Food:
I visited Lotus Thai for the on-going Sea Food Festival which mix matches local produce with a contemporary Thai twist. So we started our meal with the fffantasticcc Prawn & Garlic Crackers with an assortment of dips. My favourite combo was the Prawn cracker with the Tamarind Dip - the crunchy texture with the liquid sauce accentuated the flavours.


This excellent dish was followed by the Grilled Scampi which I felt could definitely pass of as a Lobster (LOL!!). It was simply huge, I wonder where do you even get these? The general thought is, the larger the size of seafood, the more difficult it gets to infuse them with flavours. But that simply was not the case here, as it had nice lemon grass flavour to it.

To accompany this we had the Rose Lemonade and Pattaya Beach Cooler. Both were excellent. Next up was Crispy Fried Soft Shell Crab with Lemon Basil Sauce which was out of the world. I do not have words to explain the gastronomic feeling which I had when I took a bite of it. Absolute must have. I really do wish they could add this to their regular menu.

After killing through some appetisers we had Prawn Tom Yum & Tom Kha which were definitely great palate cleansers.



Moving to the mains, I must mention all the dishes were fabulous. It started with my 900g Lobster friend ( Not pictured here - do visit my insta for it) who was simply grumpy looking at us killing it. But must say he was quite well dressed with glass noodles and had a garlic and pepper perfume LOL!! Then entered the Golden Fried Anchovies - divine. Another must have and would love it if it made it to the regular menu. Following which we had Jasmine Rice with Lotus Homemade curry with seafood fabulous well known combo which worked well.

Finally we finished our meal with a Twist. Lemon Grass Ice cream and a Water Chestnuts in Coconut Milk which were decadent. The way the chef has used the water chestnuts for the crunchy texture in an otherwise sweet coconut milk deserves praise.

Ambiance:
Lotus Thai after the reboot has had amazing image makeover. New contemporary decor was simply fabulous

Price:
A meal for two should cost an upward of Rs 4000/- . Again it based on your appetite.

This food festival is on till the 28th of February 2016. Seafood lovers should not miss this.

Disclaimer : Invited Review

The Park is located on Anna Salai and it is hard to miss.

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.

**Want instant reviews follow me on Instagram!!

Food:
The on-going Egg Benedict Food Festival is part of the breakfast buffet at The Dining Room, Park Hyatt which is at no extra charge. We kick started the proceedings with a top-notch Muesli which is based on special recipe known only to Hyattians!! Most intriguing part of the buffet was the honeycomb which helps the restaurant produce organic honey at the time of need. The buffet spread was decent with slight mix of Indian dishes and a whole assortment of pastries.

Eggs are on my favourite breakfast food list. So trying out different variations of the eggs just made my day or rather the morning! First up was the original version with English muffin as the base topped up with Spinach, perfectly poached egg and finally the heavenly Hollandaise sauce. It was just perfect. Just when I thought this dish cannot be pushed any further, Chef Balaji whips up a multitude of variations to it.






No breakfast can be complete without the assortment of puff pastries. My O My! I loved the Cheese Croissant and the Chocolate Danish. These were just perfect - crispy outer and soft inner. I don't see a better way to start the day.

These amazing selection of Eggs Benedict is available till the 31st of January as a part of the Breakfast buffet. I really do wish they add these variations to the regular menu for foodies to relish.

Ambiance:
Lovely ambiance with a fantastic view. Great place to start your day.

Price:
The breakfast buffet is priced at Rs 900/- per head plus taxes. Definitely a place to head to!

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.

**Want instant reviews follow me on Instagram!!

Food:
This was more of pitstop kind of a meal, so did not carry my gear to click fancy photos. We had Cheese Burger and Lamb Meatball sandwich and finished off the meal with dessert-Ecstacy.


The Cheese Burger aka Tenderloin burger was out of the world. Yet another place which reinvents the burgers from our much loved Gallopin Gooseberries. Enjoyed the juiciness of the meat. It definitely made my hand messy. So full marks for the burger.

The Lamb Meatball Sandwich was in a different league. The meatballs served along with the Marinara sauce gets full marks in my books. The bread became a tad soggy, but I still enjoyed it.


The Ecstasy dessert was a chocolate over load. More like a Chocolava cake.

Ambiance:
Housed inside the Donut House, Tuck Shop Gourmet retains the same interiors.

Service:
This was one thing which was little disappointing. Service was quite slow.

Price:
This meal for two cost us Rs 590/-

Food - 8/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Service - 6/10
Price - 8/10

PS: Pictures shot using Samsung S6

Disclaimer : I paid for the meal.

Tuck Shop Gourmet is located bang opposite to Ethiraj College on Ethiraj 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.

**Want instant reviews follow me on Instagram!!

Happy New Year!!!, Happy New Year!!!! It has been a while since my last post on my blog. Been happily ambling around, enjoying!

New Year, New Blog Post, New Restaurant. No other fitting way to do it. Yes! Yes! it is about Mamagoto. A new Pan Asian restaurant which has arrived on KNK road. Boy oh boy! They have made an awesome mark.

Food:
Mamagoto has many other outlets all over the country, but a first in Chennai. We were invited as a part of Bloggers food table to try-out the food just before the opening. So we sat down to try out the dishes - me and my best friends / bloggers.





We kickstarted the proceedings with a portion Crispy Lotus Stem, Hot Basil Chicken Cups, Prawn Tempura and Honey Chicken with Bell Peppers. Firstly I am not able to lock down on the dish which I liked the most as all the dishes were spectacular. Secondly the portion sizes were generous. I really do wish they stick to these portion sizes.


To quench our thirst we had a Wasabi Mary, Pina Colada, Cucumber Basil mock-tail and a Virgin Sangria. All drinks fantastic. But my pick of the lot would be the Cucumber Basil Mock-tail.




We skipped Soups and Salads and went ahead with the mains. We had a Soggy Thai Basil Fried Rice and a Chicken Soho Pan Fried Noodles. For a change I liked the vegetarian dish better. Noodles was a bit spicy for my liking, never-the-less, tasty.



The desserts were the best of the lot. I really would not mind stepping in just for the desserts. The Banoffee Pie was simply sensational. In fact we had two portions of the same. We also had the Homemade Coconut and Palm Sugar Ice Cream and the Chunky Caramel Sponge Cake, which were delicious as well.

One of the fellow food blogger on our table had been to the Bangalore outlet and was raving about their experimental menu which they have as an addition to the regular menu. Sadly it was not available at launch. Thankfully, the Food Director informed us that they would introduce the experimental menu soon in Chennai soon.

Ambiance:
Felt more like a Hipster Asian restaurant, a mix of contemporary art with oriental asian form factor.

Price:
A meal for two should cost around Rs 2000 and upwards depending on the number of dishes you chose to order.

Disclaimer : Invited review.

Mamagoto is located in opposite to Cafe Coffee Day Square on KNK Road.

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.

**Want instant reviews follow me on Instagram!!

There are times in life for even a pure non-veggie getting "the craving for veg food". Yes! Yes! I know it is a banned term for carnivores. But then once you do get it, there is only one solution. To have a herbivore diet! This was one such time.

Food:
Since it was just the two of us (Mom & I)  for the dinner, we kept the orders to a minimal. Also my mom hates me clicking with DSLR's, thankfully I had my ASUS Zenfone 2 LASER on my hand. Our order portion of Onion Rings, Channa Bhatura, Malai Kofta and Lachha Paratha. The Onion Rings were the first to be served. Crispy batter fried onion rings with sprinkle of chat powder was just divine. Mom was really craving for yesteryears Drive-In woodlands style Channa Bhatura and the one served here was just super sized and tons of times richer. It was just a overload. The Bhatura was soft, while the Channa was rich and mildly sweet.


My Malai Kofta and Lachha Paratha was the last to be served by then I had my hands dirty binging on the Bhatura so could not click it. If the previous dish was an overload of richness, the Malai Kofta was epitome of richness. Even though it was slightly on the sweeter side, the combination with the Paratha was heavenly. Binge eating at this place a couple of times a month - one would definitely grow a full circle wider.

Ambiance:
A simple dining space which was quite empty when we walked in around 8pm but was fully packed, with people waiting by 9:30pm.

Service:
Courteous fast and fantastic.

Price:
The meal set us back by Rs 995/-

Food - 8/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Service - 9/10
Price - 8/10

PS: Pictures shot using ASUS Zenfone 2 LASER.

As I have been using two different camera centric smartphones for a while now, I can most definitely vouch for ASUS Zenfone 2 LASER. By far the best sub Rs 10000/- phone. Loaded with Tech to the teeth it can take battle up to my other higher end daily driver both in terms of Camera and Battery. A big mention to the battery which lasted a good 3 days with heavy usage while my other phone gave up in a single day during the Chennai Floods. For people looking to start a food blog or foodstagram page this phone would be a great starting point for having those amazing photos thanks to the LASER autofocus and full MANUAL mode just a DSLR. The Manual mode is quite brilliant as it gives complete control over photo output. Throw in a pair of steady hands and a creative mind, BOOMMM!!! Fantastic photos as output every time around.

Disclaimer : I paid for the meal.

Cream Centre is located on College Road near Alliance Francaise.

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.

**Want instant reviews follow me on Instagram!!

Chennai bar food scene is finally warming up to a lot of new players. More choices, better for the consumer. Newest entrant into the scene is Hoppipola - A bar which wants to put the fun back into your life. A table which doubles up as a blackboard. Super sized Jenga for the Jenga fans. Mini golf, Taboo and various other games, plus a collection of Comics. Yes definitely this does put some recreation back into the life. Maybe they should instate no phones rule, like the no stags rule :P A place which looks like a garden with some fine sounding audio setup playing tracks to groove to. This is the scene at Hoppipola.
Food:
As always I picked my magic portion, Peachy Mangifera, a spicy mock-tail and a Virgin Pina Colada. While my friend had a Orange Passion Frappe & Virgin Pina Colada and the sole drinker had the Watermelon - Basil Caprioshkas. The Peachy Mangifera had a nice spicy zing to it and the Pina Colada was out of the world. Finally a proper Pina Colada with good coconut juice.




The meal kicked off with Jah Man's Chicken, which was breaded chicken with Jamaican spices. Crispy and tasty but a little dry for my liking. Next up was the sole veg dish, which was the Cheesienos, which was essentially a crisp fried cheese stick.




For mains we had a Chicken Blasta Pasta, 4 ways Pizza and a Lamburgini Burger. The Blasta Pasta had quiet a chilly hit to it. Kind of oil soaked as well. But still pretty decent.



Pizza 4 ways was two veg pizzas and two non-veg pizzas put-together. The veg pizzas were Margarita and Cheesie Pizznezz while the carnivore part had the Lambretta and Jerkin Around. Getting to sample so many different kinds of pizzas on a single base was a first for us. Nice thin crust worked in the toppings favour.


Finally we had the Lamburgini Burger which kind was a let down. Thin patty which was on the drier side and the bun to patty ratio also did not help the cause. But presentation wise it looked brilliant. French fries served Jenga style was quite nice.



For desserts we had the Banana Cinnamon Ice Cream Cake and Molten Chocolate Lava Cake served along with a Vanilla Ice Cream. Both pretty decent desserts to finish up a meal.

Ambiance:
This was something which I enjoyed the most. Had crazy fun playing Jenga and mini golf.

Price:
A meal for two should cost around Rs 1500 - 2000 including a round of drinks.

Disclaimer : Invited review.

Hoppipola is located inside Hotel Spring at Nungumbakkam.

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.

**Want instant reviews follow me on Instagram!!