Finally the biggest mall in Chennai has opened. A mall which surpasses the Express Avenue in space and grandeur, a mall which houses Chennai's first IMAX screen: the one and only Phoenix Market City!  It is located in Velacherry. I was here today along with my mom to have a look around the Mega landmark of Chennai. Today all the roads seem to lead to Phoenix City. It was that bursting with people. We were here post-lunch and we decided to grab a cup of coffee because all that loitering about and gaping at the shops made my mom tired!

Food:
The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, housed in 1st Floor of the mall, is where we headed to. The place was packed tight and we had to wait a few minutes before we could get a seat. I ordered a Ice Blended Mocha, while my mom ordered Cafe Latte and we decided to share a Chocolate Chip Muffin. The muffin was huge, and definitely four people could share it with ease. While both the coffees were fantastic. It had the right blend of coffee with very small amount of milk. If you are the kind of person who likes Barista then you would love this.

Ambiance:
It is a very small outlet with about a 20seats. It would be really difficult to get a seat on peak days for sure. The outlet looks really neat.

Service:
Service is really quick. It is almost like they are ready to throw you out with their service speed.

Price:
Most drinks are priced a touch higher than the outlets we are used to. But it is worth the bite!

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

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf is located on the 1st Floor of Phoenix Market City on Velacherry Main Road.

Thanks to Nishanth for the prices.

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

Haagen-Dazs is located in the same building as Cascade in Khader Nawaz Khan Road

The spread starts off with a chicken broth for soup. Small pieces of grilled chicken in a clear liquid with a dash of salt and pepper. A neat soup to begin with. It does not raise the expectation of the buffet nor does it lower it anyway. Next, there is a choice of veg and non-veg pizza which is served at the table. The pizza seems to be cooked in the same wood fired oven which we have become accustomed to. Taste wise it needs a little tweaking. Food is spread in all corners of the restaurant. At times I was confused and searching for the starters. Then there was a chicken kebab and a crispy fried fish with a chili sauce dressing. The Chicken kebab did not really impress me, while the Crispy Fried Fish rocked! There is a wide variety of breads which is part of the spread, with a delicate selection of cheeses on offer, which you could mix and match to your taste.

If you guys are in the mood for a healthy sandwich or something similar, the only destination in Chennai was  the Subway. But now with the recent entry of Quiznos into healthy sub scene here at Chennai, all is changing. Quiznos at Ispahani Center has been up and running from the last quarter of 2012. I have been waiting since the day it was opened, to have a go at them.



Food:
Since it was my first time here, we chose to try-out different subs, the Sub-of-the-day was Classic Italian. We also had  Mesquite Chicken, Chipotle Chicken & Zesty Grille Chicken. All the subs were simply fantastic. Each was a winner in its own right. One point to note is that. the scope to alter the sub to our taste is limited. The choice of breads and the extra toppings are the only option. It best to go with the pre fixed combination, as it works well. Also I happened to have a look at the prep of the sub, I must say the amount of meat which is placed is considerably more than what you would get at Subway. We did try the Pineapple squash and Ice Tea. Both the drinks were very refreshing, with the squash being more like Rasna. You do get more than your average sub here. There is an option of pizzas, soups, salads, sandwich's & of course the deserts. My favorite sub of the lot was Chipotle Chicken. The taste was wonderfully different!

Ambiance:
The ambiance at Quiznos was very simple with elegant accents of colors on the wall.

Service:
Service at Quiznos is pretty quick, with none of the subway style waiting near the counter required. If you do wish to have a glance at the "making" of your sub, you could walk straight up to the counter and enjoy the view.

Price:
Priced a notch above subway, maybe a little risky. But the flavors and the filling, do justice to the price.

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

Quiznos is located inside Ispahani Center in Nungumbakkam

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The 1st of the amazing delights was the Pizza Puff, which is a rolled dough to resemble a puff. Next up was the Pizza Calzone. A pizza folded or a Masala Dosa, you decide. Then came the Aachari Masthi Pizza or your Ooga Pizza.... Yummmmm!!












In-between all this CFGian Priya had a surprise for us all. An amazing Homemade White Chocolate Sponge Cake. This cake was heavenly. The sponge cake was soooo very soft and awesome. Priya runs a home bakery and turns out delicious cakes.

Ambiance:
The ambiance at Mogappair outlet is a bit of a let down. I really wish that this outlet could emulate the ambiance at their Taramani joint.

Price:
The most pocket friendly pizzas, kicks all other multi-outlet pizza brands hands down.

Food - 8/10
Ambiance - 4/10
Price- 9/10

Pizza Republic, Mogappair is located bang opposite to Chennai Public School

Guess this is the last post for 2012. I have had a fun filled 2012 and I am hoping my 2013 turns out to be equally great. Wishing you all a very Happy New Year!

Since a couple of my friends kept calling and asking me to suggest a good dinner place without spirits. I have catalogued  the restaurants where you could head to, for the special night.

I am just listing the restaurants without partiality or favour:

1. Zaitoon - Anna Nagar : Special Buffet. Priced @ Rs 549/- for adults and Rs 399/- for Children.
   Contant No: 044 - 26140001

2. Falafel - Anna Nagar : Special Buffet. Priced @ Rs 499/-
    Contact No: 044 - 26200666, 9840800055

3. Mahamudra - Mylapore (Veg) : Special Buffet ( Candle light dinner). Priced @ Rs 1000/-
    Contact No: 044 - 43535555, 24991757

4. New Town Cafe - Injambakkam : Special Buffet. Priced @ Rs 1200/- for adults and Rs 750/- for children.
    Contact No: +91 89398 66235 / +91 91760 66866

5. Fusion 9 - Sterling Road: Special Buffet. Priced @ Rs 1250/-
    Contact No:  044 - 42664299

6. Jewel Box Restaurant, Hotel Blue Diamond - Egmore : Turkey Special. Priced/plate
    Contact No: 044 - 26412244

7. Dewberry's - R.K. Salai : Special Buffet ( Candle light dinner ). Priced @ Rs 650/-
    Contact No: 044 - 28473439

8. Coffeetales - Shanti Colony (Veg) : Cafe to hang-out post 12pm! Priced / order.
    Contact No: 9790750555

Happy New Year once again!!!!

Next up we were served with a whole platter of Non-veg starters. My God! It would bring a big smile on any carnivore. Easily 5 to 6 different starters of medium sized portions each. I do not think I would need to explain it further. "A perfect non-veggies paradise". The platter had the best selection of dishes from  the Indian end of the menu. The word limited starters here is an understatement. After we had stuffed our bellies with rich scrumptious starters, we headed for the main course.




Main course, was an  unlimited round. It consisted of Mutton Stew to go with the Crispy Appams. The combination of both was out-standing. Also this verdict was given by one of my appam crazy friend from Kerala. Then we had the Butter Chicken Masala to go with Tandoori Roti and Butter Naan. Butter chicken served here may not be really rich, but it had the right flavor and also a delicious naan to go with. Finally smoked chicken rice with chicken gravy. The signature smoked rice was fantastic and it did not disappoint. By the time we had the smoked rice, we ended up feeling really stuffed.


Finally when we are done with the main course, there was a single (limited) helping of Ice Cream and Gulab Jaamun. The Gulab Jaamun was simply the best  that I have had in a restaurant. The combo of the Jamun and Ice cream did not fail to rock us. Once we were done with the meal, we ended up with the realization that  the amount of money we paid for the meal was really worthy of the dishes served here. You would love the set meal, if you were a through bred South Indian.

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:
Service is proper, with the waiters giving you the best suggestion to enjoy the meal.

Price:
Priced at Rs 600/head + taxes, it works out to be the best set meal or and extended a la carte aka shrunken buffet at this end of the price. Had you had the same amount of food on a la carte , it would have worked out to about  Rs.1000 per head.

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

Crimson Chakra is located in Gandhi Nagar, Adyar, next to Gandhi Nagar Club.