If there is one hotel which just keeps reinventing the food scene in Chennai, then it has got to be ITC Grand Chola. Every time I am here, I am simply blown away by the food.

This time I was here after a while for the Flavours of Tulu Nadu food festival. Tulu Nadu is a small region between northern part of Kerala and a wee bit of Karnataka. The amount of ground work done by Chefs at ITC needs to be lauded. My prior experiences have been restricted to Pure Kerala / Karnataka or Goan cuisine. So this Tulu Nadu was all new to me. But whatever I had tasted was simply sensational.

Food:
The dinner started of with a nice soothing Buttermilk and Banana Bairada Juice  - Ripe Banana mashed with coconut water was a killer. For soup we had Bele Saaru which was a cross between traditional Tamilian rasam and a dal sorba.



Here the dinner took a adventurous twist. Main course was served on EXTRA LARGE Vaalai Ellai, even larger than the ones used in South Indian Weddings. These Ellais should easily accommodate a meal for two. The first dish served was Natia Kori - mildly spiced chicken with a dash of ghee was simply sensational. Infact I went on to have a second, third and fourth helping of the same.

Next was Sajji Ke Taarai da Roti - Coconut pancakes - was a cross between fat dosa and adai. Errai Da Meen was Seer fish marinated with mild spices similar to the chicken and grilled which too was simply irresistible.


Here on I decided to plate up my Vaalai Ellai for photography.

(From top left to bottom right)
- Errai Da Meen
- Yetti Sukka ( Prawns marinated in mild spices and coconut )
- Pineapple Gojju (rich tart pineapple gravy with select karavali spices)
- Kori Gassi with Kori Roti ( Rice Roti soaked with Mangalorean chicken curry)
- Kadla Belai Kootu ( Channa Dal with Mustard, curry leaves and loaded with spices)
- Meen Pulli Munchi ( Makared cooked with Mangalorean spices)
- Spinach Garlic Dal
- Steamed Rice
- Neer Dosa ( Thin, light dosa)
- Dappa Dosa
- Mamsam Biryani ( Not pictured here was sensational )

All of the above were WOW!

Finally Payassam and Ragi Manni ( Jaggery fudge) to finish of this sensational dinner course. I am simply out of words to explain the entire meal. With no dish to fault, this could be the best food festival every foodie should visit.

Price:
Priced at Rs 2200/- + taxes for a person.
The Flavours of Tulu Nadu are on till June 25 at Madras Pavilion

Flavours of Tulu Nadu -  a must visit for every South Indian food loving foodie.

Disclaimer : Invited Review

Madras Pavilion is located inside ITC Grand Chola, Chennai

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Food:
We had the Egg Bhuna Chicken Roll and the Reshmi Chicken Tikka Roll. Both the Rolls were delivered in a neat packing and were HOT!



My pick between the two would be the Egg Bhuna Chicken Roll. It was a tad spicier than the latter. But not spicy to the level were you would be reaching out for some water. The best part about the rolls were the Whole Wheat Base Roti which was soft and slightly crispy. Big thumbs up!

Ambiance:
NA

Service:
Swiggy again does a fantastic job the delivery. Pipping Hot food.

Price:
The price for this meal was Rs 270/-

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

Disclaimer: I paid for the meal

If you wish to do the same head over to your App Store / Play Store and download the Swiggy App and get goodies delivered in a Jiffy

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Dhaba By Claridges has been my on cards ever since they opened shop in Chennai. I decided to surprise my wife with a Valentines day dinner here. So I made my reservation for a table on Feb 14 and we walked into the restaurant only to be declined a seat. The manager informs me that the reservation made was a temporary reservation and it would take another 45 minutes to get a table. So we decided to walk off and celebrate our First Valentines Day elsewhere.

Putting this incident behind, I still wanted to dine here and see what the fuss was all about. So we walked in,  the following week and got our seat.


Food:
We started our innings here with the Virgin Paan Mojito. Yes! I am a sucker for Gulkand and Yes! it was refreshingly tasty. I had recently introduced my wife to Galouti Kebab at Bombay Brasserie, so she was keen on having it, as she had glanced through the pages. So Galouti Kebab it was! She absolutely loved it. I on the other hand found it just above average. It seemed to miss the mark of a kebab and landed more into the cutlet territory in terms of consistency.


I being a Chicken lover settled on Murgh Malai Tikka. Cheesy juicy delights they were. This was followed by Mutton Seekh. I must say I was blown away. The best I have had thus far. They were juicy, tender and absolutely mouth-watering.

For mains we settled on a Chitta Butter Chicken and a Amritsari Kulcha. A single large Kulcha was cut down into 4 pieces. The Kulcha was served piping hot and the combination with the Chitta Butter Chicken was simply divine. By the end of the mains we were too full, so we skipped the desserts

Ambiance:
Dhaba by Claridges interiors looked and felt like a Dhaba with modern twist. Zing Zang Bling lights and quirky colourful interiors

Service:
Full marks here. Our waiter for the day Mr. Vincent was exceptional. He knew the dishes like the back of his hand and was able give valuable inputs

Price:
This rich experience cost us Rs 2435/-

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

Disclaimer: I paid for the meal

Dhaba By Claridges is located inside Ishpahani Center, Nungumbakkam

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Food:
I chose to have the What a Bomb Burger and Grilled Chicken & Feta in Pita Bread.

Chicken was tender, served with fried egg and a big serving of mayo made it a proper greasy burger. Only grouse was that the bun just did not hold together till the end.


I was hoping for a pita pocket filled with the Grilled Chicken & Feta, but this was more like a deconstructed wrap. Filled to the brim with Grilled Chicken, Black Olives & Lettuce. The soft pita bread made the dish a delight.

Ambiance:
NA

Service:
Swiggy did a fantastic job of delivering the lovely mid-night snack way past 12am in the night. The deliver tracker is a boon.

Price:
The price of the midnight snack was Rs 390/-

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

Disclaimer: I paid for the meal.

If you wish to do the same head over to your App Store / Play Store and download the Swiggy App and get goodies delivered in a Jiffy

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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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Homebakers have taken the food scene by a storm. Chennai has 'n' number of homebakers with their own fan following. I too have loved their creations and have had custom made cakes for several occasions. But one thing about homebakers which was a miss was not many homebakers made ready to eat cakes / desserts which people crave. Enter Indulge by Inner Chef. A food tech platform which has enabled homebakers to put out their preparations on sale to the general public through their website. Hatts Off for this initiative. I did a small search about the Inner Chef and I am actually in LoVe with their other food items which are on offer in other cities. I really do wish they launch them soon in Chennai.


I got to sample various selections as a part of their goodies bag which I was given to me. The first delicacy which I had from the bag was the Gur Er Patishapa. Yes it is a mouthful to pronounce. I am a big fan of Rabdi so thought I would start with Gur Er Patishapa. Rabdi was rich and creamy and complimented the Coconut filling inside the soft crepe. Quite delicious.



Banana Walnut Cake and the Oreo Walnut Cake both rich in their own right. Moist cake with healthy walnut interdispersed with Banana / Oreo. My pick between the two will be the Banana Walnut as I am a sucker for the banana flavour.



Finally after a day of relishing the above mentioned goodies, I put my hands on the Chocolate Brownie Salted Caramel Jar and the Apple Pie Cheesecake Jar. The Brownie Jar was decadent, rich and heavenly and a tad bit on the sweeter side. One jar can be easily shared between 3 people. In fact it took me almost three days to complete it. Brownie complimented the chocolate chips and the Caramel - out of the world combination. Apple Pie Cheesecake Jar was by far the most different cheesecake I have had thus far. Biscuit base with healthy loading of the cream cheese and finally a cinnamon filled apple pie. Richness in every bite.

So when you have the craving desserts look no further.
Head over to www.innerchef.com

Disclaimer : Invited Review

I have been a big FAN of the food at Pan Asian. Yes Yes! I have not made post about it on my blog. But the restaurant had made me rethink the Asian style of food. Gone was the simple noodles, rice and sides. All thanks to the brilliant Chef Vikramjit. Having had two renditions with Chef where he set the bar really high for Asian fare my idea of having a simple asian meal was lost.

Yes! I know I would have loved it if Chef Vikramjit had stayed back in Pan Asian, but now that he has moved to Tian at ITC Maurya to much grander stage, Chennai was left with void which needed to be filled. Vola! ITC brings in Chef Ashish Singh to fill the space.

So I was invited to a Chef's table along with the bunch of other foodies from Chennai to pick Chef Ashish's brain over a delicious Sunday Brunch.

Food:
The brunch started off with a Fantastic Sashimi served on Bed of Ice accompanied by Salmon and Sea Urchin garnished with Shisho Leaf and Hanaho and the piece of resistance - Fresh Wasabi! There was many firsts for me with respect to this dish - Sea Urchin & seeing a freshly grated Wasabi. Sea Urchin - Big Fan!

Next to be served was the Sichuan Style Crispy John Dory. I did a small google search on the Mr. John Dory. Pictures depicted a grumpy lil fish. I wonder how a grumpy bugger became a tasty lil sucker.



Next was another first for me a Scallop and Salmon with a bit of Roe. It was an another stunner. In between all this I was served a Green Tea - Iced Matcha which was quite brilliant.



Next was Robatayaki in two forms. Veg was made with char grilled Avocado - simply brilliant. Not been a big fan a Avocado but in this form I did love it. Non-veg, the Char Grilled Black Cod was sensational.


Up next was a beautifully caramelised Duck wrapped in Nama Uba paper. Some foodies did not seem to agree with me. But I loved it. The duck was followed by a Lamb chop served with the cigar style Vanilla puff pastry. The Puff pastry was fantastic, the lamb was tender but I did not quite like the muttony taste which accompanied it.


Final dish part of the appetiser was the Tuna Sushi & Prawn Sushi both excellent and was mouthwatering plus eye watering with the wasabi.

After finishing the many courses of Appetizers I was nearly stuffed, and also I had to head back to work. So I began to inhale the mains rather than enjoying it.  For mains we were served with a bento box of sorts. I loved the Jasmine Rice served along with the yellow curry sea bass and the Wok tossed Lamb. The noodles which came with the lamb was a tad bit dry. I skipped the desserts as I headed back to work.

Overall the meal felt different with platting & presentation taking the centre stage and the antics pushed to the back burner. Looks like Pan Asian is in safe hands.

Ambiance:
It is not your regular chinese restaurant fare. Rather a contemporary mix of wood and fine lighting to go with the kind of gastronomical journey which we undergo with the meal.

Price:
This sit down Sunday brunch costs Rs 3300/-  per head.

Disclaimer : Invited Review

Pan Asian is located inside ITC Grand Chola in Guindy.

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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:
Had a early lunch with Mom after finishing up some work. As my mom does not have a big appetite, we just ordered a starter and a main each. We were served with a complimentary Nanari Sarbath drink which was quite refreshing. I have had Vada Pav's in most big joint restaurant and have been disappointed. So this Vada Pav was a welcome change. It had a nice butter toasted bun with crispy potato which was simply amazing. It was served along with Chilli Bhaji. A word of caution the chilli is not deseeded so it was quite spicy. Thankfully we had ordered the Red Velvet Cream Cheese which really soothed tongues.


For the mains, my mom had the Chicken Biryani while I had the Butter Chicken with Laacha Paratha. Chicken biryani was aromatic with saffron smell and was quite yummy. Also loaded to the brim with Chicken pieces. My Butter Chicken Masala with Laacha Paratha was quite decent and went well with the curd.

Ambiance:
Simple utilitarian decor which works

Service:
We were the only people in the restaurant. Considering it, the service was quite slow.

Price:
This meal for two cost us Rs 1058/-

Food - 7.5/10
Ambiance - 7.5/10
Service - 6.5/10
Price - 7/10

PS : Photos were shot using Samsung S6

Fully Local is located on R.K. Salai next to Bharat Petroleum Bunk in the building which used to house 50 BUCKS

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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 Sunday Brunch at Flying Elephant has always been special. I would go on to say, that it is the best brunch in the city at its price point. When something is already really good, the room to improve it further is really not necessary. But that was not the case here. Park Hyatt has taken the already excellent brunch and made it outstanding. But how? Simply decided to run an experimental fusion menu. I bet finding a person who hates the Chocolate flavour or Chocolate as such, is quite hard. Why not throw that into the dishes. Try a twist. Wolaaa!!! You get the Special Brunch.






There was this fear in my mind that the chocolate flavour will be overpowering, thus killing the essence of Indian dishes. But I must say the chefs have played with Chocolate in a very different manner. It's as if the chocolate is there, but then it's not there. It was very mild, more like an after taste which was brilliant.







One of the dishes which is etched in my mind is the Chocolate Cake with Sea Salt. Deconstructing the dish - Chocolate cake with nice grains of sea salt followed by mascapone followed by a chocolate biscuit. Now when you bite into it, you land up with the Sweet chocolate first followed by the lovely mascapone and finally the Salt which balances out the sweetness. It was simply decadent. Mind boggling to think about the way it was constructed. All in all it was a fantastic meal. I would totally recommend this brunch for its uniqueness

I must appreciate Park Hyatt for willing to try out such a daring menu and pulling it off. This special brunch was brought about by Park Hyatt along with Nitin of Chocotrait. Kudos to you guys.

Ambiance:
The ambiance here is simply stunning as always.

Price:
Non-alcoholic brunch: INR 2,295 + taxes
Alcoholic brunch: INR 3,295 + taxes
Champagne brunch: INR 7,295 + taxes


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!!