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 :-) 

Sunbean Gourmet Coffee at ITC Grand Chola [ only till 31st Oct]

Imagine the aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafting in the air.. You are bound to lift your head up from whatever you were lost in and follow the trail.. Well  it was an afternoon of indulgence, what else would you call trying not one or two but six delicious cups of coffee? Sinful right.. For a south indian, coffee is like the sweetest nectar there is. And so when we got to meet the team at ITC Grand chola, and given details about the variants they had come up, it was time to dive in with no second thoughts. 

Sunbean Gourmet Coffee comes in two variants – Nicamalai and Panagiri. From what I remember, Nicamalai is a blend of beans from Nicaragua and Anamalai. It has a fruity undertone, while the Panagiri, a blend from Panama and Baba Budangiri is more about fragrance and nutty chocolatey flavours... We had the pleasure of having Jai explain the various coffee, the blends and how different they are. It is always interesting listening to how the product evolved, where it originated from and the final product leading up to our experience... 

A few days ahead of this, I had received a beautiful hamper from ITC containing a packet of Sunbean Gourmet Coffee Panagiri along with the French Press apparatus.. I am yet to try it out, though now am all the more curious about the taste of the coffee in our regular South Indian Filter... 

Now onto the evening that was..... 

HOT BREW

Caramel Americano- The European approach to American style coffee with burnt molasses -  I loved how the strong coffee flavour came through and the caramel was just on the back of the throat... 

Cinnamon Mocha Cappuccino -Intensely flavored Chocolate Espresso Syrup with frothed milk. Finished with cinnamon on top.-  this one was delicious, especially since I love cinnamon flavour.. It was rich & creamy as well.

Ginger Bread Latte- Rich full bodies espresso soothed by a generous pour of steamed milk with a touch of Ginger at last-  The one coffee that had me scrunching up my face, wondering what that lingering bitterish aftertaste was. It was then that it hit me- ginger.. Not a favourite, probably cos I am not a ginger fan... and well, we are all used to ginger with our tea, not coffee right!! 

ICED COFFEES

 Baileys’ Irish Brew - Irish cream Liquor blended with freshly brewed coffee served on a bed of crushed ice. -  Creamy, frothy, smooth are words that come to my mind when I recollect how this drink was. The Irish cream flavour floated through the beverage.. For those who are unaware, Bailey's Irish cream has alcohol in it!! :D

Iced Hazelnut Americano - Iced straight black blended in a surprise hazelnut combination.-  Are you the kind who picks out Hazelnuts from the chocolates and quietly munches on them? Well, then this is just the drink for you. I infact had this [as with others] without sugar and so with every sip, the beautiful hazelnut flavour hit me and lingered on... My absolute favourite among them all 

Choco Fills Brew- Crunchy Choco Fills cookie mingled with a fresh brew of Sunbean and ice cubes to add to the texture. -  You know when you bite into a sunfeast choco fill cookie, the chocolate from the inside oozes out. Well, they have taken the cookie, blended it with plenty of ice and some coffee. It is a fun drink... less coffee more chocolate... 

What are you waiting for? If you want to go enjoy an all out and out coffee based experience, take some time off and head over to Cafe Mercer at ITC Grand chola... You can thank me later, or better yet, buy me a coffee :D

The above mentioned beverages are priced at INR 375 (exclusive of taxes)

Address:

Cafe Mercara, 

ITC Grand Chola

#63, Anna Salai, Guindy Institutional Area, Little Mount, Guindy... 

Date: Till October 31, 2018

Sheraton Grand Chennai Resort & Spa, Chennai

The newest kid on the block was open to public and all set to wow guests. Am talking about Sheraton Grand Chennai Resort & Spa on ECR, right next to the Crocodile Bank... Swanky new property, it has been open for less than 5months and joins the league with the others along the coast. 

The Reception/Lobby

The Pub

[Image courtesy: Kamalika]

At the Indian Chef awards event..

 At the Reef

Was there with a friend last week for their Go Cheese Indian Chef Awards event and must say the property is quite impressive. 

The first thing you see as you get off the car is the buffalo art piece right in the middle and the eye goes all the way beyond it to the blue ocean... As you walk into the property, the high ceilings and open spaces is what catches the attention. I loved that there was enough room to not only walk, but maybe even run around without bumping into things or people. On one side is the Reception and other side houses the banquet hall. The reception area has ample comfortable seating options and a cart with two drinks- Lemon soda and Apple tea , perfect for the warm days or after the long drive. 

We walked along the corridor, enjoying the attention to details, be it on the signboards to the restroom, or the light fitting outside them. The main materials across the property are wood and copper, which has been used not just outside but on the interiors as well. We were shown the pub, which has a huge wooden door, and the decor inside is very rustic, with naked light bulbs and a long wooden slab packed with different colour & shaped bottles above the bar. Comfortable sofas, sleek high chair all of which blend together well in this space. 

The restaurant beyond the pub was called "The Reef" and again spacious, with enough walking space between tables and the buffet counters. We had lunch at the restaurant and food was good, what I liked about the place was they did not have a buffet that stretched on and on, it had few dishes but they were packed with flavour. They had sourdough bread, fresh herbs, and quite a range of salads, one of which was with Fresh figs [parmesan cheese & fish- I pushed fish aside and took the figs which were amazing.. couldn't resist em].. There was also a live pasta counter. One of the desserts that stood out for me was the Fresh Figs on pudding topped with chocolate..[The chocolate melted as it touched the hot pudding below].. 

As for the rooms, a friend who I bumped into said they were quite plush. The rooms on one side face the crocodile bank, the others to the city and the third set to the ocean... Did not get a chance to get a glimpse of the room, maybe next time! 

The Indian Chef awards event happened in the main banquet hall with chefs battling it out across counters. They were given a set amount of time, ingredients and had to whip up a starter and a main. Some of the ingredients were quite exotic, like the lobsters, while another stall had stuff I love- Shiitake mushrooms, bok-choy and more.. There were also stalls by sponsors, showcasing their products... Was overall an interesting visit..

Walking out and heading back to the city, I kept thinking how amazing it must be to do a staycation here.. Hopefully soon~! 

Address: 280 East Coast Road, Vadanamelli Village 

Next to Madras Crocodile Bank Trust, 

Tamil Nadu 603104 

Phone: 044 3342 2222

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 :-)

Kandyan King's Repast- Srilankan Food Festival at Madras Pavilion, ITC Grand Chola

Different kinds of Sambol and Pickles

The Rice options

Vegetarian main dishes..

Egg Appams

 Desserts

 The Chef with his books- the teeny tiny one and another slightly bigger book

Srilankan food to me is all about the lovely medley of flavours, the coconut roti in the road side stall, the appam stew and ofcourse Kiri Pani [ buffalo milk curd served with treacle].. At Madras Pavilion, they have brought down Chef Dr Publis Silva from Sri Lanka's Mount Lavinia Hotel to head the festival. He has spent not one or two years, but nearly 6 decades at this hotel and says this is going to be the beginning and end of his career. 

As always, I was quite curious to hear his story, his experiences and he clearly told us "after the meal, not before"  with a chuckle. Walking around the buffet spread, he told us of the various dishes, the base, the preparations... And what I discovered during the dinner was the dishes I had eaten during my Sri Lanka trip were just a teeny tiny percentage of the veg dishes. The one thing I remember from my trip was that people would blow us away with dishes the minute we mentioned "we are pure vegetarians", but we did have to mention no fried fish, cos they tend to sprinkle a generous handful on top of every dish..lol.. 

The dishes ranged from flavoured rice, unpolished rice, egg appams to koththu parota for the mains and the sides ranged from a raw mango gravy to long beans curry to a pumpkins cooked in mustard gravy. And then ofcourse there was a section of their sambol - veg and non veg versions, each one teasing our taste buds. The flavours were distinct, and we happily dug in, being greedy taking it all in. The food was cooked with simple spices, and it was interesting to note that the vegetables retained their colour and had a gentle bite to them [ just the way I like them] Chef mentioned there were 350+ veg dishes. Yam had about 56 varieties, similarly bananas and mango. So there was no dearth for vegetarian food. He also told us about the use of Goraka [Kodukkaippuli in Tamil] for many meat based dishes. The desserts were familiar flavours - vatalappam, the Kiri pani and another dish that was crisp and had a subtle flavour with every bite. We did finish off the meal with hot filter kaapi.

  

What had me fascinated apart from the lip smacking food was Chef's journey from Coal carrier to Director Culinary Affairs at Mount Lavinia Hotel. I did not visit the hotel, but remember boarding the train from the station near the place.  He has literally made his way up the ladder and has been conferred with President’s Award and, recently, the Deshabandu Award for distinguished services to the nation, by Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena. He has published over 23 books, one of which is a tiny one that found a place in the Guinness book of world records. He showed us the book that contains 40 recipes fit for a King [you need magnifying glass to read the text on it] and then there was another one slightly bigger in size. He wants the Sri Lankan food to be remembered and cherish much after his time as well, that is is only dream~! 

It is fabulous how ITC Grand Chola keeps doing new things, bringing down Chef's from specific regions thereby giving us an opportunity to not only savour different flavours, but listen to stories and experiences from world over.. 

This festival is on till the 16th September for dinner. 

Approx price is Rs2200 + tax [per person]

Address:

ITC Grand Chola 

#63, Mount Road, Guindy, 

Chennai,TN,600032 

Ph- 044 2220 0000

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 :-)