Pumpkin tales, Chennai

Sourdough bread with butter- the bread had a lovely sour flavour, and crisp crust...

 Yumm pumpkin soup 

 Spicy Tempeh- Fermented soya bean slices that have been cooked with spices on the grill.. 

 Fermented soya bean slices.. I quite liked the pungency of it.... 

 The mains [Clockwise order]- Mezze platter, Prawn Tacos, Bibimbap [veg] and Mexican bean rice salad[with chicken]

Bibimbap - I had this last year in the US and loved it.. It is basically a bowl that you put together with various ingredients [cooked & raw]. Here we are served it pre plated in a hot hot bowl- it has greens, tofu, sprouts, the Gochujang Sauce (Korean Chilli Paste), rice and few other ingredients. It is fun digging into the bowl and scraping the bottom bits stuck to the bowl... Loved this one as well.. 

 The desserts- Mango Gelato, Tiramisu Gelato with strong coffee flavour, Tiramisu and Pumpkin Pie [ which is one that I dug into and loved]

Ok, now that I have given you something to drool over.. Here is a quick recap of the evening that was. I had seen Pumpkin tales a few times in the passing, but hadn't had the opportunity to hop in and try their fare. So, few days back we decided to head over for dinner. I soon discovered they were 10months old, and had just revamped their menu as well.. 

The brainchild of 3 women entrepreneurs - Chind Vardarajulu [Chindi- who is also the woman behind the menu, thanks to her extensive travels], Raja rajeshwari and Bhuvana, Pumpkin Tales is a place that offers cuisines we havent heard off and dishes that we might have seen only on TV shows or recipe books. The place has a very casual comfortable feel to it, with bright coloured chairs and plenty of space all around. 

They have a store in the ground floor that sells croissants, cookies, breads and other products, worth a look, especially the gelatos..

The menu at the restaurant is quite extensive, with a small explanation beneath the name of the dish. Chindi also told us none of the dishes were deep fried, and they use the best produce available. The tempeh for example- Chindi & Rajarajeswari patiently explained  what it was, how it was made, showed us the raw product and gave a headsup about the strong flavours in it.. For someone like me who is eternally curious and always excited to try new things, this was an eye opener of sorts. The stories behind the dishes excite me more than the dish itself.. and I enjoyed the whole evening immensely cos it had plenty of good food and interesting stories.. Looking forward to going back for their breakfast!! Care to join?  

Address:

37/20, Bheemanna Garden St, Alwarpet, Chennai - 600018

[The road next to Kirtilal jewellery on CP Ramaswamy road]

Ph-  044 2499 5510

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 :-)