Aroy Mak Mak at Benjarong

When the Chef pings you inviting you over to check out the new addition to the menu , you dont say No.. Especially not when it is Chef Ramkumar of Benjarong [Oriental Cuisines]. I love their food and I cannot say it enough. 

Have lost track of the number of times I have visited the restaurant, introduced friends to the amazing food or recommended the place to others visiting the city/ love Thai food. This time around, I was to savour the Salad, Steam and Grill Menu - Aroy Mak Mak as it is called. Even though their regular menu has plenty of salads and steamed items, this is a menu exclusively for those who wish to only these dishes. Going healthy, eating light- call it whatever you wish, but the food is divine!! 

The dishes I tried were all vegetarian, and many were made with Tofu.. The one stand out dish was a brinjal grilled dish that I couldn't stop going back for... Chef shared that it was cooked on a satay grill with minimal spices and served with the spicy Sriracha sauce... During the course of the conversation, we spoke about Thai curry being so versatile, and how it used Thai Brinjal, which is our South Indian Sundakka.. He also spoke about a dip/chutney of sorts made with this bitter Thai brinjal, and how he was keen to know the response when served here in Chennai..  Among other things, we discussed food across countries, how spices and vegetables were used across dishes, mind set of people when it comes to trying new dishes and ofcourse Benjarong's constant journey to discovering new flavours while keeping the traditional cooking/taste intact. The meal began with a glass of Vietnamese cold coffee and ended with the familiar flavours of Tub Tim Krob [Red rubies in coconut milk...]

Starters

 Makeau Yang- Brinjal Marinated with roasted chilli and grilled..

Tohu Yang - Spicy tofu satay in coriander root & fresh red chilly marinade

Salads 

    Larb bed tohu- assorted mushrooms and tofu served in spicy chilli dressing with mint & peanuts 

   Yum bed hoo noo - black fungus, cucumber, celery, carrots topped with sesame seeds

Main Dishes

     Sweet & sour veg .

 Steamed Tofu topped with sauteed veggie served with the sauce from the sautee... 

   Vermicelli tossed with spring onions 

 Thai green curry rice

Address: Benjarong 146 TTK Road, Chennai [Opp Sketchers & Royal enterprises showroom] For reservations for the Festival can be made at 24322640.
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 :-)

Mainland China Asian Kitchen, Spring Hotel, Chennai

Few years ago, when I was a newbie to the whole food scene, I was offered a dish called Khao Suey.. A waiter at a restaurant gave me a bowl and told me to fill in whatever I wanted from the gazillion bowls sitting on the table. I randomly added things and was quite apprehensive about the flavours. But what do you know, I loved it and since then have made it at home and tried in at numerous restaurants as well. 

It is a one dish meal that tingles your taste buds and sometimes you feel a burst within your mouth. That is the beauty of Khao Suey..  Recently, thanks to a friend I discovered a restaurant in Chennai that serves up the most amazing Khao Suey.. It is Mainland China Asia Kitchen, located in Spring Hotel, Kodambakkam High Road. 

After an event, a friend suggested we head out here for dinner. I assumed it would be like the other Mainland China outlets- chinese cuisine would rule the roost. But then I noticed the name and curiosity hit. The girls who had been here earlier raved about the food and drinks. 

[image courtesy: Spring Hotel]

We ordered a round of drinks and got down to ordering starters and main dishes. For starters we went with Crispy corn and dumplings, and for the main we thought we shall try their Khao Suey.  And by the end of the meal we were all grinning away with joy. We were in some kind of food heaven! 

The Khao Suey is served on a large wooden board- a big bowl of Thai Green curry sits at the head of the board and then there were the other accompaniments- Fried garlic, friend onions, boiled noodles, fried noodles, finely chopped red chillies, lime wedges,coriander and peanuts. A few places also include boiled egg.. 

You are given a bowl, and you get to add as much or as little of the components and create your own bowl of flavours. 

The other dishes here were also good.. so far we have tried only one dessert which did not disappoint. It was the Caramel sponge cake wth caramel sauce.. 

Next time you are looking for something different or have been curious about Khao Suey, do head over here- you shall not be disappointed...

Address:

Ground floor, Spring Hotel, 
#11,Kodambakkam High Rd, Nungambakkam, Chennai 
Phone:044 2823 8345

Flavours of Bangkok -III- Fresh & juicy

The four- five days that I spent in Bangkok, if I had to list down the things that appealed and impressed me, I could count them on one hand. 

And one of them was the number of fresh fruit stalls and bottles of fresh fruit juices that I came upon almost everywhere on the street. Be it the pavement, outside Wat Pho, along the way to the jetty to head to Wat Arun and in ChatuChak market as well. Am sure this system is followed everywhere and you will find these colourful sealed bottles all across the town. 

Not only where the street hawkers selling juices, but they also had fresh fruits/slices being sold in packets everywhere. In the market, I also came upon strawberry-vanilla shakes. Most of them were priced around 20-30Baht and were chill and fresh.. No added sugar, no preservatives.. And the bottles were small enough that you could just hold the bottle in your hand and sip on it as you walked around. 

Flavours of Bangkok -II- Street food

We had just stepped out of Wat Pho and were quite hungry.. We walked around the place trying to find a cafe or a eating joint, and finally spotted a row of street vendors and decided to give them a shot. 

The 1st guy was selling non veg, my friend chose what looked closest to Chicken and picked up a skewer with freshly grilled chicken. She ate it, but was quite sceptical about what it was.. Asked me to click a picture so she could ask someone.. lol.. The reason for her fear- most meat sold here was pork and she dint eat pork.. Told her it dint matter cos she was eating it out of sheer hunger.. 

Moving along, I spotted a guy standing near a big pan that small dips in them, almost like our Kuzhipaniyaram/appam pans.. I then saw him break an egg into each of these and cook them for a few minutes, before plating them up. Instantly I told him I wanted a plate.. A minute later he picked up a handful of eggs and repeated the process, which is when I discovered these were quail eggs.. They were quite good- crisp at the bottom and gooey on top- with a sprinkle of salt & pepper. 

And finally we grabbed a potato twirl /Twistato [it is basically an entire potato peeled onto a wooden stick, deep friend with masala- had it 1st time in Bangalore and this was the 2nd time I saw it] 

All the above was priced between 20-40 baht, served piping hot and were perfect after our long walk around Wat Pho. 

We also spotted quite a few other stalls, some selling fresh fruit juices, while others had elaborate meat dishes and then there were few stocked with a wide variety of mushrooms [which would become soup come evening] 

Flavours of Bangkok- Part I- Pad Thai noodles

There we were all set to bid adieu to Bangkok and head back to Chennai. With about two hours left for our flight, we wandered about the airport- the stores, the big brands and that is when we spotted the restaurant with a board that said "Asian, Thai and Japanese cuisine". With hunger bells ringing away in our tummies we walked in and ordered food.

I ordered Pad Thai noodles in red curry sauce while my friend ordered rice and Thai green curry with prawns..

The Pad Thai noodles we get here in India is quite different from what we had in Bangkok- it had far less spice and was served with a side of fresh Chinese sprouts and a lime wedge.

The noodles was good and we slurped it up within minutes.

The one thing I have always enjoyed during my trips is exploring the local cuisine and in Bangkok we were I heaven- I Love Thai food.. :))

The Grand Siam, RK Salai, Chennai

Ah, the 1st showcase in 2013. Well, i was looking forward to this one as we had visited another Restaurant under the same group- Chao and the experience had been anything but delightful. But it was an evening of surprises, good and otherwise. While it was lovely meeting the regular suspects, i realised how close we had all grown over the year, and the bonds developed between some of us stronger than others. 

The 1st thing that struck me about Grand Siam were the Buddha idols placed across the restaurant- there was one on the maitre de's table, a bigger Buddha with a mini fountain of sorts in the main lobby and then a few small ones in alcoves across the place. The decor was quite pleasing and the lighting just right, not too bright nor was it dark and dingy. The place looked small on the outside, but upon entering i noticed it was quite large and i also got a glimpse of the neat kitchen. The tables had a vase with a single strand of Orchid on them, reminding me of another restaurant. I noticed couple of others sipping on a drink that had a strong ginger flavour, and passed up on it. The 2nd one that came around too i nearly missed but for a few sips from KK's glass. It looked pink, had fizz and a green Shark stirrer dunked in it. I called it the Shark suicide point :D

 We were given a long table on the right side f the restaurant, and we seated ourselves after a wee bit of debate on where the vegetarians will sit and non vegetarians will. We were 6 veggies, and well, the night seemed long and tad frustrating. The traditional meal opener was served on the table-Mien Khem- a plate with a few baby spinach leaves- coconut shavings, onion, peanuts, red chilli, ginger, lime pieces and jaggery syrup. You serve yourself all that you like on a baby spinach leaf, fold it and eat the whole thing. It is quite yumm and we had a few of these while we waited for the soup. 

1st came the Tom Yum Phak soup- a light vegetable stock with veggies [baby corn, carrots, broccoli, mushrooms] cooked with Thai herbs and spices - galangal, lemongrass, red chillies, kafir lime leaves.. It was very watery and not as spicy as what i've had in other places. The major let down in the soup were the mushrooms, as much as i love them, i felt the ones in the soup were beyond their date and therefore were chewy and had a smell. 

Following this, we saw a plate with an assortment of starters- corn tartlets, spring rolls and mushroom in skewers served alongside a good portion of Raw mango salad. The corn tartlets were good, spring rolls were a bit bland, but tasted good with the peanut sauce. The mushrooms once again were a let down, they had a burnt taste and lacked flavour. The salad was divine, i could have had a bowl of just that and been happy with the meal :) 

Through the meal i must have had a jug full of water, or even more, that is how spicy some of the dishes were. And i had to keep beckoning the waiter to fill up my glass. Moving on, the mains on the non veg side started arriving while we waited wondering what was in store for us. Between meals, we got the chance to speak to the Chef, share our opinions and feedback, and hear his side out. 

For the mains, we saw a bowl of plain rice arrive, a Thai Green curry[ wonder why they add brussel sprouts, it kinda alters the taste adding a touch of bitterness to the dish], a stir fry salad with the tofu and sprouted beans[ which was yummy], a stir fry of veggies [ felt a bit soggy, and broccoli was definitely overcooked] and a bowl of noodles [ i dint taste this but from others learnt it had a strong spring onion flavour]. Oh and there was also the plate of deep fried potatoes and baby corn tossed in a thai sauce [ was good, but the potato could have been sliced smaller]. I had a few spoons of the rice with the different side dishes and the sprouts salad stood out, in terms of texture and flavour. 

It was time for dessert, for once i skipped the cup of Lemongrass tea, diving into the bowl of Tub Tim Grob [Water chestnut in coconut milk]- it was good, but i must agree that i have had better ones. We heard there was also another dessert on the menu- Pumpkin pudding with coconut ice cream, but alas dint get to sample it.

Address:

1/200, Dr Radhakrishnan Salai,
Opposite Maruti Suzuki Showroom [next to Duchess & Kabul]

Mylapore

Phone 044 45568323

A meal for 2 [vegetarians] would cost close to Rs600. This was a pre set menu served to us.. Shall update cost of this shortly

This was part of a Chennai Food Guide showcase conduced by Chennai Food Guide and so i am not going to rate the place. But i will tell you this- if you are bored of the usual Thai restaurants, give this one a shot, and do let me know what you thought of the food/service/ambiance/price.  All i shall say is the Restaurant needs to notch up their service, pay more attention to the dishes and they will see more crowds at their doors vying for a table!

Remember- This was just my review of the place, my opinions might vary from yours. And the dishes might change, so will  other factors!