Food:
We started the meal with the ever familiar On The Rocks (OTR) special Garlic Bread served in cast iron bowl. The Garlic infusion into the bread is done in front of your eyes and it tastes as good as it looks.


For Starters we were served Smoked Duck Salad which was just brilliant. The kicker to the dish was the slices of oranges which cuts the monotony of the veggies.



To cleanse and refresh my taste buds I had the Orange & Green Chilli with Chia Seeds Mocktail. The green chilli brought in a late spicy twist to the orange drink while the chia seeds added texture.


Next was one of OTR specials which was the Baked Camembert with Honey & Garlic reduction. I am pretty sure I can have two or three of these. They are so dash good! Also it is a simple dish which you can make at home.


Next to be served was Chicken & Cheese Involtini which was morsels of mozzarella tucked inside chicken and served with diced tomato. It was fantastic.


Following this great dish we had the Pumpkin Ravioli. I simply loved it. It had a delicate pumpkin flavor which was the real differentiator from the regular cheese stuffing I am used to.




For the actual mains we had the option of choosing between Chicken Leg with baked potato, Eggplant Parmesan with Spaghetti and John Dory Fish Fillet with Spinach. I chose to go with the chicken leg while others  tried the other two. I got to sample the others' selection though and I would say the chicken leg was the winner. I would highly recommend this dish to people who dine here. The baked potato was so delicate and well cooked. It does not have any mushiness and it adds carb value to a protein dish.



We finished off with two stunning dessert dishes, The Hazelnut Crunch & Blueberry with White Chocolate Semifreddo. My pick of two was the Hazelnut Crunch as I am a sucker for anything dark and hazelnut.

All in all the dinner was a smasher! Dish after dish was a home run.  The chefs have worked really hard to create a new menu which is a blend of the old and the new.

Ambiance:
The restaurant has maintained the pristine flair abiet minor changes.

Price :
A meal for two cost upward of Rs 5000/-

Disclaimer : Invited Review

On The Rocks is located inside the Crowne Plaza, Alwarpet. Crowne Plaza was previously known as The Adyar Park Sheraton.

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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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Its been a while since I did a proper blog post. I have become so accustomed to doing an Instagram Post / Story and be happy with it. It helps me get done the work really really quickly. But this restaurant deserves a proper blog post.

I was here at the Welcomhotel which was previously known as the My Fortune and before that it was called The Chola Sheraton. It was the first hotel setup by ITC. It was around the same time that Taj had setup Taj Coromandel in Chennai. Now both the hotels stand as a part of Chennai's city scape with glory and pride.

To be very frank I have not visited the hotel ever since it dropped the Chola name tag. So visiting here after 10 plus years was bringing back a lot of familiar memories of the time I had visited with my parents and grandparents.

The hotel still holds its charm with its design very reminiscent of the 70's. One would definitely notice the teak wood which has been used in abundance, cane chairs with upholstery very much in tune with the trends in the 70s to the 80s. It definitely gives a good rewind in time.

So I was dining at the Earthen Oven for lunch with the bunch of bloggers. Earthen Oven used to house Peshawari when the hotel used to be called the Chola Sheraton. The layout of the restaurant remains the same but has been revamped to suite the time.


Food:
Earthen Oven explores the food from the northern frontier. Full on Kebabs, Dals and Rotis. We started our meal with nice welcome drink. Pineapple Rasam Mocktail it was amazing. They do have a alcoholic version of the same called the Pineapple Rasam Martini which I did not taste.

The kebab course began with the Aatish-E- Aloo which was crispy stuffed potato with potato cooked in a tandoor. We can call it alooloo (just kidding). It was delicate and well balanced. Next was the Bharwam Paneer. It is paneer stuffed with spinach and batter fried. It resembled a sandwich only the bread was replaced with paneer. I must say it was heavenly. Even as I type describing the dish I get the gush of salivation in my mouth.


Next began the best non-veg feast I have had in a long time. Tandoori Jhinga or Prawn tandoori was delicious. Also the prawns looked like they were measured and compared before cooking so that they look identical in size and shape when served.


Murgh Kadak Seekh was next to be served. It was batter fried Chicken sheekh with a stuffing of cheese and chilli. This dish is essentially a ITC Chola Sheraton invention and it remains part of their menu even today. This dish has good back story too. One fine day a Guest walks into the restaurant just as they were about to wind-up for the day and asks for a kebab dish. The Chef realizes that the the tandoor had been switched off and it would take a few hours for it to get to temperature. So he decides to batter fry it and give a twist to it. Thus the Murgh Kadak Seekh is born. The story is written as it was conveyed to me. Also the kebab was as tasty as the story. At times the craziest dishes are invented at the time of need.


Then came one of my favorites Murgh Zafrani Tikka saffron flavored boneless chicken which was infused Indian Spices. Full marks to the succulent chicken. I loved it.



Finally we got to sample the Shikandari Raan. Hands down the best dish. If you are a person who loves mutton please do not miss this dish. The meat was so tender it just fell apart from the bone and also when you pierce the meat with the fork it breaks down into small fibers.







For mains we got to sample the Dum Mutton Biryani, Palak Aur Anjeer Ke Kofte, Dal Makhani, Murgh Khurchan with assorted Indian Breads. Mutton Biryani was finger licking good and very good by restaurant standards. Palak Aur Anjeer Ke Kofte was spinach kofta curry which was different from the regular paneer koftas that I am used to. Dal Makhani was yummy and went well with the Naan. Finally the Murgh Khurchan was shreds of Tandoori chicken in tomato gravy. Mixing a bit the bread in the chicken gravy and in the kofta was simply scrumptious.


We finished our meal with a warm Gulkand Gulab Jamun and Saffron flavored Rasamalai. Both tasted like a bite of heaven!

Ambiance:
The restaurant is pleasant with many touches from yesteryear.

Price:
A stomach & heart filling meal for two would roughly cost Rs 3000/- and above if we choose to indulge a bit.


They do have set Menu which is worth exploring.

Disclaimer : Invited Review

Earthen Oven is located in Welcomhotel which was formerly known as Chola Sheraton.

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!!