I was at Crimson Chakra as a part of the CFG Diners Club to tryout their new Tex-Mex cuisine which is in the process of being introduced into their menu here. I usually associate Crimson Chakra with high standards of food and CFG Diner's club with great company. So I was pretty much excited about the get-together.
As always I stuck to the Non-Veg section of the food. I did sample a few of the veg dishes. But I am not really the best person to give an opinion on veg food. We started of Diners Club dinner with Nikhil giving us a short talk about the Tex-Mex menu.
I am not a big fan of Tex-Mex cuisine. Its because I mostly relate the food to Indian food. Somehow every dish seems to resemble an Indian dish.
Food :
We kick started the food with Onion and Potato Basket. The dish was a photographers delight. I clicked a couple of pictures of them and found it really difficult to decide on which picture to put up here. The baskets looked cute with small eggs shaped balls of potato. The taste was akin to the Indian Bonda. The basket was crispy fried in oil and the dipping sauce making it more delicious.
Next we had a choice between veg and non-veg Potato skins. I was rather happy to dig into the non-veg skins. The potato housed the chicken stuffing and a layer of cheddar cheese and baked to perfection. This is my kind of starter. It has all the rite ingredients to gain a few pounds.
Next we were served with the Chimichanga. To me Chimichanga resembles a deep fried katti roll. The flour tortilla was loaded with rice, cheese and shredded chicken then deep fried. The chicken pieces were a little small to identify, in spite of which the taste was spot on.
While I was digging into my Chimichanga, I was offered a Quesadilla. Since this was a veg Quesadilla, I thought twice before I picked a piece. The quesadilla was dominated by the use of tomato with a slight hint of onion. Overall the dish was a little sweet thanks to the obvious ingredient - tomato! The sour cream and salsa dipping were definitely A-Plus. The sour cream complimented most of the dishes. Also the salsa dipping was top notch. Some salsa sauce feel like cheap tomato sauce, but this red sauce was perfect in every way.
After a few rounds of starters I was beginning to feel a little full, but there was still more to come. Then we were served with Nachos with a dollop of sour cream. The Nachos were fresh and crisp, way better than the packet nachos and it was complimented with the amazing flavors from the sour cream and diced vegetables. A must try dish for nacho lovers.
Finally came the last starter Tacos made of crispy wheat tortilla with a load of tomato & sour cream sauce. By the time I was done clicking pictures of the Taco, the tomato sauce had imbibed into the tortilla, making it a little soggy. But the flavors were spot on. Should try this out on another day when I am free to just eat and eat.
Finally with the starters coming to the end we were served with the soup. I decided to split the non-veg Tortilla Soup with Nish! The Tortilla Soup had a nice fresh tomato soup base with loads of pieces of chicken, tortilla, green & red bell peppers and onions. I had a few sips of the soup just to get the taste of the flavors. The soup was a tomato soup with a Mexican twist to it.
After the soup we had a few minutes of a breather. Then we jumped to the main course. For main course we were first served with Chili Con Carne which is a spicy stew with chilly and beef pieces in a tomato sauce. The beef was perfectly cooked and well marinated in the tomato sauce. By this time it was becoming an over load of tomato. So I am not sure if I would give the thumbs up to this dish. Maybe with a cleaner palate I would be able to judge it better.
The main course which I sampled after that was the Fish Veracruzana. This dish too like the chili con carne, was based on tomato. The dish as such was perfect. But again I dunno if it is a thumbs up.
Then there was Chicken Fajita, with the tortilla and the chicken being served separately. This de-assembled version looked awesome and this way you save the tortilla from becoming soggy. An excellent way to serve the dish. The Chicken was a welcome change from the over dose of the tomatoes. The grilled chicken strips was heavenly with the chicken being grilled to perfection. The combination of tortilla with the chicken was rustic. I skipped the Enchiladas though they looked very tempting, but I had reached my bursting point.
Inspite of the full belly I decided to sample the deserts. First there was the Crepe Banana with Walnuts and a drizzle of Honey. If you love the flavor of honey and banana together, then I am pretty sure there would be no complaints against this desert. The crepes were soft and went with the golden silky smooth honey syrup making it lip smacking. We were offered another dessert. I decided to split the dish with Nish again. Pecan Rosita Banana Grilled Chocolate, this was a sweet basket with banana, ice cream and a heavy dose of chocolate sauce. The basket had a taste of sweet paniyarum ( Local Sweet Dish ) and the toppings just added calories to the tasty rich desert. A perfect way to end a fabulous dinner.
Ambiance
The ambiance at the Adyar Crimson Chakra is slightly better than the Nungumbakkam Branch. The restaurant has an old colonial house feel to it. Also there are loads of photos on the wall, which are for sale. Another plus here is the availability of parking space.
Service
Since this was Diners Club event where we tested the food, I would not be rating the service. But from my previous experiences here, the service has been top notch.
Price
We were charged an amount of Rs 1000/- for the Diner Club meet which is fantastic value for the type of cuisine and the amount of food I had gorged on. All in all a very enjoyable experience. I wish Nikhil the very best with the Tex-Mex Cuisine. Hope to see these fabulous dishes added to the menu soon.
Food - 8/10
Ambiance - 8/10
Price - 8/10
Crimson Chakra is located in Gandhi Nagar, Adyar, next to Gandhi Nagar Club.
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*A review about a place holds good only for 6 months as there can be a change in quality and quantity of the food, the service and the staff, due to reasons best known only to them. So kindly consider these factors while visiting the places.
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