Showing posts with label must-go. Show all posts
Showing posts with label must-go. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

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 :)

Friday, November 14, 2008

Little Italy Ristorante - Nungambakkam

Got the dough? go ahead!

Little Italy, the leader in the league of vegetarian Italian restaurants cropping up in the city, is situated in the basement of a building u wud never wanna think of having lunch/dinner at. The ambiance is nice fine dining. The waiters are professional. Be warned! Its a freakin expensive place! But for the money we pay, they can atleast buy a generator, the entire basement went dark wen the power went out and all they wud do to help the customers digging into their plates happily, were to hold out ancient outdated emergency lamps..

The food is awesome, i tried the 4 cheese risotto - yummy and heavy, and the mexican starters viz the quesadilla was actually tasting better than the Mexican restaurant in the city, but yea it wasnt realy really authentic tho, but lip-smacking. The drink zig-zag (pronounced chig-chag by the waiter :P) had watermelon n lychee mix and was not good! All items are priced at 300 to 400 in main course, 250 to 300 in the starters and the drinks (non-alcoholic) cost around 100 bucks or more. But yes, you can walk out tummy-filled heavy and content!

It's good to have great Italian food (and Mexican too) after long time, but the power-cut and the HUGE-bill makes me feel not so great about the place, mayb i ll try Osteria next time.

Ambiance - 3.5/5

Food 4.5/5

Service - 4/5

Price - Around 1000 bucks for a couple...

Will i go back? - Yea i will, wen i am really really hungry and have loads of cash!

Little Italy Ristorante
1/2 Eldorado Building,
Nungambakkam High Road,
Nungambakkam, Chennai - 600034
Phone 42601234

But the eerie memory of a dark basement restaurant mite freak me out nuff to change my mind!

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Mansukh's Sweets and Snacks - T. Nagar

Finally, some fine snacks!

After readin a lot on Mansukh and its yummy gujju food, i went in search of this place. Now that the new flyover is on in t nagar, its more suffocating and irritating to get here .. but yea i found the place somehow! It looks like a small sweet shop from the outside, then y all the hype?

Well i look at the menu, self service he says in a rude tone. I wanted to ask whats special there, whats khandvi (or watever), wats this and whats that since m not a gujju by any chance but wanted try their best. But somehow i didnt feel like, due to the tone of this guy. Had the Khandvi since i am used to dhoklas, it was actually awesome and will def have again! So i went ahead and bought some sweets, the strawberry agra peda and jelebi were good. The aloo tikki was different and yummy. The ribbon pakoda was the best of all, packed in a typical dept store pack i dint expect it to be so fresh and crisp and tasty. Now i again went ahead and ordered poori with aloo suk, take away, but thats where i made the mistake, the food took a long time to come due to the crowd and it wasnt good either. I've had better ones on the roadside stalls and ofcourse Rangoli!

But overall i guess very good sweet and savories stall they have. The snacks are very yummy and unique (i fell in love with gujju food after i ate at Rangoli!). But if you want to dine in or take away from the food counter, mayb u shud try something else, not the puri and def not the aloo :). Dont expect service. Ambiance is typical of a sweet shop with few chairs to eat, but there are more ppl here since they have a proper food stall too. Mayb cos there are not much gujju specialty places in chennai, its definitely worth a try!

Ambiance - 3/5

Food - 4/5

Service - 2.5/5

Price - around 150 bucks for a couple (but u shud take some snacks back home, add that expense too!)

Will i go back again? - Yea... to pick up the ribbon pakoda atleast!

Mansukh's Sweets and Snacks
10, Ramaswamy Street,
Opp. Shree Temple of Gold,
T.Nagar, Chennai - 600017
Phone: 24341867, 243451258

You get Mansukh's snacks packed and sold in Spencer's and other food stores too!

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Opal Inn, Hotel Ranjith - Nungambakkam

A little more promotion will do the job!

The hotel ranjith has been there right in the centre of the city for years now but somehow it has never been the centre of attraction for the public. It maybe cos of the unattractive looks from the outside and the uninviting sidey look of the Opal Inn restaurant although its well accessible from outside the hotel through a small lane that goes from Nungambakkam high road. But for the real foodies at heart, this place is one of the best in the city...


As I entered, the restaurant did look a little dark and anyone but a patron wud hesitate a moment before they step in. The ambiance is fine-dining, very dim-lit, more for the silent diners. The menu is vast with stuff from regular cauliflower manchurian to veg au gratin. There is a lot for meat-eaters though vegetarians do have options too. The starters sound yummy. Though I was so tempted to order the egg fried rice and some tandoori gravy, the sizzlers caught my attention. There is also a section that says 'meal in itself' where there is shashlik and some continental stuff.

The veg classical steak sizzler was awesome, though it seemed like just aloo pattie in the inside. You mite wanna call it a cutlet except for the sauce on top of it n the sizzling hot tray in comes in with veggies and (soggy) fries. Its huge, yummy and very filling. My friend who had the fish sizzler also thought its awesome and filling. The dessert section is not very wide but the caramel custard managed to attract a person like me who doesnt have a sweet tooth. It was worth it. But the speed in which the food was delivered made me wonder if there is just a microwave in the kitchen, so much for fast service!

Last, the place is a bit expensive, say 200 to 300 for each dish, a meal for two mite reach upto 1000 bucks. But I guess its worth it considering the food and service.

Ambiance - 3/5

Food - 4/5

Service - 4/5

Price - around 800 bucks for a couple

Will i go back? - Definitely need to try everything in the menu, which cant be done in one visit.

Opal Inn
Hotel ranjit,
15 nungambkkam high road,
Nungambakkam, Chennai - 600034
Phone - 28270521


The ambiance might need a makeover if they wanna grab customers, unless they intentionally want it this way.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Benjarong - Alwarpet

It IS simply WOW!

This place is just awesome in every way. Its probably the best restaurant i been to in chennai. First of all it has a different cuisine - Thai, which is getting popular only in recent times in Chennai. The ambiance is great and the service is just so wonderful you feel like a queen! The place is a bit expensive, but that comes for the premium quality food, service and ambiance i guess, its fair.

As for the food, its so yummy you can never get enough. Forgive my ignornace but the Thai names are too much to rem after so long and i don think its of any use unless i explain the ingredients in it. So lemme say in simple english, the beetle leaf thing they give in the beginning complimentary is awesome I loved it.

The pineapple fried rice is sweet but it is a must try here. I've been longing to have one like it since i had it and havent food an equal yet. I heard Lotus at The Park has awesome Thai food, shud try once. The noodles i had was a thick flat one and wasnt too impressive. The Thai red curry was perfect too. Wish I had space for some desserts cos they really sounded unique and yumm on the menu card but then i was too greedy about the food and had no choice but let go of the desserts. Went there again with a huge group of friends and had the same problem wen we reached desserts!

Ambiance - 4/5

Food - 4.5/5

Service - 4.5/5

Price - 500 for a couple (definitely more with desserts)

Will i ever go back? - Yes i will .. wen i itch for some yummy thai food (and cant afford the park)

Benjarong
146, TTK Road,
Alwarpet,
Chennai - 600018
Phone 24322640, 42110061

If you ever get to taste the desserts, do lemme kno how it is....

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Parfait 3 - Velachery

One of a kind in Chennai

There are not many american breakfast places i know in Chennai, this place is a real surprise. But it is still small time in Velachery, it wud have been more successful in nungambakkam or besant nagar.

Eggs made to order (esp the sunny side up) are great and reminds you of the breakfast places like iHop or Waffle house in the US. But the ambiance is ofcourse not so, its a typical coffee day kinda indian atmosphere. Service is great. They got bakery stuff and pastries in addition. The variety of icecreams can be increased. The mango smoothie is a must try. The burger and sandwiches are good too. No complains. The best part is they do door delivery u jus need to give em a call! The rates are reasonable.

Ambiance - 4/5

Food - 4/5

Service - 4/5

Price - 300 to 350 per couple (if u order drinks too, psst non-alcoholic!)

Will i go back there? - All the time.. i cant think of another choice wen i miss Waffle House!

Parfait 3
#80B, CSI Church Gate Road,
Annai Indira Nagar,
Velachery, Chennai - 600042
Phone - 22432022

If you are a sucker for eggs, just like me .. u sure shud join!

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

JC Cafe - Nungambakkam

Surprise to the taste buds!

To be honest, I was a little skeptical when i entered this new cafe named 'Jesus Christ' with religious affiliation written all over it. The place looks like a house, calm and empty from the outside, you'll never know there's a cafe unless through word of mouth.

So I walk in reluctantly into this 'house', through the couches and tables, with bibles and missionary books lying around and a tv with gospel music playing ofcourse. Talk about feelin at home, you can just laze around in the couches here, don expect the 'remote' to be urs tho. The menu seemed unexpectedly vast with sandwiches, pastas, lasagna, desserts, juices, and combos of these.

The service is very good, with the waiter even remembering your name, its next to eating at a friend's. But I am not convinced until i taste the bread! and u wud never think that 'food' would be the usp of such a place. But hell it is! The first bite of french fries changed my entire perception. It's the best fries i ve had in years, esp. in India. The veggie sandwich had perfect mayanoise in it to gratify my tongue. The cheese on the lasagna has a lingering taste to it that tickles your tongue for more.

The combo offer was a little confusing tho. It could be more lunch-friendly. Anyways, it has a soup/juice, an entree, fries/bread, juice/icecream. Although, we were a little filled by then already, we made a good decision to order for the speghetti! It was simply perfect! No kidding, but even the strawberry icecream had an extra flavor to it! The juice glasses could've been a bit bigger. As for the price, its not too expensive, totally worth whatever it is.

Ambiance - 4/5

Food - 5/5

Service - 4.5/5

Price - Say 200 to 250 per couple? its a good deal if u take the combo..

Will i go back? - Sure wen i want to grab a bite and have some lone time

JC Cafe
No.10, Jagannathan street,
Nungambakkam,
Chennai - 600034
Phone - 64610767

Only wish they play something else on TV.. i wud go more often to hang-out!

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Olive Garden Vegetarian Eat Out - R. A. Puram

Awesome is the word

Where? It is behind cafe carnival in RA puram.

Find your way through the the small street near by. It is in the 2nd floor of the first building on the left . It is a weird place to get into, you almost want to come back when you are climbing the stairs, but trust me and go ahead its worth it!

When? Go for the sunday lunch buffet around 1 o'clock to get the best dishes they serve in the restaurant.

The ambiance is awesome and very family friendly. The food tastes great, even on any other day of the week but buffet is available only on sunday.

What? One of the very few restaurants in Chennai that does justice to the word 'muticuisine' in my opinion. Whatever you choose is sure to be nice.

My recommendation is the 'quesadillas' (which is available in the lunch buffet) i did not really expect it to be so yumm in a place where Indian food is the main attraction. It is much better than the ones they serve in the so-called authentic Mexican restaurants in the city.

How much? The buffet is actually unbelievably inexpensive. (somewhere around 100 bucks!)

You will want to go back over and over again when you receive your check. The sweet and icecream that comes to your table in the end delights you like you were a 5-year old! Probably the 'a la carte' is a bit expensive but the mouth watering taste overshadows the damages to your wallet.

Who? The applause for the 5 stars i have given goes to the waiters/managers.

The service is too good, even when you take the buffet, you dont feel neglected cos anything you want comes to your table prepared 'hot hot'!

Overall a pleasant dining experience for vegetarians with great food to go with family on a weekend.

Ambiance - 4/5

Food - 5/5

Service - 5/5

Price - Around 400/500 for a couple (Sunday-buffet costs just around 100 bucks/plate!)

Will i go again? - Yes and i will take you too!

Olive Garden Vegetarian Eat Out (Formerly Carnival),
68 CP Ramaswami Road,
Abhiramapuram, (off RA Puram)
Chennai - 600028
Phone 24996839, 24980349

You get to see some local celebs here sometimes :)

Monday, October 6, 2008

Rangoli - Pondy Bazaar

Death by Thali!

I definitely want to start this review quoting that this is by far the best food i have had in the city of chennai. Well no wonder it is from THE Saravana Bhavan, but surprisingly it aint authentic south indian food but tis authentic rajasthani/gujarati food!
Precaution: DO NOT EAT the entire day or if possible the day b4 too, so u have enough space to eat the entire thali. It is unbelievable that sucha high quality tasty fine dining experience at sucha restaurant is available at 170 bucks per thali which is UNLIMITED!

Coming to the food, dont hog on the starters. Beware! There is hella lota stuff comin from the kitchen served hot and yummy by the waiter with so much care as you would treat a guest at a wedding. But yes the starters are the yummiest of all especially the Veg roll and the Dhokla (irresisable)! The jal jeera with boondi is gr8 too.

The Thali has chapathi, poli, some 4 to 5 variety of side dishes like paneer butter masala, mixed dal gravy, a special sweet rajasthani gravy(which is too good). kesari, srikand, pickles(not the usual boring ones), and a lot more i cant remember now! Then comes hot hot puris, the dal kichdi and biriyani. After all this the waiter asks you if you need white rice for your curd (btw curd is too good dont miss it). Finally you get a pan too. But trust me, it is too hard to stop eating.
Nobody can not be stuffed with this meal not just because of the quantity but also the quality. Man! I can keep on writing let me stop here!

Ambiance - 4/5

Food - 5/5 (can i give a 6/5?)

Price - around 350 per couple and its freaking inexpensive considering the thali!

Service - 5/5 (feel like a princess!)

Will i go back again? - Yes i have already many times!

Rangoli
Hotel Saravana Bhavan
102, Sir Thyagaraya Toad,
Pondy Bazaar, T.Nagar,
Chennai - 600017

Go for dinner so you can have the poli and dal kichdi too!

Friday, September 26, 2008

Cedars - Kotturpuram

A Connoisseur's Treat

A sunday brunch buffet.. sounds interesting for we dont get to hear the word 'brunch' in most chennai restaurants. Supposedly the place is meant for mediterranean food, I should say it was a mix of continental, Italian, american breakfast, pizza and mediterranean varieties ofcourse.

The ambiance is like a cozy fine dining breakfast house. The food for a change was nothin Indianised. Man, whata relief from all the places who tag 'international' cuisine but Indianise it. I was almost hoping to see panneer falafel, but this chef seems to know what he's doing.

The food tastes how it should, thats bland. The made-to-order egg is great, i was suggested the Ejjah Bil Jebn omelette which is filled with feta cheese and was perfectly made as in any American restaurant. The mushroom fritters were amazing, i ate it tho i hate mushroom. The pasta was so soft and creamy. The wheat bread with apricot jam was a good start. There was pita with hummus and a white chutney, which was the best. The nuts rice was ok, so was the Russian salad.

When you go back to your table, you've got a surprise there already, french toasts and the waffles - not bad, the pancakes - yummy maple-syrup dripping and falafel stuffed wrap - authentic. I didnt try the other salads, chocolate doughnut, croissant, etc. Too many choices though it doesnt look so at first sight. I guess you can even order pizza choosing your own toppings.

Now for the desserts, the tart, its the best i've ever had. There is chocolate mousse, icecream of the day and fruit salad. Not much of choice here. To drink there is ice tea and fruit juice. I have two complaints, one the juice glass is too small and two is the price of the buffet being 420 including tax. I guess the pricing helps attract the right crowd. Service is good too, considering its a buffet.

Ambiance - 5/5

Food- 5/5

Service - 4/5

Price - close to 1000 bucks for a couple

Will i go back again? - definitely when i got loads of cash to blow & deserve complete satisfaction

Cedars
29, Gandhi Mandapam Road,
Kotturpuram, Chennai
Phone 66855111, 24472323

Get your basics right before you explore different cuisines to enjoy the show better!

Cholayil Sanjeevanam - Nungambakkam

For all you health conscious ppl out there...

I was just riding through Nungambakkam looking for a NEW place to have my lunch. Suddenly i c a board popping outa nowhere saying sanjeevanam HEALTH restaurant! Now wat is that? Novelty! That is one good thing bout this place. A must try atleast once for everyone. Mind you, it is a health conscious restaurant dont expect a treat for your tongue here. and all you dieters NO NO this is not a reduce-belly-fat-in-10-days way of eating, its just a balanced diet.

Ok so i enter and the ambience is kewl fine dining with a lot of 'oldies' eating in banana leaf (i love it) but the atmosphere is completely sophisticated. The lunch they suggest for you is called the Rajakeeyam meals. First they serve you with banana and coconut and some 5 variety of juices which has to be taken in the order you are told to! i guess it included a nut milk, veg clear soup, bran milk, etc. everything except the nut milk was tasty.

Only after this the banana leaf is brought and served. One row of uncooked veggies (salad, raitha, puttu, etc.), one row of semi-cooked veggies (okra, olan, theeyal, etc.) and one row of cooked veggies (avial, thogayal, kootu, etc.). Now i dono what the puttu was doing in the veggies but that was the first thing i was asked to eat. The theeyal and thogayal were awesome. Everything else was typical Kerala style almost tasted home made. Things i skipped are keerai, banana stem kari, etc. Then comes rice (red and white) with sambhar, rasam, morkozhambu and buttermilk (not curd). I couldnt handle the red rice and since i already ate the veggies alone dint have much space to eat the white rice either.

In the end you need to drink payasam and a spoon of honey. Since i am not a very 'sweet' person I decided not to have it and the waiter called the manager. For a minute i freaked out thinking he was gonna force me to have it. For foodies like us who dont like to be told what to eat, this is not the place!

Anyways, this place is really nice, the meal costs 123 bucks including tax and the service is very good. If you dont want to go for this meal, you do have other options like a normal Indian restaurant in the menu too

Ambiance - 5/5

Food - 5/5

Service - 5/5

Price - 250 to 300 for a meal for two

My favourites - Rajakeeyam meals, evening snacks, health drinks

Will i go back? - Hit the place often for lunch, wen i urge a healthy meal..

Cholayil Sanjeevanam
97, Old No.45, Nungambakkam High Road,
Nungambakkam, Chennai - 600034
Phone 64508427, 64508428


Pamper yourself with an ayurvedic massage if you please!

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Bella Ciao - Kottivakkam

As Romantic .... As Italian

Probably one of the very few truly Italian restaurants in Chennai, of course has the romance that comes with every Italian restaurant attached to it. On the beach, open air, Italian food and awesome wine, everything to fall in love with. Best place to take your date and sip on some champagne. It is a bit expensive but the soothing sea breeze makes it all completely worth it!

PS: I dono if they are allowed to serve wine anymore. Try your luck tho!

Ambiance - 5/5

Food - 4/5

Service - 3/5

Price - 3/5

Will i go back? - Yes definitely for a special date.

Bella Ciao
4, Sree Krishna Enclave,
Water Land Drive, Valmiki Nagar,
New Beach, Kottivakkam,
East Coast Road, Chennai - 600041
Phone 24511130

Don forget to take your flowers!


 
Made by Lena