Food:
Since we were here for coffee, I picked the Cafe Latte and my friend had the Cold Drip. To satisfy our sweet tooth we picked the Sugarless Chocolate Toffee Cake. The Cafe Latte, well... I would rate it as just decent. Since this was my first attempt at having Cold Drip, I am unable to compare it to anything. I thought it was fine. Finally the cake. Well, it is better left unsaid. Could be their bad day. Maybe I'll head back there, some other time.


Ambiance:
Well they have got this part spot on. Feels great both indoors and outdoors. To top this they have ample car parking facility.

Service:
Quick and efficient, two key ingredients which they have in spades.

Price:
A quick coffee and a bite to eat for two should cost Rs 500 odd.

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

Disclaimer : I paid for the meal

The Brew Room is located inside the Hotel Savera on R.K. Salai

If you like what you are reading, Please share it with others.

*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.

There is lot of chat about eating healthy and living healthy.  I  believe eating just salads for one meal a day everyday, should help our body detox and also give the necessary fibre content.

Since I love salads, I joined Mr. Food in Chennai for a Salads only lunch at The Dining Room at Park Hyatt. They have priced these innovative healthy salads deal at Rs 450 + taxes for each salads. To accompany the salads, they do have a selection of healthy drinks as well.

Food:
Without further ado, I ll talk about the food. The salads are normally put into single bowl and served. Here they decided to give it a twist by deconstructing it. Yes this was my 1st deconstructed salad. Also my first experience on the different preparation styles of a salad.

The Dining room wipes out the deconstructed salad in


- Roasted
which was made of baby beetroot, fennel, apple, celery, walnut, orange, arugula and goat cheese




- Blanched
asparagus, mango, snow peas, shaved carrot, scallions and toasted hazelnuts



- Tossed
made of quinoa, avocado, cherry tomatoes, parsley mint, toasted pumpkin seeds and sunflower cress



- Smashed
which contains edamame and broccoli spread, roasted garlic lemon, ricotta and pumpernickel toast


- Grilled
which was made of eggplant, chickpeas, dates, honey, chilli, feta, pomegranate, pine nut and fresh herbs.

One can top them of with the addition of non-veggies

- Smoked Salmon
- Seared Tuna
- Poached Egg
- Chicken Breast

To accompany these and wash them down, a selection of healthy drinks.



- Watermelon Smoothie
Fresh watermelon, yoghurt and honey

- Skin Tonic
Romaine Lettuce, Cilantro, Lime and Pineapple

- Spark
Almond, milk, avocado, vanilla bean and banana

- Energiser
Apple, Kiwi, Lime, Spinach, Celery and honey

&

- Bello
Banana, spinach, coconut, cashew and coconut cream

I had bit of all the salads and the drinks. Personally I have never had a blanched salad. I was pleasantly surprised about the flavours. A small amount of mango also does wonders. My personal favourite of the lot was the Grilled Salad. It had a heavy mediterranean influence. Something like the hummus. Loved it. Between the Smoked Salmon and the Grilled Chicken, I somehow ended up liking the chicken, in spite of me being a Salmon lover. Plenty of drinks to combine with the salads and my personal pick was the Bello - you cant even feel the spinach in it, which is the best part.

These amazing selection of salads are available between 21st April to 28th April for both lunch and dinner at The Dinning Room and for dinner at Flying Elephant - Park Hyatt.

Ambiance:
Lovely ambiance with a fantastic view. Great place to unwind after a hard days work

Price:
A lovely healthy meal for two should cost Rs 1800/- odd.

Disclaimer : Invited review

Park Hyatt is located on the entrance of Velachery High Road on Guindy.

If you like what you are reading, Please share it with others.

*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.

Looks like Burgers have become the HoT!! commodity in Chennai. Every new joint which pops up wants to fill this lacunae. Thanks to this thought,  we have loads of Burger Joints. One of the latest entrant to the scene is Double Roti. After establishing a strong base in Guragon, they have moved to the best city in India, Yes!! Namma Singara Chennai!!!

Food:
I had a small meet-up with a bunch of foodies after days work, my first outing in months. I must thank Fazil (Mr. Food in Chennai) for waiting patiently till the time I was available to try this joint. Since I am a burger lover. Even known in some food circles as Shadir " The Burger" Bughari, this joint which people have been raving about was on my must have list.


Our order for the evening was a Single Patty Illegal Burger / Barely Legal Burger, then a double patty of the same, a 4th of July Burger and finally the drinks which were Oreo O Oreo Shake, Killer Chocolate Shake and two other shakes whose names, I am unable to recollect. In between all this there was Beef Chilli Fries

Firstly let me get the Fries part done. I have been waiting to see if someone does this concept of topping a meat onto fries in India. Thank heavens it has finally happened. I must say they have got it right. Beef is based on steak sauce with kidney beans and small amount of chilli flakes. People who love HEAT, please you will be like, what, where and stuffs. The BEST fries I have had in a long while. I was simply mind blown. The beef gravy was similar in taste to Turkey Roast ( New Year ) special at Hotel Blue Diamond.


Now coming to the drinks. It was humongous. Freakishly Large jars!! I bet you I did not expect em to be served in  such a big jar for that price. Taste - Devine! Very much up the alley of Sandys and Mocha. I only happened to taste the chocolate shakes, but WoW! will be a understatement.


Finally coming to Burgers. I ll start by dissecting the burger into parts. Buns - Perfect, held together, until the last bite. Soft at the same time fresh. Cheese, Mayo and the Meat - Tick, tick, tick. Right proportions, quantity and color. Now comes the time to test. Firstly the Illegal Burger / Barely Legal Burger. One bite instant FOODGASAM! you are transported to new realm. Best Beef burger. This tops my list as the best burger in town. The 4th of July Burger on the other hand a lamb burger, was similar to the ones I have had at Gallopin Gooseberries many decades ago. I did notice some kidney beans in the burger as well. Maybe its Double Roti's way of serving veggies to pure blooded CARNIVORES!



While having these burgers I could only think of one thing over and over again. The episode in " How I met your Mother" where Marshall hunts for the best burger in New York. I feel I had the similar happiness in the end.

To sum up - Best Burger Joint in the city. One cannot call himself a BURGER lover if he misses this joint.

Ambiance:
It is a small 30 seater restaurant, with loud music, very much like pub minus the alcohol. The major minus is that the place lacks parking space and you have to park on the road. Also now that this place has a huge fan following, getting a seat is really difficult.

Service:
Is fast and courteous. They make sure you do not leave the restaurant hungry.

Price:
This meal for the four of us was Rs 1850/- which I felt was quite reasonable in this day and age, also we were like really stuffed when we left.

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

Disclaimer - I paid for the meal

Double Roti is located in Cenotaph Road, Teynampet .

If you like what you are reading, Please share it with others.

*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.

If you like what you are reading, Please share it with others.

*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:
What happens when two foodies (ChennaiSoru and ChennaiFoodie) set their mind on having the best Christmas lunch - we end up ordering the best dishes on the menu. Our meal comprised of Turkey Biryani, Turkey Roast, Special Parotta, Fish Fingers and finally Butter Chicken Masala.



Fish Finger was soft, fresh and delicious. It has been my all time favourite since I was a kid. Next we moved to gobbling down the Turkey Biryani which is slightly mild biryani, works well. Finally we could not finish the meal without the famous Butter Chicken Masala. Another lip smacking dish.

Just to treat the sweet buds we had the Caramel Custard Pudding and Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream. An absolute decadent indulgence. It is true testament of its worth, that the restaurant has stood the test of time, managing to serve up amazing dishes .

Ambiance:
Yes it is true the ambiance is just okay and has not moved ahead with the time. But for the people such as me it brings back many nostalgic memories.

Price:
A meal for two with a mix of turkey dishes should set you back by about Rs 1000 to 1200 for two depending on how many portions you order.

Food: 9/10
Ambiance: 6/10
Price: 8/10

The Turkey specials are available only in limited portions so it is advisable to dine in at the earliest. They do have full birds of varying sizes for party orders which need a days notice.

Jewel Box Restaurant is located in Hotel Blue Diamond on EVR Periyar Salai.

PS: Thanks to Chennaifoodie for the photos. www.chennaifoodie.com
All the photos were shot using Nokia Lumia 730

If you like what you are reading, Please share it with others.

*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:
With the food court comprising of various restaurants which are not part of the Chennai food heritage, it was more like a food festival showcasing the food which Chennai has begun to love. We started sampling dishes from various joints.

The standout dishes were -

Chaat Platter from Kailash Parbat. This restaurant is known for their Chaat items, this was no different. They make some stunning Dahi pooris.

Chicken Pizza from Quiznos. This was a surprise to me. Because I am used to having Tortilla based Pizza at the other outlets. A mix between thin crust and fat crust it was. I must say it was delightful, On enquiring I found that, this is the only Quiznos in Chennai to serve this kind of pizza and also they do have Burgers and Crispy Fried Chicken apart from that.



Dragon Chicken - Wangs Kitchen. I know you would wonder how did Chinese dishes figure on to this list, but as I had mentioned earlier these are the food items which Chennai has begun to love. Dragon Chicken was surprise surprise!! loved it. You would not believe it, I actually did a mix and match with Banana Dosa :P

Banana Dosa from ID. Tasted exactly like Belosse (Banana Bhaji) which is a sweet dish from my native. Loved it. ID please make it main stream if it aint on your menu already. Kudos to the Chef!





Mayo Chicken from Arab Kitchen. Crispy Fried Chicken with Mayo, who would not love em. Tasty.
Finally Mutton and Valapoo Platter from Pandi Kadai. Both soft and delicious in its own right.

All the restaurants at the food court do have their regular dishes as well, if you feel to be a plain jane and skip the Special Menu.

Apart from the different menu, the food festival also showcases
- Cooking demonstrations
- Comedy Chef Performance
- Fusion Music Show


So head over to Forum Vijay Mall for some fun filled foodalisious activities.
Big Thanks to Forum Vijay Mall for having me over to Enjoy and Relish the Chennai Food Festival.

Forum Vijay Mall is located on the Vadapalani main road next to Hotel Green Park.

If you like what you are reading, Please share it with others.

*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.

Okay, no place has created so much buzz in less than 1 week of its opening. So that speaks volumes about the joint. And  I visited this place on two consecutive days! So now that is another proof of how good the burger is. Without further ado, let me pronounce its name.  The restaurant in question is Brick House Bistro located in Anna Nagar.

For BURGER lovers and American food enthusiasts  the quest for the perfect beef burger ends here. I am out of words to explain the taste, the burger carries. My benchmark for a great burger is Wimpys which was located in Alsa Mall back in the days. I used to frequent Wimpys as a kid with my Granddada who was a connoisseur of food. So any burger, must stand up to that standard. Later the reference point became the Gallopin Gooseberrys.  Now it is Brick House Bistro!

So here it goes. The pictures are from the second time I dined here.

Food:
Our order was simple. Stick to the basics. We ordered a Double Ground Beef Burger, Double Dog and a Stunner King Club Chicken Sandwich.


Double Dog -  Hot dog stuffed, mustard loaded on a perfect bun. Tastes delicious.


King Club Sandwich - Sandwich based on chicken sausage filled with mayo inside a nice toasted bread. Just divine.



Double Ground Beef Burger - I had the single the previous day. I think it is safe to say I will stick to single. Double is just too much. The bun : meat ratio is just much for me to handle. But once in a while I definitely would not mind  having  it. The bun is perfect, does not break down, caramelised onions perfect, cheese loaded, just bit of tomatoes. Ahhhh!!!! that perfect combination. One bite, two bites, three bites............  Foodgasam!!! Tastes just like Wimpys!!! Those memories!


To quench our thirst we had a Dark Chocolate Shake (DCS) and a Cold Coffee. DCS just kicked cold coffee's @$$.

Finally we decided to just nibble on something sweet. We ordered the Lemon Cheese Cake. This is something which is not made in house and it shows. The base was so-so the cheese was melty. The lemon in essence was kind of like a hint which at times was equal to absent.

Ambiance:
Simple decor. Could seat 20 odd people at a time. Works perfect for the kind of food on offer.

Service:
They are definitely trying hard to find the groove. I am pretty sure, a few more days and things will become silky smooth.

Price:
This meal cost us Rs 1450 /- including a beef burger take away. Best value for 3 people.

Food - 8.5/10 (Not counting the cake)
Ambiance - 7.5/10
Service - 7.5/10
Price - 8/10

Brick House Bistro is located next to Yamaha Showroom in Anna Nagar in the road adjacent to K4 Police Station.

If you like what you are reading, Please share it with others.

*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.