When it comes to Fine Dine Indian Food, we immediately think about Kebabs and Dals and Naans. The Northern frontier takes precedence over the South Indian cuisine. But thanks to Avartana at ITC that is not the case. They have showcased the food of South Indian region with a twist and have put the dishes on the road map to stunning delicacies.

In the last two years, my recommendations for Avartana have been countess. It has stood as a symbol / showcase for Contemporary Progressive South Indian Food. Recommended for friends and family visiting from abroad. I was one of the first few to try out their menu when Avartana was about to launch about two years ago. I was awe stuck with Michelin Star like service. And once again I was  part of the  chosen few called to sample their new upgraded menu / 2.0 which has been launched recently, as a part of their second anniversary.

Things to understand about Avartana is you can't go here and order what you want off a menu. You choose a menu based on your preferences and it is served on the table, course after course.


Food:
We started the evenings proceedings with a Amuse Bouche which was a thinly sliced piece of carrot curled into a cone filled with yummy goodies. The taste was very much like a bhel puri , but refreshing.


 Next up was an appetizer. First to be served was the Cuttle Fish served on a bed of cauliflower and coconut chutney. This was the 1st time I have ever had a cuttle fish. It was soft and in similar consistency to squid. I do not seem to have a reference to this dish or it origins cause I have never had cuttle fish elsewhere.




Next up was Cracklings served with Mango Mush. The cracklings or cracker were made out of Lotus Stem, Corriander and Curry leaves and Gongura Leaves which need to dipped on the Mango Chutney which was served on nice looking black stone. Mango chutney was similar to the mango jam which we are all familiar with. Taking a simple papad or crispies and giving them a master chef makeover.


Next to be served was Sundried Tomato Tapioca. This dish looks like a brain on a bed of leaves with blood splattered around it. Very refreshing dish.


Crispy fried potato is a very familiar dish which is served with curd rice. The chefs here have taken the simple dish and conceptualized in a whole new way.  Enter Crispy Chilli Potato 2.0. It looks a lot like birds nest. The crispy chilli potato in the form of nest and the egg on top filled with pineapple and mint juice. It needs to be consumed as a whole. The egg breaks in your tongue and releases the juices. Its pure symphony in the mouth.


Next to be served was the Lemon Leaf Sorbet to cut the flavors of the starters before we indulged ourselves with the main course.


First of the mains was the Fried Sea Bass served on a bed of aubergines. Easily my favorite dish of the day. The fish had a crispy outer which made it yum!


Next to be served was Pan Seared Quail with Quail egg sunny side up and rice cake (neer dosa / appam consistency) was just wow! The quail was just spectacular.


Next was the Braised Lamb Cheeks served on a bed of Semolina (Upma). Mine was perfectly cooked and easy to cut and yummy to taste but some on the table had a slightly over cooked rendition which was up chewy alley.



How can a South Indian Feast end without rice? So we were served humble Tamrind Chicken Rice on a Banana Leaf  with Okra Yogurt. I just loved it. I definitely would not mind another portion of it. The yogurt cuts the tamrind flavor and is a delight.


To finish the main course proceedings we had Curd Vermicelli which was neat and a nice way to get done with the main course, something very similar to our Thairsadham.


We finished off this lip smacking meal with Almond Cremeux which was an almond mousse served with orange ice cream garnished with berry sauce. The berry sauce was a little strong for my liking but the ice cream and mousse was divine.

Meal here is a must have for people who are open to experimenting and for people in search of something new.

Ambiance:
Common South Indian interiors but re- imagined. Carpets resembling banana leaves and wall motifs like Kerala Boats and finally an open kitchen - a first for a south Indian restaurant. The restaurant also has a private dining which can seat about 10 people at a time.

The restaurant does have restrictions on kids under 10 years of age, but they would not mind serving them a small special menu if we do land here with our kids without knowing about this.

Price:
Avartana offers tasting menus ranging from Rs 2000/- and upwards for a seven course meal.

Calling this experience 'mind-blowing' would be an understatement. Having a Master-chef style experience from a south Indian cuisine will have you raving. Avartana is here to redefine the food with simple and humble origin into Michelin experience.

Disclaimer : Invited Review

Avartana is located inside ITC Grand Chola, Chennai

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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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I have been to couple of buffet in the recent times, all in star hotels and returned home disappointed, as they were very average. The high price one would pay just does not do any justice to the meal being wiped up. Most star hotels seem to have hopped onto the bandwagon of showcasing the number dishes and lost the key ingredient, that of quality. But this buffet  I had at the Taj Club House which showcased the items of the famous restaurant Karavalli at Bangalore as a part of Karavalli celebrations was totally the opposite. I can say that I throughly enjoyed my experience.

Food:
The meal kicked off with Crab Milagu Fry, served along with the shell. Thankfully we had the shell cracker at our disposal. My Oh My!! It was just fantastic. I can't seem to the remember the last time I enjoyed crab to such an extent. I ditched the fork and spoon and ventured in with my bare hands which just made the experience even better.


Then there was a fried fish, served as a part of the starter which was decent. Then I went around sampling the items of the buffet. As the Club House restaurant's basic concept is an English  Bistro with an Asian twist, the buffet had the usual suspects, such as the breads and assorted cheese and some terrific salads. I skipped on the soup and went straight ahead to the mains.


Next up was the Meen Mapas, an Kerala speciality dish cooked in coconut milk was absolutely brilliant. Fish was tender and went well with another Kerala fav the Red Rice. I  thoroughly enjoyed the meal. Then there was the Kadala Curry, another stunner and worked well with the Idiyappam.

There were some not so great dishes as well like the Mutton Sukka which was cooked in Tomato Masala. The chunky mutton pieces were a tad hard, but the mutton pieces had Kheema served along with them, which was brilliant. Another disappointment was the Coorg Fried Chicken, that too was a little hard. Apart from these two dishes, the entire spread was a stunner.


Finally for desserts, we were served some Goan speciality dishes such as Dodol, Bebinca and Coconut Ice cream. Yes they are the same dishes which I had had at Hyatt. But these were definitely a notch better than them. Apart these the buffet had some stunning desserts. I did not stray too far as I was stuffed.

Ambiance:
A contemporary twist to the usual taj flavour.

Price:
The buffet is priced at Rs 1799/- per head.

This was by far the best buffet I have had in a long while. Reason - quality had taken focus, or it could be because the flavours were close to home cooked food.
Karavalli Celebrations at Taj Club House are on till the 27th of September.  It is available as a part of buffet and also as al carte menu.

Disclaimer : Invited review

Taj Club House is located on Club House Road which is diagonally opposite to Spencer's Plaza.

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.

Food:
With the food court comprising of various restaurants which are not part of the Chennai food heritage, it was more like a food festival showcasing the food which Chennai has begun to love. We started sampling dishes from various joints.

The standout dishes were -

Chaat Platter from Kailash Parbat. This restaurant is known for their Chaat items, this was no different. They make some stunning Dahi pooris.

Chicken Pizza from Quiznos. This was a surprise to me. Because I am used to having Tortilla based Pizza at the other outlets. A mix between thin crust and fat crust it was. I must say it was delightful, On enquiring I found that, this is the only Quiznos in Chennai to serve this kind of pizza and also they do have Burgers and Crispy Fried Chicken apart from that.



Dragon Chicken - Wangs Kitchen. I know you would wonder how did Chinese dishes figure on to this list, but as I had mentioned earlier these are the food items which Chennai has begun to love. Dragon Chicken was surprise surprise!! loved it. You would not believe it, I actually did a mix and match with Banana Dosa :P

Banana Dosa from ID. Tasted exactly like Belosse (Banana Bhaji) which is a sweet dish from my native. Loved it. ID please make it main stream if it aint on your menu already. Kudos to the Chef!





Mayo Chicken from Arab Kitchen. Crispy Fried Chicken with Mayo, who would not love em. Tasty.
Finally Mutton and Valapoo Platter from Pandi Kadai. Both soft and delicious in its own right.

All the restaurants at the food court do have their regular dishes as well, if you feel to be a plain jane and skip the Special Menu.

Apart from the different menu, the food festival also showcases
- Cooking demonstrations
- Comedy Chef Performance
- Fusion Music Show


So head over to Forum Vijay Mall for some fun filled foodalisious activities.
Big Thanks to Forum Vijay Mall for having me over to Enjoy and Relish the Chennai Food Festival.

Forum Vijay Mall is located on the Vadapalani main road next to Hotel Green Park.

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.

I was always under the impression that if it is South Indian food, it is best had at home. Because the options available is not anything more spectacular than the common food which one could have at the comfort of his home, nor does it feel like a healthy option. The choices available up until now have rather been mediocre rip offs of the original which are a speciality of certain locations down south. Enter Maplai!!! aka BRIDEGROOM!!! into the food scene which is already crowded, with a strong name like that. A Maplai means he is special. There is a certain speciality associated with the term Maplai i.e. he gets what he desires. Also the Maplais of the tamil culture are not treated to non-veg food on their wedding day. Usually this is on the following day where the in-laws serve up a lavish feast to revitalise the groom. So what you really dream off when you enter the restaurant, is a feast which is fit for a Maplai.

Food:
As this was the my first time here, I was going about ordering the dishes based on what I have seen on social networking sites and heard from other people. So we started of with Thanjavur Kair Katti Gola, Travancore Chicken Fry and Nethili Fry. For the mains we picked Kozhi Virundhu. To quench our thirst we picked a Strawberry Margherita and a Lemon Ice Tea.


Firstly the Thanjavur Kair Katti Gola was simply something one should try, the mutton is so so so soft. Something like kola urundai but only given a royal treatment here. Super sized and given decor update, it looks fantastic. Every bite is a bite into absolute decadence. Then the Nethili Fry was crispy and fabulous minus the oil which you would associate with fried items. By this time we were served with our mains. So the Travancore Chicken Fry had to wait.


Mains the Kozhi Virundhu was absolutely a Virundhu aka feast as the name suggests.
It comprised of :
- Panagam
- Neer More
- Barotta
- Tohaiyal
- Onion Raitha
- Pickle
- Masala Vadai
- Omelette
- Payasam
- Veg. Kuruma
- Parupu Keerai
- Ladysfinger Poriyal
- Rasam
- Applam
- Curd
- Rice
- Sweet Beeda
Mind you all the above mentioned are unlimited. Finally Kozhi Kuzbambu and Chicken 65 which are limited.


This virundhu is so large that myself and my friend really struggled to clean up the dishes. Infact we ended up parceling the starters as we were simply overwhelmed by the shear number of dishes. First the Panagam and Neer More (butter milk)  were simply superb. Mainly given in south India to give the groom his much needed electrolytes. Barotta was medium sized soft and simply superb. Consuming the barotta actually makes the rest of the meal heavy.

Tohaiyal, Onion Raitha and Pickle is served in small quantities, if you like em ask for more. Masala Vadai the only thing which I felt out of place in this entire virundhu. Omelette yeah! it is unlimited. Payasam was okay, could do with a bit more of sweet.


Veg Kuruma, Parupu Keerai and Ladysfinger Poriyal were all stunning. Mainly they felt cooked with less amount of oil. Finally the curd was sooper rich. Served up in a mud pot, it looks amazing.

Combining Kozhi Kuzbambu with the rice and mixing it up with Poriyal, Applam and Omelette simply transports you down south were this a traditional meal for a new bridegroom. Okay I am not a Maplai yet, but have definitely have had such a meal, many a times (or at least twice. I have two older brothers).  The starter Travancore Chicken Fry was rich, but then we had moved on to having the virundhu which had the chicken 65 which was almost similar.


Hogging down this meal we had our drinks waiting to be gulped as well. Iced tea and Margherita were both great. No complaints here. Finally when we thought we done with our meal, we were served with Tirunelveli halwa based dessert on the house. Or should I say Tirunelveli ke halwavaa?? Now deconstructing it, Halwa served on a bed made of biscuit with jaggery and ellu and finally a dash of wipped cream. One word WOW!!

The entire meal was all about the name MAPLAI!!!! An absolute magical Maplai virundhu.

Ambiance:
The decor here is very simple but looks classy. No authentic South Indian touches to show its south indian incline. They have definitely let the food do the talking. I liked the nice touches where they had knobs on the table to standardise the space between the table and the wall.

Service:
A proper Maplai experience. No better word to tell it.

Price:
This meal for two cost us Rs 1420/- inclusive of all taxes. Which I felt well worth the meal.

Food - 8.5/10
Ambiance - 7.5/10
Service - 8/10
Price - 8/10

Maplai is located on Sterling Avenue in the road opposite to Loyola College.

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.

Gulkand mojito was in a different league all together. My mom went the distance to diceper it. A very good refreshing drink worth the order.



Finally the mains reached our table. We were served with Murgh Makhani which is essentially chicken tikka masala, Lasooni Keema "Husseini" which is minced mutton in roasted spices. I am not a big fan of Kheema but I did love this. Finally we were served with Aloo Bukhara Kofta which is Fig, Prune and Cottage Cheese dumpling in a rich saffron gravy. I was just floored by the flavors of this gravy. I loved it so much, the next time I am here I would love to have it again. To go with these we had a selection of roti and naan. If this was not enough we had a mouth watering Dal Ayna with Hara Matar Pulao which is peas rice. Every dish was simply outstanding. It was a dinner fit for the royals and my mother seconded my thoughts by saying that  that the nawabs and sultans of yester era must have dined  on food like this.

To finish of the delicious three course meal we had a trio of desserts which was a sampler of sorts. It had a small portion of Badam Halwa, a small scoop of ice cream and finally a Rasamalai. Each had distinct flavour. All in all a very good meal and a stunning one on my Birthday!!

The first non-veg dish to be served was the Machi Tikka Jodhpuri. It was a deep fried chicken with deep flavors. But the best among the starters was Mutton Sheek Kebab. Move over veg Patiyala Sheek Kebab. Stop imitating the true form of sheek kebab. Nothing can come close to beating this taste. There was also a Singapore Chilli Chicken. I wonder why the name Singapore got stuck to this dish, but it was mediocre in taste. Round one of starters, our clear favorites was the Mutton Sheek Kebab.


As we were getting done with the starters we were served with Paneer Pitha Roll. Of the all the dishes served that night, this was the most disappointing. Inspite of paneer being fresh, it was unable to lend a shoulder to help this dish. The dish lacked a punchy sour cream, which was further compounded by crumbly pitha bread.


The next to follow suit was the Indian Bread Basket, which was an assorted selection of butter naan, roti puthina parathas. Each different in its make. But really soft in texture with great flavors. To compliment these we were served with Buna Gosht and Reshmi Butter Chicken. Buna Gosht which is essentially mutton pepper korma. This was really tasty with the Butter Naan. If one thought this combination was great, then the combination with Reshmi Butter Chicken was even better. The Butter chicken was clearly the winner, which was creamier, richer and definitely tastier.


Finally we were served with the last main course which was the Chicken Biryani. It was better than many restaurant biryanis by many yards. But it no way compares to Muslim wedding biryani. But this is good enough, I would say.

After binging on these items we were finally served with Kulfi. This one was really rich and creamy. In fact I had one extra.

Ambiance:
The ambiance remains the same at Crimson Chakra, Adyar. It definitely is one of the best places to dine.

Price:
A meal for two roughly equate about Rs1500 - 1800 odd. But with many fantastic dishes, one would want to try  them all i suppose.

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