Acrobatic Pizza-Making at Focaccia, Hyatt Regency till 10th Feb

The cocktails.. 

Alley shooter, Earltini, Red wine [Jacob's Creek] and a Gin based cocktail with orange flavour coming through...

I was engrossed in the episode on Pizzas on Ugly Delicious, when I heard the ting of the mailbox, showing me I had a mail from Hyatt Regency with " Skillful Master of Acrobatic Pizza-Making - Pasqualino Barbasso" as the subject.. Coincidence or just the universe listening to me? I dont know.. Honestly, dont care.... When I read the mail saying that the Master of Acrobatic Pizza-Making, Pasqualino Barbasso was going to be in town,  I instantly starting watching videos on youtube where he was skillfully playing with the pizza dough...  

Even though I am not a pizza fan , I eat them maybe once in 6months, I was keen on visiting the restaurant to watch the Master in action. I knew that the show would be ahead of the dinner featuring pizzas handmade by Pasqualino himself.  

Promptly at 7.30, I could hear the music begin at the lobby and there he came ready to show off his Pizza dough acrobat skills. We stood mesmerised at the way he handled the dough, I infact noticed there were people standing across floors [outside their rooms,and the banquet hall] watching him. Phew! I was tired watching him dance with the dough, and make it do all that he wanted it to do. The dough twirled high up in air, went between his legs and even flipped flapped forming beautiful curls.... Barbasso made it look so easy – he whips it around his body, under his legs, throwing it in the air and stretching it to monstrous lengths – but I am sure it is not, I bet I would end up just begging the dough to sit still for a second leave alone make it dance..  I also learnt that the dough used for the show was different [it must withstand being pulled, stretched and thrown about for a few mins atleast] from the one used to eat.. .

It took me a few minutes to get back to reality after that breathtaking performance. Time to look at the menu and decide which pizzas to try. We were a fairly large group, and so decided to try as many Veg as non veg... At the end of the evening, we had tried not one or two, but 5 vegetarian pizzas and the non veg tried a few from that section. I was happy to see the Veg section was as long as the non veg~ Yayy.....  

The pizzas were all thin crust and had distinct flavours. The kitchen was abuzz that evening, with the restaurant full to capacity and just two chefs manning the pizza section... uff... Wonder how they managed to serve out all the orders that were flying in... 

Towards the end of the meal, Chef joined us at the table and was sharing his story... He started his pizzaiolo career at 17yrs of age, infact he said that pizza making is in his bloog. When he isnt globe trotting showing off his acrobatic skiulls, he is back home in  Cammarata, his base...  He proudly shared that he won the Sicily’s Acrobatic Pizza Championship in 1998 and famed World Champion in 2001 and 2002 consecutively...  

Well, if you want to witness this man in action and sample his fare, head over to Focaccia in Hyatt Regency before the 10th Feb.... 

Dates: 1st to 10th February, 2019 

Time: 07:00 pm to 11:30 pm & weekend brunches

Price: INR 875 [excl tax and alcohol] onwards

Address:
Hyatt Regency 
#365, Anna Salai, Rostrevor Garden, 
Teynampet, 
Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600018

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 :-)

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 :-)

International Pizza festival, California Pizza Kitchen till 19th Oct

Tomato, Cheese, capsicum, mushroom, olives, corn, paneer- well, these are the typical toppings I choose when ordering a pizza. But then, how about a Southwest Burrito Pizza [Spicy Black Bean sauce, fire roasted chillies, mozzarella and other cheddar cheese on a regular crust] or maybe the Kasundi Paneer Pizza [a trio of cottage cheese, roasted peppers and tomato marinated in Indian spiced mustard sauce on a thin crust topped with mozzarella and garnished with fresh coriander leaves] ? How cool would that be! 

The Non veg options

 The Veg pizza options- Burrito, Capriciossa , Brussels Pizza, beverage with Kasundi Paneer,  the Beijing style veg pizza and the cranberry drink.. 

 Desserts- White Chocolate & Strawberry cheese cake and the Banana-Chocolate 

It is almost like California Pizza kitchen read our minds and decided to come up with some funky options in Pizzas. Now, I must disclose that I am not a big pizza fan, but I dont mind it once in a while. So, when I heard of the International Pizza Festival at California Pizza Kitchen, a friend & I decided to check it out. We even got to meet Chef Anton Madhan who spoke about how each of the pizzas have been crafted and how they had distinct flavours.. 

There was quite an elaborate menu, one side has the Pizza options while the other side shows off the new beverages. I was beaming by the time I was done scanning the menu.. Any guesses why? D'oh, it wasn't cos they were exotic sounding pizzas, but there were 5 options for vegetarians while non vegetarians had only 4 [silent Whoopie in the air] :D 

 I tried the Burrito Pizza [labelled against Mexico], the Kasundi Paneer [ India], the Beijing Style Veg Pizza[Soya and garlic flavored button mushrooms, baby corn bell peppers, cooked over fiery schezwan sauce on a traditional crust with mozzarella and cheddar, garnished with scallions.] and of these, loved the 1st two while the third was just too spicy for me. It was almost like eating pickle on its own, but then my friend liked it, actually she loved it. 

And then there was the Capriciossa Pizza [Thin crispy crust smothered with smothered with Italian Pormodoro and mozzarella cheese and then topped with artichoke hearts, kalamata olives and fresh sliced mushroom garnished with hand torn basil] and the Brussels pizza [ Belgium- pesto marinana,  saute spinach, sliced mushroom, sun dried tomato, Mozarella & parmesan cheese and olives on a thin bubbly crust].. I loved these two as well, am probably used to pizza being subtle and not over the top spicy . 

My friend being a non veg, she loved the Fish & Chips Pizza [United Kingdom - Thin crispy crust loaded with CPK tartare sauce, mozzarella cheese, onion rings, fried fish and capers, finished with lime cream sauce and served with a good portion of crispy spiced fries] the best. The Sauerbraten Pizza [Germany- Traditional sauerkraut, shredded chicken, sliced onion on a regular crust with mozzarella cheese baked to a crisp golden crust topped with German potato salad] she found quite bland. Apart from these, there were two more- Cheeseburger Pizza from USA[Chunky chicken burger with caramalised onions and crushed black pepper , with a good drizzle of their secret sauce, pickled gherkins, Mozarella & cheddar cheese] and Rookwurst Pizza from Holland [ a traditional crust topped with marainara along with sliced onion, pork salami, smoky bratwurst sausage and hearty sprinkling of Dutch Gouda cheese and herbs]

For beverages, I tried a Cranberry based drink as soon as I entered the place and then went on to try their Pineapple twister while winding up the meal, and they were both served in a nice tall glass and were quite slurpalicious. The pizzas are all priced between Rs 500 -575/- [excl tax] and this festival is on till the 19th Oct.  While each pizza has a set crust mentioned, if you have a preference you can mention that when placing the order and they will customise the same. 

Oh and how could we walk out of here without dessert.. So, we tried two desserts- the white chocolate and strawberry cheesecake with Oreo crust and the Banana- Chocolate dessert... Yumm is the word!! But must give you a headsup, their signature dessert is the Tiramisu!! ;) 

   

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 :-)

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  :-)

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 :-)

Hollywood at CPK [California Pizza Kitchen] till 16th March

California Pizza Kitchen is a place I associate with good interesting pizzas and have enjoyed myself the few times I have been there. The very first was with a friend a day after they had opened the outlet. Just the walk to the restaurant in open air is refreshing and puts me in a good mood. So, when I received an invite to get a taste of their Hollywood at CPK I was curious. I knew Hollywood is in California, but throwing caution to wind went over with a few friends. 

The menu was a one pager, looked interesting but on first glance I was slightly put off. Why? Because in total there were 4 veg dishes while non veg were more than double that. I don't get it, why do restaurants not pay importance to vegetarians or is coming up/cooking veg dishes that tough? Ok Ok, let me not digress. 

The first few dishes to arrive were the pizzas- 5 of them in total, 4 non veg and 1 veg. See what am talking about!?! [you can also check more pics via my twitter feed.. Simply look for "#hollywoodatcpk#]

 All the non veg dishes.. Pizzas, chicken and the Mango drink 

The veg dishes-The Malfati, Spaghetti, Pizza & Pineapple Twister

The non veg pizzas were -

Hawaian chicken & grilled pineapple pizza                          

(say aloha, grilled pineapple and garlic chicken with homemade pizza sauce on a Traditional crust)

Jamaican jerk & chicken pizza  

(you will love this jerk. Spicy sweet caribbean sauce, authentic jamaican spices, garlic Chicken, roasted peppers and red onions on our regular crust)

*Add smoked bacon 

Deli style bistro pizza                                                                   

(our pesto marinara makes this pizza iconic. Italian sausages, capicola ham and Canadian bacon, finished with lemon herbed rocket leaves and bocconcini comes on a Crisp thin crust)

Spicy sonora pizza                                                                                          

(some like it hot, we like it hotter. Our housemade roasted corn & blackbean salsa and Spicy smoked chicken with cilantro and lime cream sauce hits well on a traditional

Crust) 

The one veg pizza we dug into was

Rustica pizza                                                                                                    

(a cpk version of italian classic, grilled zucchini, saute white mushrooms, green olives And capers spread on a thin and crispy crust)

*Add garlic chicken   [yes this has a nonveg version too]

A special mention to this pizza- it was the only thin crust pizza on the menu.  Now, I don’t know about Hollywood and connected flavours, but this was good, I quite liked it. It was nearly bland, void of the Italian herbs which is what made it different.  Few sprinkled red chilli flakes to add some zing to the pizza.

Moving on, we ordered drinks, I chose the Pineapple twister, while few others chose the Mango mint ecstasy…. I enjoyed the drink, filled with strong pineapple, lime and mint flavours [even though it arrived after what seemed like ages].  It also had a nice big pineapple piece on top.

The next round was for the Pastas [I wondered if pasta too had become a staple in USA, but then with influx of people from all over the world I just convinced myself that the country was a Melting pot of sorts]. The first to arrive [once again] was the non veg  pasta- it was  the Spaghetti carretierra  (an italian classic with a california twist, with hot red chilies, rocket, bocconcini and Freshly crushed pepper in a tangy creamy sauce) . The mozerella cheese and rocket leaves were fresh and lovely [I stole them from the pasta]. The guys loved the pasta that had been cooked in chicken broth.  

What came next was a bit of a surprise to most of us. It was the vegetarian Pasta- Mediterranean roasted mushroom spaghettini (a fiery blend of roasted mushrooms, garlic, onions, serrano chilies , mediterranean Herbs and spaghettini tossed in extra virgin olive oil) - the pasta was dry [could have used a drizzle of olive oil or some creamy sauce] and was quite void of any flavour. A pinch of salt made a world of difference.

I am sure you are seeing a pattern here, yes, the next dish that came was also a non veg one.  The non veg were in for a treat. They were served the Speciality dish, which was California Peri Peri Chicken [Peri Peri from Portugal landed in California as well?] California peri peri chicken (boneless chicken grilled with our housemade california periperi marinade and baked in Our creamy sauce). The boys couldn’t stop eating it, or raving about it. Infact some went on to request for another portion of the same thing and polished that off as well.  It came with a nice big side of grilled veggies which I happily dug into.

We were happy to see another dish arrive on the table with the veg tag on it. It was the yummiest dish of the evening, I loved it and so did everyone else. It was Spinach and Paneer Malfati with Milan sauce [gnocchi] served with a side helping of chargrilled corn and greens.

And then came the dessert - California Delight (a trio of white chocolate, strawberry and dark chocolate mousse with cranberries And almond praline)- chocolate lovers are in for a treat with this one. It also had a side of Cinnamon sprinkled pita bread [naan]…  

The festival is on till the 16^th! So if you are a meat eater and haven’t tried CPK yet, this would be a good time to visit.

The pizzas come in two sizes- 9” and 14” and the cost for a meal for two should work to around Rs 1000-2000 [depends on what you order]

Overall Verdict- I love CPK and so shall definitely go back there~!!

You can read about my earlier visit here 

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 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  :-) 

The Pizzaaz, Chennai

It was Saturday evening, I was home watching TBBT on TV with 2 friends when the doorbell rang. Wondering who it was, thinking it might be the security requesting my friend to move his car, I answered the door. Lo behold, was greeted by a guy holding a bag with 2 piping hot pizzas from The pizzaaz in them [had completely forgotten about the order]..  He also gave me a menu and a zillion [well not nearly but there were quite a few] packets of spices and ketchup. 

These were 2 thin crust veg pizzas - the basic veg one if I remember right. They looked fairly large, so we opened one while leaving the other for friends who were to come over later. The pizza had a good spread of tomato sauce topped with an assortment of vegetables- capsicum, jalapeño, corn, small onions, and cheese..  The slices were long and large, we ate about 2.5 pieces each and were stuffed. The crust was beautifully cooked, with a slight crisp bite to it while the toppings all stayed intact and dint fall off [as I have seen happen with others]. One point that friend mentioned was that the crust felt like a crust and not like a slice of chappati or nacho. 

I actually came to hear of this place from Chennai Food guide, which is how I ended up getting the Pizzas as well.  The pizzas are cooked in wood fired oven which gives them that colour and texture.  I noticed that they also had quite a few other items on their menu- pastas, sandwiches, salads, few appetizers and few combos as well. 

As for the Price, 
Veg:-  The small were priced at Rs 179 while the large is Rs 259 
Non veg:- Rs 269 to Rs 400 for small size n large was between Rs 349 and Rs 519..  

Do Check out http://www.thepizzaaz.com/ or call 04442150150/8675445566 to order!! You can check the "Menu" tab on the website and place your order.. 

Disclaimer- Am not a very pizza person, but dont mind the occasional pizza. And have had pizza in quite a few places and offlate I prefer the thin crust pizzas over the regular ones and this pizza was definitely good! 

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  :-)