Sunday Brunch at Little Italy, Besant Nagar

A hot cup of Cappuccino 

followed by 

A  bowl of hot sweet delicious mushroom soup

A plate of crunchy nachos with salsa and guacamole

A bite of the cheese & corn balls and 2 kinds of Bruschettas

Oh and the rich jalapeno dip

This is how the brunch began on Sunday!

If you thought these sounded wow, you are in for a surprise with the rest of the items on the menu.

There was freshly baked Focaccia herb bread,  fresh watermelon juice, a whole selection of cold salads- pasta salad, macaroni tomato sauce salad, Greek salad and coleslaw. Hop on to the next section and you see a selection of cheeses [ red chilli, garlic, black pepper and plain] with olives and a tomato+basil+ cheese platter as well

Apart from these, there were 2 kinds of pizzas [one with broccoli and other with vegetables], a Lasagna that was rich & cheesey heaven and the beautiful melody of Rice dishes- Mongolian rice & Mexican rice. Oh wait, there was also the Mongolian noodles which had me smiling [quite a unique blend of flavours]!

For those who love their pasta, there was the live pasta counter where you could get pasta cooked just the way you like them- pick the pasta, pick the veggies, pick the sauce and get cracking..

We are not done yet!! Wait up! Take your pick from the bowl of fruits, or pick up a shot glass or two with some yummy desserts- Mango cheesecake? Strawberry cheesecake? Chocolate mousse or Tiramisu? So many divine treats all in one place, well that is Little Italy for you! We were also privy to an extra dessert- gooey molten lava cake- chocolate cake with gooey center served with a vanilla ice cream that had a drizzle of chocolate sauce over it. 

This Sunday brunch is priced at Rs 699 [all inclusive], I would say this i s total value for money meal.. Enjoy a lazy Sunday morning, savour the dishes while enjoying the music playing overhead.

Address: Little Italy 

E-50, 17th Cross Street, 

[Behind State Bank of Travancore] 

Besant Nagar, 

Chennai -600090 

Ph- +91 89392 95000 

URL: http://littleitaly.in/

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 :-)

Little Italy, Besant Nagar

Probably the 1^st Pure Veg Italian restaurant in Chennai, Little Italy has held ground for decades, inspite of others restaurants coming up in the same zone. And now few months ago, they have opened a new outlet in Besant Nagar. It is a nice big bungalow that has been remodeled and converted to a restaurant. There is also an open space where candle lit dinners are organized. I have visited the Nungambakkam outlet twice, once just for the salad and other time was for dinner with friends. 

The small lane just ahead of Cascade in Besant Nagar is where you find this restaurant. Go down that road and turn 1^st left and you will be standing in front of the restaurant. A small make shift well stands near the front window with water pouring down a small bucket of sorts [could be a Feng Shui thing], there is also a bench that one can sit and wait in. The interior is quite nice, brick lined walls and subtle lighting and art work on the walls. There are two banquet halls upstairs with a door that can shut off the noise/music from that area.

We were seated in the room on the right side, near the wall -nice cozy place. I loved the fact that the table was not cluttered with spices, sauces and other condiments. The evening began with a plate of their special Grande Nachos- lined with nacho chips with vegetables, refried beans and cheese sauce it was served alongside salsa. The nacho had a lovely bite to them, and was quite delicious. Following suit were two different kinds of crostini/garlic bread- one was an assorted crostini platter [aubergine& olives, zucchini, sun dried tomato & basil and simple cheese] and the other was masala garlic bread.  

The bread was crunchy yet not hard, the toppings were all bursting with unique flavours. My favorite was the one with sun dried tomato and basil. While we were talking about these ingredients, our drinks arrived. It is almost like they had read my mind as I was served a Berry drink made with kiwi, pomegranate and strawberries while few others got the Princess, which was a pineapple & grape drink. It was quite a tall thick drink that was filling as well. Once again, extra points for not making the drinks too sweet.

Moving on, we got to try their Salad that was just fresh, and had quite a range of vegetables- lettuce, cucumber, avocado, olives, tomato, red capsicum, mozzarella cheese and capers. What a delight it was!!

The thin crust Pizza that came next was pretty good, simple vegetables, very little cheese; the pizza was light and yumm. It also had broccoli and mushrooms on it!!

We were nearly full and so I requested that the main courses and desserts be brought in smaller portions. We got to sample 3 kinds of pastas- Spaghetti with pesto, penne with rich tomato sauce and then came ravioli stuffed with spinach & cheese in a creamy tomato sauce. They were all good, but my pick would be the pesto one maybe cos I love basil. How can we forget the Lasagna we tasted, it was literal melt in your mouth kind of dish, though personally I wished the vegetables had a bit of bite to them.

Just when we thought we were done, in came two plates with very different looking rice dishes. We were told one was the Mexican rice and the other was the Italian Risotto. Good flavours and textures.

Yayy, we knew all that was left to sample were there desserts. And boy where we in for a treat, not one but three desserts came our way- Tiramisu, Chocolate bomb [with vanilla ice cream] and finally the Pana cotta served with strawberry sauce.

Burp!! This is one restaurant that any vegetarian would love to visit and keep going back for more.   

An average cost for a meal for 2 would work to Rs 800 –Rs 1000.

Little Italy    

E-50, 17th Cross Street, 

[Behind Cascade & State Bank of Travancore]

Besant Nagar, Chennai -600090

Ph- +91 89392 95000

URL: http://littleitaly.in/

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  :-)

Dario's, the new veggie resto in town

A casual chat on Whatsapp brought forth an idea and eventually turned to reality. Yes, this is how we ended up at Dario's last night for dinner. I asked a friend who lived in the neighborhood if he had heard of Darios, thinking it was an ice cream place, only to discover it is a pure Vegetarian Italian restaurant. 

Another friend chimed in saying she has been wanting to take her mom there, but was not sure. By evening, i had booked a table and we were there for dinner.. :-)

A family outing after long, that too for a meal- why am i making a special mention? Well, it is a rare thing for us as a family to go out to eat. Eating out is reserved for when someone is visiting [one of my uncles ;)], but then last new year we made an exception and went out to lunch at Rajdhani. Gramma wanted to repeat the same, minus a few members, but that dint happen. And finally, I announced "let us go out for dinner" and the rest is the evening..

I googled, found Dario's website, checked out their menu online and was glad it had items the troops enjoy.. A small nag was that dad prefers roti, subzi kinds, but then put that thought aside and thought what the hell, let us try.. Made a reservation for 7.30pm, and good thing i made the booking. The place was packed and i overheard the Maitre'd tell someone on the phone the earliest they can give them a table was 9.30pm. I can imagine the thandav my family would have thrown had we not got a table and made to wait for 2hrs... jeez...

Tucked away near Ashwini Hospital on Kasturi Rangan road [the road next to Chola], Dario's is a fairly small place. But only when you enter the building do you realise how not so small it is. A house that has been transformed, it is quite cozy and quaint. The walls are all white, with nothing but different funky Mona Lisas staring at you. There is Mona Lisa with Steve Jobs face, Dhoni, Charlie Chaplin, and just about everyone else you can think of. Infact, throguh the decor, Mona lisa with variations adorn the walls. The main hall has a huge mosaic of Mona Lisa, quite colorful and vibrant. 

As we waited for our table, i was surprised to see a familiar face. He mentioned he was the CEO here and that the place was barely a week old but doing fairly well.. Another guy who took us to our table was also familiar, i had seen him at another restaurant earlier. [guess the restaurant world is also a small one, you are working here or there] 

Our table was tucked away almost at the end of the house, but was a nice nook. Granpa loved the private space, and started making plans to bring in more family for a meal there.  We started the evening with a complimentary plate of Focaccia bread with a tomato+capsicum dip. The meal officially began with an order of 2 starters and 4 soups 

Soups- 

POMODORO-   A thick creamy tomato soup with onions and basil- Dad enjoyed this and so it must have been good and pure tomato soup. :)

FUNGHI - Cream of mushroom soup - looked almost black and tasted like mushroom, order only if you LOVE mushrooms
PAESANA -  A peasant style mixed vegetable soup with chickpeas- quite a light soup, it had a whif of basil

BROCCOLI -Cream of broccoli soup with onions and roasted almonds- this was the most amazing of the soups... Absolutely delicious...

The starters were - 

CREMA DI SPINACI-  Spinach and fresh cheese dip with parmesan, served with warm pita bread- This was quite simple. I actually requested for another cup of the dip they gave with the Focaccia.

ARANCINELLE- Sicilian rice balls stuffed with peas and cheese served with pink sauce and red chilli- The rice inside was not your normal rice, it had an interesting taste and we quite liked it.

As the conversation flowed, so did the food. We all tasted the other dishes and tried to identify the ingredients. Was fun.. For the main dishes, we decided to order different dishes so we can try different flavours. 

Gramma was the 1st to decide, she pointed to the RISOTTO GENOVESE [Creamy rice with potatoes, basil, garlic, pinenuts and parmesan cheese] and said that is what she wanted. and it was good, the basil flavour stood out, maybe a tad strong, but was delicious... 

Dad wanted something light and so opted for the PENNE POMODORO [With classic tomato sauce, basil and cheese along with yellow zucchini & capsicum slices ] which was basic pasta. 

 Granpa wanted pasta, and we ordered PENNE ARRABBIATA [With spicy tomato sauce, red chilli and onion] which he loved, it was spicy and yet not over the top.

I wanted to try something diffferent and chose GNOCCHI DO MASSA GNAZIU [Home-made gnocchi with rucola, served with a spicy tomato and cream sauce with fresh rucola and cheese], well it was different from what i had envisioned the gnocchi to taste like but was simple subtle and the sauce was heavenly. I literally licked the plate clean. 

and mom had her eyes set on CRESPELLE AI FUNGHI [Baked pancakes with mushrooms, garlic, cheese, tomatoes and peas], we actually asked for the one with Asparagus but werent sure since we were told Asparagus soup wasnt available. Thin crepes with filling topped with white sauce, and i am guessing it had been baked wee bit as well.

Dessert anyone? Couple  of heads wagged a NO, and then others wagged a MAYBE. So, we decided to order 2 desserts and just split them. After going to and fro, i ordered a Panna cotta and a Lemon Cheese cake. They were both good, one tad sweet while the other had strong lemon flavours. The plates were polished within minutes and therefore no photos... :)

Phew... That was one awesome meal.. The soups and starters came within 10mins, but the main dishes took over 20mins to arrive on the table. The dishes were all good, portions quite large and flavours distinct in each of the dishes we had ordered. 

If you are fed up on Eden or Cream center, or for that matter dont mind a good Italian meal, hop into Dario's.. 

Ambiance: 8/10 [they also have an outdoor seating area]

Price: 7/10 - the meal for 5 of us came to Rs3100 [roughly 500bucks per person]

Service: 8/10

Overall : 8/10

Address:

#11, Kasturi Rangan Road,
2nd Street,
Teynampet,
Chennai- 600018
Ph: 044-4919 3333
Landmark: Next to Ashwini Hospital [1st right after the Russian Cultural Centre]

Tuscana goes Gluten Free, Chennai

How many calories will that slice of Pizza add to my waist?

Is that Maida, dont you have something made with Bajra or Ragi? 

I have been asked to eat Gluten Free food, any idea where in Chennai i can find the same? 

Well, these are questions i have encountered in the past few months and well, today there is a place that answers all these.. "Tuscana" 

 Polenta cakes with mushroom filling..

 

 Risotto cakes that were served as starters

Tuscana has been one of my favorite places to eat at, and now they are just taking it one step further with this new initiative. Recently they launched the bi-lingual menu- English & Tamil.

 

And what an event the launch was, i left home and  it began pouring, most us reached the venue drenched, but what timing... Snuggled inside the restaurant, we eagerly waited for Vipin & Chef Willi to give us  some insight on Gluten Free, the products used in the dishes and get a taste of the final dishes. 

 

The different pastas- Rice and Corn based

  The four flour/starch used in the pizza/pastas

 Vipin & Chef Willi explaining the whole Gluten-Free concept, how it came about, the dishes and so on

What is Gluten?

 "Gluten" is present in flour like Maida and such. It is nothing evil, but just a protein composite in the flour that gives it the elasticity and thereon the texture. When  you knead the flour, the gluten is activated. When talking to a nutrionist friend, i discovered Gluten traps the Carbon di-oxide from yeast, making sure it works on the dough leading it to rise and become nice and soft. 

But, does this mean Gluten free food is flat and tasteless? No way... That is such a myth! 

 The vegetarian pizzas... 1st one with colour peppers & 2nd olives & Artichoke

Why Gluten Free? 

Well, sadly there are a few among us whose body does not digest gluten well. And the new range of dishes at Tuscana is such a boon for them.  They can enjoy them as much as the others, from main dishes to dessert. 

Gluten-free diet is a way of life for the person with celiac disease, a digestive disorder due to severe gluten sensitivity.  No one needs to tell someone with the disease to stay off gluten, the protein component in many grains.

However those suffering with joint pain, brain fog, loss of balance or other neurologic and auto-immune disorders may also benefit from a similar diet as some studies have linked these and other illnesses to gluten consumption. It is reported that one out of every 133 healthy adults in the United States has celiac disease and the accompanying digestive problems if they eat anything containing gluten.

 

 The panna cotta with Blueberry compote[ a Tuscana signature yummilicious dessert]

 

Whats special about Tuscana's Gluten Free menu?

Chef willi showed us the various flour used to make a Gluten Free pizza- Potato Starch, Bajra, Jower flour & Tapioca Starch. He said  the pizza takes about 8 mins to cook against the normal 4mins and similarly for the Pasta, he said it has to be cooked on order, unlike the normal pasta, which can be cooked and kept aside. 

They have a separate section dedicated to the Gluten Free dishes- utensils, cutlery and oven space as well.

 

How does it taste?

I was a bit sceptical, but the pizza tasted real good, now if you have eaten Bajra roti, you will identify the base texture and flavour. When we questioned Chef on the life of the pizza [store it overnight and eat next morning or few hours later] he assured us a few minutes in the microwave was all it would take and the pizza would be good as new..

The pasta was yumm, not as smooth as the normal pasta, but held the flavours beautifully. Very light and simple

 

Oh and they have desserts too.. We each got a Gluten Free cake [made with Almond meal and orange flavoured icing] when we bid adieu to the team at Tuscana.. Wish them all the best!!