Showing posts with label Peri-Peri. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Peri-Peri. Show all posts

12/03/2014

California Pizza Kitchen, Phoenix Market City, Velachery - Hollywood Menu

21:03:00


Hollywood has come to Chennai! Sorry for the confusion. The food loved by the Hollywood stars are here in Chennai as a part of the menu at California Pizza Kitchen. The hollywood menu is really small with only a selection of dishes. This special menu is on upto March 16th. This is my first visit to California Pizza Kitchen here in Chennai. My previous visit was to an outlet in Bangalore. Personally I feel that the Bangalore outlet is more upmarket than the Chennai outlet.







Food:
First to be served was the Hawaiian Pineapple and Chicken Pizza. Guess this pizza has crossed many borders, because I very distinctly remember the 1st ever pizza I had was the Hawaiian pizza at Pizza Deli many many years ago. This pizza was simply delicious in its tradiontal crust. The next pizza to arrive was the Jamaican Jerk and Chicken Pizza. I wonder how Jamaican figures in a Hollywood menu? Anyway it was flavorful and tasty. Next was the Deli Styled Bistro Pizza. I skipped this pizza as it contained Pork in it. People who had it were raving about it. Then came the only Veg Pizza on the menu Rustica Pizza on a thin crust. I felt really felt bad seeing the vegetatrians waiting for their pizza, that I decided to let them eat in peace. Finally came the Spicy Sonora Pizza, which we all loved. Infact we asked for another helping of the same. 



The next course was the Pastas. The first to be served was the  Spaghetti Carreterra which is actually a Veg Pasta cooked in Chicken Broth making it a non-veg dish and a dash of crushed pepper finally a handful of Fresh Mozzerlla. The pasta was stunning inspite of lacking pieces of meat. Next was the Mediterranean Roasted Mushroom Spaghettini which was a proper veg dish. But this was the only disapointing dish of the day. It lacked depth of flavor and seemed like a simple overload of Olive Oil. I may not be the best to judge this dish, as some could like it.




After the pasta course was the speciality round. First to be served was the California Peri Peri Chicken. This was a boneless grilled chicken with a good helping of CPKs own version of Peri-Peri sauce. Peri-Peri is known to be a Portuguese item, but this own twist was great Infact I licked the plate clean of the sauce. An absolute must have! Finally for the veggies, they were served a Spinach and Paneer Malfati with Milan sauce, which is actually spinach and paneer dumplings served along with corn. It was soft and every bit divine.


Finally to finish off the meal was a star studded Chocolate Mousse which was simply fantabulous.

From a non-veggies point of view the menu is simply stunning, but for the veggies it leaves big void which needs to be filled. The menu is a mix of dishes from various parts of the world. Guess thats what  best describes the mixed bowl which California is. In my book I would rate the food with top marks.

Ambiance:
Comparing the ambiance between the CPK at Bangalore and Chennai, one would clearly see the difference. CPK Bangalore is more upmarket than Chennai's outlet.

Price:
Each dish on the special Hollywood menu is priced at around Rs400 to 500. So a meal for two should about Rs2000/-

California Pizza Kitchen is located inside Phoenix Market City in Velachery

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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.

12/12/2013

Goa Portuguesa, KNK Road

19:36:00


Goa Portuguesa is the newly opened restaurant on the Food Street of Chennai aka Khader Nawaz Khan Road. It is located at the place which once housed 5 Senses. I really do miss 5 Senses. But times have changed and now we have Goa Portuguesa. Guess this the first - a cuisine introduction of sorts at Chennai. I had recently fallen in love with the goan spices and peri-peri masala during my visit to Goa. So I was hoping a dine here would refresh my memory of the flavors.




Food:
Since the gang had a mix of people, that is - veggies and non-veggies, we ordered a mix of both. For starters we had the Golden Fried Squid, Corn and Spinach Tartlets and Paneer Bali Bali. Golden Fried Squid was quite simply delicious and was gentle reminder of Batter Fried Squid at Moon Rakers. I did not sample the Corn and Spinach Tartlets, and left the veggies to enjoy them. Finally the Paneer Bali Bali which had soft paneer dunked in a sauce which was some what similar to peri-peri. Both the paneer and the sauce were tasty, but separately, as the sauce just failed to bind with the paneer.




For main course the non-veggies ordered Peri-peri Chicken with rice, the same with fish for myself, Goan Fish Curry, Steamed Rice and finally Jeera Rice to go with the Mixed Vegetable Gravy. I did not sample the veg items so I would not comment on it. The Peri-Peri Chicken and Fish with Rice is a single serving main course. The flavors of both chicken and fish were similar, its a matter of personal preference. The peri-peri masala was nice, but a little off from what I had experienced at Goa. Finally the Goan Fish Curry with Steamed Rice. This is the best combo to have the Fish Curry was authentic with right amount of coconut milk and a mild vinegar taste. The combo of Steamed rice with fresh pieces of fish was just blissful. We were too stuffed to try the desserts.

Ambiance:
The place looks like it has had a small make-over to house the new restaurant. Also the number seats has definitely taken a hit. If the weather is perfect, I would strongly you to dine outdoor.

Service:
The service was pretty decent. Since it is a new restaurant, it should improve with time.

Price:
This meal cost us Rs 2750/- which is reasonable for a restaurant located on KNK Road.

Food: 7/10
Ambiance: 7/10
Service: 7/10
Price: 7/10

Goa Portuguesa is located in KNK Road in the building which used to house 5 Senses.

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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

14/07/2013

Nandos, Phoenix Market City, Velachery - CFG Showcase

15:43:00


Whenever a new International fast food joint enters the town, there is much fanfare, with people wanting experience it's unique flavor. For some it might be just a visit to compare the Indian outlets standards with an International one. While for some it might be their first experience. For me it was the latter.






Food:
Before I start explaining about the food. I want to put this across. Nandos does not serve South African cuisine. They are actually a South African based company which serves Portuguese Peri-Peri style food. Peri-Peri or Piri Piri is a chilli which is the main essence of Nandos. The scale of spiciness can be customized. It ranges from bland Lemon and Herb to Extra hot. I personally would not mind the extra hot, since I am used to having really spicy food. But for the people who are not, please stick to Lemon and herbs or just a level up at the mild phase. Some would feel that the dishes are a bit lemony, but thats how it is meant to be.




When it comes to the food, I would recommend to stick to the signature dishes such as the Espertada Rustica - served on a long skewer drenched in the sauce of choice and the Cataplana. Burgers and the Pita wraps are fine, but you do not get to relish the deep flavors of the chicken. Also if you are a Liver lover, do try the Chicken Livers and Portuguese rolls. The flavor is simply awesome.







Ambiance:
Located in the ground level of the Phoenix Market City, this is the first mall based food joint to throw up an outdoor dining. The decor is posh and screams out luxury! With the furniture being funky and with numerous wall paintings, dining here can be called a luxury experience.

Service:
Since this was a Showcase event cant really talk about the service.

Price:
A meal for two should work around Rs 1000 to 1200/-

Nandos is located on the ground floor of Phoenix Market City.

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