a place to sit to watch the Teej Festival. Every lane you walk into will have a stall selling hot samosas, kachori, or jalebis. It is a city that loves its food and shows it off proudly...  So, what are you waiting for? Make that reservation already..... 

The Royal Marwar Food Festival will run till 28th June, 2017, 

Dinner only  - 7 pm to 11 pm

Cost- INR 1600 per person (Excl of taxes). 

For more information or to make a reservation at The Dining Room, please call 044 4991 9965 

or 044 7177 1234.

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  :) 

Namaskara Tulu Nadu festival, Madras Pavilion, ITC Grand Chola, Chennai

This Festival is on till June 25. Dinner only @ Rs 2,200+ taxes per person. For details and reservations, dial 044 22200000

Have lost track of the number of times I have been to ITC Grand Chola, the one thing I do remember is that every visit is different... This time I was there to check out the "Namaskara Tulu Nadu festival" at Madras Pavilion... 

Tulu Nadu or Tulunad refers to the small community of  Tulu speaking folks who occupy the region in the Southern part of Karnataka and northern part of Kerala... Mangalore, Udupi and Kasaragod are its important cities. At Madras Pavilion, chef Sandeep tells us this is another feather from the Kitchens of India cap that features dishes made as they would be in the Tulu households, with influences from Coorg, Kerala and Mangalore dominating the flavours. . The one thing that stood out from what he shared was that the people believe in showcasing the main ingredient rather than drowning it in a world of spices, be it vegetarian or non vegetarian dishes. 

The evening began with the refreshing buttermilk- Alai, that was laced with curry leaves, asafoetida and ginger accompanied by the Bana Bairada Juice which was made with tender coconut water, flesh of the coconut blended with ripe bananas.  

As for the soup, we were served hot Bele Saaru, a sort of Daal shorba crossed with our rasam, packed with flavours it was delicious. The highlight of the evening was that we had the honour of eating on Banana leaves, as traditional as it can get.

While there were a few non veg starters, I got to try the mini adai of sorts- Sajji ke taarai da roti [coconut & semolina pancakes] that had a few familiar flavours but different from what I have had at home. Following this came the main courses- Two more kinds of dosa- one was the Neer dosa while other was a thick dosa of sorts, and we also had red rice. 

For the sides, we got Kadla belay kootu (Channa dal tempered with mustard, curry leaves and whole chilli), rich tart spicy Pineapple Gujju (Pineapple cooked over a gentle flame with select Karavali spices) and my favourite Spinach garlic daal that was just perfect, with subtle undertones of garlic. I also got to try some Veg Ghee pulao, all it had was sautéed onions on top and nothing but rich ghee flavour singing through every spoonful. There were quite a few non veg sides- fish, pork, prawns and chicken, and of course the Mamsam Biryani as well. From the reaction of my friends, these were a big hit with them~ 

To finish off the meal, we got two desserts, Bele payasam(Lentils and milk cooked together and flavoured with cardamom) and the divine Ragi manni (Ragi  and jaggery  fudge)- couldn't have enough of the Ragi dessert, I would definitely recommend this for anyone with a sweet tooth.

While the flavours are familiar, there was something comforting about them all and I loved the dishes. 

For the non veg perspective, check out Chennaifoodie blog 

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  :)