Ashvita - RK Salai *A CFG Showcase*

With a short break of one week, it was time for yet another CFG Showcase. The move by many restaurateurs to invite CFG members to their restaurant for a Showcase seems to be improving as the months go by. I am sure this is because they can clearly see the advantage of having a CFG Showcase both from a culinary perspective as well as from a PR perspective. 

(Inside Seating Area)

Coming to this week's showcase, Ashvita, a very cosy, niche and quite restaurant tucked inside a small lane off RK Salai had invited fellow CFG bloggers and photographers to showcase their newly revamped menu. Having been to Ashvita a couple of times more than 2 years ago, was intrigued to find out what has changed over the years and if this change still retained the atmosphere Ashvita was then known for.

Owing to sudden plans for the CFG admins, a fellow CFGian and myself were delegated with the responsibility for the showcase. This resulted in me reaching Ashvita well ahead of the others as this enabled me to have an interaction about how the evening was to unfold with Munira, the PR Co-ordinator for Ashvita and Ashwin, who owns Ashvita.

(Lounge Non Alcoholic Drink)

The CFGians slowly trickled in as the clock kept nearing the beginning time of 7:30 PM. Once all the customary introductions and camera light adjustments were made by the members, the Showcase had begun.  On behalf of CFG, I thanked Ashwin for having invited us over for the CFG Showcase and that we are eagerly looking forward to sampling his new menu. Ashwin then took over the proceedings by giving us all a brief history of Ashvita, how it started and what their core beliefs are. Ashwin also introduced the lot to a new canned drink that was on the block. A brand of Non-Alcoholic drinks called "Lounge". They were being launched at Ashvita first and will roll out in retail stores shortly. Three flavors are currently available viz., Mojito, Tonic Water and Margarita. A couple of other things that Ashwin told us was not to expect any healthy food on the menu as he believed in indulgence of taste more than health and also that they do not serve seafood, pork or beef at Ashvita.

Post Ashwin's introduction on Ashvita, the culinary magic begun. One thing that I was thoroughly impressed at this particular Showcase was that we were not huge portions on a single plate. Instead they served small sample size portions to everyone and some dishes were prepared to be shared by 2. This helps a lot in a Showcase as the photographers can be at peace taking their own time to capture the smiles on the food.

(Asian style Tomato soup with Pasta and Egg)

(Garlic and Mushroom Cream Soup)

(Chicken Shorba with Caramelized Onion and Egg)

(Peas and Spinach Cream Soup)

(Pumpkin Coriander Soup)

The showcase began with a tasting session for the soups. We were served with not one or two but with five different soups. First on the table was "Asian style Tomato soup with Pasta and Egg". The soup was light and had good flavors but was a little too peppery for my liking. The pasta and the egg complimented the textures of the soup. Next was "Garlic and Mushroom Cream soup". This was a favourite with many. The garlic were roasted perfectly and mushroom well cooked and gave the right amount of crunch that was needed in the soup. The third entrant was "A Chicken Shorba with Caramelized Onion and Egg". Yes the inspiration for Ashwin was the French Onion Soup but it funneled down into this soup. As it is a Shorba, it had strong flavorings of Chicken along with caramelized onion that were not too strong and the usual egg floats. Next came the "Peas and Spinach Cream soup". This one definitely had some tweaking to do. To start with the texture was coarse and tasted a little too bland. Amongst all the soups, this was the only one that most of us used additional seasonings to bring the flavor. Last but not the least of the dishes we were to sample was the "Pumpkin Coriander Soup". A pumpkin soup was a first to me. Felt the textures of the pumpkin were well balanced with the tinge from the coriander. This was a normal clear soup sans the pumpkin and coriander flavoring. Some had suggested that the pumpkin be julienne'd rather than being used as chunks. The soup tasting session was filled with fun n frolic. I would rate the soups in the following order of awesomeness,

1. Garlic and Mushroom Cream soup
2. A Chicken Shorba with Caramelized Onion and Egg
3. Asian style Tomato soup with Pasta and Egg
4. Pumpkin Coriander Soup
5. Peas and Spinach Cream soup

(Crispy Spinach and Sprouts)

(Inverted Masala Papad)

(Grilled Chicken and Cheese)

Once the soup tasting ended, we were immediately flooded with the starters. The starters were rushing from the kitchen at such a pace that we had to ask Ashwin and Munira to slow down the pace. The first starter to reach the table was the "Crispy Spinach and Sprouts". This was true to its name, Crispy. But for those of you who immediately associated Spinach and Sprouts with being a healthy food, you are absolutely to be mistaken. Like Ashwin had informed earlier, their is no diet/healthy food. The Sprouts and Spinach were perfectly fried and that gave them the amazing crunchiness. Next was another innovative dish, the "Inverted Masala Papad". This was nothing more but a regular papad rolled like a cone having the only healthy filling of the evening, mixed chat masala. The next starter was from the continental kitchen, "Grilled Chicken and Cheese". This was an instant favorite with the poultry lovers. The chicken juicy and was perfectly grilled with the right amount of cheese. In fact the cheese was not too strong to take away the flavors from the chicken by being too cheesy rather was of the right amount to complement the grilled chicken.

(Kakori Kebab)

(Onion Rings Salt Pepper)

(Punjabi Breakfast)

(Fried Rice Corn Tikki)

Following the grilled chicken, we were served upon with a dish I think known as "Kakori Kebab". But this was with a different take on it. Instead of the traditional kebab, this had minced lamb rolled in a thin wrap of egg. With the right amount of spices incorporated into the kebab, they were delicious. After the continual attack of meat, we were served a very simple dish with a twist. "Onion Rings Salt Pepper" as they named it. Being a major fan of onion rings, like the experimentation that was done in this dish. The dish that followed had its share of questions and answers. Called "Punjabi Breakfast", we were served a dish that consisted of boiled eggs, veggies and a sweet roti. Though Ashwin called it a Punjabi Breakfast, a fellow CFGian who happens to be a Punjabi was giving his insight that Punjabi's do not eat Sweet Roti's for breakfast. This ought to be more of the Gujarati/Maharashtrian type. The feedback was well received by Ashwin and he guaranteed that the origins will be researched upon once again. What followed next was yet another dish that was sweet. The "Fried Rice Corn Tikki" wasa tad bit sweet but they were deliciously crispy and light on the palate.

(Sesame Chicken)

(Fried Momos)

(Steamed Chicken Momos)

(Chicken Lipta)

Following the string of vegetarian dishes, came the winner dish of the evening. The "Sesame Chicken", as it was called was a clear notch above rest of the dishes that were served during the course of the evening. The dish was a chicken kebab with sesame flavorings. The chicken was succulent and cooked to perfection with the flavoring of sesame felt floating above the chicken. Just as quickly the dish arrived it disappeared in a jiffy. Following this we were presented with two different types of "Momos". The first one was a fried variant while the latter was steamed momos with chicken. They tasted pretty much the same barring the crunchiness felt in the fried one. The last of the non-vegetarian starters was a dish called "Chicken Lipta". Although looks similar to the crispy chicken dishes available at Chinese restaurants, this was a completely Indian dish. Though wasn't as crispy as expected it was certainly packed with strong flavors.

(Paneer Mushroom Jariyawala)

(Potato Chat)

(Mushroom Gotiya)

The last few dishes that arrived brought back the delight on our vegetable loving friends. The "Paneer Mushroom Jariyawala" was a typical Indian tandoori dish. The paneer was soft but the mushroom was a bit too slimy to my liking. This was followed by the "Potato Chat" and "Mushroom Gotiya". The Potato Chat was more of diced baked potatoes along with some veggies and a dressing. As the dish was placed away from us, the carnivores, I decided to skip it. The Mushroom Gotiya was another tandoori dish but the mushrooms in this were more palatable.

(Big Boss - Chicken)

(Big Boss - Paneer Tikka)

(Big Boss - Kashmiri)

Following the starters, came a completely surprising dish. Called the "Big Boss", it was indeed the big boss of all dishes at Ashvita. Customizable to suit your needs, we were served with three variants of Big Boss viz., Chicken, Panner Tikka and Kashmiri. Well the Big Boss is more like a take on pizzas. The base is replaced by a thick roti on top of which are the toppings and dressings as per your preference.  The Chicken Big Boss was my favorite among the lot. With chunks of chicken and potato with a dressing of mayonnaise, the big boss was just yummy. The Panner Tikka was similar to the Chicken variant except that it had more cheese and a lot more vegetables. The Kashmiri Big Boss was quite different from the previous two. It was in fact packed with wonderful flavours of dry fruits and nuts that it tasted like a mix n match of sweet and savoury dish.

(Assorted Indian Breads)

Once all the big boss's were eliminated by us, Ashwin threw a much bigger task for us. The Buffet was now open for us to sample. CFGians who always are excited to taste food practically gave up this evening. After a stomach filling sampling of 5 soups and 17 starters, none had the capacity to have a buffet dinner. Some totally skipped it while others decided to take small servings to sample. The main course on the offering were

• Vegetable Jalfrezi
• Badami Chicken
• Bhuna Gosht
• Roasted Lamb in Mint & Coriander sauce
• Dal Makhni
• Mushroom & Tomato Rice
• Coloured Plain Saffron Rice
• Pan Fried Noodles
• Indian Breads - Egg Paratha, Gobi Paratha & Bajra Roti

After tasting so many dishes, I had by now lost the sense of taste. But one dish that really impressed me was the Badami Chicken. It had a rich taste of badam in which the chicken was cooked as a gravy. The rest of the dishes were palatable excepting the Mushroom & Tomato rice which many felt didn't pack much flavor. The Egg paratha though tasty lacked some seasoning. It was also a bit heavy on the palate.

(Oreo Milkshake)

(Mocha Milkshake)

(Kit Kat Milkshake)

Once we had settled down and relaxed after the short main course, we were all excited for the samples that were to arrive next. Yes the ever wonderful desserts. To the excitement of all of us, Ashwin again revealed that we will be sampling 6 desserts. The desserts round started with the arrival of "Oreo Milkshake". It was very appetizing to have the Oreo Milkshake after such indulgence in the starters that one full glass was empty in a single gulp. The next on the table was the "Mocha Milkshake", which as the name suggests was a little heavy on the coffee and a bit too liquidy for a milkshake. The final milkshake was made up of one of my all time favorite chocolate, the "Kit Kat Milkshake". Being my favorite flavoring, I had absolutely no complains on this. 

(Beetroot Halwa)

(Vanilla Cake)

(Citrus Cake)

Following this attack of milkshakes came the desi "Beetroot Halwa". I would rate the Beetroot Halwa at Ashvita as one of the best I've tasted anywhere. It was perfectly cooked, with the required amount of crispiness while at the same time retaining the juicy content of the beetroot infused with milk and sugar. It was so yum that I requested for another serving of the same. The last desserts to be served were "Citrus Cake" and "Vanilla Cake". Nothing extraordinary about the cakes as they were basic sponge cakes with a flavored icing on the top. The flavoring seemed perfect in both the cakes.

With this marathon tasting session, came the end of the CFG Showcase at Ashvita. The owner, Ashwin, was kind enough to be with us the entire time and clearing our doubts while taking feedback on how the dishes fared. As it was well past 10 PM, all of us were in a hurry to get going and I made an impromptu vote of thanks to Ashwin for providing us with the opportunity to have such a wonderful evening and for taking our feedback in the right spirit. 

In terms of pricing, they seem to have mastered this art as usual. Just like the earlier times, they have been able to find a good balance between what is a affordable price with that of an exorbitant price. I'm sure those who visit Ashvita will agree that it is wallet friendly for the ambience and the food that you get here.

Ashvita is located in RK Salai after Hotel President (opp. to Dominos Pizza). You will find a big board that says Ashvita at the entrance of a small lane. Enter that lane and you will have Ashvita on your right. They have Valet Parking too.

P.S: This seems to be my longest post so far. At last count was 2k plus. Kudos to Ashvita for setting an example for a Showcase.

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Pizza Republic - Tharamani

Who wouldn't want to have fresh Pizza's... That too on a Saturday night with friends...

After a quick plan-up with fellow CFGians, a bunch of us planned to spend the Saturday evening at the recently opened Pizza Republic in Tharamani. Having plenty of time between end of office and the planned meet up at Pizza Republic, a fellow CFGian and myself decided to head out to the Thai Food workshop which was organized by CFG. The mentor for the workshop was Mrs. Sara Koshy about whom I've heard heaps and was curious to taste her cooking. We were lucky enough to have a taste at the excellent Thai food that was prepared. The Buoroy dessert was out of the world. I was secretly gulping the stuffed lychees one by one after everyone left. How I wish I had really attended the entire workshop. Folks you can keep checking out the CFG events page Chennai Food Guide - Events to know more about their upcoming events.

Pizza Republic

Outlet + Kitchen

After having a sample of the wonderful Thai food, we promptly returned to Pizza Republic for the meet up. Having heard a lot about Pizza Republic, I was really waiting for an opportunity to visit this place. First impression was a bit intrigued. I was wondering how is it possible to make pizzas for so many customers in such a small place. But what I loved most was the seating. Albeit being small (considering this set up was more of a test kitchen turning main stream owing to the instant hit amongst customers), the outdoor seating was wonderful especially with the night time weather in Chennai of late being really enjoyable.  

Mr. Rama Krishnan

We were met by the co-owner of Pizza Republic, Mr. Rama Krishnan, who was very courtesy and kind enough to introduce us to the concept of Pizza Republic. The differentiating factor between Pizza Republic and other pizza joints in the city is the fact that Pizza Republic offers you the option of the fun filled D-I-Y (Do It Yourself) method of making your Pizza's. If pizza making really interests you, you just need to follow the following steps.

1. Pick up a 9" or 12" pizza box from the counter top.
2. Select your choice of crust [Italian, Soft Pan, Multigrain, Thin Crust and Stuffed Crust].
3. Select how spicy you would like your Pizza [Not Spicy, Medium Spicy, Extra Spicy].
4. Select how much cheese you would like [Not Cheesy, Normal, Extra Cheesy].
5. Select all the toppings that you would need according to your preference.
6. Hand over the box to the cashier for billing and inform him that you would like to make your pizza.

You may be asked to wait sometime in the event of the kitchen being busy but this is not the case often as their turn around time is pretty high for a pizza joint. You'll then be asked to wear the head cap and hand glow before entering the kitchen to keep up with their strict quality control standards. 

Now the fun begins. You will at first hand see how the pizza base dough is being made and spread on the pizza pan following which you will be able to add the sauces, toppings and cheese as per your order. The process is pretty much the same in case if you would like to have a salad before you pizza. Mr. Rama Krishnan can also customize his offerings to your requirements if you can check with him before hand. Once your pizza is placed on the conveyor oven, your job inside the kitchen is over and you can get back to your table and relax (rather anticipate with excitement  for the arrival of your pizza, which shouldn't take more than 15 minutes. 

Choose your pizza

Dough being prepared

Freshly made Pizza base

Selection of toppings

Making my own pizza

Here it goes at one end

The pizza's were the best of all. They were fresh, juicy, cheesy and light on the palate. Yes a pizza being light on your palate. I believe the reason could be the freshly prepared dough for the pizza base rather than those pre-made ones you get at other pizzerias. The pizzas were so yummy that we were on an ordering spree and infact lost count at the total number of pizza's the group had. My rough estimate would be close to 6 pizza's among a group strength of 8. I'm sure this gives an idea about how tasty it was. The pizza's kept coming and disappearing in a jiffy.

Deliciously out the other end

Fresh and Hot

So Yummmmm!!!!

During the course of the evening, we were also told about a very unique ability of their pizza box. The pizza box at Pizza republic is a custom design that ensures that a couple of pizza slices can be effectively packed and carried by ladies inside their clutch. If you are wondering how, check out the picture below which is the base of the box converted for a easy carriage of leftover pizzas.

Easy takeaway for the leftovers

Prior to my visit their, I was informed that this place was a real pocket friendly, value for money pizza outlet. True to the opinions, it hardly costed Rs. 300 per head for an enormous serving of pizza's and salads. The point to be mentioned is that most of us even took takeaways that evening. Am not too sure about what others felt [I've not heard anything against so far], so presuming it was the same with all others, the pizza's when reheated taste as good as how it tasted fresh from the oven. Folks at home have become an instant fan of Pizza Republic and its concept such that the nagging for a family visit started of instantly.

Bottom-line....

This is one pizza joint that is gonna stay here forever.. True to its name, this is indeed a Republic to true Pizza lovers...

Pizza Republic is located on CSIR Road [off Rajiv Gandhi IT Expressway], Tharamani. It is before Ascendas on the left and is located within the same compound as Copper Chimney.

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