Fabindia launches 2 Fab Cafes in Chennai

 From a brand that is renowned for their cotton/silk kurtas and sarees, they have now taken a step into the food arena as well, giving customers a wholesome experience. This new outlet was at the corner of Eldams Road and TTK road, and was huge... I was at the newly opened Fabindia Experience center, the 2nd one in Chennai [ 1st one at Besant Nagar].. After spending a few minutes at the store, I made my way to the 3rd floor, where the Fab Cafe was located. 

Right next door is a space where they hold workshops and an ideal space for kids to stay busy with fun activities. Infact, a friend was telling me how her son loves to play there while she & her husband enjoy some quiet time at the cafe.  The view from the cafe is breathtaking, you get the entire view of the busy street below and watch vehicles go by on the flyover as well.

Chef Sunil Chauhan is the man behind the menu and must say it is quite an impressive one. He steers clear of white sugar and flour [Maida] and there are so many alternatives, healthier dishes as well. The menu is a melange of Vegan, Gluten free, Dairy free and Diabetic friendly as well.  This was also the 1st place where I saw Quinoa flour & Jackfruit flour based items on the menu. 

If you are looking for a new place to explore or some new dishes, then this is where you should go. Lemme also tell you they have quite a range of Vegetarian dishes! :) 

Masala Chai with Coconut sugar and a beautifully flavoured biscotti.. 

A variety of drinks- [Top to bottom, left to right] Kokum with coconut milk and a drink with pineapple juice, tender coconut water and chia seeds. Sugarcane and Lemongrass juice with soda...

Spinach & Chestnut momos with two dipping sauces..

Pani puri with three different waters

Pickles- Beetroot pickle, raw papaya pickle and chilli pickle..

 Jackfruit flour roti, quinoa roti, mix grain roti, and paneer stuffed roti with a Punjabi Saag with paneer in it.- the sabzi was divine, could have had a bowl of it and been happy.

Crispy veggies but not deep fried, they were dehydrated, served with cashew cheese that had mint sauce mixed it. The veggies were light as air and beautiful.. 

 Fried Shakarkandi chaat... tangy, sweet, spicy and yummmm

 Ajwain Croissant- It took a bit of getting used to, the flavour, the texture...

 Four different home made ice creams..

 Cheese cake with strawberry sauce... Loved the cheesecake, while the sauce was tad sweet.

 Caramalised Banana cake... It was packed with banana flavour, so if that is your thing then this is the dessert for you...

I sure wanna come back here for their breakfast, considering the menu had me going oooh, wow, nice, yumm at the pancakes and Shakshuka and the smoothie bowls.. It is quite obvious that a lot of thought and research has gone into the menu!! 

Address:

New Door No. 390, Old Door No. 225, 3rd Floor, TT Krishnamachari Rd, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600018 

Timing: Open from 8.30am to 10.30pm [even though store closes by 9pm]

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 :-) 

Antari- Mexican coffee buns and more...

[Image courtesy : Antari FB page]

Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake baker's man 

Bake me a cake as fast as you can 

Mix it and stir it and bake it just right 

Good from the first 'til the very last bite

is what came to my mind when I heard there is a new cafe in town and best part was- it is in my part of town- New Avadi Road, Kilpauk!!

 Tandoor platter.. mushroom, corn, potato

 Three kinds of coin pizza, the dark base is the keto one..

You walk into the bungalow gates and are greeted by the sweetest pup Cookie.. This campus is home to Soul Garden Bistro, 196 Degrees Below, and the newest is the quaint Antari café,a small cosy room that can probably seat about 5 people. The open brick walls on one side are lined with shelves showing off their baked goods- breads & buns. And when standing there you cant miss the whiff of freshly baked buns from the ovens on the other side. Oh and the corner area is reserved to show off their Tea collection [They offer organic teas from Jalinga tea estate, Assam. Jalinga is the 1st and only carbon neutral certified tea estate in the world].. Coffee lovers need not fret, they serve some fine organic coffee as well. 

The beauty of this space is that all the food served across the three space is Pure Vegetarian & Eggless. They also have Vegan , Gluten free and what's more an exclusive Keto menu as well [ it lists down a break up of the nutrients in each item]

I met Jignesh Pujara back in Menchies, a brand he had brought to Chennai.. but even though that shut, it is good to see him keep at it.. He opened Soul Garden Bistro [Alwarpet & New Avadi Road], then went on to launch 196 Degrees below and now has partnered with Prabhakar to launch Antari.. A foodie, and a vegetarian at that, he believes in giving people good food, different flavours and healthy options as well...

I chose the Mexican Coffee bun served with Coffee Sauce & Butter Biscuit Crumbles. Essentially, the bun has a topping that it is baked with and then they add the additional topping before serving it up. It is hot, soft and packed with flavour. In the middle is a small surprise [shall not ruin it]

They have options-first you choose the kind of bun, and then the topping and if interested, you can go for a combo, which means the bun comes with a beverage- chai, coffee or Hot chocolate. The toppings range from White Chocolate with Red Velvet Crumbles, Chocolate Fudge with Fudge Brownie to Condensed Milk and Pistachio.

The basic bun costs Rs119, the toppings come at an additional cost of Rs30-60 and if you choose a beverage, depending on the beverage of your choice you pay around Rs249 or so.

The buns are served in beautiful platters [ very similar to the ones you see in Auroville], the coffee is served with three chocolates shaped like coffee beans. One thing I learnt about the place is they use/serve sugar that is organic [no sulphur is used in polishing it]...

Another item on the menu that caught my attention were the Churros.. Promptly ordered a portion, which was served with a spiced dark chocolate dip - heavenly...

I sat in the outdoor seating area on the side, and the evenings are still quite nice.. But when it gets hot, guess you can sit inside Antari or take them to Soul Garden bistro and enjoy them. There was a duo who entertained us with music,the guy played the guitar while the girl was the voice [they took requests and it was fun to sing along].

You can order their food through Swiggy or Zomato as well [not sure how good/fresh the buns will be when they make it across the city, stuffed inside a box], so its best to go experience them piping hot. Am definitely going back to try some of the other options and maybe take home a few buns [ one of them am curious about is the Charcoal bun, black in colour.. was told a tiny pinch of charcoal powder is used in the bun]..

Address:

No. 86 /59, New Avadi Road, Kilpauk, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600010

Phone: 044 4851 0161

Ciclo Cafe, Chennai

While driving by Kotturpuram high road, I spotted this new place on the right side. Decided to check it out on my way back and all I managed to catch was the name and the sign board that resembled that of L’amandier. On digging around, I came to know it is a cafe launched by TI cycles. 

“Ciclo" means cycles in Spanish & Italian. Since both these countries have a rich cycling culture and there are quite a few small eateries associated with cycles, inspiration was drawn from that and Ciclo cafe got its name. TI Cycles has partnered with Absolute Speciality, the same company that handles L’amandier cafe to manage food here at Ciclo Cafe.   

Time went by and one Saturday, a friend suggested we go check out the place. we landed there around 11am and were shown to our table upstairs. Along the way, I noticed there was a clock on the wall in the shape of a cycle wheel, and then there were light fittings made with wheels, along with a full cycle on a window. the seating areas are split between the rooms, and the sofas are fairly colourful and comfortable as well. 

On one side of the room is the kitchen and the along the corridor is a spot for the coffee machine. 

We made ourselves comfortable and spent a few minutes going through the menu [that resembled a newspaper]. We ordered a sandwich with grilled vegetables while my friend ordered a crossanwich [ sandwich made with a croissant] along with a cappuccino with a side of fries. 

Our order arrived promptly within 10mins and we devoured them leisurely. The sandwiches were fairly large portions, the fries were hot & umm, served in a small cycle rickshaw of sorts. The place slowly filled up, we also noticed a large group arrive and occupy the table near ours [ under the lights with cycle wheels on them]. Skipping the desserts, we asked for the bill only to be pleasantly surprised. It was quite reasonable, about 700 odd bucks for the 2 of us. 

Walking downstairs, we spent a few minutes oggling at the range of bikes displayed before stepping out. 

Ciclo Cafe

No. 33/47, Gandhi Mandapam Road Kotturpuram

Chennai

Phone - +91 44 4204 8666

Timings - 11 AM to 11 PM