Khandani Rajdhani- Aamlicious Thali

With the rising temperatures, the signs that the Summer ahead is gonna be trecherous is a sure shot. But then, when it is Summer, it is also the season for the arrival of the king of fruits – the Mango... My family goes gaga the minute summer sets in and they start stalking stores looking for the best ripe mangoes out there.. And then there are the street vendors loading up on raw mango with chilli powder- yumm!! 

For those who love Mangoes, Rajdhani is back with their ‘Aamlicious’ mango menu that will leave you zapped and craving for more...  The thali includes a variety of mango dishes [raw mango & ripe ones] such as - Kairi Panna, Aam dal dhokli, aam fajeto, mango jalebi, Kachori with aam ras, Khoba roti, Kairi masala bhat, Kacchhe aam ki launji, Aamchoori Gunda, plus a wide range of dishes made with daal and vegetables that have mango blended in them. In total there are more dishes than I can remember, the menu is rotated every day and goes on till end May or longer...  This is one festival that wows foodies year after year!! 

The Aamlicious menu will be served in Khandani Rajdhani restaurants across the country, at all their outlets... In Chennai, they are at Phoenix Market City, Velachery...So, rope in your friends/family and head out there to enjoy this delicious thali.. Well, there’s no such thing as too many mangoes!

Address:

Phoenix Market City Level 1- 2nd Floor [just below Luxe., opp Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf],
Velachery main Road, Velachery, Chennai , Tamil Nadu – 600 042

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 :-)

Whisky Samba and Flying Elephant- Park Hyatt, Chennai

What was the evening all about? It was Whisky paired with food 

Where did this happen? At Flying Elephant in Park Hyatt, Velachery

What is Whisky Samba?- Oh its a cool place in Gurgaon...

Where was the food from? - It was from the kitchens of Flying Elephant , put together by Executive Chef -Akshay Bhardwaj from Whisky Samba,.. He brings experience of having worked at 2 star Michelin restaurant -Noma, under Chef René Redzepi. That apart, he has worked at restaurants 

across France and Brussels as well.

How long is this for? Just two days, it was a pop up! 

That evening had us cruising through not one or two but an 8 course menu that had been curated by the Chef for the pop up.. During the course of the conversation that evening, came to know that Chef was all about focussing on the ingredients and cooking dishes, unlike most places where it is Menu based. I was the only vegetarian in the group, but I got dishes that were quite wow with no compromise on flavour, texture or taste..  Among the dishes I had were ones with morrel mushrooms, & black carrot- things I havent had much of.. :-) 

We also had Devesh Kailash Dhall of Whisky Samba giving us insight, interesting trivia and walking us through the various Whisky that was served that evening. We had a few cocktails subsequent to which we moved to try the various Glenlivets [from the Speyside distilleries] 

At the end of the evening, we were all high- not just from the Whisky but from the amazing food and the overall experience... Quite a memorable evening... 

PS: pardon quality of images, forgot the camera and had to make do with phone camera

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 :-)

Va Pho at Ampa Skywalk, Chennai

Now that you are done feasting on the dishes, here is a something about this restaurant... rather their new outlet! 

Va Pho, one of my new favourite restaurants has opened it's 3rd outlet, the 2nd one in Chennai [the other is in Coimbatore], the first week of April. What is different about this place? Well, just that it seems bigger, and has an extensive grill [Teppan] and sizzler dishes to the menu.  

The 70-seater is located adjacent to Seras the lounge. There remains the familiar vibrant interiors and the shelves lined with games and books.  There is also the long community style table with the main art work as the backdrop. Yes, the auto is also present here!! 

The evening began with the refreshing Blue moon drink, and in a while, I moved on to the much recommended Milo Dyno, which packs quite a flavour [am sure those who love chocolate and grew up drinking Milo will love this one], I got to try the Dim sum with a mix of crunchy & soft corn zucchini filling, served with a spicy sauce. And then came the two kinds of satay- Mushroom and tofu with a small spoonful of raw mango salad. The salad was perfect against the spicy satay.   

Then came the sensational Bao - Mushroom and Tofu. I have loved these from the first bite I took at the other Va pho, and recommend this to anyone who is going to the restaurant. Mind you, one is quite filling and packed with textures & flavours. I also tried the simple yet yumm stir fried Broccoli. 

I met and interacted with the Chef handling the Teppan [ he has had 8 years experience handling the Teppan at Benjraong]. he cooked up some veggies in a spicy sauce with a hint of garlic. For the mains, I tried the glass noodle salad { a favorite as it has wood ear mushrooms], the Thai rice, and parotta with creamy gravy. 

After a short break, it was time for the dessert..I had the cool Tender Coconut popsicle with sweetened coconut cream and sago pearls and a small taste of the sizzling brownie. Love that they have retained the true essence of the place, while adding to the existing menu [cos of space availablity]. If you feel like a drink, you can always hop in next door to Sera!! 

A Meal for 2 would cost approx Rs 800 -1000/- 

Address:

3rd floor, Ampa Skywalk [next door to where Landmark bookstore used to be]

No. 1, Nelson Manickam Road, 627, P H Road, Aminjikarai

Other outlet

Va Pho is located behind Hot Breads ,Copper Chimney and Sera Tapas bar. 

No: 6, Cathedral road, Chennai: 86. 

Ph: (044) 48566555.

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 :-)

Antari- Mexican coffee buns and more...

[Image courtesy : Antari FB page]

Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake baker's man 

Bake me a cake as fast as you can 

Mix it and stir it and bake it just right 

Good from the first 'til the very last bite

is what came to my mind when I heard there is a new cafe in town and best part was- it is in my part of town- New Avadi Road, Kilpauk!!

 Tandoor platter.. mushroom, corn, potato

 Three kinds of coin pizza, the dark base is the keto one..

You walk into the bungalow gates and are greeted by the sweetest pup Cookie.. This campus is home to Soul Garden Bistro, 196 Degrees Below, and the newest is the quaint Antari café,a small cosy room that can probably seat about 5 people. The open brick walls on one side are lined with shelves showing off their baked goods- breads & buns. And when standing there you cant miss the whiff of freshly baked buns from the ovens on the other side. Oh and the corner area is reserved to show off their Tea collection [They offer organic teas from Jalinga tea estate, Assam. Jalinga is the 1st and only carbon neutral certified tea estate in the world].. Coffee lovers need not fret, they serve some fine organic coffee as well. 

The beauty of this space is that all the food served across the three space is Pure Vegetarian & Eggless. They also have Vegan , Gluten free and what's more an exclusive Keto menu as well [ it lists down a break up of the nutrients in each item]

I met Jignesh Pujara back in Menchies, a brand he had brought to Chennai.. but even though that shut, it is good to see him keep at it.. He opened Soul Garden Bistro [Alwarpet & New Avadi Road], then went on to launch 196 Degrees below and now has partnered with Prabhakar to launch Antari.. A foodie, and a vegetarian at that, he believes in giving people good food, different flavours and healthy options as well...

I chose the Mexican Coffee bun served with Coffee Sauce & Butter Biscuit Crumbles. Essentially, the bun has a topping that it is baked with and then they add the additional topping before serving it up. It is hot, soft and packed with flavour. In the middle is a small surprise [shall not ruin it]

They have options-first you choose the kind of bun, and then the topping and if interested, you can go for a combo, which means the bun comes with a beverage- chai, coffee or Hot chocolate. The toppings range from White Chocolate with Red Velvet Crumbles, Chocolate Fudge with Fudge Brownie to Condensed Milk and Pistachio.

The basic bun costs Rs119, the toppings come at an additional cost of Rs30-60 and if you choose a beverage, depending on the beverage of your choice you pay around Rs249 or so.

The buns are served in beautiful platters [ very similar to the ones you see in Auroville], the coffee is served with three chocolates shaped like coffee beans. One thing I learnt about the place is they use/serve sugar that is organic [no sulphur is used in polishing it]...

Another item on the menu that caught my attention were the Churros.. Promptly ordered a portion, which was served with a spiced dark chocolate dip - heavenly...

I sat in the outdoor seating area on the side, and the evenings are still quite nice.. But when it gets hot, guess you can sit inside Antari or take them to Soul Garden bistro and enjoy them. There was a duo who entertained us with music,the guy played the guitar while the girl was the voice [they took requests and it was fun to sing along].

You can order their food through Swiggy or Zomato as well [not sure how good/fresh the buns will be when they make it across the city, stuffed inside a box], so its best to go experience them piping hot. Am definitely going back to try some of the other options and maybe take home a few buns [ one of them am curious about is the Charcoal bun, black in colour.. was told a tiny pinch of charcoal powder is used in the bun]..

Address:

No. 86 /59, New Avadi Road, Kilpauk, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600010

Phone: 044 4851 0161

Nacho Bhel puri, Escape cinemas Chaat

I am someone who loves to experiment with food & flavours. Mix & match ingredients when I cook to see how it turns out and so far, it has been more hits than misses. Last week, when I had gone to Escape Cinemas in Express Avenue for a movie, I was quite hungry. It was lunch time, and I hadnt had anything. The chaat menu looked appealing and one item on that caught my eye. It was Nachos Bhel Puri.

Yes, I do get that sometimes fusion food can go so wrong, there is no redemption, but then throwing caution to the wind, I went ahead and ordered a plate of the Nachos Bhel Puri. Priced at Rs100 [same as the regular Bhel Puri], this one had Nachos instead of the crisps and a few mexican spices thrown in the mix as well.  There were a few stares as I picked up the order, one lady came close and asked me what it was and how it tasted..  Told her I hadnt tasted yet, but then I love Nachos, I love Bhel, so it cant be bad.. 

Must say, it tated quite yumm.. The Nachos on top were still crispy while the ones below had soaked up the sauces and had gone soft.. Used the ones on top to scoop up the chaat and savour it. Next time you are here, do give this a shot.

What is the one fusion food you tried [with a big dollop of scepticism thrown in] and ended up loving?