Pizza and beer fest till 21st March at Skillet, Hablis, Chennai

It has been a long day, and nothing like a glass of chilled Amstel Light to help you unwind and maybe a few slices of pizza? Well, if this is your idea of an ideal evening, then grab your car keys, call your friends and head over to Skillet at Hablis, Guindy.

For the next 3days they have an amazing offer running- one 9” pizza and a beer for Rs 400 [all inclusive]. And it is not like they have limited pizza options, no way- there are 4 Veg pizzas and nearly 7 non veg options for you to choose from.This offer is till 21st March only... 

We started the evening with an Orange juice[this is not part of the deal, I had this while waiting for a friend to arrive] and the Margaritta pizza [ tomato sauce, plenty of cheese and olives]- though the base wasn’t exactly thin crust, the pizza was good, simple flavours. I also ordered a bottle of Amstel Light beer- it was good~! They have 3 kinds of beers- Kingfisher, British Empire & Amstel Light. Once we were done trying out this pizza, we got the next one which was a Pesto Pizza-  pesto sauce, olives, jalapeño, sun dried tomato, aubergines, coloured peppers and fresh basil with a sprinkle of cheese. 

The beer [Image courtesy- Karan]

Pizza Margherita

Pesto Pizza

Pizza Capricciose 

 The offer

 Orange juice

Pizza Marinara [seafood pizza]

I quite enjoyed this pizza, the pesto flavour and various textures. We were 4 of us, and one non veg who went ahead to order a Seafood pizza that he devoured [it had calamari, fish and shrimp]. I noticed the restaurant also had a buffet dinner going on, which drew quite a crowd. Apparently the buffet is available for lunch as well and Skillet is their 24 hour restaurant.  While we took it all in, the next pizza landed on our table- Pizza Capricciose- it had broccoli, olives, artichokes, basil and cheese over a bed of subtle tomato sauce.

After about 4-5 slices, we were full. I was curious about the other Mediterranean pizza they had on the menu, but have decided to try it out the next time I visit. This was my 2^nd time at Hablis [1st time was to The Moon And Six Pence] and I must say, both times I have had such fun and enjoyed the food. 

Address:

Hablis No.19, Grand Southern Trunk Rd, Guindy, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600032 

Phone:044 2233 4000

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  :-)

Mast Kalandar- Home delivery

I was just getting done with my walk when a friend called saying he was coming home. This was such a surprise, it took me a while to comprehend it . I rushed home and within minutes he landed. Few hours later, we suddenly realized it was nearly 1 pm. While I pondered over what to cook, he barged into the kitchen asking if we could just sit back and order in lunch. I agreed after a bit of push. He is also a vegetarian and said he was in the mood for simple light north Indian food. It was then decided we would order from Mast Kalandar.  I have eaten at their outlets in Bangalore and in Chennai, and even though I wasn't too fond of their food, off late I find them quite good~!! 

I called their outlet in Teynampet [from where I'd ordered earlier] and proceeded to check on their combos. The guy on the line suggested "Lohri Combo" [ a new one on their menu keeping in with the Lohri festival that just went by]. 

 

It had-- 

Dal makhani, 

Channa gravvy

Saag

2 Lachcha parantha

1 portion of pulao  

2 desserts- one that tasted like a version of besan ka laddoo and the other was a small piece of peanut chikki 

Patiyala chaas

Fresh salad

Raita

This combo is priced at Rs179/-

Infact, this meal was good enough for the 2 of us!! Burp.. that was quite yumm... 

 

The amazing thing about this restaurant is that the food is tightly neatly packed and they are spill proof as well. The total bill rang to Rs 209 [Rs 179 for the combo + Rs16 for packing/container] . Friend was beaming after the meal, saying he was stuffed. Well, he is off to a meeting and I am getting back to work!! 

Well, they do have quite a few other combos outside of this and a few a la carte items as well. Do give it a try next time you are hungry and wondering where to order from!!

Phone - Teynampet- 044 42158381/42138381

Website- Mast Kaladar

Facebook:  Mast Kaladar

Illusions- The Madras Pub, Chennai

The name reminded me of David Copperfield. The man popular for his breath taking mind boggling Illusions. This place on the other hand was called Illusions, The Madras Pub. Wonder why the tagline though! Any ideas?

The place opened up a few months ago and friends made a lunch plan, but then Mr Murphy came in and changed my plans, and the lunch dint happen, rather I was unable to join the girls for lunch. And so,  when this other friend called asking if I wanted to join her and another friend for lunch, giving me options, I chose Illusions. The reason being- I had not been here before. 

I reached the place on time, 1 pm, and made my way up the staircase into the pub. Took me a minute to get used to the dim lights and layout, but soon found a table and made myself comfortable. I noticed a room in between the restrooms and discovered it was for "smoking". Friends came in a few minutes, we got settled in and started to order. The 1st order of the day was drinks- i went for the Blue island iced tea, the ingredients were blue curacao instead of coke and rest of the items were same as the long island iced tea, friend ordered the same and the other friend ordered whisky with soda. I also ordered a mushroom and cheese starter. 

The place was dim lit, actually quite dark, and I was told one seating area transforms to a dance floor in the evenings. There was a nicely filled bar on our left and more seating spaces all around. The place is very different from the other pubs I had been to.

Within minutes our drinks arrived on the table and we started diving into them. Our iced tea was alright, we missed the Long island iced tea, this felt a little watery and diluted. Oh well, only if you order will you know what such drinks are, right?

Moving on to food, we went ahead and ordered different combos. One friend ordered a wrap [mexican or italian, I forget, but the weird thing about it was it had paneer and when we asked the waiter about Italy and paneer, he got back a minute later and said "Chef says in Italy they use paneer a lot".. hmmm.. that is a 1st!] I ordered a penne in red sauce and the other friend ordered the chinese combo- chinese fried rice, gobi manchurian and wontons.

I enjoyed my penne though I wonder why it had no veggies. As we finished our drinks, we also noticed the place filled up quite a bit.

The meal worked out to about 800 bucks each [incl tax and tips]. The place would be an option if all others were full or shut. 

Overall Rating- 5/10

Address:

105, 1st Floor,[adjoining Nilgiris supermarket]

 Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai, 

Mylapore, Chennai- 4

Phone: +91 9841157869, 044 42144449

The Corporate Lunch at Dario’s

“Oh no I have just under an hour and a half to squeeze in a lunch before the next meeting begins” seems to have become the phrase that every corporate executive utters. But then, going to a restaurant, ordering food, waiting for the food to arrive, enjoying it and making it back to the office or meeting venue is always a dicey situation. This is why these Coporate lunch deals are awesome! They are total value for money, quite extensive and filling as well. 

There I was at Dario’s, my newest favouritest [yes, I cooked up that word] restaurant.  It is an all veg Italian restaurant that is just about 6 months old and has me hooked. The food is simply amazing, and they have managed to maintain the standards as well.

Sometime back they introduced a special menu for 3pm to 7pm slot. There are people who waltz in expecting something to eat, but then the kitchen is just taking a break before they gear up for dinner service. So, these guys have launched a special menu consisting of simple sandwiches and pizzas for this zone during the day.

And now they are back with this new offer. When I met Suresh Cumar, he mentioned that the corporate lunch deal has just been rolled out and the response has been quite promising.  Nice!

I was shown to my table, and the menu was offered. I half expected a simple menu, but then was quite surprised to see how extensive it was. There were 3 drinks, 3 soups, 3 salads, 5 pizzas, 2 risottos, 6 different pasta dishes and 4 desserts. You could choose 1 from each category and create your lunch meal. Wow, that is quite a lot to choose from. And all this for just Rs390 plus taxes.

I opted for my favourite drink of the season- Fresh lime soda [salt], the Funghi Soup [ Cream of Mushroom soup], Mista salad [mixed fresh lettuce leaves, iceberg, lollo rosso & ricola with tomatoes, olives, cheese and mustard dressing]. For the main course, I knew what I wanted even before I saw the menu- Asparagus Risotto [even though it is not listed in the menu, I was told it was available]. And finally for dessert, once again I ordered without blinking an eye - Lemon Cheese cake. They also had the Baked Yoghurt tart, rich chocolate mousse and Chocolate brownies with chocolate sauce.

I have eaten here at Dario’s numerous times, once with family and they fell in love with the place, esp my grandparents. Simple, no masala and flavourful delicious dishes is how my gramma describes the place.

The Fresh Lime soda arrived within minutes and while I was enjoying the cool drink, I noticed the place slowly fill up, some in groups of 5 or more and others in 2s and 3s. It was good to see the place got a good lunch crowd even on a weekday.

My soup arrived and it was thick, creamy and every spoonful had the lovely mushroom flavour in it. Then came the salad, now for those of you thought salads are boring and bleh, you should try them here. With shavings of Parmesan cheese on top, it was refreshing. During the course of the meal, chatted a bit with the Chef and Suresh about the menu and the recent workshop they had [for kids]. Suresh also mentioned he had few other interesting plans up his sleeve and shall reveal them with due course of time.

Ta da, there was my Asparagus Risotto. I could see the chunks of asparagus through the risotto and generous sprinkle of cheese on top. I actually thought they had increased their portion size and felt this was too much for a single person. It was heavenly… wiped my bowl clean, well, not literally. Must mention that my gramma is keen on replicating this risotto at home [God save me] Cooled off my heels for a bit preparing for the Lemon Cheese cake and ended the meal with a smile on my face and a happy tummy.

So next time you are around Alwarpet or Poes garden and wondering what to do for lunch, drive down to Dario’s and enjoy their corporate lunch meal. You won’t regret it~!!  

Dario's Address:

#11, Kasturi Rangan Road,

2nd Street,

Teynampet,

Chennai- 600018

Ph:             044-4919 3333      

URL: http://www.darios.in [you can not only read about the restaurant, but also see the detailed menu]

Landmark: Next to Aswene Hospital [1st right after the Russian Cultural Centre]