Food:
The proceedings started of with Macaroon as the Chennai Foodie just loves them. Not the traditional Tuticorin kind, but the imported Frenched up Macaroon. I have never been big fan of bite sized dessert portions, because I fail to understand why they should cost a bomb. Coming to the taste, I thought it was pretty decent, but the foodie seemed to love it. Maybe someone who loves these kind of stuff will be able to appreciate it better.




Next we had a English Cheese and Egg Sandwich which was refreshing. Albeit a cold sandwich the filling and the bread gave it a great taste. Then we had Chinese Steamed Pau, the food that KUNG-FU Panda loves. This was the first time  that I have had a steamed bun. But I must say it was spectacular. The chinese filling was amazing, the chilli sauce and the steamed bun combination was WoW!!! Loved every bit of it. Will definitely return just for these. Since we were still kind of hungry we decided to get the Pesto Pizza Roll which was very average.



Just to satisfy our sweet tooth we had a Orange Chocolate Dome and the Chocolate Cheesecake. The Orange Chocolate Dome was decadent, with orange peels in it. Orange gave a nice zing to it. On the other hand the Chocolate Cheesecake was sweetness overload. I was done with just two spoons. The caramel was really sweet, with nothing to balance out the sweetness. Food overall was a mixed bunch, but the Steamed Pau and the Sandwich are just enough to tip the scales and lure me for another visit.

Ambiance:
A typical cafe kind of dining. Nothing over the top here.

Service:
Spot on!

Price:
Now this is where it scores big in my book. Our actual bill was Rs 549/- not a big amount, we did have decent food. But then we used Graaby Rewards and got our bill down to Rs 349/- Big value for money.

Food - 7/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Service - 8/10
Price - 8.5/10

PS: Pictures shot using Samsung S6

Disclaimer : I paid for the meal.

Nicky's Cafe is on Ethiraj Salai right next to Ethiraj College.

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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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Food:
The visit to Cafe Ole was for a small snack which comprised of Iced Lemon Tea and Sautéed Chicken Mexican Pepperitos. This visit happened all because of my mom who wanted to know what a Pepperito was. Fresh ingredients, refreshing taste and a neat tart I would say. They were more like a single mouth bites for me. Whereas  the Ice Lemon Tea, was like how one would expect it to be. Just right!


Moving to Zuka, the items we had, were as follows - Hot Chocolate Drink, Molten Lava Cake, 64% Dark Chocolate Shake, Mud Pie and finally a Lemon Tart. I know thats a big load of sweet treats to consume. Hot Chocolate was like a pure chocolate which has been melted and made into a solid drink. Best hot chocolate ever.


I am a sucker for dark chocolate and this 64% Dark Chocolate shake was just what the doctor had ordered for. Perfect blend of dark chocolate with milk with whipped cream. Creamy and very very tasty.


Lemon Tart, had a nice base which was soft and biscuity while the lemon filling had little too much lemon ting to it. The Mud Pie was all because of my mom, as she was curious as how it would taste. The rich chocolate with slightly thick crust was perfect. By the time we could bite into the Molten Lava Cake we were on a Chocolate overload. No matter, we bit through the Lava Cake. Perfect chocolaty end to an amazingly chocolaty evening.

Zuka is a must visit for people who visit Pondicherry!!

Ambiance:
Both Zuka and Cafe Ole have very similar interiors which resemble your Barrista Cafe. Zukas ceiling is lined with Chocolate Butterfly which looks great and just shows how serious they are into the art of chocolate making.

Service:
Quick & Efficient

Price:
This meal which comprises of both Zuka and Cafe Ole cost us Rs 1000/-.

Food - 8/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Service - 8/10
Price - 8/10

Disclaimer : I paid for the meal

Cafe Ole & Zuka is located in Mission Street, Pondicherry

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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.

Food:
Mom and I have almost similar tastes in food. Thanks to that it gives me great versatility in ordering food. We had a quick glance at the menu and we chose to have the Chefs special Seafood Platter for starter and since Mango is the flavour of the season we decided to try the Cajun Spiced Chicken with Mango Puree and served on a bed of Mashed Potatoes.

Before our delicious starter could arrive, we were served with Focaccia with Olive oil and Salt in the color pink. The Focaccia was a bit hard and it gave a good workout to our muscles of mastication. Inspite of the hard nature, we chowed it down as we were really hungry and the taste was quite nice if only it were a little soft.


After a little while came in our Chefs Special Seafood Platter. They had informed us that they were out of Calamari, and asked if we wanted it to be replaced with Fish or Prawns. We chose to have the prawns. Firstly the platter consisted of Grilled Lobster, Prawns and Fish minus the Calamari and also Bruschetta. Positives first, the Grilled Lobster Prawns and the Fish were just divine. A dash of the garlic sauce made it spectacular. The negative it again comes down to the bread which was really really hard.


Chowing down the starters we served our main course which was just spectacular to look at. Amazing plating work. Cajun was mildly infused into the chicken. The king of the dish was the mango puree and the way it complimented the chicken was just fantastic. The mashed potatoes were nice, but I did find them a little clumpy.


Finally we had a Tiramisu to finish off the meal. The ladyfingers were just fantastic, great infusion in them and the mascarpone was just WoW!

All in all I, loved the entire meal despite the minor hiccups.

Ambiance:
The outdoor ambiance looked fantastic, but we chose to dine indoors as it was a bit sultry. Indoor is nice mix of contemporary with elegant Indian wood work. Big marks for this mix

Service:
They were attentive. But they did inform us before hand that they would a little longer than regular restaurants to serve. As all the time goes into wiping us a mind blowing meal.

Price:
This meal for two cost Rs 1800/-

Food - 8/10
Ambiance - 8.5/10
Service - 8/10
Price - 7.5/10

Disclaimer : I paid for the meal.

Le Dupleix is located Caserne Street in Pondicherry.

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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.

Hello fellow readers, I have just resigned from my deep hibernation. The actual reason, I was taking up exams, so had to ADAKI VAASICHUFY!!! ( limit my blogging). Now that I am back, I thought Swiss Hutte,  needed some good marks after run down over by others all over. Mind you I did dine a few days before the rundown happened on print. Anyways here are my observations.

Swiss Hutte, the immediately catapults your brain into thinking, swiss cheese, chocolates and concoctions. But here the creators have gone different way. They seem to have captured the essence which is the ambiance. This summer season may not bode well with the ambiance, but I am sure a small drizzle or the much cooler summer (Nov - Dec) of Chennai will do wonders.

Food:
It was three friends setting out to catch up with one an another other after a long break. This was going to be a more conversation day, so each picked are choice meal. I chose the Chicken Steak Sandwich, while my friends decided on Beef Burger and the Chicken Steak.

The Beef Burger was mildly dry as my friend had wanted a well done burger. The Chicken Steak which my other friend ordered  was soft, juicy and perfect. Every bite into it just showed the simplicity of the dish.


The Chicken Steak Sandwich which I had opted, had the same delicious steak stuffed inside a  baguette. The baguette bread was just perfect. The best I have had in a long time. Very fresh and you could hear the crunchiness of the bread in every bite. Good thing they had not diluted the dish by dabbing it up with mayo or any other sauce. As for the fries they seemed, a little store bought. Overall the food was good, it reminded me very much of La Boulangerie.



Ambiance:
Simple decor. They quite simply captured the essence of a swiss cafe in a farm minus the weather. They have a outdoor dinning and a indoor dining. I would reserve comments on the outdoor dinning for a later occasion. The cafe does not have a car park of its own and it relies on the car parking on the greams road. Tough luck on a weekday when the Apollo Hospital is packed.

Service:
This is one area were they fall behind by a large margin. The waiters are not trained and it shows. They find it hard to suggest a dish.

Price:
Well the meal was priced at Rs 1700 for 3 people, which I consider a little pricy considering the dishes we had ordered.

Inspite of the drawbacks with the service and the pricing I would definitely love to return to Swiss Hutte for the decor and their fresh breads.

Food - 7.5/10
Ambiance - 8/10
Service - 5/10
Price - 7/10

Swiss Hutte is located in Greams Road, bang opposite to Apollo Hospitals.

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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.

Finally got a chance to take a break and get back to what I love doing. Clicking food!! Location - Madras Sqaure. Subjects - irresistible food. We, a group of three, moseyed into the cafe a little past 7pm on a lovely Saturday evening. Thanks to the pleasant weather, it was great dining outdoors, soaking up the lovely ambiance the restaurant nestled in.





Food:
We started off with a Smoked Salmon on Toast followed by a Mezze. The Smoked Salmon on Toast was a beauty. The dash of orange peel was a fantastic touch. The mixture of flavours was an absolute symphony on the taste buds. I would strongly recommend the dish. The Mezze had a quartet of dips to go with the pita. The dips were great. Each unique in its own right, but the pita was a let down, to  an otherwise a great dish. The pita was soft but had a slight doughy feel to it. To quench our thirst I had picked the Peach Ice Tea, while my friend had the fresh Orange Juice. The orange juice was like a regular orange juice, nothing really special about it, while my peach ice tea seemed like a concentrate of peach and tea, which was great.


Gobbling down the starters we ordered our mains. I picked a Tenderloin steak, while my friend picked the days special Grilled Pomfret Fish in Sri Lankan Masala and finally a Gnocchi. Gnocchi being vegetarian, was not the pick among the two carnivores. Nevertheless, the mouthful which I had, enough to say, it was good. The Grilled Pomfret Fish was definitely the star dish, in my books. Made of Sri Lankan spices which gave it a unique identity. An upmarket cafe serving a fish which was almost similar in taste to what one would get at Moonrakers is a big thumbs up! Of course the pricing  is higher than at Moonrakers, but then the ambiance does come at a cost. Finally the Tenderloin steak - medium was perfect. I was not a big fan of medium cooked steaks, but then I have slowly began to love em. This steak was no exception. Small cut through revealed the slight pink tint on the meat and juice made of pepper base was perfect. Served on a bed of grilled onions with grilled veggies on the side took the dish to whole new level. The Veggie sides served on a bed of cheese was totally different from what I have had. All in all the food was great.

Ambiance:
Set in a remote road off the East Coast Road in Neelankarai, with a mix of contemporary architecture and traditional South Indian furniture, and mesmerising live rock band, on a day were the weather Gods were kind on Chennai. There can't be a better day to experience this superb ambiance.

Service:
Service was quite all right. The only problem was the person who took our order was not really clear about  the menu and he had to walk back and forth to a senior to verify if we raised any doubts about the menu.

Price:
This meal for 3 cost us Rs 2500/-. The dishes are priced on a slightly  higher side, but then they charge only 2% VAT and there is no service charge on the bill which is a big bonus.

Food - 8/10
Ambiance - 8/10
Service - 7/10
Price - 7.5/10

Madras Square is located in a road off ECR in Neelangarai. You definitely need google maps to locate this place.

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It's becoming increasingly hard to keep track of the restaurants and cafe's opening up in Chennai. One of the most recent entrant into this space is the The Bistro Story. The formation of this place is a story by itself. Created by 3 college friends funded by their raw passion for food and beverages. This puts a interesting spin to the place.





The Red Curry Flavored Chicken Burger and Grilled Smoked Chicken Panini were served together. I did not get to sample my friends burger. But I just watched the juice flow right out of it when he took his first bite. I must say, that was the first time I had a Foodgasm!! The Smoked Chicken Panini was a world apart. I have had so, so so many smoked chicken sandwiches, infact I pick smoked chicken sandwich over the others. This sandwich was by far the best I have had at a cafe. It is on par with the 1000 bucks sandwiches served at big joints. One minor grouse, I really do hope they shift to homemade potato fingers. Both these dishes were served with a chutney of sorts and finger chips. The burger had a bonus of onion rings. I am most definitely going back for the burger. Can't wait for another foodgasm!!

"All you need is love. But a  little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt." -  Charles M.Schulz.






Chicken Quiche was awesome too. The thick cheese layer mingled with chicken was just magical. The only let down of the lot was the cookie shake, which is cold coffee with cookies broken into it. The drink was not sweet and also lacked the coffee punch.

Ambiance:
A very neat looking cafe along the corridor of the hotel. Could seat around 20 people at the max, I suppose. There were also a couple of paintings put up for sale.

Service:
Service was more like the types which we experience at Barista. Waiter was in no moods to let me click pictures of the food and kept saying it was for security reasons. Still I managed to snuck a few clicks.

Price:
The 3 items made my wallet light by Rs530/-

Food - 7/10
Ambiance - 7.5/10
Service - 7/10
Price - 7/10

Le Cafe is located inside Novotel Hotel which is inside Hyderabad Convention Center, Hitec City, Hyderabad.

Spl. Mugs and Spoon

Spl.Braille Menu

Closer Look at Braille

Donut and Veg.Sandwich

Hi guys. I was out the other day, with a couple of CFG members at a very special, one of a kind cafe called Kalakkal Cafe. This cafe caters to the needs of people very unlike us..the differently abled.

When I reached the cafe, Ricky and Satish had already met and they were waiting outside for me to join them. We walked inside clueless as to what to expect. This cafe has been modeled for differently abled people. It had ramps and slopes which facilitated the entry of the differently abled people.

When we went in and met the people we did not know how to interact with them.Thankfully, people over here are very friendly and they come up and talk to us. We spoke with Anuradha who is a teacher for spastic children and also the volunteer for the evening. She begun by explaining to us how this whole concept came up. She told us that the differently abled people found it very difficult to getting into the regular cafeteria and restaurants, the menu and also trouble with the food.

She explained to us the solutions which they have made, to make life easier for them. Accessibility - build ramps or slopes around the place, Menu - put pictures and also made it with bright and dark colours, also Braille for people who find it even more difficult, Food - easy to hold cups with two handles and also spoons with large handles on them. Most of the solutions seem very simple and can be easily adopted for use in regular cafeteria.

She further told us that the cafe is in a physiotherapy room which doubles up as a coffee shop on the 2nd and 4th saturday of every month. Most of the people who run it, are volunteers. We asked her if they had a tie up with any cafe or restaurant. She mentioned that this is a new concept which is being implemented for the first time in Asia. It made me really proud to know that, something of this kind is being started in Chennai. She informed us that Cafe Coffee Day is interested in adopting this concept into its cafe chain.

We made a couple of friends with the people present there. Santhosh who had finished his schooling a couple of years back, is looking to start a business with a couple of his friends. He is looking to make plates with the use of beetel leaves. We also met Deepak, who has finished his PG in journalism. He is totally into cricket, supports CSK in IPL and also a big fan of Sachin. Somewhere between making new friends and talking to Anuradha we were joined by Karthick Ganapathi and his family.

On the fun end of the Cafe, we saw a couple of volunteers who played music on the guitars and keyboards. They kept the people really happy and entertained. They played remixes of some popular songs.

The food at the cafe is sourced from Winners Bakery. I shared the food with Ricky and Satish. We tried the donut, veg.sandwich and the puff. The food tasted simple and good.

I actually went in for the food, but came out making some new friends. Definitely a great place to go if you have the heart to make a difference in these people lives. I was really moved by people in the cafe.


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