Thursday, July 30, 2015

Milano Ice Cream, Indira Nagar (4.5/5)


Never been a fan of gelato ice creams, but this place is gonna be an exception. 

They have some interesting options- chocolatey, fruity and otherwise. I sampled their extra dark, tender coconut, hazelnut and truffle flavours. Liked extra dark and hazlenut best. 

My order was a whiskey flavoured ice cream cake. It had strong flavours of whiskey and was among the best liquor flavoured desserts I have had.  

Ambience: the outlet is well maintained and has neat and tidy interiors. Except a wasp which strayed its way in during our visit- there is nothing I can complain about the ambience. 

Service: the staff are friendly and enthusiastic to serve the customers. Those are just the right characteristics required for a front ended selling job. 

Pricing: the pricing is moderate. We had 5 scoops of ice creams and one ice cream cake - it cost us around INR. 500 (not sure of exact amount). 

Definitely going back!


Kabul Express, Thipassandara (4/5)

This place is a delight for meat lovers. Make sure you call them a day in advance and place an order for their speciality dishes. 

I was meeting a couple of foodies here (all meat food lovers). One of them was reasonably acquainted to the offerings here and further with the help of the owner- we were able to narrow down our orders. 

Our orders:
1. Murg Kheema Tangdi - incredible combination of chicken tangdi kebab and mutton kheema. The dish was served with mutton kheema stuffed into the tangdi kebabs.

2. Mutton afghani kheema kebab - an over-spiced but delicious mutton kebab - filled with dry fruits and rich spices. Considering they did not have galouti's yesterday - this was a fitting substitute. 

3. Chicken mosallam khorma & afghani parata
A spicy thick gravy chicken dish. 

It combined brilliantly with the afghani parata- which could be classified as sweet bread. 

4. Jal jeera Cola - the restaurant made a special twist of coke by making their own version of jal jeera cola- this was customised for us and would prefer not to judge this as an offering. 

Ambience & seating
The restaurant does not have much of a seating space and there is not much to show off in the ambience front as well. 

Pricing
It cost us roughly 250 per head and I would definitely grade that as VFM.

Service
The management took personal care to explain the dishes and the specialties of their offering. The food takes a while to be served - mainly because of it being made fresh. 

This place is a 4.5/5 for a non vegetarian foodie; however infrastructure is a big letdown if you are looking to dine in - and parcel might not be the best way to relish the dishes.




Kitchen of Joy, Indira Nagar (3.5/5)

I have travelled past KOJ a million times and almost always found this place packed. That explains something and this is what got me to visit them today. 

The kitchen of joy is a tribute to the 'City of Joy' and dishes out Kolkata and Bengali delicacies. The management was friendly and explained some of their speciality dishes. Very clearly they were proud of their Kolkata routes (appreciate that!) and this tiny outlet and its offerings is indicative of the same. 

As a Chennai kid, I was happy to see a small picture of Illayaraja - the music legend - on their walls. 

Ambience (3.5/5)
Space is never the limitation if one knows how to use it. This restaurant is a perfect example on how a small tiny outlet could be made to look attractive and vibrant. 

There was a guitar tucked in one corner, a small yet packed display counter, tiny backless cane chairs with cushions, wall posters and picture collages, etc

Service (3.5/5)
The restaurant operates on a self ordering but service on the tables concept. The food is served pretty quick however, except for the plastic water bottles kept on the tables there was no water glasses offered for the same. This fits the fast food culture - but personally I felt the place needs to do better than that. 

Also, since both my orders were served in paper plates- having a small waste bin could help dispose the same; specially considering they were flying away when seated below the fan. 

Pricing (4/5)
Very economical. A samosa, roll and a jamun cost me INR. 145. 

Food (3.5/5)
1. Chicken egg roll: the roll tasted good and had adequate stuffing of chicken. 
2. Shingara (Bengali samosa): looked rounder than the regular samosas and was stuffed with potato masala. The filling was slightly sweet (not spicy for sure). Would have tasted better if served hot. 
3. Langcha (gulab jamun's bengali brother): sized much bigger than gulab jamuns this sweet had a thicker outer layer and was less sweeter than gulab jamun. However, what impressed me was the sugar syrup that oozed out when I tried to cut it - that makes it a hybrid of jamuns and rasgullas. 

Would definitely recommend this place and would like to revisit them for the Kolkata styled biryanis.






Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Kaayal, Jeevan Bhima Nagar (3/5)

Was craving mallu food and thought I would try this place out. It was around 9PM and this place had not a single customer. Might be the monday night blues. 

Ambience (3/5)
The restaurant is located on the second floor of the building and it has no elevator access. Climbing the stairs be a problem if you are taking senior members of the family. 

The interiors are simple yet themed in kerala style with a big lamp, chenda (a drum styled instrument) and wall hangings. 
Service (3/5)
Considering I was the only customer, the staff were engrossed in their own work. A little more attention to tables could help. 

Pricing (3.5/5)
The food is priced quite economically. My meal cost me INR. 185, 

Food (2.5/5)
Ordered a chicken roast. couple of parotas and an appam. 

- The appam was sub-ordinary and lacked the crispiness. 
- The chicken roast smelled a little pungent but the masala tasted decent. The portions were adequate, however the meat was a little stiff.
- Of the two parotas I ordered, the second order (reorder) was served hot and tasted good.


Sunday, July 26, 2015

Mana Andhra, Nungambakkam (3.5/5)

Was visiting Chennai for a couple of days and after a heavy breakfast at home, I was looking for a light lunch. However, could not resist the temptation of trying this new Andhra restaurant which I happened to pass by. More so considering the dying scene of restaurants serving Andhra food in Nungambakkam and adjacent localities (Dakshin Spice closed down and Sankranthi moved to Anna Nagar). 

The restaurant is located in the basement of the corner building in the road connecting KNK and Wallace Garden roads. 

Service (3/5)
The staff were friendly and service was quick. However, their knowledge on some of the dishes was below par and this would be an essential considering their unique offering. 

Pricing (2.5/5)
The food is priced slightly on the expensive side. A veg meal cost us around INR. 350. Also, the chicken curry was over priced for what was served - it was an overload of bones in a spicy chicken gravy. 

Food (3.5/5)
Considering my limited appetite I was hoping to try out biryani or breads and curry combo. However, since they did not have either had to go with the meals. Not surprisingly, the meals had an extensive spread and was overbearing. The food was of good standard. 

1. The key items in the meals were:
Poori, kuruma, sambar, rasam, curd, dal, garlic gongura, aloo poriyal and variety rice. 

They had two powders (dal and dhaniya I assume). 

2. Chicken curry
The dish was from their side dishes cart. It was not served hot and had an overload of bones. 

Ambience (4/5)
The interiors are well planned of. Though simple, it brings out the theme of an Andhra restaurant. The seating is comfortable and they have andhra music and gemini tv playing to support the theme. 

Would recommend the place for its meals and I might revisit, with my family probably.



Thursday, July 23, 2015

Kitchen of Joy, Indira Nagar (3.5/5)

I have travelled past KOJ a million times and almost always found this place packed. That explains something and this is what got me to visit them today. 

The kitchen of joy is a tribute to the 'City of Joy' and dishes out Kolkata and Bengali delicacies. The management was friendly and explained some of their speciality dishes. Very clearly they were proud of their Kolkata routes (appreciate that!) and this tiny outlet and its offerings is indicative of the same. 

As a Chennai kid, I was happy to see a small picture of Illayaraja - the music legend - on their walls. 

Ambience (3.5/5)
Space is never the limitation if one knows how to use it. This restaurant is a perfect example on how a small tiny outlet could be made to look attractive and vibrant. 

There was a guitar tucked in one corner, a small yet packed display counter, tiny backless cane chairs with cushions, wall posters and picture collages, etc

Service (3.5/5)
The restaurant operates on a self ordering but service on the tables concept. The food is served pretty quick however, except for the plastic water bottles kept on the tables there was no water glasses offered for the same. This fits the fast food culture - but personally I felt the place needs to do better than that. 

Also, since both my orders were served in paper plates- having a small waste bin could help dispose the same; specially considering they were flying away when seated below the fan. 

Pricing (4/5)
Very economical. A samosa, roll and a jamun cost me INR. 145. 

Food (3.5/5)
1. Chicken egg roll: the roll tasted good and had adequate stuffing of chicken. 
2. Shingara (Bengali samosa): looked rounder than the regular samosas and was stuffed with potato masala. The filling was slightly sweet (not spicy for sure). Would have tasted better if served hot. 
3. Langcha (gulab jamun's bengali brother): sized much bigger than gulab jamuns this sweet had a thicker outer layer and was less sweeter than gulab jamun. However, what impressed me was the sugar syrup that oozed out when I tried to cut it - that makes it a hybrid of jamuns and rasgullas. 

Would definitely recommend this place and would like to revisit them for the Kolkata styled biryanis.


Chili's, Indira Nagar (2/5)

Had a very poor food & drink experience at chili's. 

We ordered for a triple dipper with the following:
1. Original chicken crisper
2. chicken wings
3. Cheese poppers

All three dishes were excessively oily. I concede that they are fried items, but the oil content was extremely intoxicating. The dips were unique from each other and decent though. 

As for drinks, I ordered for a sea breeze which was diluted and did not quite live up to the description. My friend ordered for a texas tea; this was relatively better and quite a concentrated drink. 

Pricing (2/5)
These three orders cost us INR.1600 - definitely overpriced and not VFM. 

Ambience (3.5/5)
We sat on the first floor. The seating space was quite cramped here. The ground floor definitely looked more attractive. 

Service (2.5/5)
Service was quite good until we placed our order. Refills for water and tissues took its own sweet while though. Nonetheless, the staff were friendly and courteous.






Punjab Grill, Koramangala (4/5)

Visited this place on a weekday for a late yet heavy lunch. Despite my heavy craving for biryanis chose this restaurant because of its easy accessibility from where I was working that day.

Food (4.5/5)
Considering the mood of the day, I decided to order a chicken dum biryani and a kesar pisteywali lassi for drinks.

The dum biryani would definitely find place among the best north Indian biryani's I have tasted. It had a luxurious serving of rice and meat - with at least five medium sized pieces in the dish. The curd (not raita) served as accompaniment was quite ordinary though.

The lassi was equally sinful and had a small piece of peda in it. It was garnished with nuts and served in a large glass.

A special mention on the portions: if not for the monster appetite I had- it is unlikely that one person could finish a biryani by them-self.

Service (4/5)
The service was quite prompt and the staff were quick in finding me a table, taking my orders, serving and clearing the dishes.

The staffs were courteous in their service.

Pricing (3/5)
This is probably the only possible reason restricting me from planning frequent revisits. The biryani and lassi order costed me about INR.1100 - which I would say is very expensive. However, considering the ambience, location and quality of food, the experience could be partially considered as deserving for the price they charge.

Ambience (4.5/5)
The restaurant has a beautiful outdoor seating filled with plants and greenery (it ks also the corner property and has a road facing view), a comfortable and classic indoor seating, live kitchen counter, private family dining area and a well stocked bar counter.

Would love to revisit and try more of their food offering.


Tuesday, July 21, 2015

The Boozy Griffin, Koramangala (3/5)

Was here on a weekday night with a few colleagues. Incidentally the day happened to be a karaoke night and we were hoping it would be an interesting evening. Unfortunately for us, the person who was supposed to organise the karaoke session met with an accident and could not turn up.

Ambience & seating (3/5)
The pictures of the place looked really attractive in the pics but somehow I could not completely appreciate what this place had to offer. This might be personal because I have had similar views on several other restaurants- primarily on account of the dim lighting during late evening sessions.

For seating we had to choose between high rise stools and backless couches. Considering we were looking to spend a hour at least we went for the high rise chairs. The adjoining tables had metallic poles separating the sides - which I found quite pointless. Also, considering we had people sitting on either sides this was only making interaction difficult.

Pricing (3/5)
The pricing is slightly on the expensive side; especially their main-course.

Service (4/5)
Each of the tables had a tissue holder which has buttons to call the waiter, ask for bill, etc. Unlike some of the other places where I have seen similar technology being used, the staff responded instantly.

Food (1.5/5)
The food was a major letdown.

1. Veg Nachos was bland and flavourless.
2. Chicken peri peri - was served with burnt chicken pieces in an over-spiced peri peri sauce
3. Lebanese mezze platter was quite ordinary. The tiny falafels was sub-ordinary.

The devils chicken skewers looked similar to the chicken peri peri order, but had a less spicy sauce as base. This was the relatively better order of the day.

Drinks (3.5/5)
Some of their bar special cocktails were unavailable. Nonetheless, most of our drink orders were of good standard and was quite unlike their food.

Would recommend this place if you are looking for decent bar mixes.

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Chai Point, M.G Road

In summary: a perfect place to order chai's for delivery- but killed by its terrible vada pav.

Long working Sunday and our team decided to order mid-day tea from Chai Point. Thanks to the neat tetra pack+cardboard flasks- the teas were of good quality and served pipping hot. The first experience was so satisfying that we decided to reorder evening tea from them and this time we ordered some vada pav's to accompany.

The vada's were cold and tasted poor. For flavouring the outlet used what looked like chilli flakes- a terrible order I must concede.

Food (1/5)
Tea's (4/5) - liked their ginger tea better than their masala tea.
Packing - (5/5)
Delivery time - was pretty quick (4/5)
Quantity - served in discardable flasks, one tea could easily serve two.
Pricing - slightly overpriced - but 100% VFM. (4.5/5)

Sunday, July 12, 2015

La Cucina, Kilpauk (2.5/5)


A bunch of my foodie friends were raving so much about the food at La Cucina that I was compelled to try it out during my recent visit home. 

Food (2/5)
1. Ferrero rocher shake- Since I had my lunch not too long before the visit, I ordered myself a ferrero rocher shake to start with. My initial thoughts on the drink was very positive but as I had more of it, I felt it was too creamy and sweet. Also, I have a very low tolerance towards the presence of ice cubes in milkshakes and this made this a poor order for me.

2. Some veg thin crust pizza
The restaurant took the word 'thin crust' way too seriously. The crust was wayyy too thin and that killed what could have otherwise been a good pizza. 

3. White sauce pasta
The pasta was cheesy but flavourless otherwise. 

The restaurant serves only vegetarian and thats another motivation dropper for me. 

Service (3.5/5)
The staff were friendly and reasonably quick with their service. They dropped in to know our feedback and seemed genuinely interested in customer views. 

Pricing (3/5)
Pricing is moderate 

Ambience (3/5)
When I entered first there was a bunch of kids celebrating one of their birthdays. Was way too noisy that I decided to get back in half an hour. When I revisited, the floors were strewn with burst balloons and party poppers. 

Considering the above as an exception the interiors are done up well. Their lighting is dim and the pull down hanging lights is something I haven't seen in other restaurants (interesting!). There is a lot of empty space in the outlet and this is something they could work on - more tables perhaps. 

Parking - The parking space seemed adequate for just one car; however, the restaurant offers valet parking to its customers.






Hotel Crescent, Nungambakkam

After an evening mallu movie with family was looking for some quick food before boarding my night bus back to Bangalore. After eliminating some of the regular south Indian restaurants due to non-availability of seats we decided to dine at Crescent.

Ambience (2/5)
The place is for hardcore non vegetarians and my SIL, who is a vegetarian had trouble dealing with the aromas of non veg food that was floating around. We sat at the non AC dining area- the seats were not too comfortable and the place could use a dullness check.

Pricing (4/5)
The food is priced very economically and I would definitely recommend this place if you are looking for a budget Kerala non vegetarian meal.

Service (3/5)
The staff was initially very cold and did not respond appropriately when we asked regarding availability of the dishes. However, thereafter he was forthcoming in letting us know about the delay in preparation of dishes and otherwise.

The egg curry and parotas were served in no time. However, the chicken roast took around 10-15minutes to be served.

Food (2/5)
We were visiting after 10PM on a Sunday night and there was no fish/prawn dishes available.

1. Classic parotas that was adequately crispy and soft. They were served warmed and was enjoyable.

2. Gravy - the gravy (salna in tamil) that accompanied the parota tasted ok. It had no traces of meat and was served in limited portion – that’s unusual.

3. Egg curry - was basically a few boiled eggs dropped in the curry mentioned above. Was surprised to find a slice of chicken in it (egg-etarians beware)

4. Chicken roast - we had requested for a dry/semi gravy dish. What we were served was a dry flavourless chicken (whatever limited flavour the dish had was limited to the outer layers) that had an overpowering taste of coconut oil. There was very little or no gravy at all, resulting in the lack of flavour.

Overall, a less satisfying experience except for the parotas; definitely expected better from this veteran Kerala restaurant.


Amethyst Cafe, Gopalapuram (3.5/5)

Have been visiting Amethyst ever since its presence in the old premises near lloyds road to as recently as last week. However, have not been a frequent visitor of this place on account of in-affordability (was in college when I first visited them) and less enjoyable food menu (did not quite appreciate their pizzas the last time I visited - back in 2012). 

Ambiance (4.5/5)
Very clearly things have changed and I now better appreciate a calm and cozy coffee shop which is out in the greens. Such places are a tough find in our city; so much so that if you tell a non-chennaite, they would be astonished to know we have an outdoor seating top notch coffee shop like amethyst (at least considering the city's climate ain't really conducive for outdoor seating). And yes, on a intolerable summer day you could choose to sit indoors in their air-conditioned seating area (the option of this seating arrangement seemed more for large groups though)

Pricing (3.5/5)
Well, I am not a college kid anymore and neither is this place much beyond my reach. I would call this a necessary luxury for an experience in such ambiance

Service (4/5)
Despite the huge and wide seating area the staff are easily available to take your requests. That's commendable. 

Food (3/5)
Not a big fan of their food or desserts. Like I mentioned earlier, do not have a particularly fond memory of a pizza I had back in 2012. However, quoting a more recent visit I did not quite like the blueberry cheesecake - the blueberry compote had a overpowering effect on the cheesecake. 

The hot chocolate (warm as if was served) was however delectable. If was foamy and much unlike the milo tasting hot chocolates served at other coffee shops. 

Would love to revisit for a calm evening and when there is a lot to catch up with the person I am meeting.



Saturday, July 11, 2015

Green Dot Cheesecake, Nungambakkam (3/5)

Five of us visited this place on what could be described as a dessert mission. We had earlier visited la cucina and followed this up with ETC. 

Ambience (1.5/5)
Though located in a luxurious bungalow I would consider the ambience as non existent. Even the display counters were wrapped and due to be dispatched for service - made us think if we had entered a non-functional place. 

Pricing (3/5)
Their desserts are priced moderate. 

Service (3/5)
Nothing exceptional about the service- but nothing to complain about either. 

Desserts 
We ordered the following:
1. Red velvet cheesecake- it was spoilt and that was quite shocking (biggest let down of the day)
2. Blueberry cheesecake - tasted good and definitely unlike the RV cheesecake. 
3. Nutella and chocolate cupcake- the cupcakes were finger licking good. 

I would ideally rate such an experience (2.5/5) if not for the blueberry cheesecake and their cupcakes.






Cream Stone, Alwarpet (4/5)

2010- the first time I visited cream stone - in hypercity at Hyderabad. After a full meal I had ordered a willy wonka for self and I remember this to be one of the best ice creams I have ever had- the quantity was extremely overwhelming and the richness of the chocolate almost knocked me out.

Ever since, have recommended this ice cream to everybody who visited Hyderabad. I was extremely delighted when it opened in Bangalore and Chennai, that too in neighbourhoods I frequent. Finally got to relive willy wonka at the Alwarpet outlet yesterday.

Despite being a huge fan- tried to not expect too much considering I have had most of the better ice creams in the five years that followed my first round of willy wonka. However, this ice cream was definitely as good as I remembered and still finds a place in the list of best chocolate ice creams for me. Ordered a choco-reo to follow up and that was quite delicious as well.

Among other offerings, tried Belgium royal, dry fruit delight and fresh fruit and nuts. Relatively. these three were just ok.

Presentation is an area for improvement.




Ambience (3/5)
Themed in pink (I am sorry- my color palates does not include too many colors- so please don't judge me if am wrong)- the outlet had extensive seating space. The seating arrangement is not too comfortable and the circular wall corner tables are not easy to sit around.

The outlet has valet parking but it's not available during all working hours. Parking could be a constraint if you are driving down.

Service (4/5)
The staff are extremely courteous and brisk in their service. The ice creams are delivered pretty quick and the tables also are cleared without delays.

Pricing (4/5)
The pricing is nominal and relatively cheaper when compared to the other cold stone ice cream joints.

Must visit for their chocolate ice creams.