Italian Thali @ Tuscana on Chamiers - Alwarpet

For anyone across the globe familiar with Indian cuisine, the first thing that strikes their mind when you mention the word "Thali" is the large variety of dishes served on a single plate. This is different from a platter as the Thali is not shared amongst others on the table and is is usually ordered one per person and often forms a complete meal own its own. The usual components of an Indian Thali consists of 3-4 different currys, some short eats, Indian breads, rice and desserts. The Thali's do differ dramatically between North and South India and savouring one is an experience all by itself. 

Now, if the Thali's are so accustomed to Indian cuisine then take your imagination to the next level to what could be available at Tuscana on Chamiers, an Italian restaurant based in Chennai. I'm sure you might have guessed it by now. Yes for the first time in Chennai, we now have an Italian Thali. This innovate concept was the brain work of those behind Tuscana on Chamiers. In the right spirit of what a Thali should constitute, the Italian Thali available here have all the elements a conventional one would have such as salad, starters, mains & desserts. 

On offer are 5 different Thali menu with 2 options for the vegetable lovers and 3 for the carnivores out there. Being a group of three in which I was the only meat lover, I decided to go in for the Thali with Chicken as the main course while my peers decided to order both the vegetarian Thali so as to have a complete experience. While we were waiting for our Thali's to make their appearance in style, we were informed that Tuscana on Chamiers has also started catering to the Jain community by making Jain friendly pizzas. Now thats a big step for such a restaurant as it is quite challenging to dish out a Jain dish without losing the flavours that you would get in the regular version.

(Stuffed Capsicum - Jain Style)

(Another Jain dish)

(Jain Pizza)

(Jain Pizza)

After a few chit chats, the Thali's made their grand appearance. The moment I saw my Thali, I was taken back with the large portion sizes for each of the component. They were humongous and big a big eater, felt it would be too much even for me. My Thali had a 'Pan Seared Chicken Escalope' for mains and they were accompanied by a portion of garlic bread, salad, pasta and a dessert. The dessert was an 'Apple Pie with Vanilla Sauce'. Savouring the Thali was an wholesome experience in total as the different elements provided the right oomph factor for a complete meal. The vegetarian Thalis had Risotto Cakes & Crepes for their main dishes while the accompaniments were a soup of mushroom or tomato along with a portion of garlic bread. The other desserts that were part of the Thali options are the dense Chocolate Fudge cake and a walnut cake with honey syrup.

(Chicken Thali)

(Vegetarian Thali with Crepes)

(Vegetarian Thali with Risotto Cakes)

How can one visit Tuscana and not savour their amazing Tiramisu. And precisely for this reason even though we had reached our threshold, we went ahead and ordered for a portion of the yummylicious Tiramisu. As always it never disappointed us. Along with the Tiramisu we were also given another fantastic dessert available here, the Panacotta. To end up the evening, we were told we had a surprise dish. When it brought into the room, all of us had to heave a heavy sigh. It was a dessert pizza. The base was spread with Nutella topped with caramelized bananas and chocolate chips. With absolutely no more room for anything related food, we still couldn't give up the temptation and dived into it straight. It was just mind-blowing. If it was served earlier on during the evening, I'm sure I would have gorged upon two such pizzas. Just can't wait to go back for another one.

(Panacotta)

(Tiramisu)

(Tiramisu)

(Chocolate Pizza)

So if you need a twist to the contemporary Thali that you have been savouring for all these years, head straight to Tuscana on Chamiers to try their twist on Thalis. The Thalis are in the price range of ₹650 to ₹850 plus taxes. But mind you, it is a complete and filling meal so its worth every penny spent.

Tuscana on Chamiers is located on Chamiers Road opposite to Hotel Park Sheraton.

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Lloyds Tea House - Gopalapuram

When Qwikys Coffee Pub opened their first outlet in Chennai in the early 2000’s, it was the beginning of a new era in many ways for Chennaites. All of a sudden there was a euphoria amongst the young, whether affluent or not. This in a way marked the beginning of the coffee shop culture in Chennai, which was earlier a concept only akin to 5* hotels.

But today Chennai has travelled extensively through the journey of time. To such an extent that the very Qwikys is no longer even present in the Chennai market. Such has been the domination of other café outlets that mushroomed taking advantage of this new found hang-out/meeting place concept in Chennai. But with a café in almost every nook and corner, saturation of these places begun noticeably with a dramatic drop in the quality of their food and service. Cafe’s started to lose their essence and eventually became a place where one would go only if all other options were exhausted.

Taking cognizance of this saturation, a team of five closely knit people decided to change the face of café’s in Chennai. With a vision to bring a never before concept in Chennai, Vandana, a home baker decided that Chennaites were ready to experience a true tea house. Backed by Pavan, an investment advisor, Rashmi, an expert in fashion & design, Sunny, the in-house tea connoisseur and Rajesh, the de-facto man in charge of running operations, began a new era in F&B concepts in Chennai. The birth of Chennai’s first dedicated Tea House, the “Lloyds Tea House”, aptly named after the road it is located at while at the same time providing a touch of Englishness, who are known for their beautiful tea houses.

The first thing that strikes you as you enter Lloyds Tea House is the ambiance of the place. They have a nice little cosy lounge type seating in addition to the regular seating. A small library but with loads of books on topics ranging from travel to food to designing. Perfect place if you would like to indulge in some me time. The lounge area also has some charming props from the yesteryears. As we were seated, we were shown with two menus, one for the food while the other exclusively for their amazing Teas. We decided to start with some appetizers and ice tea. Followed it up with mains, desserts and hot tea to complete the evening.

The evening started with their tea of the month, the ‘Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Tea’. The appetizers were ‘BBQ Chicken Fingers’, ‘Vol au vents’ and a ‘Rosti Platter”. I was just curious as to how the flavour of a dessert can be truly flavoured in a tea but they proved me wrong. Right from the first sip it kept knocking me as a dessert rather than a tea. The flavours were perfectly replicated. The BBQ Chicken fingers was one of the star dishes of the evening and a personal favourite for me. Evenly sliced chicken well marinated and served with a generous amount of sauce that tasted amazing even on its own. The Vol au vents was a puff pastry with mushroom and cheese on the top. One of the softest yet crispiest puff’s I’ve savoured in recent times. The Rosti platter comprised of a hash brown topped with creamy vegetables and loads of cheese. Right amount of crunchiness and toppings to make a good appetizer.

(Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Tea)

(BBQ Chicken Fingers)

(Vol au vent & Rosti Platter)

(Vol au vent)

(Vol au vent)

(Rosti Platter)

With the appetizers done, for the mains we had quite a few dishes. To start with was the ‘Margherita Pizza’. A very simple pizza and they got it spot on, served right from the oven hot-hot. The pizza had a thin crust base with a good balance of tomato and cheese. It was wiped clean in a jiffy by all of us present at the table. But for those who have some aversion towards tomato, I would recommend to either order a different pizza or ask for a slightly less amount of tomato. The next up was their ‘Chicken Cheese burger’. You cannot expect a fast food styled burger in a tea house, can you? The gourmet burger that was served to us was just mind boggling. The patty was amazingly juicy and you could savour each and every bite of it. It is again a must try for all the carnivores out there. Being a gourmet burger, it is served with some wedges for sides which again were less oily while being aptly crispy.

(Margherita Pizza)

(Chicken Cheese Burger)

This was followed by ‘Thai Basil Cottage Cheese with Rice’ and ‘Penne Arrabiata Pasta’. The Thai curry was different compared to the regular Green, Yellow & Red curries that one is accustomed to when it comes to Thai. It had some strong flavourings that gave it a unique taste. The Arrabiata pasta was accompanied by a portion of garlic bread and a sumptuous amount of zucchini topped with some chilli flakes. The presence of zucchini made a huge difference to the overall taste of the pasta. It provided a peak tinge that differentiated this pasta from the many that I’ve had over the years. The chilli could be too strong for those who are not accustomed to having very spicy food so make sure you ask for a lower spice quotient.

(Thai Basil Cottage Cheese with Rice)

(Penne Arrabiata Past)

With some great food for the mains, we were a bit confused on if we needed desserts or should we go for the hot tea straight away. Giving into our temptations, we decided to have a portion of ‘Tiramisu’ and ‘Almond Coated Chocolate Stick’. The Tiramisu was crowned with soft ladyfinger biscuits which tasted yummy on their own. The Tiramisu once again disappeared as quickly as it was brought it. The Almond coated chocolate stick was a good pairing for the ‘Blueberry Cheesecake Hot Tea’ that was served at the end of the service. What fascinated me the most was the innovative dispenser that was used for dispensing the hot tea. A timer is also provided to indicate how long you need to brew it depending on the concentration level of your preference.

(Almond coated Chocolate Stick)

(Tiramisu - Pic Courtesy: Llyods Tea House Facebook Page)

(Tea Dispenser)

(Blueberry Cheesecake Hot Tea)

Lloyds Tea House really wowed me during my first visit so much that I’ve started visiting more often than other restaurants in the vicinity. Some of my other recommendations are the Franconnian Peppermint Ice Tea, Rose Petal Hot Tea, Creamy Fusili with Mushrooms with Bechamel sauce and the Chicken Philly sandwich.

Lloyds Tea House is located on Lloyds Road, Gopalapuram adjacent to the DAV School.

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Azzuri Bay - Adyar *A CFG Feature*

One of the finest dining experiences one can truly enjoy at most restaurants is the roof-top dining. With the increase in pollution in Chennai, there has been a dearth of such restaurants. Roof top dining is very often available only in hotels and as most of them are located in the heart of the city, it often doesn’t turns into a memorable experience owing the fast and vibrant traffic that is prevalent at such locations. This was the scenario until two years ago when one such restaurant decided to open its doors to roof-top dining lovers. 

Tucked away in a very silent part of Chennai is ‘Azzuri Bay’. A restaurant that not only provides an amazing roof-top experience but also provides a gleaming view of the Adyar River and the mighty Adyar Bridge. Taking inspiration from the Adyar River and the Bay of Bengal, the restaurant was aptly named Azzuri Bay. Azzuri in Italian represents a shade of blue commonly known as Azzure and being located close to the Bay, the name could get no better than this. 

Towering 3 floors, each unique in its own way, the restaurant offers a multi-cuisine spread ranging from Italian, Mediterranean, Pan-Asian and South Indian. With a seating capacity of 140 patrons, the floors can also be completely blocked in case you decide to host a party. The vision of the owners is straight forward. One of the partners Mr. Jai Punjabi told me that their motto is “Good Décor with a Neat Ambiance serving Decent Food”. 

I am sure that by now, most of you would be wondering that Azzuri Bay is yet another multi-cuisine restaurant where justice will not be done to any particular cuisine. But your opinion will definitely change once you visit Azzuri Bay. They have indeed done more justice to the individual cuisines than most specialized restaurants do. Saying this, let me know give you a sneak peek into the amazing food that I devoured during my visit.

The first dish to be presented on the table was the ‘Rose Milk Popsicle’ & ‘Orange Popsicle’. I’m sure this would bring back old memories for most of us. Wanting to try all the cuisine, I was advised to go in for their Platters. Being an ardent foodie, I wouldn’t mind trying as many new dishes as possible but my only constraint is that food should never be wasted. Keeping this in mind, an order was placed for a Vegetarian and Non-Vegetarian platter from both Italian + Mediterranean and Asian Cuisines. While I waited for the platters to pop in, I was given an assorted variety of drinks to sample. This included a common ‘Virgin Pina Colada’, an innovative ‘Thai Ice Tea’ & a refreshing ‘San Francisco Ice Tea’. The Thai ice tea was a combination of Lemongrass, Condensed Milk and the traditional ice tea while the San Francisco ice tea was more of a black berry infused ice tea. 

(Popsicle)

(Virgin Pina Colada)

(Thai Ice Tea)

(San Francisco Ice Tea)

The first among the platters to arrive on the table was the ‘Vegetarian Asian Platter’. This consisted of Tofu Satay, Thai Spring Rolls, Crispy Corn and Cheese Wontons. This followed by the ‘Non Vegetarian Platter”. This platter comprised of Double Cooked Pepper Chicken, Fish Satay, Thai Chicken Spring Rolls and Salt & Pepper Prawns. The Tofu satay and cheese wontons were truly amazing while the Spring Rolls on both platters had a good filling and was crispy even after a prolonged time being on the table. One of the speciality dishes at Azzuri Bay is the ‘Double Cooked Pepper Chicken’ which was just too good. The chicken strips were perfectly cooked while they retained their amazing flavour.

(Vegetarian Asian Platter)

(Tofu Satay)

(Non Vegetarian Asian Platter)

With a closure on the Asian cuisine, my complete focus now was on my favourite cuisines, Italian and Mediterranean. The ‘Vegetarian Platter’ consisted of Three Cheese Rolls, Stuffed Baked Mushrooms, Vegetable Crostini and Falafel with Pita Bread. The ‘Non Vegetarian Platter’ had some of my favourite dishes, namely Stir Fried Prawns, Calamari Fritta, Chicken Shawarma and Lamb Kebabs. There cannot be a single dish amongst these two platters that I would dare to say was good rather all the dishes were just outright excellent. The three cheese rolls just melt in your mouth while the falafel was one of the best I’ve tasted in Chennai while the Shawarmas was straight forward the closest one can get to the authentic Lebanese shawarmas. The calamari fritta, prawns, baked mushrooms and the lamb kebabs all were remarkable in their own ways. 

(Vegetarian Italian Platter)

(Falafel with Pita Bread)

(Non Vegetarian Italian Platter)

(Calamari Fritta)

Being stuffed with all the platters, the main course was a complete pass for me. But the foodie in me did not agree. So the next adventure was on a roll. With a soft corner for pizzas, I couldn’t resist having one. I was served with a ‘BBQ Chicken Sausage, Mushroom & Oregano’ pizza. The pizza was truly mind boggling. One of the crispiest crust I’ve ever had in my life time. The toppings were absolutely fresh and was perfectly balanced with all the flavours. I just can’t wait to visit again just for their pizzas. The pizza was followed by a very typical Burmese dish known as ‘Khow Suey’. The chicken version was served along with 7 condiments. The moment this dish arrived, it stroke a chord to me that I have had this same exact dish somewhere earlier and this wasn’t the first time. I was so engrossed that I had a complete flashback of my travel over the last 3 years figuring where I had this. I had to eventually give up as it just didn’t trigger. Later in the evening, when I returned home to talk about this dish, I was enlightened by folks at home that I had tasted this dish at a place called Home and it was cooked by none other my mom. I was taken aback with my forgetfulness and had to shower the formal apologies for my ignorance. 

(Pizza)

Coming back to the Khow Suey, it is basically noodles soup meal. It consists of Noodles, a chicken gravy prepared in coconut milk and range of condiments. The chicken gravy at Azzuri Bay is similar to the Thai Yellow Curry while the range of condiments included Fried Onions, Lemon, Chopped Spring Onions, Fried Garlic, Chopped Boiled Eggs, Chopped Coriander & Chilli Flakes. The dish is served in a bowl which is first filled with the noodle followed by the curry. The condiments are added according to one’s taste and is had like a soup. This would be a great experience for tasting a dish from one of our neighbouring countries.

(Noodles and Curry)

(Noodles)

(Condiments)

(Khow Suey - Ready to Eat)

With all the mains done and just a small amount of space left to savour some desserts, we quickly jumped to the desserts section. On offering today were the ‘Tiramisu’, ‘Mud Pie’ & ‘Tres Leche cake’. The tiramisu was nice and had a good balance of flavour. The mud pie was truly and outstanding creation as it had me scooping spoons and spoons of it. But the best of the lot and my personal favourite was the “Tres Leche Cake” which in Spanish means ‘Three Milks Cake’. Being soaked in three different types of milk, this cake was super soft and spongy and had an amazing assortment of fruits to top it off. It was a perfect finish to an otherwise amazing dinner experience. 

(Tiramisu)

(Mud Pie)

(Mud Pie)

(Tres Leche Cake)

A perfect setting for some great dining experiences, a meal for two at Azzuri Bay would cost you about INR 1200/-. But the good news is that they have an array of discounts for their patrons. If you are an American Express card holder you get 20% off, for a Gandhi Nagar Club member it is 10% off and for the Chennai Food Guide members a discount is on the offering shortly. For all the women out there, be all happy as Azzuri Bay offers a 15% off for an all women table. These discounts are available for both Lunch & Dinner. What is now keeping you all back, get set go and head to Azzuri Bay for an amazing gastronomic experience.

For an earlier experience of mine at Azzuri Bay please visit http://www.foodinchennai.com/2013/01/azzuri-bay-adyar.html

Azzuri Bay is located at 13, 1st Crescent Park Rd, Gandhi Nagar, Adyar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600020, India. For more on Azzuri Bay, follow their Facebook page at Azzuri Bay – Facebook.

This experience at Azzuri Bay was courtesy of Chennai Food Guide as part of their premium restaurant feature. For more on Chennai Food Guide, visit Azzuri Bay - Chennai Food Guide. 

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Pizza Republic - Mogappair *A CFG Showcase*

With the dawn of the New Year, came the 1st Showcase of the Chennai Food Guide for the year 2013. Having become a phenomenon in the social media networks, Pizza Republic finally wanted to open up their offerings to the demanding bloggers of CFG. Pizza Republic opened its first outlet in Tharamani next to Ascenda IT Park. Following the tremendous success, new outlets have opened up in the last few months at Mogappair and Egmore with further outlets planned in the coming months in Besant Nagar, Nungambakkam, Ambattur, St. Thomas Mount and so on.

 

Having already been at the Tharamani outlets many a time and experiencing Mr. Ramakrishnan's innovations with Pizza, I immediately jumped on the bandwagon the moment I was informed that Pizza Republic Mogappair was organizing a Showcase. True to his style, Ramki (As he his fondly called) trumped us once again with his wonderful innovations on what all a simple pizza can be converted to.

 

As the pizza's at Pizza Republic are exceptionally yummier compared to other outlets in Chennai, I would today not be writing about their food but instead give you a culinary tour as to what all can be made in the name of Pizza's. My earlier blog on Pizza Republic can be found at http://www.foodinchennai.com/2012/11/pizza-republic-tharamani.html

 

Well here begins the amazing photolog from the CFG Showcase at Pizza Republic - Mogappair.

(Focaccia)

A simple pizza rather pizza base/flat bread sans any cheese delicately seasoned with Olive Oil and Ramki's selection of herbs.

(Cheese-less Pizza)

(Cheese-less Pizza)

What, a Pizza without Cheese??? Yes you read it right!!! A regular Pizza with amazing toppings minus any cheese. Did taste yummy though but would definitely prefer pizza's with cheese. What good is a Pizza without cheese. As well not have one.



(Pesto with Shallots Pizza)

A thin crust pizza having shallots and an amazing spread of Pesto sauce.

(Pesto Pizza Puff)



(Cheesy Pizza Puff)

(Cheesy Pizza Puff)

(Array of Pizza Puffs)

Another one of Ramki's on the spot innovation. "Pizza Puffs". They were just mind boggling. The moment the photographers completed their mindful duty of clicking, the puffs disappeared in a jiffy.

(Calzone)

(Calzone Deconstructed)

Another innovation from Ramki, the Pizza Republic "Calzone". Personally feel that it would have tasted even better if it was a tad more cheesy...

(White Chocolate Cake - Priya NM)

(White Chocolate Cake - Priya NM)

A surprise cake from fellow CFG member Ms. Priya NM. An yummy White Chocolate Cake. Nishanth of CFG formally cut the cake to begin 2013 with a bang.



(Achar Pizza)

(Achar Pizza)

Presenting a typical Indian style Pizza, The Achar Pizza. Never felt like I was eating a Pizza instead was more like having Chappathi/Parotta with Achar.

(Veg Pizza with Extra Cheese)

A fully loaded Cheeeessssyyyy Pizza.

(Pizza??? Cheese??? Frog Legs???)

(Multigrain Crust)

 The perfect Multi-grain Crust.

(My Order of the day)

(Again the Tandoori Chicken Pizza with Multigrain Crust)

 This was my order for the day. A Multi-grain Pizza with Tandoori Chicken, Olives, Corn and Garlic. This was probably one of the best combinations I've ever made at Pizza Republic. Lest I forget, Inspite of the pizza getting cold, thanks to the photo session, I was still able to stretch the pizza up to an approximate height of 3ft.

(That's the Pizza Stretch in progress - Pic Courtesy: Chinna)

That's me attempting a try at the longest pizza stretch record. As the pizza had cooled down, managed only close to 3 ft where as the existing record is at 4ft plus. I guess I still hold the record at least at the Mogappair outlet.

(A spicy Pizza with extra Jalapeno's)

 If my order was the best I'd done so far, this Pizza was by far the hottest I'd ever tasted. A Spicy pizza with extra Jalapeno's. It would be a fiery challenge for anyone to finish this stuff up without hunting for a lake...

(Pineapple/Hawaii Pizza)

Having heard a lot about Hawaiin Pizza, thought today would be a good time to taste the same. Personally used to wonder how can people ever have pineapple on a pizza. But to my dismay, it did taste nice. Gave a whole new dimension to the taste buds.

(Dosa+Pizza=Dizza)

(Sliced up Dizza)

Although taken from one of my earlier visits to Pizza Republic - Tharamani, thought it would make sense having yet another of Ramki's innovation in this photolog. As you can see, Ramki cooked up the Italian version of our very own Dosa. Aptly named Dizza, this one is guaranteed to blow your mind off. This is available only when Ramki is present in the Kitchen and when you order ensure you ask for loads of cheese.

 

(Puttu Maavu Pizza)

This too is from an earlier visit while we were exploring the possibilities of having a gluten-free pizza. And impromptu came the idea from Ramki to try using Puttu Maavu to make the dough and voila. This Simple Puttu Maavu pizza with Tomatoes and Cheese were damn crispy and delicious.



(Yummmmmmmmm!!!!)

And finally, a first time attempt at making a gif animation. This is a classic example of how tasty and cheesy pizza's from Pizza Republic can get. I can vouch that every slice of your pizza is gonna be yumm!!!. Any guesses as to who was my model. Folks from CFG, any guesses???

 

So what more are you waiting for. Head straight to your nearest Pizza Republic to experience the Republic Fantasy.

 

Pizza Republic outlets are locates in Tharamani, Mogappair and Egmore. You can get more details on their location by visiting https://www.facebook.com/PizzaRepublic.India

 

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