Azzuri Bay - Adyar

Reaching towards the end of a long and much sought after holidays, thanks to the Pongal celebrations, everyone at home were still reeling under the laziness that had set upon over the last 4 days. Being a foodie, I never let a single chance of eating at a new place slip by. Wanting to try Azzuri Bay for a long time, I at once threw up the suggestion at precisely the very moment a plan to eat out was being conceptualized. Having heard from quite a few peers about Azzuri Bay, I promptly made our reservations and looked forward to having a go at their new lunch buffet. 

(Broccoli Cream Soup)

We were a bit behind our reservation time as I had to drive almost across the city to reach the restaurant from my home. Arriving at Azzuri Bay, the first thing that stood out to me was their ambiance. Unaware that their buffet is served at the rooftop area of the restaurant, I was overwhelmed when I was led to the 3rd floor. The view was just perfect with all the commercialization visible to the eyes yet far from the disturbing noise they make. Being a little late, we immediately jumped into the food. The soup of the afternoon was a 'Broccoli Cream Soup'. The soup had a good flavor in it but a tad more creamy. Other than that nothing extra ordinary about the soup. 

(Veg Spring Rolls)

(Spring Rolls)

(Chilly Paneer)

(Thai Crispy Fish)

(Stuffed Mushroom)

(Starters Plate)

Once we were done with the soup, the next to be savored were the starters. The buffet consisted of 4 starters, viz. Veg Spring Rolls, Chilly Panneer, Thai Crispy Fish and Stuffed Mushrooms. The Veg Spring Rolls were crispy and oil less. The fillings were fresh and folded into a small bite size portion that was delightful. The Chilly Panneer I felt was a major let down. It was too spicy and the Panneer seemed hard and rubbery. The Thai Crispy Fish was good but had a strong flavor of Thai sauces in it but the fish was well cooked which gave an overall satisfaction. The Stuffed Mushrooms gave me a mixed opinion. Some of the one's I had were a bit salty while the others were balanced. The fillings were delicious and provided a good closure to the starters.

(Vegetable Steak)

(Cheese Grilled Fish)

(Veg Penne)

Coming to the Mains, being a tri-cuisine restaurant, they had a few dishes in each. The Italian was represented by 'Chickpeas & Mixed Vegetable Steak', 'Grilled Veg penne in Red/White sauce' & 'Cheese Grilled Fish'. All the 3 dishes passed my test. The steak was packed well and the sauce accompanying it was a perfect contribution to it and really helped lift it's flavors. Being a fish avoid-er  I felt the Cheese Grilled Fish was cooked to the point and was well dressed in the cheese sauce. The pasta had a good mixture of vegetables in it and was one of the best dishes of the afternoon. Heard from peers that Italian is really good at Azzuri Bay.

(Veg Noodles)

(Hunan Chicken Gravy)

(Beijing Dumplings)

The Pan-Asian cuisines were represented by 'Veg Noodles', 'Beijing Manchurian' & 'Hunan Chicken Gravy'. The noodles were more like the regular Chinese noodles, nothing that really stood out. The Beijing Manchurian was more on the lines of veg dumplings shaped as balls and cooked in a Manchurian sauce. The effect of the sauce on the dumplings were overwhelming. The Hunan Chicken Gravy was the dish that stood out in this representation. The chicken was cooked soft and had a good amount of spiciness in it along with the right balance of meat and sauce.

(Rice with Podi)

(Different Podi's)

To complete the main offerings, we had the South Indian cuisine which were represented by 'Kal Dosa', Lemon Rice, 'Steamed Rice', 'Mutton Khurma' followed by 3 varieties of Podi with Ghee. Skipped the Kal dosa as I generally tend to avoid dosa's unless they are straight from the hot stone. I believe the dosa loses it's flavors as it cools down. The Lemon rice was the typical one that we get in other south Indian restaurants. The Mutton Khurma was a good accompaniment for the Steamed Rice. But what really made my day at Azzuri Bay was the availability of Podi for the rice. Ever since I was introduced to Rice with Podi and Ghee, it instantly shot into my all time favorite list of delicacies. The moment I saw 3 different types, I was like stoned. I had to try em all but owing to my dietary conditions decided to try them all in just one plate with a mouthful of each. It was just divine. I'm sure the satisfaction and fullness that Rice with Podi can give can never be attained by consuming any other delicacy. 

(Gulab Jamun)

(Kaju Halwa)

(Brownie with Chocolate Sauce)

Being stuffed with the rice and podi combination, the desserts were more of a formality. The desserts that were made available today were 'Gulab Jamun', 'Kaju Halwa' & 'Chocolate Brownie'. The jamun was well prepared and not too sweet which according to me is a perfect one. I hate those that are served at certain restaurants where the syrup is too sweet that it powers the taste of the jamun itself. The Kaju Halwa was more of the regular types available at most places and the brownie with chocolate sauce was also passable except for the brownie being a bit too hard. Really wished that they had some desserts from the Pan-Asian cuisine rather than having 2 from the Indian. 

(At Peace)

With the buffet costing Rs. 500/- nett per person, I am of the opinion that it is a good value for money and food if not extraordinarily great makes for a good buffet over many other restaurants in town. Perfect if you are looking at treating a big group of people especially considering the ambiance and the rooftop options. 

Azzuri Bay is located #13, 1st Crescent Park Rd, Gandhi Nagar, Adyar.

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CFG Mylapore Food Walk

(Mylapore Post Office)

The continuous stretch of holidays that most of us in Chennai anticipate once the New Year starts was right round the corner. Yes folks, the Pongal holidays. This time with Pongal falling on a Monday, it was time for some celebrations with 4 days of continuous holiday. As it is to be, the Chennai Food Guide had also simultaneously planned for a ‘Food Walk’ in Mylapore to coincide with the Mylapore Festival which has happening during that weekend. What better way can one ask to begin their holidays. 

(Kalathi Newspaper Shop)

(Rose Milk)

The Mylapore Food Walk was scheduled to start at 2:45PM on Saturday from none other than our very own Mada Street. Hunting for an assembly point, our primary guide for the walk, Shiyam ji had instructed CFGians to assemble at “Kalathi Seithithaal Kadai” (Translation: Kalathi Newspaper Shop). This shop located at the corner of East Mada Street & South Mada Street is best known for its ‘Rose Milk’. The entourage was informed that the shop has been selling Rose Milk for the last 33 years and the consistency has been maintained and not even an iota of change in their taste was ever noticed by the frequenters till date. An interesting point to be noticed is that, 33 years ago they charged Rs. 1.50 for a glass and today they only charge Rs. 12. Yes, you got it right. The term ‘Value for Money’ has no relevance here. I guess someone should come up with a better term.

(Old Building Landmark)

(Old vs New)

(Mini Gully)

With everyone energized by the awesomeness of the Rose Milk, the next designated pit stop was the age old famous mess in Mylapore, the “Rayars Mess”. Located at a short walking distance, you must begin your walk from the Kapaleeshwar temple towards Kutchery Road and ask for Arundale Street once you cross the Mylapore Post Office. Keep walking down Arundale Street and you are supposed to locate a really old house (See Pic for Landmark). Once you locate this house, bang opposite to it you can see a mini gully and yes your guesses are correct. The famous and renowned Rayar’s Mess is located inside this mini gully. 

(Mini Gully)

(Traditional method of Eating)

When we walked inside the mini gully, everyone in the neighbouring houses were looking at us in awe as we all looked like some press people with huge cameras and stuffs. I’m sure people must have got intimidated by Dilip’s 100-400mm lens too. It was then that we came to know that the place was so small that out entourage had two eat in two shifts. Being eager to taste their offerings, I took a place on the first turn and promptly found a stool to sit on. What began next was an awesome food experience that I will remember all through my life. We were asked from a pre-set menu what we would like to have. The choices were Gulab Jamun, Potato Bonda, Onion Rava Dosa, Kal Dosa and Filter Coffee.

(Gulab Jamun)

(Potato Bonda)

(Bonda being savoured) 

(Onion Rava Dosa)

(Dosa being savoured)

(Dosa being Savoured)

(Inside of Rayar's Mess)

(The owner at work)

I wanted to taste as many dishes as possible and ordered for everything except the Kal Dosa and Coffee as I didn’t want to overeat lest I miss out on the other places. The ‘Gulab Jamun’ that arrived was pleasantly sweet and had the right textures on it. The ‘Potato Bonda’ was very crispy and wasn’t at all dripping with oil. Along with the Chutney and Sambar, it was simply yummy and a perfect evening snack. After a small delay considering that the owner was making all the dosa orders himself, came my ‘Onion Rava Dosa’. The dosa was served fresh from the hot plate with the onions as juicy as they can get. The feeling of eating a hot delicious dosa with amazing accompaniments in such an ambience is can never be expressed in the form of words. You need to visit the place to experience the feeling. The total bill for 20 of us was only Rs. 800.With a very satisfied look on everyone’s face, there was some contemplation with regards to the next pit stop. Whether to head to “Jannal Kadai” or “Mami Tiffin Stall”. But it was promptly decided to head to Mami Tiffin Stall considering that the location of Jannal Kadai was in the midst of the Mylapore Festival. 

(en-route to Mami Tiffin Stall)

(Mami Tiffin Stall)

(Inside of Mami Tiffin Stall)

Mami Tiffin Stall is located on the street diagonally opposite to Kalathi Newspaper Shop. This place is supposedly to be famous for their ‘Coffee’ and ‘Bajji’. We had each placed an order for coffee and couple of plates of bajji’s. The coffee was just too good and especially after an amazing lunch at Rayar’s mess felt like a much needed after food drink. The Bajji’s too tasted amazing but I didn’t feel much of a difference on comparison to those available elsewhere. Being already 5 PM, it was decided to wind up the Food Walk for the evening and head to Kalakkal Café. More on Kalakkal Café will be posted in a separate blog post.

(Traditional Coffee)

(Bajji)

This being my first food walk with CFG provided me with an insight to hidden eateries that are being there in the city for ages but less discovered mainly because they are content with the customers within their locality. But this has reinstated the faith in me that such localized eateries are always better as their serve authentic and original food as compared to fancy outlets. If you happen to be in and around Mylapore, please make sure you visit these eateries.

And now for yet another of those gif's. This time the sambar being poured at Rayar's Mess...

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Grand Siam - RK Salai *A CFG Showcase*

The 2nd Thursday of the year 2013 comes and like a well practiced drill exercise, CFG bloggers & photographers assemble at the venue of our next showcase event. This time the CFG Showcase was at the recently opened branch of Grand Siam at RK Salai. Having already been to Grand Siam on an earlier occasion and being really impressed with their food and service, was eagerly looking forward to this showcase. As I had to drive down straight from work, I reached Grand Siam much much earlier than the rest of the folks. It was a matter of fact that I was even earlier than most of their staffs not that their staffs were late but I was there by 6 PM. Having a lot of time to spare, I began wandering around the restaurant looking at the intricate interiors that made the restaurant and also the tremendous seating that they had. A short glimpse at the kitchen revealed that they took cooking serious as the kitchen was very neat and organized. Maybe the training passed down the generations as the current chef is the 4th generation in the business. Chef Murali and his brother Jegadish run the restaurant under the guidance of their father who is also a renowned Chef in the industry. 

Slowly as the pack started to arrive, we were served up with the welcome drinks. A fancy looking drink was brought up to us and we were all excited to see a Shark stirrer in the drink. Well for the drink itself, it was a  fizzy drink made up of 7-up and some strawberry crush at the bottom. Although nothing superficial about the drink, it was more of a passable welcome drink. The drink was followed by the traditional Thai way of welcoming diners, the Mein Kheim. Nothing could really go wrong with this as it can be customized to your preferences. 

(Welcome Drink)

(Mein Khem)

The next up was the Tom Yum Goong, which is the famous Tom Yum Prawn soup. Having enjoyed the soup the last time I was here, I personally felt the soup this time to be a bit too hot while at the same time a little more diluted than usual. Would have really loved it if they had the same consistency. This was followed up with the starters. To my surprise, the starters were cleverly planned out and everyone was served with an assorted platter of either Non Veg or Veg starters. The Non Veg starters had the renowned Gai Hor Baiteay, Fish Satay and Grilled Prawns. The Gai Hor Baiteay or better known as Chicken wrapped in Pandan leaf was full of flavors and tasted great when hot. Some fellow CFGians felt the chicken to be a bit hard but I guess it could be attributed to the chicken going cold as we bloggers spend more time clicking pictures than that of actually eating. The Fish Satay was neat and what mattered the most to me was the smell of seafood was not there. The Grilled Prawns were full of flavor and grilled to perfection but at the same time it raised a lot of questions too. Was it really a Thai dish as most of them felt it to be very similar to our very known tandoori prawns. The offerings on the vegetable lovers received a much controversial ratings. As I did not taste the vegetarian starters when they were hot, I honestly will not be able to tell about their flavors and will have to go with the reviews of my peers. The veg platter had Corn Tartlets, Spring Rolls and Grilled Mushrooms. The Grilled Mushrooms was the most controversial with almost everyone having the same opinion that the mushroom didn't seem fresh. Not to forget, the yummiest raw mango salad that was served with both the platters.

(Tom Yum Goong)

(Non Veg Starter Platter)

(Veg Starter Platter)

Once the starters and relevant discussions were over, the mains started to arrive. We were first dished up with Bamme Phad Prik which was a variant of the noodles family. This was followed up with the Battered Fish in sauce and Burmese Chicken curry. The noodles with the battered fish in sauce was a good combination and had a balance of flavors which was not the case when the noodles were had on their own. Just as I was wondering what the Burmese Chicken curry was doing with a rice, the waiter brought in the much hyped about rice dish in Thai cuisine, the Jasmine Rice. I must say and this was also the opinion of most of the peers during the evening that the Burmese Chicken curry was the star dish. It was perfectly flavored and had nice juicy and tender pieces of chicken in them. But yet again it raises the question as to how is it associated with Thai cuisine. 

(Noodles)

(Battered Fish in sauce)

(Burmese Chicken Curry)

(Jasmine Rice)

When it was time for the desserts, as anticipated we were served with the famous Thai dessert, the Tub Tim Grob. Well nothing much to talk about this amazing dish as there is virtually nothing that could go wrong. I felt it was the same as the last time I was here and they have maintained their consistency on it. 

(Tub Tim Grob; Picture from earlier visit))

Although the showcase event did not wow the CFGians at that evening, I'm sure Grand Siam has a much better offering since they did infact send me home with a Big WOW factor the first time I dined in here. Albeit some small tweaking's on the service front and on the flavors, they can still give a good competition to other Thai stand-alone restaurants in the city. 

They are soon going to introduce a set menu and some of the offerings in the showcase was part of it. For more on my earlier experience at Grand Siam, visit Grand Siam - RK Salai

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Don Pepe - Cathedral Road

 

With the weekend setting in and with absolutely no plans in the making, was wondering how to pass over the weekend. Just then get a buzz on Facebook from my oldest pal saying he is visiting Chennai (Yes, oldest!!! Our friendship dates to more than 18 years now). Asrar and I are friends since 2nd standard when I was studying in Saudi Arabia. I was more than excited at the prospect of meeting him as it was more than 4 years since we last caught up with each other. He was off to Germany to pursue his Ph. D  Yup folks, he is a Scientist in a leading research laboratory there. Yay, one of my best buddy is a Scientist. Cutting short on the history, it was agreed to meet over lunch on Sunday and have a hearty talk. 

Being a Sunday, the usual lazy waking up was customary. As my buddy was held up with some work, he informed me that he will communicate to inform once his work is done. This happened close to 2:30PM and all hopes of going to a restaurant for a lunch buffet came tumbling down. We met up near Citi Centre and were contemplating where to go to catch some grab. Me being the foodie amongst us, it was up to me to decide. Taking into account the locality, I suggested Mexican and his reply was "Kewl, lets do it!!!". Well if its Mexican and on Cathedral road, then it has to be Don Pepe.

Don Pepe though not new to me, have been here on earlier occasions predominantly for their amazing nachos. So was always wanting to find the right opportunity to try more from their menu and voila today was the day. We drove down straight and on entering Don Pepe, was completely taken aback. Something which is not at all expected from any restaurant leave alone one that is of the category of Don Pepe. They were in the middle of their power cut schedule and didn't have a backup generator. Result - No Air Conditioner. Only a fan to keep the place cool. Checked with my friend if he still wanted to continue??? Both of us being hungry and a slight hint that the food might be good, we decided to stick on (Must admit the temperature was pleasant so the necessity of the air conditioner was never really felt). 

(Mexican Dips)

Although it was close to 2:45PM when we entered, the place still had a decent crowd and people were still dropping in. As our hunger pangs were puncturing us, we instantly asked for the menu and started on the starters. What better starter than the famous nachos. We ordered a Chicken Nachos for the starter and were contemplating on the next course. After a good amount of discussion munching on the Chicken Nachos, we zeroed in on our Mains too. Talking about the Chicken Nachos, folks shall not get confused with the Nachos at Satyam/Escape Cinemas. The Nachos here are different and represent the original Mexican food. The Nachos are layered with chicken fillings and a delectable level of cheese. This is finally topped up with some veggies to provide the right amount of balance in the dish. We were also served with the traditional Mexican dips which included a Salsa dip, Cream Cheese and Sliced Jalapenos. Both my buddy and myself wiped the dish clean.

(Chicken Nachos)

(Chicken Nachos)

We were catching up with old stories and how the world has changed so much over the years alongside laughing over the frolicsome we did while we were kids. Our talks were briefly paused when we saw the mains coming. The mains that we had ordered were Chicken n Nut Sauce and Chicken Fajita (pronounced as /fəˈhiːtə/ or in simpler terms fa-hee-ta). We were wowed at the sheer brilliance of the dish and how colorful the dish and its accompaniments were. To start with, the Chicken n Nut sauce was perfectly flavored with the dish being not too spicy while at the same time not too bland either. Served with Crispy Potato Wedges and Mexican rice, the dish was a palate filler. A palate filler and at the same time nice and light too. 

(Chicken n Nut Sauce)

(Chicken n Nut Sauce)

My buddy was surprised on his dish. He was under the impression that the dish would be served as fajita wraps but to our surprise the fillings were served on a plate so we could customize the fajita wrap as per our liking. Once I completed my interruption of his lunch by clicking the dish, he instantly got into making the wraps. He also explained to me the proper method of wrapping a fajita. The fajita fillings had a sumptuous amount of chicken, along with a minced chicken tart, crispy potato wedges and Mexican rice. Three tortillas were provided in a sort of clay box. Based on his opinion, he seemed to have enjoyed the wraps and was too full to have rest of the accompaniments on his plate. Being best buddies, I for once did not hesitate jumping into his plate. The tart had the same chicken that was served in the nachos and served as a good quick bite.  Being too full for anything else, we called it a day and skipped the desserts. 

(Chicken Fajita Fillings)

(Chicken Fajita Fillings)

(Tortillas)

(Chicken Fajita Wrapped)

I would be of the opinion that the food served at Don Pepe truly resembles what I have known so far as Mexican food (haven't been to Mexico so have never really had the opportunity to taste authentic Mexican Food till date) and does justice to the quantity of food served as against pricing taking into account the dearth of Mexican restaurants in Chennai. If only they had their ambiance in order that day, it would have passed off without any disappointment. But overall, a good place to have Mexican cuisine and a meal for two shall not cost more that Rs. 1500.

Don Pepe is located on Cathedral Road just along the flyover. It is located on the same building as that of Hot Breads adjacent to Copper Chimney and Zaras. 

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