Malgudi’s – Delhi Dabha

Malgudi's- A prelude

In our (mine to be more precise) earlier days in Chennai we used to go to a Sai Baba temple for worshiping almost every Saturday. The temple was close to our place of stay back then. Now, we live quite far away  but we still try going to that temple whenever we can. Last Sunday was one of such days when we planned to visit this beautiful, peaceful and serene temple. By the time we would return it would be quite late in the evening hence we decided to eat out. So, I suggested to have at a simple eatery like Hot Chips (wasn’t hungry after a heavy Sunday brunch) located at Kotivakkam. Earlier we used to stay in Palavakkam, which is close by that is when we frequented this place as it had good food at a very reasonable price with a decent ambiance. This particular Hot Chips outlet is absolutely different from all other Hot Chips outlets in Chennai. It pulls equal crowd but is more spacious than other outlets and has a much better furnishing, has valet parking etc. Anyway, we did not go to Hot Chips as my 'hujjband' said lets go somewhere else. Now, on OMR there are many options for eat-outs and restaurants. I thought of Malgudi. Malgudi is actually one of the restaurants in the same premises & management which have three restaurants namely Malgudi which offers South Indian food, China Terrace-Chinese cuisine and Delhi Dabha which serves North Indian items. This place in general is called Malgudi’s may be because that was the first one to open up or maybe because Malgudi is more popular than the other two. Although I don’t think so, as I always see more crowd at China Terrace. China Terrace brings a smile on my face because I came here on the first day of my life at Chennai. Malgudi’s China Terrace is THE FIRST place where I have eaten in Chennai. We had just got back from our Honeymoon, I waited the whole day for my husband to get back home from work, by then I had changed the bachelor pad into a nice cozy home. When he was back he was delighted. There was no dinner because there were no provisions at all at home, my afternoon lunch was chocolates and energy bars (no complaints on that although) so after a quick grocery shopping we headed to China Terrace, which gave me my comfort food. Although it is in the expensive range, China Terrace has beautiful ambience and its quite a lovely place for almost anything from family outings, to dates to general eat out. 

This time around when we reached Malgudi as I climbed up the wooden stairs and which leads you to China Terrace, I turned back and thought of trying out Delhi Dabha which is on the ground floor. For me, it was a bad decision. And yes this post is on Delhi Dabha of Malgudi’s, I apologise for such a lengthy prelude.  

Delhi Dabha

The seating arrangement at Delhi Dabha offers two options sitting in the open where they have put a large screen on which they play songs or being seated in the AC hall. We chose the AC hall as Chennai is famous for its teeming mosquitoes.  The AC hall has the ambiance of a decent eat out; they have confused it between a ‘dhaba’ look or a restaurant look. It’s good, it’s decent but not great not like China Terrace. They Menu according to me is quite sparse and the items seem similar. They have a lot of kebab varities though and I think they should have called themselves Kebab kings or something not Delhi Dabha. Yes, you guessed it right I am not kebab fan. If  you are a kebab fan this is the place for you Kebab dishes range from Rs.170/- to Rs.220/- I never ordered any so can’t talk about the quantity but I have heard they are lip smacking. For starters, apart from kebabs the only option available is ‘Murgh Kalimirchi’ ‘Lasani Jhinga’ and one more type of prawns and one fish fry. That’s it. Of course, there are vegetarian kebabs and Gobhi Tikki and Aloo tikkis which are exorbitantly priced. Many types of Indian breads are offered ranging from Rs.18/- to Rs. 50/-. Kulchas are Rs.35/- The Rice items are pulao and biryanis which are of different types like vegetable, chicken or mutton.Main course has few chicken items, some mutton and some vegetarian items. We ordered Kashmiri Roganjosh priced at Rs. 170/-, Mutton biryani Rs.220/- and ‘Lasuni Jhinga’ for Rs. 250/-.

‘Lasuni Jhinga’ was good, had exactly 6 small pieces so I would say over priced for the quantity and the taste. They served the Mutton Biryani which was well just like any other Biryani nothing great there either and the quantity is not actually enough for two if you are hungry. Same goes for the Roganjosh which was spicy although it was Kashmiri Roganjosh that we ordered.

The service is fast. Malgudi also houses a small shop which sells apparels and accessories. It also has a portrait maker, a magician who comes o your table to show you magic if you are interested, a potter and I think I saw fortune teller also. I should have gone and asked him whether I should opt for China Terrace or Delhi Dabha to avoid the disappointment.

Please do not miss a visit to Malgudi owing to the dismal picture I painted of Delhi Dabha. If you love kababs maybe this place is for you. And a trip to China Terrace will surely amuse you , I haven’t tried Malgudi’s at Malgudi which could be great too. Malgudi has lot to offer but for a foodie like me Delhi Dabha is not the place to be!

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The Park Pod’s ‘Italia’- or another name for finest Italian dining in Chennai

The Park Pod is the luxury and boutique hotel of The Park. Italia is the fine dining restaurant of The Park Pod.

Italia is located in the heart of the city of Chennai at the Khader Nawaz Khan Rd. The entrance is a narrow gate, although broad enough for a truck to enter. This gate leads you to a grand entrance through a corridor. When you park the car you can see the chic crowd seated and enjoying through the glass wall of Italia’s first floor dining hall. I do not think they have a dining area in the ground floor- a word of caution if you plan to take anybody who has a problem climbing few flights of stair case.

The smoking zone is a nice pool side. Generally the smoker’s are pushed into a balcony of sorts. Smokers could well be delighted to have the pool side to smoke with a beautifully lit up tree to gaze on while they smoke. Although smoking still remains as injurious to health as ever. Getting back to the point, Italia’s ground floor entrance is a nicely lit (not brightly lit) pool side which takes you to a spiral stair case at the end. This stair case opens up to a very well done lounge area. It is uber posh. It has this very beautiful water running through woods. A lot of wood works in the interiors making it look really rich. Inside the lounge, the restaurant everything is very brightly lit up.

You are invited inside by the very courteous staff and are given an option to be seated in the exterior side with a glass wall which allows you to look into the pool or you have the choice of being seated in the interior portion where you can gaze upon the tastefully done restaurant.

Italia offers true Italian food. I know so does a pizza outlet, what I meant was that they have a lot of Italian variety to offer other than the regular Pizzas, Fettuccine alfredo, Bruschetta etc. The varieties offered are galore. Be it meat or sea food that you desire or beverage or dessert.

The service is very good. Very courteous. They know what they are serving and ask you in which order do you desire to be served. Are knowledgeable enough to advise on portions, kind of food, drinks etc. And yes they are quite fast! Now, that’s worth an applaud.

They begin by serving the complimentary bread with different sauces which you can start having with your drinks while you ponder with all the long Italian dish names which are difficult to pronounce and even more difficult to comprehend. For appetizers we ordered a platter of sea food fritters- this was how I am describing the dish, the name slipped away from my mind. It was delicious they give some 5 varieties of sea food (3-4 piece each small ones) with a sauce. Extremely good.

We ordered just one main course and one dessert both of which were just excellent. The dessert was a deadly chocolate mousse; the quantity is enough for two. The main course would be enough for two if you have ordered a starter, a drink for each and a dessert. If you skip any one of the things, you might have to order one more main course to be full.

In the beverages you have option of alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks. Good number of cocktails or ‘mocktails’ to choose from. I had a Margarita which was fab. I forgot what hubby dahling had, whatever it was he seemed content.

Let’s come to pricing – a meal for two with starters, cocktails, one dessert, one main course came to Rs. 3000/- pricey but worth it. It is specially worth it if you are taking your romantic interest for a special treat like I was taken out for my birthday treat.

I would want tell all you people out there to try out this place specially if you love Italian food.

At the end of it all I want to say is thank you for stopping by. and a special shout out to the husband ‘Thank you, you made my day.’  And ‘when did you say we are going there again?’ ;-)
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Holy Smoke, Chennai

The smoke might be holy but the prices and food are not!! 

Well, its been sometime that I have posted anything in the blog. I am a lazy person basically. During my brief disappearance from the blogging world , I had been to some very good places in Chennai (eat-outs). I forgot to take my camera, or even if I had the camera never took pictures of anything coz I had almost given up blogging. But on Saturday I had been to Holy Smoke- A sizzler joint in Chennai. Oh! What a disappointment! I was so upset with the food there that I had this compelling urge to share it with people so that at least few of you out there are able to save some money.

Holy Smoke is located in Nungambakkam - centrally located. The car park at Ispahani Centre which houses Holy Smoke has ample space to park and its free- a total thumbs up for that.

The restaurant is quite tastefully done, decent ambiance and comfortable seating.

The service is good- the people are courteous and know what they are serving.

Now, I would begin with the negative part- the FOOD.

Well firstly, you expect them to ask you how you want your steak-which they do not. And end up serving a very over done steak. We had ordered a Beef Sorrentino which was hard and dry. The serving size of beef steak average – probably a little less for the price. This sizzler item was presented along with the usual mashed potatoes which tasted strange and some pasta which was bland but okay. The accompanying sauce wasn’t great either but the crispy bread and the eggplant bed on which the steak was served was tasty.

Next item was a Chicken Stroganoff. The chicken pieces were paltry. The veggies on them and the sauce was infested with pepper corns. I am using the word infested because there were just loads of them broken into uneven pieces- floating in the sauce and getting inside your teeth every time you bit into the veggies or the few chicken pieces that were thrown in on the sizzler. I had noted that they were going to season the dish with pepper and I personally like pepper. But, I did not expect a bed of pepper corn. And to my utter disappointment that was the only flavouring along with a mild hint of garlic. If there were any other seasoning or flavour(s) which my taste buds couldn’t detect it’s largely because there was coating of pepper corns on my tongue.

By now already around Rs.800/- had gone down the drain (well almost) but we thought maybe a good dessert could just lift the mood. And we ordered a Chocolate Fondue. I am aware of the concept of a fondue that it’s a sauce served with many other accompaniments which can be dipped in the sauce and had. Well, we didn’t expect cut fruits and wafer biscuits with chocolate sauce to be served for Rs.400/- !!!! It was just ordinary chocolate sauce. The fruits were just apple and pineapple not exotic fruits and wafer biscuits of 3 types all of which tasted same.

So a meal for two cost us 1280/- with just one dessert, no appetizer and no drinks. It is expensive by all means. And the experience (gourmet) was a far cry from average!

I have written all this in their feed back form. I hope somebody sits up and takes notice of it in Holy Smoke. I am done with Holy Smoke and am not even planning to go and check if they have improved. And oh yes the cutlery that they have is ridiculous. The stems of the knives and the forks are very fat and have a rounded mould so they just keep slipping. The cutlery is heavy and the teeth of the knife and the fork was blunt and to top it all they serve over cooked steak. So imagine the struggle you go through for eating something decently (blunt knife- hard steak), pay an indecent high price (Rs.400 for chocolate sauce and half an apple, 3 pieces of pine apple & biscuits!!) and then end up repenting at your choice of eat out.

I think a better option for sizzlers is Kobe. I guess I’ll go to Kobe one more time one of these days, take a few snaps and write a post about it.

Please leave your comment if you want to agree, disagree or if you have anything to add or ask.  :-)

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Tuscana Pizerria, Chennai (it’s so much more than a pizerria that it should be called pizetcetra)

Like I have mentioned earlier I enjoy trying out different kinds of cuisines or eat-outs & this Sunday we chanced upon a wonderfully different place.  I relish the idea of going to a restaurant which strives to offer some new cuisine or at least a new feel. Earlier I wrote a post on Sparky’s Diner which tries to represent the casual style of America. Tuscana Pizerria, as the name suggests tries to represent fine dining & Italian cuisine. Not tries, does represent the Italian food and art. Yes, art…they have put up some excellent paintings. Now ,I am no art expert here but I can guarantee that no body, even the person who has least interest in paintings can ignore the scenic paintings which adorn the walls of this Italian cuisine outlet. I regret to the utmost that I hadn’t taken my camera with me as it wasn’t a planned visit. Looking at those paintings made me realize why art thieves exist (now I understand Neal Caffrey of White Collar more & admire the flick- The Thomas Crown Affair more). Tuscana, which is located in the posh Wallace Gardens, Numgabakkam area of Chennai is undoubtedly one of the finest dining area in terms of ambiance and food. Our visit to Tuscana was a chance visit. We have been hearing about this place for past one year since it opened in November 2009 but never got a chance to check it out. This Sunday when we were just ambling around Wallace Garden, thinking of a place to eat we just happened to spot Tuscana. We were about to leave the place considering the parking headache. We were hungry, lazy, not in a mood to squeeze  the car or abandon it 2 kms away from the destination and then walk to work up the appetite as it was already pretty worked up, in fact almost fatigued ( we had had just 2 slices of toast and a poached egg for b’fast…what ? what are you frowning at? I know Sunday b’fasts are special but didn’t you read the letters l-a-z-y just now), just then we saw the board which read ‘Valet Parking’. A sigh of relief and a quick mental tick mark. We walked into the restaurant and we were welcomed by a very good looking Italian (?) gentleman who asked us if we had a reservation (the place was quite full and like Sparky’s full of expats) and was upset to know that we didn’t. He requested us to be seated at the small reception area from where you can see the kitchen area through a semi-glass wall. After a quick discussion with someone in the restaurant he came back and led us to a table meant for two. A waitress quickly pulled the chair out for me and saw to it that we were perched up comfortably. I was too awed by the paintings and smitten by the very vibrant colored cutlery and dining table accessories to even smile at her let alone thank her. As soon as I came back to my senses I looked at my husband and both of us said simultaneously –“NICE” which sounded more like “NAAEECE”. One thing I want to mention here is that although this place is wonderfully done, it is small and please do not mistake it to be a kind of place to cater to your needs of having tables far apart from other guests and have a pool or garden to look at, like you would on a very special romantic occasion like marriage anniversary, or proposal etc. This is a nice place to get your spouse, family or friends for a nice tasty lunch or dinner in a very pretty set up for a special occasion (not romantic although). It's full of people but it’s not noisy, although you can overhear some alien languages like Spanish or Italian from across the other tables. In the backdrop a good selection of music can be heard.

Anyways let’s get down to Business- FOOD. The menu is categorized in 7 parts- Bread & Foccacia (you get Bruschetta here-some 8 options are there); Soups & Salads; Pizzas – Veg & Classic (Non-veg); Pastas; Gnocchi & Others (includes lasagna and ravioli); Desserts; Shakes & Smoothies (includes chillers & aerated drinks).

We ordered  a 9” Classic pizza –Bolognese, Lasagna di pollo e Asparagus and a fizzy drink which had strawberry, mint and lemon – I can’t recall the name. The pizza had an exceptionally thin crust, I know this is something that is taken pride about but functionally it got too soggy to cut with a fork & knife or to be taken into hands and eaten. I am sure all those who rave for thin crusts would love this but personally I would have preferred a softer and fatter crust- not just because I enjoy soft breads also because of the ease of eating it. The sauce of the pizza which by the name you can understand was Bolognese (we opted for beef as suggested by them—another mental tick coz I hate it when the people taking orders have no clue as to what’s being served) was just perfect with marinara sauce as base and wonderful toppings of mushrooms, spinach mozzarella and a dollop of shave Parmesan. The pizza was just excellent and very different from what you normally get at pizza outlets. It just defied my idea of not ordering a pizza at a specialty restaurant. My argument being that we have pizza anyways so let’s order something else. It was hubby’s call to order a pizza and lasagna. 

Lasagna di pollo e Asparagus- this is just half the portion. You can see the layers of chicken,asparagus, pasta, and the sumptuous layer of cheese.

The Lasagna di pollo e Asparagus was layers of pasta filled with chicken & asparagus along with Béchamel sauce and feta. The whole lasagna put together was a smooth and soft casserole which while eating feels like tender and light but by the time I finished my portion (we had split it into two) I was like it’s quite filling. It just tasted the way it should smooth and creamy with a nice hint of asparagus although I liked the pizza more and this version of lasagna was a slightly bland choice.

The strawberry fizz drink which was served in a BIG glass was just superb. We were too full to order a dessert, maybe next time.

I almost forgot on giving an account on the prices.  As expected it was a little pricey. Our pizza was Rs.405, lasagna was Rs. 520/- and the drink was Rs. 155/-.  So if you include a dessert which would be around Rs. 200-/- and soup of Rs. 200/- (you can’t have so much), meal for two would come to Rs.1800/- Considering that you can’t have a soup, a drink and a dessert with the main course, my guess would be – a meal for two (2 main course, 2 drinks/ soups and 2 desserts) would cost Rs. 1200/- to Rs.1500/-

 A little bit of trivia- the MD of this place Mr. Vipin Sachdeva, started his venture into the food business by opening  Subway franchise in Chennai and then down the years he decided to pen his own brands starting with Fresca- Italian Gelato (ice cream parlours) and then Tuscana in 2009 and Kryptos by Willi (who is the director and COO of his food business team) in Sep’2010. The new ventures to look out for are ‘ Burgundy’s’ (a 24 hr dine in restaurant) , ‘The Jade Wok ‘( will serve authentic Chinese cuisine ) and ‘ The B-Bar’( a social music bar).

This is the place to be if you are hunting for a place to not only offer you authentic Italian food but also make you feel that you got a glimpse of Italy through the paintings. After our lunch the very courteous staff bid us adieu and brought our car in no time. I think they know that they feed us so well that we can’t stand  for a long time with a bloated tummy. The tummy which had hunger pangs and growling when we walked in, was now loaded with cheese and pasta and was in no way going to complain for another couple of hours and we headed home for a nice Sunday siesta.

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Sparky's Diner, Chennai

Whenever we have a chance to eat out, I prefer to go to places which offer something other than Indian cuisine. So that I can try something new, something really different. And Sparky’s matches the ‘different’ attribute really well. From a good distance you can spot the Sparky’s Diner because of a big arrow, pointing downwards to the direction of entrance of the restaurant with the words “ Never Trust A Skinny Chef” ! Isn’t that amazing and isn’t that different. Wait till I take you inside. It’s not a huge place, but it is always bustling with people (lots of expats). The entire décor is full of pieces which can symbolize America. It’s got baseballs; it’s got the statue of the Beetles, a miniature replica of the white house, statue of liberty. Oh! there is also a saddle lying on the column to represent the cowboys(but i think represents Mexico). The entire place is decked with American memorabilia; car number plates, Black beard’s statue with skulls and cross bones, red Indians’ posters, maps, etc.

This place is run by Mr. Thom Petit (not petite; not skinny) and his sons I believe. You would find the very jolly Thom walking around and chatting and joking with all his guests and assuring that everybody is feeling at home and enjoying. The place gets very noisy as it is thronged by the young crowd of Chennai and at times lots of kids.

Some of the buffet items-you can spot coleslaw salad; chicken wings;beef curry (in centre); a fried sausage roll; a soft ginger flavored bread piece; buffalo wings; a piece of mutton lasagna and a rice salad. Apologies for the bad qlty. of pic.

Now let’s get to business- FOOD. The variety of cuisines offered here are American, Southern Cuisine (Cajun), Tex-Mex, Mexican, Hawaiian and Italian. They also offer a separate menu for kids. Vegetarian is also served. Alcohol is not served, you can opt for aerated drinks or the likes of iced tea etc. The menu describes almost all the items so its easier for you to select. I’ll just list a few of the items from the menu card. Starting with the American dishes- there is the BBQ chicken wings, the country fried chicken, breaded chicken strips, breaded zucchini, poutine (which is actually Canadian dish-it’s got these French fries smothered in mozerella cheese and dipped in white gravy) ; Mexican includes the burritos and tortillas etc; the Italian side of menu reads – Mama Rita’s Lasagna (very very filling) a little too much cheese for my taste but quite tasty, Cream Basil Penne Pesto (Veg & Chicken) –the chicken version is good ; the Hawaiin dishes are Chicken Katsu (breaded chicken with wasabi), hula style teriyakis. Apart from all this a few Spanish, Korean, French dishes and a wide variety of sandwiches are also offered.

I have been there a couple of times and have loved their country fried chicken with honey mustard sauce, BBQ chicken, Chicken burgers, the rice salad is too bland and cold for my taste, but the lasagna’s are very tasty. Tasty brownies and banana pudding too. Really smooth and soft.

We spotted a different dish called Cajun-cocoa cola chicken. We tried the Cajun one and well it was not very much uh..liked. And in the words of the Chef this dish is weird as it can’t decide if it wants to be sweet or spicy and he added that there is one more dish which is quite weird which is Mole. So, don’t complain saying that I didn’t warn.

Dining at Sparky’s would cost one Rs.300 per head . Fridays are buffet day from 7 p.m. onwards when you would find it be the noisiest and most crowded but that doesn’t compromise the service standards although you might have to wait for some 20 minutes if YOU HAVE reservation! Yes, it is that crowded. The buffet is steep, it costs around 350/- per head, was Rs.250/- in 2006.

All in all a nice place to hang out, specially if you have a big group. And want to go to a place which is not hum-drum and has a different feel- almost unique in fact.