Sangeetha Desi Destination - Adyar

Chettinad Treat

If you are a veggie and u miss chettinad food, which generally consists of a lota meat, forget karaikudi! there is sangeetha adyar with veg chettinad tiffun items, made classically and served unconventionally. The place is always crowded so be ready to wait for sometime, nothing good comes for free, does it? and one more thing is chettinad items are available only after 4 30 as those are snack items. So as such the place is good for dinner than lunch, since they also have some specials for each day.

The most mouth-watering dishes here are paniyaram (salt) and the cauliflower masal dosa (the best i've ever had). There is also palpaniyaram on somedays and chettinad idli is great too. The unavailability of certain items everyday creates the whole craving i guess. I dono why, maybe they are holding supply to increase demand. But i think the demand is great already and i hope they serve everything everyday.

The ambiance is much more sophisticated than any other sangeetha in chennai. Other than the chettinad items, the usual pulao, chenna batura, ghee dosa, quick lunch, poori, you name it and its yummmmmmmy. There is an unbelievable list of desserts from icecreams to sundaes to juices to what not!

The service is quick and efficient. The price, is just right for the quality, i mean you can taste the quality literally!

Ambiance - 4/5

Food - 5/5

Service - 4/5

Price - around 250 to 300 for a couple if u wanna go for desserts

Will i ever go bak? - i go there all the time for their paniyaram!

Sangeetha Desi Destination
1st Main Road, Gandhi Nagar,
Adyar, Chennai- 600020
Phone 24426554, 24426792

I usually make a note of the special item for each day from the menu card and drop in the day i want to!

ID (Idly & Dosa) - Royapettah

Absolutely loved the ghee roast

The menu card looks like a piece of paper, don get disappointed cos there is so much to taste here! the vada being offered as starters without being ordered for is a very good way to service, tempt at the same time sell! so it was plain vada - yummy!, keera vada - crispy, masal vada - ok!

The ambiance is just breathtakingly classy and chic and u wudnt want to touch ur idli and dosa with ur hands at sucha place! but wat to do, some food are meant to be eaten the way they should be to taste good... so quitting the helpless efforts to eat idli and dosa with a spoon they offer, and without being able to resist the ghee dripping yummy crispy dosa,.. we had to jump in! give a short at everything .. idli - ok, rava idli - not bad, ghee roast - nothing less of heaven, rava roast - heaven again if u like rava, aapam, with coconut milk, stew and theeyal - all yummy... they shud definitely increase their menu soon so people don get bored of havin the same items, considering the fact that most ppl who come here are movie freaks and will return often for sure! there are some south-indian sweets available (i dono y they are called pastries!), weren't that inviting, so let go since we were already greedily stuffin ourselves with the dosas! Also there is of course the mandatory filter coffee, some juice, masala tea and buttermilk, the last one was what i tried and liked it a lot!

Oh yea they definitely need to give finger bowls! m sure they learn that soon, cos their dosa's are so drippin and greasy, and one wudnt want to run to the wash area at other corner in sucha place, fine-dining it seems to be, but fast food is what south indian is known for, a lil confusion here!

as such, the place is perfect!, yummy food, great ambiance, wonderful service and the best of all u wud think this kinda place wud charge u a 100 bux a dosa... but surprise no! everything included for 4 people came up to jus 330 and its a lot lesser than even HSB m sure! so its totally affordable! i think they have clearly seen the need for sucha place in Chennai and has hit the spot rite on!

Ambiance - 4/5

Food - 4/5

Service - 4/5

Price - You eat ur stomach full for at the max 200 per couple trust me

Will i ever go bak? - all the time from now on just for the dosas!

ID (Idly & Dosa)
Sathyam cinemas,
1st floor, 8, Thiru-vi-ka Road,
Royapettah, Chennai - 600014

Tho ambiance looks fine-dining, its absolutely typical south-indian experience! Come, eat, relish, get out!

Bhoj Sagar Catering - Velachery

In times of need

Well it was around 10ish in the nite and i was dyin hungry with nothin at home! i din think anyone wud delivery nething at that point of time, but Bhoj sagar did! I got some aloo paratas and a north indian gravy, delivered sooner than i cud imagine.

It is definitely a boon for singles in velachery area! About the food, no complains, tho i wudnt call it authentic, it had a more south indian flavor to it. The aloo parata was stuffed with the masala they give for the south indian poori masal in local restaurants. But it was good to eat when u hungry and jus need some good food and don give a damn bout authenticity!

The prices are very much affordable. Service as i mentioned is very good and even over fone u can feel the hospitality!

Ambiance - my home sweet home

Food - 3/5

Service - 4.5/5

Price - You could have a good dinner for around 100 bucks i guess

Bhoj Sagar Catering
98, Srinivasa Nagar,
End of Ram Nagar 2nd street,
Vijayanagar, Velachery,
Chennai - 600042
Phone 9841205370, 9841805368

They provide south indian breakfast i heard, wud love to try it out sometime.

Ecstasy - Royapettah

Little Ecstasy

I blindly decided to venture this place based on two facts, 1. its inside sathyam cinemas and 2. the reviews i read about it! Maybe I expected a lot too much but the place didnt stay up to a 5 star rating on burrp! The ambiance is elegant and chic definitely, but the place is too small and so is the items on the menu and so is the quantity served.

The waiters/waitresses are too sweet, much sweeter than the apricot ice cream that almost tasted sour! She asked me to try the ginger or vinegar(balsamic) ice cream, wondering how it would've been if apricot was so. All in the name of 'exotic'! The milk ice cream is awesome, a bite of ecstasy finally. The complimentary chocolates were a nice try, it got me in the beginning. But the banana crepe tasted half cooked, and the orange juice was so bitter.

Now, there was no blueberry cheesecake or olive icecream???? as described in other reviews, big disappointment and one more following it was that there was neither ice tea nor cold coffee.. twas all 'hot hot'! Anyways, i think the only positive thing about this place is 'Sathyam'! Its nice to get a cozy place to chill out inside sathyam for a change when you are waiting or out of a movie with a bunch of friends or your date. That explains the cost, they can afford to charge us! The word is Exorbitant! The Darjeeling white tea costs just 220 bucks.. wondering if its a pack of tea? YES me too!

Ecstasy
Sathyam Cinemas
8, Thiru Vi - Ka road,
Royapettah, Chennai - 600014
Phone 43920444

There is a bunch of papers hanging from the lamp where you can post WHATEVER u want.. so we DID!

Dhabba Express - Nungambakkam

Expect no quality, wen u go for quantity!

Firstly, why is Dhabba Express hiding behind this building? are they tryin to avoid customers? it is impossible to know there is a dhabba here unless you sit on the net n search for a dhaba in nungambakkam like me and that too dhabba express? wow! i took the first chance to go there. The stairs look haunted and u ll wanna think there ll b no crowd at all inside, but surprise! there r soooo many ppl busily filling their plates from the buffet as you enter. The ambiance is typical dhaba expressish, open top, dirty plates/spoons/etc.and ofcourse the 'i-know-u-love-it' attitude service!

There was noone to guide me as to where i should pay, get the token and start my buffet, I was totally lost. The waiters are helpful, but only if u ask for help , maybe thats a lot to expect. The buffet is completely veg, 75 bucks. It includes, some dry tasting stuffed roti, good naan, low quality tomato rice, awesome sambar rice (i dono wat it was doing in a dhabba but i regret not takin more of it), some pulao rice, very bad curd rice, macaroni! (huh?), salads, yummmmmy raitha, gobi chinese style, a weird brinjal manchurian kind, half cooked ladies finger, dal makhani, one more gravy and ofcourse jelebi which was always empty and i had to ask for it some 10 times b4 it came hot hot yumm yumm to my table, wowwwww mouth waters at the very thought of it.

Warning! If you wanna avoid throwing up do not use/ or even look at the spoons. You dont have a choice on the plates tho. Do not drink the water. Order for lassi or buttermilk its good. You can also order a la carte other than the buffet, there is punjabi n chinese item esp non-veg since the buffet is completely veg. They also do home delivery, so carry the menu back with u. If you are looking for more hygienic environment, you can sit inside the small AC area and order too.

Ambiance - 3/5

Food - 4/5

Service - 2.5/5

Price - less than 200 bucks for a couple if u go for the buffet and a drink

Will i go bak? - wen hungry strikes and nothin more

Dhabba Express
112, 1st Floor, Eldorado Building,
Nungambakkam High Road,
Nungambakkam, Chennai - 600034
Phone 32549944, 28203636

Enjoy a typical dhabba express experience, value for money for sure!

The Noodle House - Nungambakkam

small place, small menu, small review

The place is pretty small, mostly visited by executives for lunch i guess. Being in centre of Nungambakkam, it should do really good for business/team lunches. But the menu is pretty small and half of it is unavailable. Rice varieties are less, no wonder the place is named after noodles. The suggestions made by the waiters are welcome, but he almost forced me into something i din want, when i was quite confused which one to order. I wanted something like a chopsuey, fried noodles with gravy but i got something like a wet noodles, smelled of flour and garlic, heavy in my throat until the evening!

Ambiance is good fine dining. The food is ok, tho i didnt get to taste much. Price is a bit on the expensive side for the quality of food and speed of service.

Ambiance - 3.5/5

Food - 3/5

Service - 3.5/5

Price - maybe around 500 per couple wen u include desserts too

Will i ever go bak? - don think so, maybe i wanna try the one at Royapettah opp Satyam...

The Noodle House
G-7, Gee Gee Emerald,
No.151, Village Road,
Nungambakkam, Chenna-600034
Phone 4359 6043

i went dreaming of fried ice cream, but desserts were virtually unavailable!

Kalinga Restaurant - Velachery

i suggest u first visit an andhra mess!

Wat a name! Wat a location! as you pass through velachery by-pass road you cant miss the Kalinga restaurant along with Kebab Court, the lighting and the newly constructed apt looks too inviting. An andhra speciality restaurant.. hmmm interesting ..seems like a must try.

Finally, i plan up a lunch jus for sake of tasting the cuisine of kalinga. The ambiance is great, spacious and bright. Service is ok, no complains.We ordered an andhra thali (95), paratta (25), masala vada pulusu (90) (got carried away by the name), pista milkshake (70) and lassi (40). The Jevarisi vadam served on the house was so tasty and crispy and went very well with the pappu podi and ghee provided. Period.

Nothin after this was edible. I mean not to the extent of swollowing beyond the first bite. The vada pulusu was jus tamarind water and yday's vada dipped in it. Really do the telugus eat this tangy? I expected spicy hot stuff, which actually was not there! This dish was like eating thick tamarind paste, they cudve atleast diluted it a bit for gods sake :( after losing appetite tasting this, we had to eat the parattas with the gongra and tomato chutney.. which i dint like either.. everything is sour and tangy including the curd. The thali was nothin specially just the usual meals, which was not yummy either.

Worst part was that the lassi was served hot. Note i didnt say it wasnt cold, it was actually hot! Ice cubes were added on request, with an explanation that was lame. The menu is too less for veggies, n m not entirely sure if this is how andhra's cuisine tastes, cos i ve ate in local andhra mess and the meals are mouth-watering there. The place is a bit expensive compared to its counterparts in velachery.

Ambiance - 5/5

Food - 1.5/5

Service 4/5

Price - a minimum 300 to 400 per couple

Will i ever go back? - not even if m dying hungry, anyway there is kebab court literally next door!

Kalinga Restaurant
No. 1, 100 Feet By Pass Road,
Velachery, Chennai - 600042
Phone 22591272, 22591273

if u do end up here by chance, order plain white rice and enjoy it with pappu podi and vadam!

New Yorker - Nungambakkam

okie dokie

Wats with american n all? i don understand y this place is called the new yorker.. this is a restaurant in the lines of creme centre and bombay blue and for that matter i dono y these restaurants r called so either! So lets forget the name.. the ambiance is nice.. service is ok..

i ve been to this place couplea yrs bak with a mood for something american and was disappointed havin a panneer sandwich or something.. So i decided to skim thro the menu this time .. labanese mexican italian indian and chinese.. they ve got a combo of typical fried rice and gobi too! Obv i decided to try the american platter for starters, which had onion rings, mexican tikka (rofl) and yummy cheese corn balls. To be honest, it was actually satisfying than i thought, tasty! But hell i made the mistake of ordering quesidilla (i remember eating a good baritto here once). But this so-called quesidilla was hard and crisp indian roti stuffed with capsicum. All the love i ever had for quesdilla jus vanished and decided never to come bak.

Somehow the baritto was almost authentic and the russian salad was pretty good too. Last but not the least the Very strawberry soda was so sexy i burrped it in till the last drop. So m totally confused... if ur lucky u cud have a good meal here, if not curse ur luck and the cook!

Ambiance - 4/5

Food - 3.5/5?

Service - 3.5/5 (one of those place with waiters that look north-eastern (to be politically corect!) and don speak a word to u nor reply bak wen u ask for something as tho ur speakin latin)

Price - A sure 500 for a couple with drinks (non-alcoholic)

Will i ever go back? - if m outa choices and m in nungambakkam area... yea mayb

New Yorker
146, Nungmbakkam high road,
Nungambakkam, Chennai - 600034
Phone 42049300, 42061929

If you'd like to taste how indianised international food tastes, u can have a variety from around the world here!

Saravana Bhavan - K.K. Nagar

Can close my eyes and say, its HSB!

I guess this is the first of the saravana bhavans in the city or atleast one of the first ones that started cos the class is apparent in it! The downstairs as in any south indian restaurant is non ac and u can have juices and fast food items here. I've tried the cakes and the juices, perfect quality as expected. They even have sweets and a bakery here. The a/c dining in the first floor is very nice with a class of service and ambiance.

The food is yummy, no doubts its HSB! My favorites are paneer biryani (must try), poori, the 5-idlis (so soft, cant find it newhere else except hsb), chilli parata, ofcourse the fresh juices and rose milk. The icecreams and esp the kulfi is great here! To experience class in south indian food, vast menu and food so tasty u ll wanna try it all, anytime hsb in the best and this is one of the best ambiances u can find in all the hsb's in the city!

i dono y ratna cafe and murugan idli shop are even compared! They are so dirty and horrible in service, the taste of food depends on ur luck, no consistency that is! Mayb namma veedu vasanth bhavan or sangeetha can come close in quality, but havent seen any place beat HSB yet...

Ambiance - 4/5

Food - 5/5

Service 4/5

Price - you can snack at 100 to 150 per couple or hog urself away to close to 500 bucks...

Will i ever go back? - Yea to all the branches, always!

Saravana Bhavan
B-55, Ashok Pillar Road,
K.K. Nagar, Chennai - 600078
Phone 24745577

HSB sweeps the number one spot in south-indian food anytime without doubts....

Any time, GRT Grand - T.Nagar

Duh! Heartbreaker!!
Bad luck befalls good restaurants sometimes; maybe it’s just a day. I wish I could write a review with such generosity, since I had a soft corner for this place. The GRT Grand Days’ lobby buffet ‘Anytime’ has been my ‘Alltime’ favorite. Since 2002 I guess, I’ve been there ‘n’ number of times and it has never let me down. Now what better ‘tried and tasted’ place to recommend to fellow burrpers from all around the country for a meet? How frustrating it is, when you are let down so badly and it involves the ‘food honor’ of the city by itself!

Burrpers from every metro in India graced the GRT Grand Days that weekend, and it was all fun except for the food at ‘Anytime’! I mean, what’s got into these guys? It was probably the best buffet in terms of quality and quantity even until a few months back that I visited. The crowd is still the same as it used to be, lot of family esp. on the weekends. The ambiance is typical, nothing innovative. There is an attempt to sophistication though. The food used to cover up for any other inadequacies here. But it seems the other way now. The service is quick and we were actually offered complimentary ice cream brought right to our room, for providing melted milkshaky ice cream in the buffet.

To be precise, there is nothing left to remember, nothing finger licking.. oh well nothing edible! No wait, I need better words! The starters were ok, weird names and weird tastes, the main course was nothing weird for a change, it was absofreakinlutely boring set of side dishes, some paneer, some okra, some brinjal, some gourd. The gobi pulao had not a single piece of gobi in it and I guess no salt in it either! What I found funny was the ‘Grand’ rice, tasted like a road-side brinji or whatever. Whoever decided to give that rice the signature name! The desserts were not bad, but definitely not the variety there used to be. Only good mention I can give here, is that the Bengali sweets viz. rasagolla, rasamalai, gulab jamun, etc. were awesome.

I didn’t make the mistake of reviewing this place few months back! Shame on you guys, even if it’s for a day, even if you’ve not satisfied a single customer, you are a loser already. But as a genuine patron, am still wondering where has it gone wrong? Has the chef changed? Or has he become really really old?? Whatever! Mainstreet is right next door and serves their buffet hundred bucks less than GRT. I hear the breakfast buffet is good though (continental/south Indian), no reason to be forgiven for letting me down!

Ambiance - 4/5

Food - 2.5 /5 ( i would ve given a 5 few months ago :( )

Service - 4/5

Price - 1100 and above for a couple

Will i ever go back? - hmm.. tough one! actually yes, i wud like to chek it out again hopin not to be disappointed...ahhh naaa...ahhh..mmmm...

Any time
Hotel GRT Grand,
106 Sir Thyagaraya Road,
T.Nagar, Chennai
Phone 28150500, 28150793

Adios, my old friend!

Vasanth Dhaba - Velachery

Worth a try

You will not believe how crowded this place is, u will have to wait atleast 15 minutes for a table. The few tables in front of vasanth super market might make you think that its just a fast food in front of the shop where ppl grab a bite wen they visit. But no! this place seems to be a centre for bachelors and northies in the area who miss dhaba food. Vasanth seems too south indian a name to be named for a dhaba tho, i guess its jus cos its in Vasanth apts!

The gr8 smell that grabs you into the place, even if u have to wait and the fast service by the few waiters there make it all worth, sitting in the open-air eating food from dirty tables. Now even dhabba express has dirty tables and plates/spoons, so i guess it has to be there to bring in the authentic dhaba atmosphere! The food is good and the starters viz chilli gobi, paneer pakoda, etc. are typical and tasty. The aloo parata is good too, lassi was not anything unique. The roti chawal plate is not worth it since its not the best place to eat rice. Try just the roti plate with 5 soft rotis, one dal and one aloo gravy, really filling. They also have fruit juices and chaat items.

The price is ok, cheap as expected. The service is good for such crowd, cud be faster with more wait staff. Its worth visiting if u dont want to go beyond velachery and don wanna spend on 'The Dhaba' either!

Ambiance - 2/5

Service - 3.5/5

Food - 3.5/5

Price - 150 bucks max a couple for a complete tummy fill

Will i ever go back? - Mayb wen m that side on work, and the smell makes me hungry!

Vasanth Dhaba
G" - Block, Vasanth Apartments,
Tharamani Link Road,
Velachery, Chennai - 600042

I need to try out the chaat items here soon, lookin inviting :)

Bosottos Bros - Nungambakkam

3-in-1 fun ...

If u just have a few minutes to grab lunch or not as hungry to go to a restaurant or jus in the mood for some quick bites.. this is the place to b in nungambakkam. Its best when ur all alone n not comfy to go sit in a restaurant n look at blank faces staring at u.

There are three things bout the place. One: the bakery which used to be better before, i am not really sure wen it was moved to the basement. I remember eating one of the best egg puffs in the city in here years ago. I guess now its majorly for cake orders, somehow its not very inviting to go to the half-empty lookin bakery in the basement. The road-stall juice shop has stolen the show now, tho u've to sit on stools in the pavement, it is always crowded mostly with college kids. They have a good variety of juices broght to you nice and chill in a min, they also serve sandwiches, soups and filter coffee. I like the soup here a lot.

The best part is the chaatwala next door. Since he doesnt have an address, he is famous as the chaat stall next to bosotto bros and mostly ppl eat here n have a drink in the juice shop. The pani puri here is gr8 i wudnt rate it as the best in chennai tho.

The prices are exactly what u can expect in a bakery and juice shop unlike 'cakes and bakes' located a few buildings away, worse in ambiance n food n price than this simple road-side place. So we have a very clear choice here, as we can see...

Ambiance - 3/5 ... Seriously not bad for a road side stall, wudve given 4 if not for the bakery at the basement now!

Food - 3.75/5 m gettin miser by the day eh!

Service - 4/5 for Instant service! Don expect 4 star treatment :P

Price - 100 to 150 for a couple... more if you wanna hog on a lota chaat

Will i ever go back? - the juices are my regular but the chaat... no i don think i ll do that part again!

Bosottos Bros
61/28A, Nungambakkam High Road,
Nungambakkam, Chennai
Phone 28276797, 28275547

I should warn you the chaats are damn too spicy, so yea ppl do rush to the juice shop immediately!

10 Downing Street - T.Nagar

Now that's what i call a pub!

What a relief to Chennai's dying nightlife! Something with class is here on offer, right from the entry where they make sure to check your ID, to real-time bouncers, to the dark typical classic-pub ambiance with secluded booths. I rem many places that opened up with class but went down the drain soon, losing sophistication. Somehow 10D seems promising enough to keep it going.

Perfect, is the word wen u look at the menu. An awesome lot to drink and eat. The cocktails don stop with the regular bloody mary, screwdriver and long island iced tea like many other pubs in the city. They have innovative drinks and the cosmopolitan is to die for. They have specials everyday and looks like ladies drink most drinks on the house on Wednesdays. But i heard there is some restrictions on that one.. not sure yet...

The service is not bad, but definitely doesn't reflect the standards of the pub. The waiter was a lil weird n non-professional, also we never received an item we almost asked for 10 times. Oh that is the masala peanut which would've been served on the house if its another place. That reminds me, there is absolutely no snacks on the house! yea, nothing at all. But for the food, the potato wedges and the cheese omelete are yummmmmm! Heard the non-veg is great too. They have a pub lunch and my guess is it shud b equally good, if the same chef is gonan do it for u.

Ambiance - 5/5

Food - 4.5/5

Service - 3/5

Price - How much do u drink? Anyways the food is expensive... be sure to hand out atleast 2000 bucks for a couple... if u wanna eat too...

Will i go back again? - a very good choice to take your guest whose new to the city i wud say...

10 Downing Street
#50, Kences Inn Boutique Hotel,
North Boag Road, T Nagar,
Chennai - 600017
Phone 28152152, 28113004, 43546565

Oh mind you, its a perfect pub is what i said, so dont be disappointed looking a great dance floor!

MMMafia - R. A. Puram

Do you know sign language?

Well.. we actually stopped to get into grains of paradise (peppers) but since the crowd there scared us of the waiting time that mite follow, we unanimously decided to try italian on the next floor since indian seemed boring now! Spotless white decor kinda looked elegant but the curtains and the wall cushions almost made it look like a hospital?..

The worst is yet to come.. the service! what the hell is rong with the management? cant they find someone who can .. for god's sake atleast.. speak? u don need to kno italian but atleast english? it is impossible to communicate to the waiters, seriously there were some 20 of 'em and not one cud speak loudly leave alone speak english. Noone knew anything bout the menu, neither could they understand wat we were tryin to say/ask! We lost all the energy that we gained by eatin trying to get some service! I can find u ppl in chennai who are lookin for jobs!

Comin to the food, i was almost ready to tick it off, pissed with the service. They brought the chili flakes in oil (which btw was not olive oil) and never gave bread on the house. When i asked a waiter, he shaked his head insensibly and walked away! But hey the food was actally great, as much as i wish it wasnt! The soup was too damn yummy to even let go of the last sip. The pizza (fantasia) where we removed coriander and added red pepper and pineapple was crispy and yummy! But it took us 30 mins to explain the toppings to the waiter.. no m not exaggerating! The MMafia pasta (spaghetti) was yummy too! Finally we found the manager who could comprehend the Queen's language a little and asked if we cud get bread but that person marketed a stuffed-bread starter which we were not very happy to have after the main course and so returned without eating. But hell we were charged on the bill and then removed after 30 to 40 mins of notice! If you dont have a lota time (and energy) in hand, don even consider this place...

Oh yea, all of a sudden the manager rushes with napkins and runs across our table laying it on our laps without an 'excuse me' or 'sorry'. Oh i forgot they don speak here! and this was just before desserts. After a good laugh, we asked for the desserts menu but it was cruly denied to us since we returned the stuffed garlic bread. We had to order caramel pudding as they said tiramisu wasnt available. But the geloto that was also not available to us was available to the next table! Well, its ok to lose yummy food but am not going here again! Ah btw, for the quantity served, the prices are ridiculous, even Osteria (which i heard is awesome) is cheaper it seems!

Ambiance - Frankly am confused :D so lets be safe and fair and say 3/5

Food - 4/5

Service - 2/5

Price - Definitely more than 1000 bucks with desserts (if available) for a couple

Will i go back again? - Not really, too many options are there now for veggie yummy italian.. there is still Osteria to try!

MMMafia
105, Chamiers Road,
2nd floor, R.A.Puram,
Chennai - 600028
Phone 64587777

But on second thoughts, its the ambiance and service that puts me off.. any chances of door delivery of the yummy food?

Aqua, The Park - Anna Salai

Luxury and comfort neednt mean the same!

I heard this place is too damn romantic and so fixed my very special date here.. i wudnt say i was disappointed mayb i jus expected too much .. watever said n done there's nothin romantic like Italian.. n this place isnt ...

We made a reservation for the poolside well i shudnt call them tables.. the bed by the poolside? its completely dark and it was rock music n bbq buffet since it was a Wednesday. Unfortunately we sat rite next to the bbq and dwelled in the heavenly smoke and smell all thro the eve. The music was awesome.. really perfect on the ears tho it was live in such a small place.. the pool was dull and boring.. too much darkness with a not so beautiful candle lite didn't really help.. the promised city view was a disappointment.. sitting in the beds twas not only tuff to eat from the small table (sharing the lamp) but also to watch the city...but yea was nice and cozy to lie down and yap!

Comin to the food, the guy who took our reservation on fone said that u cannot access the buffet inside if u reserve the poolside..huh! Now for veggies, the bbq had only 6 items exactly!..n i was wonderin if thts all my dinner is goin to be :( but fortunately the main course n desserts inside were allowed to be accessed.. not that there was any variety anyway.. jus one choice of rice, noodles, side dish and a couple or more of the usual desserts.. the bbq was good tho.. the lentil cutlet was awesome and a must try.. other than which was the usual paneer tikka, aloo skewer, etc. and of course the raw banana was quite a different attempt..

The service is ok .. its 5 star so u don have to worry about that.. the sunset margarita which aqua is known for was horrible! The other drinks were not any good either.. the chek is ofcourse too huge for the tiny place and tiny buffet..

Ambiance - 4/5

Food - 3/5

Service - 4/5

Price - Well I paid around 4000 bucks including drinks, the buffet is aorund 1000 bucks i guess.

Will i go back again? - Ahem if i have the dough, sure why not? But i ve 601 and Lotus to try yet!

Aqua
The Park
601 Anna Salai,
Nungambakkam,
Chennai - 600034
Phone 42144000

Can try once for being in chennai n enjoyin luxury.. but not comfort.. and obviously nothing more..

Balaji Sandwich Stall - Egmore

Egg n cheese go good together

well if u did ur schooling or college in chennai, m sure u kno this place that sells the best sandwich in the city. I would go to the extent of saying that alsa mall gains crowd jus cos ppl come to to this road side stall that now has a big menu with increased prices.. hmm who doesnt fall for fame.. n yea y not? CCD inside alsa mall shud stop sellin those namesake sandwiches atleast in this outlet.

The ambiance is ofcourse roadside, maybe in your bike/car. So make urself comfortable. The price is obviously cheap, though its increased now still its the saviour of college kids and teenagers. There is complementary cucumber with chaat masala which is sooo yummy u wud long to get somemore. The sandwiches are the tastiest in town, literally makes ur mouth water and the green chutney is the culprit i think. My fav is the egg and cheese with the chutney, but also like masala sandwich, veg and cheese, boiled egg sandwich, egg and cheese again without the chutney.

Ambiance - You talkin to me?

Food - 5/5

Service - 4/5

Price - Less than 50 bucks for a couple :D if u dare to stop there!

Will i go back there? - Well i do all the time...

Balaji Sandwich Stall
Next to Alsa mall,
149, Montieth road,
Egmore, Chennai - 600008

Oh did i mention the egg and cheese? oh man egg and cheese sandwich it is...

Bay Leaf - Gopalapuram

Bay of Non-Bengal!

One of the restaurants in chennai i wanted to visit badly and suggested each time someone offered to gimme a treat ...bengali cuisine is something i felt was left unexplored by me. The place seems unnoticebable at first tho its rite behind the famous gangothri. The restaurant with very few tables, does LOOK crowded.

The ambiance is ok but somehow the chairs dont feel that comfy to sit down and have a nice chat. I take a look at the menu, quite a variety it seems. The veggie platter was tasty and filling for 4 of us. The other starters, say the different rolls were attractive, but the egg roll i ordered was placed bak to be taken to the kitchen rite after the first bite. But my friend said that the paneer roll was good. The Bengali menu was one whole page which was entirely unavailable according to the waiter! Can there be a better disppointment?

So the regular roti and side dish it was, painfully! The food was not very appetising, its not like u cant stop with one bite, in fact u will stop with one bite! The lucknowi biryani which was another speciality here was ok, no complaints but seriously noone was hungry after all this. The desserts were yummy, the jelebi tho wasnt authentic looking (had more south indian looks to it!) was freshly made and yummy but too damn sweet to handle.

Ambiance - 3/5

Food - 2/5

Service - 3/5

Price - around 500 to 600 bucks per couple

Will i ever go back? - I mite call them up and make sure the Bengali menu is available and then .. change my mind... na.. m not really eager to visit this place again watever it is!

Bay Leaf
14, 6th Street, Cathedral Road,
Gopalapuram, Chennai - 600086
Phone 28114557, 28114558

There is a 'Annapoorna from calcutta' in Egmore to taste authentic Bengali i hear... added to my hitlist!

Kumarakom - Velachery

Keralicious and more!

Great food Less expensive! A good place for the localites of Velachery to grab a quick and easy dinner while shopping in the so-many new outlets opened lately. Typical Kerala food. The appam is great. Try the egg fry and biryani and ofcourse the puttu and kadla curry or the stew. I prefer it with sugar tho! Yummy Yummy!

Dont miss the paratta that comes at 10 bucks, it's the softest i've known and i can eat a dozen of it! The place is definitely a delight for the fish eaters tho it does serve a variety to the veg/eggaterian tongues! Best thing about the restaurant is that it doesn't just serve kerala food but stuff like rotis, naan and the north indian gravies are awesome. I usually prefer only the specialities in a place but this one is an exception! I make sure to order some north indian items on the menu too. My only regret is that avial and some other mallu specialities are available only with the meal in lunch time and i mostly get to go only for dinner!

Service is very friendly and ambiance is pleasant too. The waiters do offer music to the ears quite literally. But some people say that its a CD player thats doin the work actually. I am not really sure about this. As for me, everything is yummy here and i jus love to hog and don really care bout nething else!

Ambiance - 4/5

Food - 4/5

Service - 4/5

Price - 200 to 300 for a couple for yummy tummy-filling food!

Kumarakom
Velachery Tambaram Road,
Vijayanagar Extn,
Velachery, Chennai - 600042
Phone 42022277, 43036570,
9840738200, 9840081852

I always have an ice-cream and walk out with a smile whenever i dine here :)

Barbeque Nation - T.Nagar

RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE!

and this aint even a three star hotel! Nobody has ever heard of Shri Devi Park Hotel until BbqNation sprang up with this innovative concept which attracted the typical wannabe crowd of the city .. so its undeniably happening.. that explains the pricing and the careless service. I wish they bought the waiters a mic and some confidence before they start work.

The ambiance is quite different, of course the starters being grilled on the table is part of it! But seriously, the kebabs are already cooked and ur actual kidding urself tryin to burn it further on ur table! I felt like playing 'kitchen kitchen' when i was five! Vegetarians PLZ STAY AWAY, dont get carried away by reviews written by ppl who have probably ate in the Bangalore bbqnation! Theres nothing in the starters for veggies except for the usual paneer crap u can find anywhere and Thai baby potatoes which was not bad (a big let down afetr reading so much about it online).

Hence to do justice, i ve got the reviews from meat-eating friends too. The chicken (Singapore style) and the prawns were edible. The stuff that actually tasted good was the ones that were directly served on the plate, viz the crispy babycorn was sooooo yummy and the fish in oyster sauce was great too. Since we were advised to spend a lot of time with the starters, we were ready for more disappointment in the buffet.

The buffet was just the usual. The veg biryani which was recommended wasn't there to be seen. There was the usual gravies, Chinese stuff, noodles, curd rice, etc. naan was served on the table and the dal was actually really good, compared to the bland taste of the rest. The desserts were average, esp the mini-jamun with ice cream and the butterscotch 'something'. Nothing else was worth remembering. The bar menu was extensive and had everything from around the world, which is quite amazing for such a place. But be ready to spend a fortune if you want to have a good drink. They have some innovative cocktails, the masala margarita was good with chaat masala on the rim! NO! there is no complimentary drink with the buffet as falsely reviewed by many all over the internet!

As such, the buffet costs u around 450 including tax, if u planning to add anymore than that, carry ur mastercard! But if i had a lota money to blow, i wud choose much much better places in the city, than being blinded by mere hype!

Ambiance - 4/5

Food - 2/5

Service 2/5

Price - Close to 1000 bucks for a couple if you dont open the bar menu (else u can forget ur math)

Will i ever go back? - Are you kidding me?.. not even if ur payin!

Barbeque Nation
Shri Devi Park Hotel,
Near Soma Sunder Ground,
1, Hanumantha Street,
T.Nagar, Chennai - 600017
Phone 42694481, 42694482

Whatever said and done.. you can try it once for novelty sake... if you go back again.. not my fault nemore!

Crystal Jade, Checkers - Saidapet

Worst-ever restaurant in the city!

Checkers! i used to wonder how this place is not so famous sittin in such a place in the city. So decided to explore this place when i had to treat some friends, but was disappointed so much. The hotel looks great and the buffet at Stimulation (the cafe at lobby level) had a very scanty menu priced at 400 bucks and smelt like a bar rite from outside.The quality of food was apparent and wasn't worth payin so much for sure. I wish i had been to GRT or Residency towers instead for almost the same price or just a lil more.

We had a savior we assumed, the chinese restaurant (completely empty) in the 2nd floor looked good and smelt much better. I ask the waiter 'Do u have a buffet' and he says ' No mam, only Chinese!' .... No comments... Jus went ahead and opened the menu which was again very less and the veg items were even lesser. Service is ok, not bad. The soup (Tom Yum) was like horrible and tasted more like south-indian rasam, the starters spring rolls (bland), veg balls 'q' (only good one) and onion rings (had to gulp it down with a whole glass of water to void mishap) were nuff samples for us to kno how much to order in the main course.

The main course were schewan fried rice (wasnt spicy, i guess no salt too), pan-fried noodles (good and only thing to fill the tummy), thai green curry (awful), and five-spiced veg balls gravy (i lost my sense of taste by then, so don rem) and yea the dim sum (duh!). Whatever! desserts cant b that bad anywhere. Who says so? The strawberry milkshake was bland. The banana fritters were the worst i ve ever had, we ordered a plate for 5 of us and still had half the plate unfinished when we left. Thank god the fried icecream was unavailable. And for this quality of food, the place is irritatingly expensive, the decor's good... now m not here to pay for ur interior designing.. i am here to eat!

After paying hella lot here, i went to a local south indian fast food and had good food - tummy-filing and heart-filling - for less than 100 bucks :)

Ambiance - 4/5 for the looks but 1/5 for the smell

Food - A BIG O / on anything!

Service - 3/5

Price - 800 bucks for a couple which u can as well dump into a dustbin!

Will i ever go back? - NO! and U BETTER STAY AWAY FROM CHECKERS!

Crystal Jade
The Checkers Hotel,
No. 30, Mount Road,
Little Mount,
Saidapet, Chennai - 600035
Phone 43994399

Did you really want the address after all this?