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Am a contradiction of sorts. i love going out and having a good time with friends, and i can also stay home chill out over a book or a movie.. Am very passionate about writing, so give me a topic and watch me float away into wonderland... I Am crazy about music,books,friends and my doggie... :)
Showing posts with label drinks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label drinks. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

New flavours from paper boat...

 Well, for someone who is not a big fan of the fizz or soft drinks, there are quite a few options, but then comes the doubt - do they contain natural fruit juices or artificial flavours? won't they be full of sugar and so on. That is when I spotted a packet of paper boat juice in a local grocery store. I tried the Aamras and was sold. Soon after I tried few other flavours , but my all time favourite is Kokum. 

Recently, I noticed they have come out with two new flavours, perfect ones to beat the heat I guess. One is Panakam [ it is intact a light drink made with jaggery, dried ginger and water] - quite flavourful and cooling. The Panakam from paper boat is just as good, except it has cardamom as well. 

[Image courtesy: Paper boat Facebook page]

The other flavour they have come out with is Guava Chilli. Now this is one fruit am not a big fan of, but was curious and so tried the drink. It has a sharp tang and a gentle chilli bite to it at the end. My mom and uncle who love the fruit loved it. Said it was packed with Guava flavour!


[Image courtesy: Paper boat Facebook page]

Recently when out on the road, I spotted this cool Paperboat truck, the colourful exterior was quite inviting.. look at the bottom panel, with the colourful bottles all around them.



If you have been hooked on soft drinks or canned ones, time to give this a shot. You can thank me later~

Available at all stores and on Big basket as well.. 

Friday, March 11, 2016

Cafe Dalal Street, Delhi

After a bit of driving around, we finally found a place that was decent and within our budget to stay at. It was in Connaught Place, outer circle [or whatever it was called] . What this meant was we were spoilt for choice when it came to eat outs or drinking holes.  After quickly freshening up, we decided to step out for some lunch. We had spotted Haldiram's on the way over and so that was on our radar. As we began walking towards Haldiram's  we crossed Dalal Street with a board outside that showed prices for certain drinks and it seemed quite low. A friend in the gang paused and said why don’t we try this place today? Her husband was stumped and said No. We actually stopped him and demanded an explanation, and well, lets just say he had none… The next minute we turned back and went into this place. A narrow flight of stairs led us to the dimly lit pub, which had décor resembling a stock exchange.. words.. company names. Prices etc. We  found a table near which was a display screen showing the prices of drinks over a period of time.








Looks like it is one of those places where the price of drinks fluctuate based on demand and that is how you are charged.  We were quite excited about the place.. Began scouting through the menu, ordered drinks- a beer, a vodka with aam panna and few other indian spices and another vodka based cocktail . The drinks were good.. As for food, we decided to do some starters here before moving  to Haldirams for more food.

We ordered the Pani puri, except this one came with paneer butter masala instead of the sweet and tangy water. It was quite good, we loved it. Another starter we ordered was the vegetable quesedillah. Both the dishes were good and filling. We did try to wrap our head around the prices and how it fluctuated but gave up after a while, especially when the bill came. It is quite a cool place, and a different one at that- in terms of ambiance and concept.

As we left, we noticed quite a few groups walking in.. Maybe Delhi too was a city that woke up late over the weekend and partied late as well.

Address:
M-89/90, M Block, Outer Circle, Connaught Place, 
New Delhi 110001
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/cafedalalstreet/

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Revamped menu at California Pizza Kitchen

California Pizza Kitchen is back, no they did not go anywhere.... :-) They are back with a new revamped menu.. There are drinks, there are starters, there are pizzas, there are pastas and of course there are the lip smacking desserts. The place has managed to maintain standards and taste over the years . I still remember my 1st visit here, it was 2 years ago.. 

Oh and they have also introduced a few offers, one of which is the Rs249+ each for the 9" pizzas [Available: Monday to Friday 12PM to 11PM]








I was here the nth time and discovered a few familiar faces [ one of who had recently joined here from another restaurant]. I quite like their range of food- esp the thin crust pizzas. Infact, my last visit was during their Pizza festival which had me overwhelmed with the wide array of flavours. This time around, I ordered the Summer breeze [a cool refreshing drink made with orange, peach,  mango, lime juice shaken and served with a good portion of crushed ice] followed by a portion of the Thai Crunch salad [ which has Thai the Tostada Pizza [ which is a hot & cold pizza, with a generous splash of lettuce & tortilla chips on top] and then came the sinful Capriciossa pizza [ pomodoro sauce three cheeses, tomato, artichoke & mushrooms were the toppings on this one]

We were stuffed, else we would have happily tried few more options. But we did order up two of their finest desserts - Tiramisu and Sticky Toffee pudding- they were yummy indeed.. We sat around yapping a while longer, talking about travelling, destinations we could hit before finally making a beeline for the door. 

Whilst we were there, we noticed a long table filled with teenage kids celebrating a birthday party. Nice, good to see people thinking outside the box when it came to birthday bashes! Next time you are looking for a casual place to catch up with your friend, one that is not too crowded or noisy, you should head over to Phoenix to CPK [ it is located almost at the end of the complex, near the children's play area]


Address:
California Pizza Kitchen
Phoenix Market City, Velachery
Chennai 
Ph- 044 65108888

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 :-)

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Dunkin Donuts, Bangalore











We were walking along Brigade Road after a good breakfast which was followed by an hour of meeting when we spotted Dunkin Donuts signboard outside Mota Royal Arcade [ yes, that mall at the end of Brigade road]. A colleague travelling along asked if we wanted to go have a donut and that is how we ended up at DD in Bangalore on a cool Tuesday morning. 

I chose a double berry donut [ if you know me, you would have known what I would pick], while the others went for chocolate and other flavours. They had quite a range, but what surprised me was the ambiance. There were funky furniture all around, royal red chairs, a long wooden table with orange chairs and few others as well, and then there were the pillars which were filled with quotes [giving it a black board look] and the quirky masks on the wall.  One colleague chose the Kesar pista which was a simple glaze donut with plenty of slivers of pista on top.

Another aspect I was surprised by was that the Donuts were quite reasonably priced, between Rs50 - Rs60. You get to pick from simple glazed donuts to those with toppings, filling and much more.. Apart from these, they also serve a range of hot & cold beverages, bites, burgers,and sandwiches.

We enjoyed our donuts, some oozing with filling while others had a thick glaze on them and made our way to the Hotel down the road. 

Even though the donuts were good, I still prefer the ones from Donut House!! Have tried Krispy Kreme and Mad over donuts as well. 

Monday, October 7, 2013

Pasta Bar Veneto rolls out new dishes..

When you think of something or someone, it is true that you end up seeing them often or that thing everywhere you go. Similarly, I haven’t been to Pasta Bar Veneto in ages, the 1st visit was years ago and in Alsa Mall. And then a brief visit to their outlet in Pondy. 2 weeks got the opportunity to visit the outlet in Burkitt Road. Who would have thought I would be back there once again. Yes it happened last evening!

Unlike earlier, these days I don’t mind going anywhere. Most places are a hop skip or jump away. It took me just about 12 mins to reach Burkitt Road from home and I was there before 7.30pm. Spotted the gang, said Hi hello, and everything else and we took a booth on the right side of the restaurant. We were greeted and shown the menu, including the new dishes that had been recently included. An interesting thing about the menu card here is that all the dishes have a code next to them.  Such a blessing, as it makes it easy for people who have difficulty in pronouncing the names to order. I shall take the G9 or E17 and your dish arrives with no confusion!!



We started the evening by ordering a few beverages. Hot chocolate, fresh lime soda salt [my standard order] and Green apple mojito. The hot chocolate came in the most gorgeous mugs and looked yumm.. I slurped my lime soda with glee and the mojito was also good [tad sweet for my liking]. With a little one to keep us smiling, we started the evening on a high note. While we flipped through the menu, our eyes locked at the Zuppa section [Soups]especially the Zuppa di Arachidi Zucca [pumpkin soup] [C3], and the other option was Zuppa di pollo [chicken soup] [C5]. I loved the pumpkin soup, but felt it was a tad salty [probably cos of the herbs that were sprinkled on top which had a bit of salt in them]..


Moving on, for starters we were served a crostini platter- two kinds- one with peas & potato[A4] and other had mushrooms & cheese[A5]. The former was a tad mushy and bland while later was good. We also tried their other mushroom starter- Funghi Saltati con pesto [ mushrooms tossed in garlic and cooked with pesto]-[A8], the pesto was very subtle in this, but being a mushroom freak, I loved it.

And then came the plates filled with more starters, 2 non veg and one more veg.. The veg was Brocolli and cheese grill [A9] which was yumm, the broccoli had been cooked just right. The non veg eaters had fish fingers[A14], pigs in a blanket except here it was chicken[A12]  and prawns batter fried. Amidst the food, we also chatted with the manager about the new dishes and asked him for recco for the main course. After much deliberation, we decided to go with 4 different dishes..


I chose the Macaroni & Corn bake  [D4], which was served alongside a slice of bread and it was quite good. It is quite a large portion and filled with corn and spinach as well, a tinge of red chilli that added to the flavours. The others went for non veg dishes- Panna con prosccuitto di pollo e piselli  [Cavatappi pasta[longer twisted version of macaroni] cooked with chicken ham and chicken sausages in white sauce], Salsa rosso con pollo  e funghi[E19]- grilled chicken, red paprika and mushroom that had been tossed in peri peri spicy sauce which was ordered with fettucini pasta and finally, the Involtini di pollo ripieno [F3] which was stuffed chicken breast on a thick tomato creamy sauce served with a side of grilled veggies. The main dishes were good….


Before we knew it, time had flown by and it was nearly 9.30. We quickly ordered desserts-   I chose the Apple Strudel with vanilla cream [I14], the others chosen were Mud pie [I6], Pizza dolce [ fruit pizza] [I2] and Poached pear in berry soup [I5]. Loved mine and the poached pear the best. The pizza was alright, dint like the texture and thickness of the sweet focaccia bread and the mud pie was confusing.

And with that the evening was done!! We had a  good time needless to say- good company, good ambiance, amazing music [yes i knew most of the songs J] and good food..

I would definitely recommend the Pumpkin soup and poached pear to anyone who is curious about Pasta Bar Veneto.  J

Address:
OLD No 59,New No #32,, Burkit Road,T.Nagar  Burkit Rd, Parthasarathy Puram, Thiyagaraya Nagar, Chennai, TN 600017
Ph- 044 4212 6680


Directions: Get into Venkatnarayana road, and go all the way down, and take the last but one right. Within 200yards you will find Pasta Bar Veneto on your right, adj to Canara bank 

Psst- the numbers in the bracket are the code for the dishes!! :D 

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  :-)

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Nandos, Chennai


I heard of this place when they were about to launch, and there was a lot of talk about the Peri Peri chicken. Since i am a vegetarian, I ignored the thread but the franchise owner insisted they have quite a range of vegetarian fare. After a few weeks, while at Phoenix Mall with friends, we decided to head out to Nandos for lunch, mainly since the friend visiting from abroad wanted some meaty juicy food. We walked in, found a table near the entrance and got comfortable. 








I scanned through the menu, noticed that veg options were all around Paneer. Throwing caution to wind, I chose the Veg Espetada and for sides, i chose the corn on cob since a friend had already chosen the 3 bean salad and other chose the Mexican rice with her chicken breast. My dish arrived in style, it was a tall stand with a skewer and big chunks of paneer on it. The table had a range of Peri Peri sauces, and I had to slather the paneer with some of them to add some flavour. I ate maybe 2 pieces and I was about done.

I wish the waiter had warned me the size of the dish and what it actually was [since it was my 1st time there and I had no clues what to expect]. The sides were delicious- I could eat just the corn and 3 bean salad as a main course and would have been very happy. 



The beverages were good, we ordered 3 different drinks, one common thread being they all had pomegranate syrup/concentrate in them. Paid the bill and walked out not too pleased. 

I guess many places that are famous for non veg food use paneer as the substitute  and this kinda gets my goat! There is so much more than paneer to veg food.,..anyways, if you are a meat eater, then you should head to Nandos and enjoy some of what they offer!! 

I did like the interiors, art work on the wall and service was top notch! 

Saturday, August 3, 2013

California Pizza Kitchen

It was Saturday evening when a friend- Av popped in Whatsapp and announced that CPK was opening the subsequent Monday. For those who are unaware, CPK is California Pizza Kitchen. The two times I have been to Phoenix I noticed the huge banner with a “coming soon” on it. After our Bangalore trip, I learnt that CPK serves alcohol and so maybe they were waiting for license [just as HRC has been waiting]. But alas., they have given up or not pursued the same, for they are open in Phoenix Market City, Velachery.

So, coming back to the Saturday evening, this friend & I decided we will do Monday night dinner at CPK. Most others were tied up and we froze our plan. On Sunday evening, another friend announced she was at CPK and gave us feedback on the dishes and the place. Av who discovered they were opening on Monday was surprised they had opened on Sunday. But anyways, we stuck to our plan and Monday evening I was there in Phoenix around 7pm. Did some shopping at Big Bazaar and waited for Av to arrive.


The entry to CPK is from the outside. So, you can actually park, and walk all the way around the mall on the same side as Nandos and you will spot CPK right at the end. It is located near the children’s play area and near the dancing water fountain. There is also a huge monitor on top that was showcasing random sports events.





We walked in around 8 and the place was fairly empty. Chose a booth and made ourselves comfortable. The menu was brought and the waiter asked for our water preference and if we wanted a beverage. Av ordered Coke while I opted for the Strawberry Italian Soda [going against my usual fresh lime soda-salt] We also ordered the Lettuce Wrap. The drinks arrived within 2 minutes, followed closely by the starter. There was a plate with a few fresh lettuce leaves and another plate with peanut sauce and filling [it had paneer, seasonings, and sat on a bed of something that resembled friend rice noodles]. We had to place a few spoonfuls in the lettuce sheet, add some sauce, roll it up and chomp on it. I loved the flavours, and the crunchiness of the Lettuce was just perfect.

Spent a few minutes catching up on life and other things that dint matter, and Av shared her experience at CPK in the USA. Going with her recommendation, we ordered the Toastada Pizza [it is a hot & cold pizza, there is a thin crust base with black bean sauce on it, and above that is a healthy serving of shredded lettuce and tortilla chips] with a side of salsa that was divine. It arrived on the table and is possibly the ONLY healthy pizza i’ve ever had in my life.

The thin crust had a nice crisp texture and the hot & cold was perfect. Within minutes the plate was wiped clean and we were grinning. The only thing that kind of put us off a bit was the occasional bugs that found their way to the table- tiny mosquitoes [possibly because it was located near trees and water in the outdoor area]. Oh and it was a whole new experience having staff come over ask us how the drinks were, the starters and the main as well.

Since our friend had told us about the desserts, we opted for the White Chocolate Cheesecake. And it was delicious. With a healthy topping of grated white chocolate, the cheesecake was rich and perfect. Yes, it was different from others I’ve had but I liked this one.

Phew, what a fun evening it had been. We asked for the check, paid the bill and spent a good hour or two sitting on the bench outside yapping away to glory.

Price: This meal costed us Rs2100 [incl taxes]
Ambiance- Simple and elegant.
Service- Very good

Address:
California Pizza Kitchen
Phoenix Market City, Velachery

Chennai 
Ph- 044 65108888

Thursday, June 20, 2013

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

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Spoonbill, Chennai

It was my Birthday, and as promised i was going to have dinner with my bestie [love the Amy refers to Penny as her Bestie in TBBT -uff, The Big Bang Theory for all those who are staring at the acronym wonderinng what it is.. :D] and her little bunny boy... We went to and fro on sms "Jacobs or Spoonbill" we were both ok with either, she'd been to Spoonbill but was willing to go again... After much dilly dallying, rather "am ok with this, unless..." kinda chats, we settled for Spoonbill..


I had seen the restaurant couple of times while going down TTK road, but yet to explore further. It is situated right above CCD [hopefully you are not wondering what that is.. in case you are... Cafe Coffee Day], yes one more outlet has sprung up in town. You walk up the narrow flight of stairs to Spoonbill [ i dint see an elevator, is there one anywhere? - wondering in case i want to take grandparents there]...

You cant help but smile as you enter the restaurant. the bright orange colour Spoonbill on the wall is what caught my eye. The entire wall was empty but for that bird, and it stood out. I have seen a few real spoonbills, the bird during a trip down the Coromandel coast, but am sure they were white and not orange.. :-)

A wall near the entrance has a few large images, of coffee cups with spoonbill logo and name on it, some of food, and people grinning ear to ear. After a brief stroll down the open kitchen, we found a table near the window. The menu card was big and interesting, so many items i had only heard off and seen on TV.

We chose to go with the combo meals, a veg burrito and a non veg burrito accompanied with french fries[ for the munchkin], water and a drink. Friend also suggested picking up a few Pav buns as the little one will like them.  They had Mexican, Indian, Chinese, European, and the whole menu was around popular street foods...


It is a cool concept- these combos. I was told i could order a drink or water or juice and could pick out whatever i wanted from the refrigerator across the bill counter. I was given a small device, which i was told will light up when our order was ready. How cool is that!

Spent the next few mins running around the place, well, ok, strolling around with junior, while he was fascinated with the drinks in the refrigerator and the unit that was a pest killer, err mosquitoes and flies that is. He saw a fly hit the blue tubelight, and fall with a buzz sound and wanted to see more.. well, looks like all the bugs took the cue and disappeared as the next show dint happen for a while.. lol...



Got back to the table, chit chatting with friend about our birthdays, when suddenly the pager started coming alive. I spotted one of the men behind the counter beckon.. Our order was ready.. Yipee!! And the food was divine... I enjoyed the Burrito- the tortilla, vegetables, refried beans and the gaucamole sauce... The french fries were crisp and perfectly seasoned. I tried the grape juice while friend stuck to Diet coke. We then decided to share a plate of Pandina [did i get the name right? it resembled quesedilla], the filling was Pesto and cheese- sinful, and i wish i could have finished it up, but was stuffed..

And then came the lovely surprise.... Charlie singh, the owner of the place came over to our table [no, he wasnt the surprise..d'oh!], holding a plate with a chocolate cupcake and a candle on it... The little munckin on my lap promptly blew it out... haha... and we dug into it.. The cupcake was warm, moist and  not over the top sweet or chocolatey....

What a fun evening that had been... Actually, time out with these 2 [and the hubby] is always fun & memorable!   Happy birthday to me once again :D

Ambiance: 9/10

Service: Self service :)

Price: 8/10 [ The entire meal was close to Rs600, which i felt was quite reasonable] 

Address:

#239, TTK Road,  [Above Cafe Coffee day]
Alwarpet, 
Chennai 600018

Saturday, September 1, 2012

5 senses, Chennai - Encore!

Ar: Hey, am in town. want to catch up for lunch on Mon or Tue?
Me: Sure, lets meet on tuesday, what say?
Ar: sounds good. where?? somewhere preferably in Nungambakam.. Suggest something new and exciting
Me: hmmm.. there are loads of new places on KNK road, have you been to any- 5 senses? 3 kingdoms? Fresca?
Ar: 5 senses please... i like the sound of it... Around 1pm? 
Me: Done deal.. See you soon!! 

And that is how the lunch plan was made.. that fateful day, i got a bit delayed and reached a few minutes late. Ar was already there, seated inside with Hollywood stars looking down on us from the walls. After a few minutes of catching up, we decided to check out the Buffet menu before deciding on which to opt for- Buffet or a la carte. the Buffet had 85% vegetarian dishes, actually 90% veg and just 2 side dishes that were non veg. Priced at Rs500+tax, it seemed to be a good deal.  I had been here once earlier with a different group of friends and we had a whale of a time.... My earlier review is here

The lobby from where you take the elevator

We sat down in our table and started catching up on our lives.. It had been quite a while since i had seen Ar [we meet every time she comes to town :)]  We ordered a drink [i've happily forgotten the name- it was Vodka+cranberry combination] and was delicious. We also nibbled on the pita bread & hummus[Boiled chickpeas+olive oil+garlic+lemon juice] that was placed on the table. It was divine.. There was also Tzatziki [cucumber+yoghurt+garlic] to dive into.

 The Starters

The Drink

The meal began with a bowl of Wild Mushroom Cappucino [soup] that was quite rich and filled with flavour

We got to talking about tattoos, both of us have err... umm,,, enough, and were eager to get more.. She shared her experience of visiting a tattoo artist's shop and not getting good vibes. we were talking about the others in town when the waiter brought forth the starters. 

There was an assortment of dishes- a small pizza with baby onions and cheese; Falafel and Mini baked samosas filled with vegetables- Spanakopita [ a typical Greek/Arabic dish]. They were quite filling... 

Forcing ourselves to go have something from the assortment of main course, we started discussing work, how her handmade jewellery business was shaping up and the plans she had for future. 

I took some spaghetti in white sauce cooked with simple vegetables, a spoonful of stir fried vegetables, and some salad [cherry tomatos, lettuce, colour capsicum that i had with a vinaigrette dressing] .. The food was quite good, very simple flavours, and light as well. 

The dessert options werent too exciting- there was an Orange sorbet, Rose & vanilla ice cream, and 2 puddings- one strawberry and one vanilla. We gave dessert a miss and made our way out.The food was much better than the last time i had been here and i also noticed the prices had been reduced[but it is on the higher end]

Meal for 2 costed around Rs1400odd [incl Tax]

Food: 8/10 - Simple flavours, good portions.
Ambiance: 8/10- fairly quiet, no loud blarring music, they do have 2 TV screens playing either a sports channel or a movie
Service: 8/10 - prompt and polite
Price: 7/10

Location:
9, Khader Nawaz Khan Rd, 
Nungambakkam
Chennai - 24

Directions: 
Drive down Khader nawaz khan road, and right next to Bang & Olufsen, New Crimson chakra there is a complex- park and head over to the elevator to the top floor to get to 5 Senses. 

You can see their Lunch & Dinner menu here.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Zha Cafe, Chennai

After hearing about this place from friends and others, i finally managed to visit it last Monday evening. Turning into the narrow lane i spotted Bharat Senior secondary school and there it was on my left. Zha Cafe... A huge white board with the name in English and the logo in Tamil stood out... The archway and door resembled that of an old traditional house in our home town. Looked very nice and appealing and on both sides there were windows with Coffee beans filled half way through. 



As soon as i entered the building, i saw there were comfortable sofas in the main hall, with smaller rooms on all sides each one with a distinct decor. 
 
 There was another bigger room in the back where a lady worked away on her laptop and the kitchen was on one side of the room. 

This was a post box, where customers dropped off their cards that were posted for real. It is the cafes way of keeping the age old tradition alive..

 


There was a room with a boat like seating arrangement, another with Rajasthani decor- pink walls, puppets hanging on the windows, comfortable seating on the floor; and then there was the cool room straight from a movie shooting set, with chairs labelled Director, Actor, Producer and so on. 

 
We chose the room near the entrance with a huge Snakes & ladders game being the center table. it was a small room, but took us back in time. There was a row of shelves with traditional gaming boards on them- few tops, a Thayathu board, Pallam Kuzhi board in the shape of a fish and a puzzle on the table. 




We ordered Mulagai Bhajji [Chilli bhajji], Cocktail idli and a Tea kadai platter... The Bhajji was hot and yumm, the idlies were slightly over fried and tasted like french fries... The Tea kadai platter is quite elaborate and each of the items were yummy... Only thing i suggested was they should serve the tea/coffee in a stainless steel vessel instead of mugs... 



When we asked for the bill, the guy brought along 2 postcards. We wrote out addresses and they promised to paste a stamp and post it for us :)








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