A La Carte

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FO ELEB O KAJ DIE A A GAR L WAL

MAY

CONTENTS 4 Tantalizing Tastes

Exclusive recipes from the kitchens of The Park

12 The Kitchen Wiz

The story of Master Chef India runner-up Shazia Khan

24 Make it Today!

Recipes of fusion dishes to try out in your own kitchen

2 • À LA CARTE •MAY 2013

NUTRITION NIBBLES 30 Snacking on Salmon Benefits of sizzling salmon!

SHAKEN & STIRRED 39 The Cooling Touch of Coconut Check out our coconut-flavoured recipes for the summer

KITCHEN FRINGES 23 Bakers’ Delights Reach out for these accessories to make baking more fun

IN THE KNOW 28 Ask Dharini

This nutrition expert solves all the diet and nutrition riddles which have been hogging your mind. Embrace them for a healthier living

34 Ask Sabita

This culinary wizard answers all your queries on food and cooking.

Now say goodbye to kitchen angst!

EXPERT ON THE BLOCK 36 The Taj’s Treasure Chef Mohammed Siddiq offers insights into the food scene in Chennai

Beat the summer heat with these cooling coconut quenchers Page 39

RESTAURANT ROUNDING 43 Sipping at Illusions

Illusions, the new pub with a theme, caters to all crowds

46 Gujarat on a Platter

Amdavadi scores with its authentic cuisine and amicable locale

CELEB FOODIE 48 Kajal Agarwal

Kajal Agarwal shares her food secrets

GOURMET SAFARI 16 Feasting in Pune This Oxford of the East is every food lover’s paradise

À la Carte Managing Director Sujit Kumar Editor-in-Chief Bina Sujit Senior Features Writer Krupa Shah Anusha Surendran Design Team Rifah Aiysha Francis Augustine Anto M Vijay Columnists Sabita Radhakrishna Dharini Krishnan Marketing Chennai Daniel Benjamin Paneer Selvam Pitchumani Gomathi Bharath Coimbatore Nithyendran Mumbai Kiran N. Murthy Delhi Pawan Kumar Published by K. Sujit Kumar on behalf of Options Media Pvt Ltd., 3, Ritechoice VaralakshmiApts.

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À LA CARTE • MAY 2013 • 3

Tantalizing TASTES RECIPES CHEF RAJESH RADHAKRISHNAN THE PARK

Photography: Abhay Kumar

4 • À LA CARTE •MAY 2013

From baked fish to Rabri cheese cake these recipes from the kitchens of The Park offer a whole new dining experience. Invented by Chef Rajesh Radhakrishnan, Area Director of Food Production, these dishes are sizzling and are sure to kindle compliments from your guests.

QUINOA AND SHAVED BRUSSELS SPROUT SALAD ww 80 gm Quinoa ww 160 gm Brussel sprouts ww 100 gm Lettuce leaves ww 40 gm Pomegranate seeds ww 10 gm Mint leaves ww 10 gm Parsley sprigs ww 10 gm Spring onions ww 4 ml Olive oil ww 1 Lemon ww Salt to taste ww Crushed black pepper to taste

Boil quinoa in a saucepan with some salt, until it is fully cooked. The grains should become bigger and fluffy. Clean and blanch the brussel sprouts for one minute in boiling water. Refresh it in ice water to stop it from cooking any further. Cut the brussel sprouts into thin slices to give it an appearance

of it being shaved.

Wash lettuce leaves in ice water, drain it in a strainer and keep aside.

Also, chop the spring onions, de-seed the pomegranate, pluck the mint leaves and parsley sprigs and keep aside.

In a bowl put in the quinoa, shaved brussel sprouts, torn lettuce leaves, pomegranate seeds and all the herbs.

To this, add olive oil, salt, crushed pepper and the juice of half a lemon and mix in well. Keep some of the lettuce leaves and pomegranate seeds for plating and garnish.

To assemble the salad, arrange some of the remaining lettuce leaves on the base and place the salad on top of the lettuce and garnish with pomegranate seeds. À LA CARTE • MAY 2013 • 5

WHOLE WHEAT SPAGHETTI WITH CHICKEN AND MUSHROOMS ww 180 gm Whole wheat spaghetti ww 120 gm Chicken breast boneless ww 80 gm Button mushrooms ww 40 gm Cherry tomato ww 4 gm Fresh red chilli ww 4 gm Basil leaves ww 10 gm Garlic ww 40 ml Olive oil ww Salt to taste, crushed pepper to taste

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Boil the whole wheat spaghetti in salted water until it is cooked “al dente” or for 12 minutes or as specified on the packet. Cut the chicken breast boneless into strips, mushroom and red chillies into slices, and cherry tomato in halves and chop the garlic fine. Heat the pan and add olive oil to it.

Once heated, add the chicken strips and sauté

till almost cooked. Then add the mushroom and chilli slices and cook it further. Finally add garlic and sauté. Garlic is added in the end so that it doesn’t burn before the chicken is cooked.

Add the spaghetti, season with salt, crushed pepper and torn fresh basil leaves and toss it until all the ingredients have mixed in well. Serve hot.

BAKED FISH WITH TOMATOES, ARTICHOKE, OLIVES AND CAPER BERRIES ww 600-700 gm whole fish ww 200 gm Tomatoes ww 200 gm Potatoes ww 120 gm Artichoke ww 60 gm Onions ww 30 gm Kalamata olives ww 30 gm Caper berries ww 5 gm Oregano ww 2 gm Black pepper corns ww 100 ml Extra virgin olive oil ww Salt to taste Note: Kalamata olives can be replaced with Black or green brine cured olives

Marinate the whole fish with salt, black pepper, fresh oregano leaves, extra virgin olive oil and set aside. Place some water for boiling in a saucepan. Core the eyes of the tomato and place a cross mark on the base of the tomatoes.

Once the water comes to a boil add in the tomatoes for 10 seconds and refresh them in ice cold water. Peel the tomatoes and cut into ¼ inch thick roundels.

In another saucepan add the sliced potatoes into water, add salt and

boil until cooked. In a bowl mix together the tomato roundels, sliced potatoes, olives, caper berries, onion roundels, quartered artichokes, fresh oregano leaves, salt, black pepper and extra virgin olive oil. In a baking tray arrange the potato slices, place the whole fish over it and then top the fish with the marinated tomato mixture. Bake in a preheated oven at 180-200 degree centigrade for 25-30 minutes until done and coloured on top.

Serve immediately. À LA CARTE • MAY 2013 • 7

CHICKEN, BRAISED WITH SWEET PEPPERS ww 1 Chicken ww 20 gm Rosemary (Or herb of your liking) ww 2 Red peppers ww 2 Yellow peppers ww 3 Tomatoes ww 2 Onions ww 15 Garlic cloves ww 60 ml Olive oil ww 80 ml Water ww Salt to taste ww Black pepper crushed to taste

De-seed and cut the red, yellow pepper and peeled onions into quarters. Peel the garlic cloves. Cut the tomatoes into quarters.

Cut the chicken into 8 or 10 pieces and marinate with salt, pepper and rosemary (or any particular herb of your liking).

Heat a non stick

8 • À LA CARTE •MAY 2013

sauté pan and then pan fry the marinated chicken with little olive oil till light golden in colour. In a roasting pan or Borosil bake proof bowl combine the pan fried chicken with the garlic, onions, peppers, tomatoes, salt, black pepper and olive oil.

Add the water. Cover

the bowl with foil tightly.

Place the pan in a preheated oven at180-200 Celsius and cook for about 20 minutes. Once the chicken is done serve hot with bread or rice.

À LA CARTE • MAY 2013 • 9

RABRI CHEESE CAKE For the crust ww 200 gm Graham crackers, crushed ww 50 gm Powdered sugar ww 110 gm Unsalted butter melted For the Rabri mix ww 10 litres Milk ww 200 gm Sugar, powdered ww 35 gm Refined flour ww 80 gm Double cream ww 5 eggs ww 10 ml Vanilla essence ww 1 gm Kashmir saffron ww 10 ml Milk

Boil the milk in a thick bottomed kadai until it reduces to 1 litre Rabri.

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You need to constantly keep stirring so as the milk does not get burnt at the bottom. Cool it to room temperature and reserve for later use.

Preheat oven to 350 degree F (175C).

Grease a 9 inch spring pan. For the crust, in a medium bowl, mix the crushed crackers with sugar

and melted butter. Layer the spring pan evenly with the crust mix and press it thoroughly. Warm the milk and add the saffron into the milk to infuse, leave it aside. In a large bowl mix Rabri with powdered sugar until smooth. Blend in milk, and then mix the eggs one by one at a time, mixing just enough to combine. Mix in the cream, vanilla essence, flour and the saffron extract. Pour filling into the prepared crust. Bake for 1 hour. Chill it for at least 4 hours. Cut into wedges and serve chilled.

12 • À LA CARTE •MAY 2013

KitchenWiz The

Shazia Khan, runner-up in the Master Chef India reality show, speaks about fusion cooking, how she enjoys continental cuisine and how her sons are her best critics. Anusha Surendran listens in.

Though Shazia says she’s a hard core nonvegetarian, her culinary workshop saw her whip up some fantastic vegetarian recipes with a bonus of non-vegetarian recipes to try out at home.

F

or many homemakers cooking might just be another chore. But not for Shazia Khan! The Master Chef India runner-up in Season 2 of the event who was in the city for a culinary workshop recently had the audience glued to their seats by doling out timely tips and sharing memorable TV moments along with her recipes. Adoniya’s culinary workshop which sought to teach the audience how to make exotic dishes with easily-available ingredients witnessed more than 200 women from all walks of life clear their doubts with the culinary star. For many however, the occasion seemed fit to see in person the success story of a homemaker who grabbed the spotlight with her expertise in the kitchen.

“Cooking was until recently a hobby that I pursued with passion. Master Chef

India provided the perfect platform to develop my interest into something more.

The most exciting experience was when Master Chef India went international this time. Interacting and learning from Michelin star chefs from around the world was something that I never thought will happen for me,” says Shazia. Though Shazia says she’s a hard core nonvegetarian, her culinary workshop saw her whip up some fantastic vegetarian recipes with a bonus of non-vegetarian recipes to try out at home.

So what does this Bangalorean think of the Chennai food scene? “Though I haven’t specifically ventured out to experiment the food scene in Chennai, I strongly believe that every city has its own masalas and culinary expertise. The pongal in Chennai is never the same in Bangalore and I love hogging it here!” she gushes. À LA CARTE • MAY 2013 • 13

Women are gaining popularity as worldclass chefs and they are succeeding too. Cooking is an art and a science.

Global cuisines are gaining momentum in all countries and now even children want to become chefs.

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Cooking for a cause

Due to cookery shows and more light on global cuisines, increasing number of people want to become chefs. As a result, the professional kitchen is no longer a place just for men. Women are gaining popularity as world-class chefs and they are succeeding too. “Cooking is an art and a science. Global cuisines are gaining momentum in all countries and now even children want to become chefs,” Shazia points out.

After the Master Chef experience, Shazia says she was inspired to start a cooking school for the underprivileged women to enable them to become professionals and earn with dignity. “The school will train them in simple cuisines, table etiquettes and other basics. It will also be a placement cell which guarantees them safety, good money and better standard of living.” This dream school of Shazia will be based out of Bangalore and will be funded through money coming from culinary workshops that she’s planning to conduct across India. “We are initially planning to make it a

six-month course. But people should be willing to find time to attend classes.

The main idea is to make maids more professionally employable by imparting training in cooking that will fetch them a better price for their culinary services in homes and hotels,” she adds.

Fusion food

The eclectic audience in the workshop was an example of how many women who haven’t ventured out of their homes could relate to Shazia and her passion for cooking. “I experiment a lot while I cook and I read up about cuisines too,” she says. Her recipes focus on fusion cooking. She never shies away from mixing ingredients in never-before combos to come up with a dish that tastes and looks fantastic too.

Take the Burmese Veg Khow Suey in the vegetarian category and the Prawn Mousse in the non-veg category: the dishes are eclectic and prudent mixture of ingredients that together make for a tongue-tingling culinary experience.

Around the world

Shazia who has been conducting workshops in Bangalore, Mysore, Goa, Hyderabad, and even New York has her hands full now what with prepping up

for her dream school and a cookbook.

But according to her, her sons are her best critics. “They are very frank and they know techniques as the TV is forever running with some cookery show or the other.” Her recipes, she says, are tried and tested and guaranteed to give the same results.

Fusion cooking which is Shazia’s forte is gaining momentum in India. Fusion dishes of Shazia’s, in her own words, are the result of marriage between Indian flavours and international cuisines.

At the workshop Shazia taught the audience how to make Gajari Zafrani Pannacotta with Pista Cream Shots which is basically based on the Ghajar Ka Halwa theme. “Fusion cooking is all about breaking down a recipe, deconstructing it and later reconstructing it to come up with a new one,” she smiles.

Shazia’s take home message for her audience is, “Never use too many masalas. It might kill the flavours of the vegetables or the meat. And while cooking always think out of the box,” she signs off.

Shazia posts some of her favourite recipes at her website www.chefshazia.com.

À LA CARTE • MAY 2013 • 15

Gourmet Safari

Pune FEASTING IN

By Kavita Shyam Wadhwani

16 • À LA CARTE •MAY 2013

Pune city, also known as the Oxford of the East, has roots of being an educational haven besides an Information Technology hub.

However, it is also a food lover’s paradise. The culinary forays in Pune have let to opening of both India and International cuisines at pocket-friendly prices With new restaurants popping up every other day, Punekars are ready to travel half way across the city to sample new cuisines besides their old favourites in place.

Needless to say, Pune remains a major hotspot for eating out, for the localites and tourists from across the globe. Evening of leisure, good food and good company is what Punekars scout out for.

À LA CARTE • MAY 2013 • 17

Evening of leisure, good food and good company is what Punekars scout out for.

Dorabjees This one’s probably one of the oldest Parsi eateries in Pune. From fancy foods, finger foods to delicacies, this place is home to all of it. This quaint place has a nice decor which almost reminds us of the colonial era. The restaurant is a sheer delight for nonvegetarians. Count on mutton dishes, Biryani, Parsi Dhan Sak, Chicken Salli, cutlets, egg curry, and chicken with eggs to please your appetite. With a super efficient service, the hot food served is sure to be polished off in no time. The chicken salli is served with gigantic, spicy pieces of chicken with rotis and fried potatoes. While the chicken dhan sak is spicy chicken served with brown rice. For deserts, try nothing but the delectable caramel custard or laganu-nucustard which is complete with sponge cake, caramalised top and sugar syrup.

With quick service and worthy food, this place is a must-visit in Pune.

Supreme Corner This place serves a plateful of Pav Bhaji which is the best in town. If you are not the kinds to patiently wait for your turn at the table, then you should make an exception for Supreme Corner.

Just to sample the sumptious Pav Bhaji with the right amount of vegetables, spices and dollops of butter- you cannot stop until the last bite on the plate. The pulav and pizzas are also pretty much in demand but order or save space for it, only if you have an appetite left after the pav bhaji marathon. This place is complete value for money for all food lovers.

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From Top: Dorabjee's; Egg Curry; Laganu-nu Custard; Parsi Dhan Sak; Pav bhaji from Supreme Corner

Punjabi Tadka Located on the hilly Chandni Chowk area next to Banjara hills, a drive to this scenic place is in itself a picnic of sorts. The place has got the dhaba look right with an entrance complete with the looks of a contemporary dhaba, mattresses on the ground, pillows and masnads. The waiters are dressed in yellow Punjabi suits to serve you Punjabi delicacies with ease. Stretch out on the mattresses to relax and unwind graciously besides listening to Punjabi dhols. A haven for non vegetarians, Malaka Spice Malaka Spice in Koregaon Park is a delight for those who enjoy seafood to the hilt. This place has consistently been serving good oriental food for several years. This uptown restaurant serves South East Asian food like Thai, Chinese, Indonesian, Vietnamese and Malaysian cuisines. The owners of this place have laboured from a small space on to a large sprawling restaurant in the vicinity. Backed with the right formula for success in the hotel industry, a good menu driven by passion to cater to the local taste buds, reasonable pricing, hip crowd and ideal location, one cannot ask for more! The Chicken Yakitori, boneless chicken on skewers in a soya, mirin and sugar marinade are authentic

their butter chicken, Punjabi paneer, missi roti, makki roti steal the show.

The chefs who churn out the mouth watering authentic rustic food, have come all the way from Punjab. The food is neither too sweet nor oily, with perfect blend of spices. The quantity too makes for a real north Indian treat.

Try out this authentic restaurant for its ambience, quality, quick service and fantastic food. Weight watchers, diabetics and health freaks beware this one is not for you!

cuisines from the Far East. A sheer favourite with most loyalists - Chicken in Pandanu Leaves is always a winner.

Also popular over here are the Tom Yams and Chicken Satays. Krathak, the good-sized prawns wrapped in a spring roll and deep-fried are also famous. Irresistibly popular are also the Satay Javanese, boneless chicken flattened on skewers and served with a peanut sauce, Top Hats, with a chicken or vegetable filling, the Lamb and Duck Stir-Fries. Soups like Tom Yum Kung, and Prawn and Spinach Soup, Mee Siam the one pot noodle soup are fulfilling. The salads here are always fresh as dew; you’d yearn to visit often enough!

À LA CARTE • MAY 2013 • 19

Arthur’s Theme As the name suggests, this place is quiet ideal for its theme, service, pocketfriendly, yummy-licious continental food. Known for its absolute gourmet food, sample as many varieties of food as possible. To begin with the breads are fresh, soft and smell divine, besides they bake their own bread rolls. Options are galore in meat, fish and vegetables and they are cooked to the right amount. Try their Markus-grilled fish, fish fillets with wine or cheese sauce, Barrass or zola fish, succulent chicken roast, cheese croquette, creamy pastas, pepper fish and their honey and mustard salad. Be sure to make reservations as it’s a small restaurant so full to the brim, mostly frequented by locals and tourists. Try the pan cake and walnut cake to wrap up the meal as it has the right balance of sweet, nuts and caramel. Continental aficionados, go grab a bite at this cosy place for a fun evening with friends.

German Bakery Fast foods at fast prices! This place defines Pune’s melting pot and makes for a compulsory halt for all the tourists, foreigners, students and others. This long-running cafe at Koregaon Park is known for its light, healthy snacks, shakes and a good range of cakes, cookies and puddings. From organic muesli, to vegan carb-free burgers, to freshly squeezed pomegranate juice, this place just screams vintage appeal. The ambience is what makes this place a whole lot exotic and gives it a cool, young spin! The must try include chocolate croissants, chocolate puddings, creamy lasagne, tortilla, cinnamon rolls ,apple pie, spinach burgers, omelette with brown toast to name a few. Even the masala chai is pretty authentic. Most of the food is made of low fat and low calorie 20 • À LA CARTE •MAY 2013

The German Bakery defines Pune’s melting pot and makes for a compulsory halt for all the tourists.

ingredients: the health conscious folks can indulge with no guilt in tow. The sheer variety of offerings and the fact that most of the things here have a genuine world class taste makes this place a must visit. Hungry jacks, go visit this restaurant in Pune city!

Cafe Goodluck This authentic, ancient cafe serves the best brun maska, kheema pav and omelette pav in town. You can savour all this while sipping into your cuppa of tea! Must sample are also its main course dishes like chicken bhuna, chicken malwani, butter chicken, biryanis, chicken handi in lip smacking gravies. Finish off your meal with fruit funny, chocolate or caramel crème custard and you will have more than one reason to come back soon. Popular with students, locals and tourists, it’s renowned for its fine food at reasonable prices. The owners and his family members sit on the cash counter to welcome the guests with a warm smile and friendly aura. Quick service and great food is a plus for this great joint. Simple in decor you have the luxury of time. So let the Irani magic of yesteryears cast its spell on you!

Prems This restaurant in Koregaon Park also brings back nostalgia, what with it being around for 16 years. It serves multi cuisines, like Indian, Chinese, European and Continental. Sample their sizzlers, Manchurians, Chicken Stroganoff, Chicken Caesar, Butter Chicken, Nachos, Rogan Josh, Prems chicken curry, Au Gratin, chicken chilly dry. Complement your food with their Bruschettas, Tiramisu, chocolate mousse cake and a cup of cappuccino or masala chai. This chilled out place serves equally chilled beer or wines, especially in the spacious garden section. The ambience is cosy and complete with candle lit sit down dinner area. Sit up late or go for Sunday brunches or better still a nice romantic dinner date.

The food, the staff and the experience of eating here, grows on you!

Vaishali This eatery on FC Road has been an iconic restaurant in Pune since eons. It serves the best South Indian cuisines in town. The Rawa Masala Dosa, Idli, Medu Vada, Mysore Masala Dosa, Uthappam are must haves.

The Butter Masala Dosa comes with dollops of butter. The magic of Filter Coffee and Kokam Sharbat are great accompaniments to the sumptuous food. The Sambar is just like the one prepared at home with all the veggies.

Cutlets, Pizzas, Sandwiches, Cheese Chilli Toast, Chaats are worth a try too. Great ambience and service make this place a big hit.

À LA CARTE • MAY 2013 • 21

Kapila Kathi Kebab This place in Dhole Patil Road, offers the most heavenly kebab rolls ever! You have the choice of opting single or double serving of juicy chicken as a filling with sautéed onions and capsicum in an omelette laced paratha. Keep space for savouring the succulent Aloo Paneer Roll, Chicken Tikka Kathi Roll, Seekh Kebab with mint chutney adds the much required herbaceous flavour, besides drizzle of lemon juice. The kebab house draws a hefty crowd despite having a proper restaurant; it’s more of a take away place. A tad expensive than the rest of the kebab corners in town, but such goodness always comes at a high price. Eat it to believe it!

Marz-O-Rin This eatery is for youngsters who want food on the go, in Camp area.

The list of goodies is endless with the place having it all: fresh from the oven brown bread sandwiches, burgers, pastas, shakes, ice creams, plum cakes, ice coolers, brownies, grilled paneer sandwich, rose milkshake, mango shake, and spaghetti cheese. Great place to hang out and snack out!

So in the name of Pune, happy eating, slurp and bon appetite!

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The kebab house draws a hefty crowd despite having a proper restaurant; it’s more of a take away place.

Kitchen Fringes

Bakers’ Delights

With these trendy accessories in your kitchen baking can only be fun and more fun! Be it three-tier cakes or homemade butter cookies grab these items to make your job easier!

Egg Beater

Rolling Pin

Spatula Cupcake Mould

Silicon Cupcake Moulds Thermal Carrier Baking Paper

Tiered Cake Stands

Oven

Cake Pans & Trays À LA CARTE • MAY 2013 • 23

Quick Fixes

MAKE IT

Today!

Nothing is more fun than cooking up exotic fusion foods in your own kitchen!

Experimenting in the kitchen is fun, taxing and of course tasty. So, add spice to your daily cooking at home with these amazing recipes that are easy to make and fantastic to taste.

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Garnish with boiled eggs, chopped coriander, mint and fried onions.

Shahi Zafrani Pulao For the mutton gravy you need • 1 kg mutton pieces (washed) • 6 onions (sliced) • 4 tomatoes finely chopped • 1 tbsp ginger paste • 1 tbsp garlic paste • ½ tsp garam masala powder • 2 tsp red chilli powder • 1 tbsp tomato sauce • 1 cup oil • Salt to taste

Heat oil in a pan, add the onions and fry till golden brown. Remove half the onions and keep aside for garnishing. To the remaining onions, add the chopped tomatoes, and fry for four minutes.Add the ginger, garlic paste, garam masala powder, chilli powder, tomato sauce and the mutton.

Cook till the mutton is done and the gravy is semi dry.

For the Rice you need: • 4 cups basmati rice (washed and soaked for 1 hour)

• ½ tsp cumin seeds • ½ onion (sliced) • 2 green cardamom pods • 1 inch cinnamon stick • 5 tbsp oil • 8 cups water • 1 tsp saffron (soaked in ½ cup of milk) • Salt

Heat oil in a pan, add the cumin seeds, cardamom, cinnamon and fry for ½ a minute.

Add the onion and fry till translucent. Pour the water and the salt, and bring it to boil. Add the soaked rice and cook till the water has evaporated. Reduce the heat and pour the saffron and the milk on top. Cover with a lid and cook till rice is done, On a serving tray, layer the rice, put some fried onions, then a layer of mutton gravy, followed with another layer of rice. Garnish with French fries, boiled eggs, chopped coriander, mint and fried onions. À LA CARTE • MAY 2013 • 25

Tandoori Chicken Roulade with Tzatziki Dip For the Chicken slices • 4 boneless chicken breast (cut into thin flat slices, beat with a meat mallet or rolling pin) • 1 tsp garlic paste • 2 tsp chilli powder • 1 tsp black pepper powder • 1 tsp zeera powder • ½ tsp garam masala powder • 1 tsp kastoori methi powder • 3 lemons (juice) • Salt to taste • Marinate the chicken slices in the above masalas for an hour.

For the Filling: • 250 gms minced chicken • 1 tsp garlic (finely chopped) • 6 green chillies (very finely chopped) • ½ cup coriander leaves (very finely chopped) • 2 tbsp cashew nut powder • ½ tsp white pepper powder • ½ tsp garam masala powder • 1 egg yolk • Salt

Mix all the above ingredients with minced 26 • À LA CARTE •MAY 2013

Heat some butter and oil in a pan, and shallow fry these rolls. Cut the rolls into slices and serve with Tzatziki dip chicken and marinate for an hour. Place the flat chicken pieces on a board. Top with the minced chicken mixture. Carefully roll up the chicken to form a sausage.

Steam these rolls for 8-10 minutes. Heat some butter and oil in a pan, and shallow fry these rolls. Cut the rolls into slices and serve with Tzatziki dip Tzatziki dip • ½ cucumber (peeled,

de-seeded and grated) • 1 tbsp garlic (finely chopped) • 1 ½ cups hung curd • 1 tbsp olive oil • 1 tsp lemon juice • 2 tbsp mint leaves (finely chopped) • ½ tsp black pepper powder • Salt

Squeeze out excess water from the grated cucumber. Mix all the ingredients for the filling with the minced chicken and marinate for an hour.

Shahi Tukda with Caramel Cream Sauce and Figs For the Shahi Tukda • 10 bread slices (cut into circle shapes) • 3 cups milk • 250 gms khoya • ½ tin milkmaid • 25 gms butter • 50 gms light brown sugar • 200 ml cream • 10 fresh figs (sliced) • 5 tbsp pistas (chopped)

Boil milk khoya and milkmaid in a pan, and cook till the mixture has thickened slightly. In another pan, melt butter, add the sugar and cook till it caramelises. Add the cream and cook till everything has combined together into a creamy sauce. Fry bread circles till golden.

Dip the bread slices in the milk mixture, then spread the caramel cream sauce. Garnish with fresh figs and chopped pistas, and serve.

Dip the bread slices in the milk mixture, then spread the caramel cream sauce.

Garnish with fresh figs and chopped pistas, and serve. À LA CARTE • MAY 2013 • 27

In the Know

Ask Dharini

Dr. Dharini Krishnan, a renowned Consultant Dietician answers your questions on basic nutrition and how it can make a difference to our body and health.

Q

What is underweight?

How should it be handled through diet?

Underweight is a condition where the person’s body weight is too low for their height and age. Body Mass Index less than 18 is classified as underweight. Underweight leads to frequent illness, deficiency of macro nutrients (carbohydrates, protein, and fat) and micro nutrients

CATEGORY

SERVING SIZE/DAY

Cereals & Millets

8 -10 servings

Pulses & Legumes

2-3 servings

Vegetables

2-3 cups

Fruits

2-3 cups

Milk & Milk Products

4 cups

Poultry Products

2-3 servings / week

Meat Products

1-2 servings / week

Fats & Oils

3-5 teaspoons / day

28 • À LA CARTE •MAY 2013

(vitamins and minerals) and psychological problems. Balanced diet, exercise, destressing or recreational activities will help in regaining normal health. Certain conditions even require medical help to tackle the problem.

HEALTHY DIET: Inclusion of small frequent meals.

• Fruits: Whole fruit, cut fruits, salads,

smoothies, milkshakes, custard.

• Vegetables: Greens leafy vegetables, gourd varieties, beans varieties, and other vegetables like roots and tubers can also be included.

• Cereals and Millets: Brown rice, semi polished rice, parboiled rice, Whole wheat, ragi, bajra, jowar.

• Pulses and Legumes: Dhals and whole grams like channa, moong, rajma, cowpea, horse gram, soya.

• Milk and milk products: Milk, curd, buttermilk, cottage cheese / paneer.

• Fats and oils: Cooking oil (traditional oil), ghee, butter and cheese.

• Animal foods: Poultry products like egg, chicken. Sea foods like fish and prawn.

Meat products like mutton, beef etc.

Q Many state that even fruits and vegetables contain pesticides and insecticides and hence they lose all their nutrients. Is this true?

There were two foods which are considered safe: one is tender coconut water and the other is mother’s milk. Today we stand in such a situation that the foods we eat contain so much of pesticides and insecticides that sometimes even the mother’s milk contains pesticides, and so do tender coconut water.

People drink four to five cups or more of tea and coffee every day. Do they realize that these products also contain insecticides and pesticides?

In order to change this situation, we have to educate farmers of optimal use of pesticides or insecticides.

Making farmers aware of organic farming methods and use of organic pesticides would go a long way in ensuring production of healthy food. When more and more people join hands towards the organic movement, then the prices of organic foods will come down. Many researches state that food products grown organically have much more benefits as the nutrients are better absorbed by the human body.

Special cameras which can capture the aura of human beings show that organically grown vegetables and fruits have a very healthy aura which is equivalent to good health.

How can we optimally use cooking oil to ensure good health?

Cooking oil is the major source of fat in daily food intake. An average adult requires only 500 ml of cooking oil per month.

On an average, a family of four usually uses 4 litres of oil when they should be using only two. Traditional cooking oil is recommended (75%) along with oils which are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids such as sunflower oil (25%). Groundnut oil, gingili oil, mustard oil are examples of traditional oils. These contain saturated fats (SFA), mono-unsaturated fats (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fats (PUFA) in the right proportions for heart health. Ghee can also be used in small quantities in a vegetarian diet.

Other ways in which the fat intake can go up are:

By eating out often and buying food into the house. Food from outside home usually adds to the fat calories in the diet. For example even steamed foods such as idly when eaten out add more calories per piece.

This is because of the way it is prepared and the size. The side dishes offered with the idly is higher in fat calories content. Invariably all chutneys have coconut in them. Most people have vada with idli when they eat outside. When we calculate the fat content of the month it should include the cooking oil and the fat from the foods eaten outside and bought into the house! À LA CARTE • MAY 2013 • 29

Nutrition Nibbles

Salmon

Snacking on

Does the sight of smoked salmon get your mouth watering? Does the thought of salmon sushi make you want to run to the nearest Japanese joint? The sizzling salmon has more benefits than just tasting so good!

By Chandini.

30 • À LA CARTE •MAY 2013

Salmon is the third commonly consumed seafood across the globe. Salmon fish food is one of the most high containers of proteins.

W

ith Vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids certain species also contain various levels of cholesterol.

The omega-3 content in salmon aids in development of the brain. Salmon is also known for being an oil-rich fish with different textures and flavours depending on the species. Canned salmon also prove to be a good source of calcium. 85 grams of salmon contain around 4 to 11 grams of fat which is about 7%. Protein content in 85 grams of the fish comes up to 24 grams.

Buying Salmon

Salmon can be found extensively in both salt waters and fresh waters globally. The char and the trout are part of the salmon family. Atlantic salmon is the most common type consumed. It is heavily scaled and has an oil-rich texture. It is sold both as whole and in fillets. Steaks of salmon can also be purchased, fresh or frozen. Globally several types of salmon can be found, such as Atlantic, Chinook, Chum, Coho, Pink, and Sockeye Salmon. The pink salmon is the most popular known salmon and even has a colour named after it. Salmon flesh comes in a variety of colours from orange to red. Orange is most commonly used in sushi and red for grills. Pinkish flesh is best for cooking at home.

Cooking Salmon

Usually one can purchase gutted whole salmons. The gills have to be removed before cooking. Fillets of salmon require skinning like all other fishes.

Though one can purchase only scaled salmon, make sure there are no scales if you are buying a whole fish. Pin bones can be taken out according to requirement of the dish.

The salmon is very popular because of its adaptation to any dish. The versatile quality of salmon is so much that it can be baked, fried, roasted or grilled. It can be used in sushi, salads, sandwiches and can be poached too.

In Asian cuisines it is very popular for salmon to be fried into a tempura and cooked with flavours such as chilly and ginger. The smoked salmon is a type of American grilled fish delicacy. Teriyaki salmon is also widely known for its popularity among Mediterranean restaurants.

Since salmon in itself is inexpensive it is used in hotels to cater to a large number of guests.

À LA CARTE • MAY 2013 • 31

1 tablespoon capers, drained 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1 ½ teaspoons crab boil seasoning 3 slices stale bread, crusts removed 1/2 cup good mayonnaise 2 teaspoons mustard 2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten METHOD

Salmon Cakes

It is a great way to use convenient canned (or leftover) salmon.

INGREDIENTS

700 g Salmon Olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 3/4 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion) 1 ½ cups small-diced celery (4 stalks) 1/2 cup small-diced red bell pepper (1 small pepper) 1/2 cup small-diced yellow bell pepper (1 small pepper) 1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley 32 • À LA CARTE •MAY 2013

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the salmon on a sheet pan, skin side down. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until just cooked. Remove from the oven and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes and refrigerate until cold. Meanwhile, place 2 tablespoons of the butter, 2 tablespoons olive oil, the onion, celery, red and yellow bell peppers, parsley, capers, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, crab boil seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat and cook until the vegetables are soft, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Break the bread slices in pieces and process the bread in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. You should have about 1 cup of bread crumbs. Place the bread crumbs on a sheet pan and toast in the oven for 5 minutes until lightly browned, tossing occasionally. Flake the chilled salmon into a large bowl. Add the bread crumbs, mayonnaise, mustard, and eggs. Add the vegetable mixture and mix well. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Shape into 10 cakes.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. In batches, add the salmon cakes and fry for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until browned.

Drain on paper towels; keep them warm in a preheated 250 degree F oven and serve hot.

Smoked Salmon INGREDIENTS

1 cup kosher salt 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup dark brown sugar 1 tablespoon crushed black peppercorns 2 large salmon fillets or sides, pin bones removed

METHOD

In a bowl, mix together salt, sugar, brown sugar and peppercorns. Spread extra-wide aluminum foil a little longer than the length of the fish and top with an equally long layer of plastic wrap.

Sprinkle 1/3 of the rub onto the plastic.

Lay one side of the fish skin down onto the rub. Sprinkle 1/3 of the rub onto the flesh of the salmon. Place second side of salmon, flesh down onto the first side.

Use the remaining rub to cover the skin on the top piece. Fold plastic over to cover, then close edges of foil together and crimp tightly around the fish. Place wrapped fish onto a plank or sheet pan and top with another plank or pan. Weigh with a heavy phone book or a brick or two and refrigerate for 12 hours. Flip the fish over and refrigerate another 12 hours. Some juice will leak out during the process so make sure there's a place for the runoff to gather. Unwrap fish and rinse off the cure with cold water. Pat salmon with paper towels then place in a cool, dry place (not the refrigerator) until the surface of the fish is dry and matte-like, 1 to 3 hours depending on humidity. A fan may be used to speed the process. Smoke fish over smoldering hardwood chips or sawdust, keeping the temperature inside the smoker between 150 degrees F and 160 degrees F until the thickest part of the fish registers 150 degrees. Serve immediately or cool to room temperature, wrap tightly and refrigerate for up to 3 days. À LA CARTE • MAY 2013 • 33

In the Know

Ask Sabita

Sabita Radhakrishna is a well known food columnist and cookbook author. Our readers can find answers to all their cooking related queries here.

What else can one do to harness so much of bright sun?

My first answer would be pickles.

Nothing like the hot sun to aid in making pickles. You could also think of ‘varthals’, rice or sago, but it calls for labour - spooning or pressing them out on spread out cloth, and becoming a toast in the process!

Can you give me at least one example of a frozen dessert apart from ice cream which would be so welcome in this weather?

Chop fruit as you would for a fruit salad. Whip curds with castor sugar and powdered cinnamon to taste.

Pour over the fruit generously and mix well. Place in a covered bowl and place in freezer. Take out about 15-20 minutes before serving.

34 • À LA CARTE •MAY 2013

IS IT POSSIBLE TO MAKE

SUNDRIED TOMATOES AT HOME?

Yes, it is. My theory has been to use the most impossible of situations, even the heat, to your advantage. If tomatoes are cheap at the moment, you are in good luck.

Sundried tomatoes can be used for pastas.

They add a new dimension to the dish. I use them for an open sandwich topping, or for salads. They are quite versatile and can be adapted easily.

HOW TO MAKE Wash and dry the tomatoes, (use at least one or two kilos) remove the black core at the top and slice them into thick pieces.

Smear with olive oil and place in the bright sun for as long as possible. The next day turn the tomato slices over and smear with some more olive oil. Continue the process till the vegetables are dehydrated and devoid of all moisture. Place in a clean bottle and add olive oil and store in a refrigerator to be on the safe side.

I was making urad dal vadas for the umpteenth time. But the vadas were flat, absorbed so much oil, and we hardly ate them. Help!

If there’s leftover batter, say a cup, add a cup of rice flour, and mix and beat the two together. Pour into thick dosas. The dosas will be soft, not crisp but at least edible and tasty when you serve with spicy chutney.

As an alternative, you could use a cup of ragi flour, and half a cup of wheat flour. Add chopped onion, green chilies and chopped coriander leaves. Pour into dosas.

As for what went wrong with the vadas, many housewives grind the batter in a mixie, but I favour the grinder. In the mixie, if you are not careful, the batter gets heated up and gets partially cooked. But I do concede that I have tasted good vadas made of mixie-ground batter.

You might have soaked the urad dal for too long. It needs to be soaked for just an hour and a half. You might have added too much water during the grinding, making the batter foam and making it difficult to shape into vadas. Adding chopped onions might have made it worse as onions let out water. Better luck next time!

Q

What are vadagams?

They are tempering preserved balls made of onions, garlic, fenugreek, mustard and urad seeds, and curry leaves. It is a cumbersome process where they are compressed into balls and sun dried each day and crumbled into the onion water at night and the process repeated till all the moisture is used up and the vadagam balls are bone dry. They can be stored for two years, but care should be taken to store them in a clean container.

With a spoonful of this amazing preserve, the sambar, fish curry, tamarind sauces or some mutton curries will taste delicious.

It is so cumbersome to make that most women who cannot go vadagam-less buy it in supermarkets. But they don’t come anywhere near the ones made at home.

WHAT ARE THE VARIATIONS IN WHICH

BUTTER MILK AND CURDS ARE USED?

It is said that yoghurt is of Turkish origin though as we know, curds has been prominently included for centuries in the diets of the people of India, Arabic countries, central Asia, and countries of the former Ottoman Empire where people attribute it to their health and longevity.

Western countries have adopted it in their cuisine, as dips, dressings and frozen desserts. In India curds serve to be a base for many dishes.

À LA CARTE • MAY 2013 • 35

Expert on the Block

At some point, with a certain number of years experience in cooking, a chef does not cook one particular cuisinewe create our own Ever since he realized the potential of his culinary skills, Chef Mohammed Siddiq has devoted his time and talent for the growth of the Taj Empire. After several decades of working with the Taj’s various branches, Siddiq talks about his journey till now and how working for one of the biggest kingpins in the industry has changed him.

36 • À LA CARTE •MAY 2013

The Taj's Treasure

Tell us a bit about yourself?

I am a graduate of the IHM Mumbai, batch of 1983-86. It was right there that my journey began; I got selected for Taj’s Mahal in Mumbai as a trainee. I worked there for a year and by the end of the year I was shifted to the Taj Malabar in Kerala.

Being a Malayali myself, it was a huge deal for me to go back home for my work. I was the junior sous chef then and another 4 years passed. I then took a break from work and took a sabbatical for about 4 ½ years. I joined as a lecturer at IHM, Trivandrum.

Teaching was a different experience and IHM provided a fellowship for lecturers who wanted to study further. I joined the Singapore University in an exchange programme and since the fellowship was paid for already, I had plenty of finance to manage there. However, I still opted for a part time job to get exposure. I tried my hand at everything, even front office management. In 1995 I returned to India and joined the Taj Calicut as Senior Sous Chef. I had a brief stint at Taj Residency and then shifted to Chennai.

How did you land in Chennai?

When I landed in Chennai, I was first put up at the Fisherman’s cove. After 6 years of my time there I joined Taj Club House. This summer I will be completing 3 years in the Club House as the Executive Chef. I have taken part in various food shows and appeared in channels like NDTV, TLC and so on. I have also been a part of several festivals, especially the Singapore food festival.

What cuisines are you most comfortable cooking?

I started off cooking continental food, North Indian and Kerala food. Kerala cuisine is versatile and vast. It differs by region, culture and religion.

We even conducted the Mopla festival of North Kerala regional food, discovered by the Muslims. I have also specialized in Ayurvedic food, specially made for Ayurveda devotees. The choices are very restricted and minimal but I have developed my own recipes and this cuisine is now the ‘health cuisine’. At some point, with a certain number of years experience in cooking, a chef does not cook one particular cuisine- we create our own. You can only imagine the dishes you want to make and you À LA CARTE • MAY 2013 • 37

just start cooking them. The passion to create something new never leaves you so there is no particular cuisine as such, only limitless imagination.

What is your signature cooking style?

I like to cook food where the spices are very minimal and the protagonist of the dish, be it meat or vegetable stands out. I also love grills.

My specialty is however cold food - blanched food that can be made into cold dishes when mixed with ingredients like fresh prawn salad.

How much are you willing to experiment when it comes to food?

It is not about how much a chef is willing to experiment but the need to experiment.

Guests are very demanding these days. You see something on TV or you have a delicacy abroad you want the same thing back home. I know a lot of people who buy huge quantities of ingredients when they return to India after a trip abroad. If you take the next generation, the knowledge they have about food is tremendous and truly mind blowing. A chef can experiment if the guests are willing to give it a go. If a guest does not like to stay away from tradition or has certainly allergies, you definitely cannot experiment much there. When it comes to those who are always looking for something new, and you have the passion to create, sky is the limit.

38 • À LA CARTE •MAY 2013

Chennai's food scene At the end of the day a Tamilian might just want curd rice after the meal but then he is willing to experiment right before it: that is the scene in Chennai. Few years back the scene was regular with just Chettinad, Chinese and few cuisines thrown about but now you have ‘N’ number of cuisines and more number of fusion foods. The concept of ‘eat out days’ have come in, instead of going to eat out only on occasions or when the gas stove at home doesn’t work. Though the pace is slow, the trend has been set.

How do you research for new menus and fests?

I do not actually like the concept of fests because I do not have much to do there. Since Taj is a huge enterprise, if I wanted to conduct a fest such as ‘South African’ food, I can just get connected to the Chef from Taj’s Cape Town hotel and get the required recipes to conduct the same. I do make it a bit of a fusion though with changes here and there. Most of my research however comes from watching innumerable TV shows and reading a lot of books. I do a lot of mix and matches but never the trial and error method.

Shaken & Stirred

The cooling touch of

COCONUT Known for its soothing properties, coconut is one of the most effective means of rehydration in summer. Beat the summer heat with these cooling coconut quenchers

À LA CARTE • MAY 2013 • 39

Civilizations have been wrought upon the coconut and mankind has made every conceivable use of every part of the coconut.

While our prehistoric ancestors used the coconut in myriads ways, as utensils or clothing and musical instruments, the coconut still retains its uses in modern life. Apart from domestic, commercial, and industrial uses, the coconut shell has innovatively gone into the making of trendy jewellery. From Parachute oil, Vaseline and moisturisers, coconut has been known to be good not just for the hair but also for the skin. Most of all, there is no drink to parallel the rejuvenation that a hollow tender coconut provides on a hot summer’s day. Check out this coconut flavoured recipes to cool you down this summer.

Banana Coconut Smoothie The banana coconut combo is a refreshing one.

Guaranteed to promptly put you back on your feet after a long, sweltering day. Try this simple recipe for a punch of fruit flavours topped with a dash of vanilla ice cream • • • • •

2 ripe chopped bananas 1 cup coconut milk 1 cup milk 3-4 scoops vanilla ice-cream 2 teaspoons honey (optional)

METHOD Place bananas, coconut milk, milk, vanilla ice-cream honey in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Serve immediately.

40 • À LA CARTE •MAY 2013

Coconut & Passionfruit Daiquiri

Coconut Breeze The coconut breeze is an airy drink, perfect for the hot and humid weather.

Along with strawberries, rum and ice cream, this drink is the panacea for parched mouths.

• 1 x 250g punnet strawberries, hulled, washed, dried • 250ml (1 cup) coconut milk • 80ml (1/3 cup) amaretto liqueur • 80ml (1/3 cup) dark rum • 4 scoops vanilla ice-cream • Crushed ice, to serve

METHOD Place the strawberries, coconut milk, amaretto, rum and ice-cream in the jug of a blender and blend until smooth.

Pour evenly among serving glasses.

Add the ice and serve immediately.

This daiquiri is the stuff of dreams with its cool ingredients and the tang of the passionfruit.

Clear your mind of all the negativity and re-energize your passion with this quencher • 125ml (1/2 cup) fresh lime juice • 125ml (1/2 cup) coconut cream • 60ml (1/4 cup) chilled gold tequila • 80ml (1/3 cup) Malibu coconut liqueur • 2 tbs caster sugar • 2 cups crushed ice • 80ml (1/3 cup) fresh passion fruit pulp

METHOD Place the lime juice, coconut cream, tequila, Malibu, sugar and ice in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Pour among serving glasses. Spoon over the passionfruit and serve. À LA CARTE • MAY 2013 • 41

Young Coconut & Berry Slushies In a bad mood? Can’t take the heat and the sweat? Cool off with a simple and elegant drink. This pretty slush is great on looks and taste so feast your eyes and taste buds • 6 x 300ml plastic cups young coconut juice • 1/3 cup (50g) frozen raspberries, plus extra raspberries to garnish

METHOD

Coconut & Strawberry Cocktail The sour zest of strawberry coupled with coconut liqueur and marshmallows is a rich riot of colours and flavour. Sip your way to happiness with a glass full of delicious coconut and strawberry • 10 strawberries, washed, hulled, halved • 1 cup ice cubes • 30ml Malibu coconut liqueur • 30ml strawberry liqueur • 125ml (1/2 cup) coconut milk • Marshmallows, to serve • Strawberries, extra, to serve

METHOD Process the strawberry, ice cubes, Malibu, strawberry liqueur and coconut milk in a blender until smooth. Divide between two 250ml (1-cup) capacity serving glasses.

Thread marshmallows and extra strawberries onto swizzle sticks. Place in the cocktail to decorate.

42 • À LA CARTE •MAY 2013

Tip coconut juice and flesh into a blender with berries. Blend until almost smooth, then return to containers and seal with lids. Freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove from the freezer 2 hours before serving – the juice will thaw into a soft ‘slushie’. To serve, top each cup with the remaining berries and tuck in straws and a spoon.

Classic Piña colada No coconut binge is complete without the Piña colada. This classic coconut based drink has all the verve and oomph to get a party started • 375ml (1 1/2 cups) chilled pineapple juice • 250ml (1 cup) coconut milk • 80ml (1/3 cup) Malibu coconut liqueur • 60ml (1/4 cup) Midori liqueur • 60ml (1/4 cup) fresh lime juice • 2 cups crushed ice

METHOD Place pineapple juice, coconut milk, Malibu, Midori, lime juice and ice in jug of a blender and blend until combined.

Pour in glasses to serve.

Night Life

Sipping at Illusions Stepping into the-dimly lit Illusions is a surreal experience. After a couple of drinks, the name of the pub makes perfect sense, writes Krupa Shah Blue haze lights up pictures of old Madras with glimpses of ancient architecture, archaic machinery.

‘Illusions’ is a pub with a theme. “We wanted to bring back good old memories of Madras with elements such as hand rickshaws and pumps and recreate the look and feel of Madras in a pub. We tried to incorporate the theme in the ambience of the lounge area and the dance floor,” says owner Arasu Denis, who started the pub after a decade-long experience as a brand manager with Zara.

Illusions is not just a pub; it is designed to be a resto-bar and has three separate areas to cater to different crowds. The lounge

Illusions is not just a pub; it is designed to be a resto-bar and has three separate areas to cater to different crowds. The lounge and dining area is for quiet dinners either with family or for corporate meets.

The pub hangout with an adjoined dance floor is for the party animals.

À LA CARTE • MAY 2013 • 43

Signature dishes:

Madras Themed Cocktails:

ww Aatish E Aloo with mint mayo ww Beer batter onion rings with chipoltel cream ww Chicken cordon bleu ww Grilled fish with aioli sauce ww Tangdi kabab with chipotle cream

ww Mad Madras ww Pallavan Rider ww 1000 Lights ww Blue Marina ww Queen Mary

and dining area is for quiet dinners either with family or for corporate meets. The pub hangout with an adjoined dance floor is for the party animals. “You can come for a corporate dinner on Monday, spend quality time with family on a Friday and party hard on Saturday,” smiles Arasu.

For a pub, the place is surprisingly crowded for a weekday afternoon. The sleek TV screens churn out lazy songs to a bunch of young drinkers. The place is 44 • À LA CARTE •MAY 2013

dimly lit but not dark or dinghy and the ambience and decor add up to a pleasant note. Among all the things like location, brand, food, service and ambience, Arasu rates food as the most important thing for a business like his. “We don’t serve bar snacks like wafers, peanuts etc as we want people to try the food,” says Arasu and adds that the food is the best thing about Illusions.

The menu offers a rich variety of options

for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians.

“In bars they don’t have a choice for vegetarians, but we have tried to offer an equal choice,” says Arasu who is also planning to start brunches on Sundays.

The exhaustive range of starters comes in three varieties: continental, oriental and tandoor and among these there are separate options for vegetarians and non-vegetarians. From crunchy beer batter onion rings with chipotle cream to the crispy batter-fried American corn tossed in oriental sauce and delicious stuffed mushroom vegetarian appetizers are both sumptuous and varied. Sausages with herbed tomato coulis, oriental style chicken wontons or tandoori seer fish are among the dishes on the platter for meat-eaters.

Lunch combos priced moderately offer a soup and a main course while dinner options range from the pasta basilica, samo hung fried Rice, lasagne bolognaise and aachi chicken curry pasta. The pub has its own specialty of Madras-inspired cocktails. It offers a stunning variety from the conventional Cosmopolitan and daiquiri to iced teas and mojitos as well as experimental mocktails that are perfect energizers on a hot summer day.

The ultra-cooling ‘Revival’ mocktail is a refreshing watermelon drink with lime juice and mint topped with apple juice.

For a new pub, the place is pretty popular. “We get an average of 400 people a day and maybe this is because we cater to crowds of all ages,” says the owner. With the closing time being extended for pubs, Arasu feels that in resto-bars people come in earlier.

“Families come early to dine and funlovers want to party long so they want to start early. They come here to eat before they head for clubs. Clubs are generally more expensive so we get the crowd early and that is good for us as well as we don’t have to stay open after midnight.”

What Illusions offers: ww Lunch Combos (Veg at Rs 200 and non-veg at Rs 250) offering a soup and a main course ww Two ladies nights on Wednesday and Friday from 8 pm to 10 pm.

Funky Friday is for experimental fashion and cocktails. ww Tuesday is known as Happy Tuesday and Illusions plans to offer games, quizzes, dart-boards and karaoke. ww Visual retro night every Thursday called the Videogaga Retro Night.

From rare videos to long-forgotten songs, the ambience is designed to have you walking down memory lane.

Quick Facts: Address: 105, 1st Floor, Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai, Mylapore Timings: 12 Noon to Midnight seven days a week Cuisines: North Indian, Continental, Chinese Madras themed drinks to try: the Pallavan Rider, Queen Mary (from the oldest women’s college in town) and a shot called Spice Jet made from Madras style pickles.

Approx Rs. 1400 for two (with alcohol), VAT & Service Charges extra

À LA CARTE • MAY 2013 • 45

Restaurant Rounding

Gujarat on a platter Amdavadi, a snack house which caters to authentic Gujarati cuisine lovers, is the go-to place to unwind and enjoy some fantastic dishes that take you straight to the State and its colourful locales.

What: Amdavadi Where: 23 A, North Boag Road,

T.Nagar, Chennai – 600 017 This perfect little snack house has an interesting USP: to bring authentic Gujarati fare to Chennai foodies. From yummy theplas to delicious dhoklas, Amdavadi is the ideal joint for anyone craving for the State’s cuisine.

The Place

Walking down the narrow pathway with beautiful greenery on either side, we enter into a well-lit snack house that is designed for relaxation. Comfy wooden chairs and tables placed at strategic points add to the aura. With arty lanterns casting a glow on the visitors and striking portraits of poignant scenes in Gujarat hanging on one side 46 • À LA CARTE •MAY 2013

of the walls, the ambience is warm and welcoming. Antique utensils to cook the perfect fare are displayed artistically.

And of course the waiters are all dressed in costumes that are true to the State too!

The menu is delightful and light-hearted and offers a wide variety to choose from: all traditional dishes have accompanying explanations. And the wait for your food is totally worth it!

On the Plate

As we take in the environs, we are served the famous Rajwaadi Chas (masala buttermilk) that had just the right pinch of masalas and flavours, and the lemon ginger cooler was the perfect cooling agent. For starters, we have the delicious small little pieces of Khandvi made of chickpea. The layered dish was fluffy, soft and sprinkled with the right amount of mustard. The famous Dhoklas (steamed rice flour squares) are a delight to sink your spoon into. Beautifully garnished with finely chopped coriander leaves and served with coriander and chilli chutney, the dish left back a wonderful taste of savoury and sweet.

Soft Puris were served with Madraasi Oondhiya - a delicacy of mixed vegetables, and a potato ‘subzi’. While the Oondhiya made with different spices and vegetables gave a slightly sour flavour that went perfectly well with the Puris, the potato ‘subzi’ had a sweetish tinge that is the signature for Gujarati cuisine.

To polish off this delicious spread, we have scrumptious hot jalebis that are garnished with saffron. True to its form the fresh jalebis were crisp and dripping with sugar syrup.

While the Oondhiya made with different spices and vegetables gave a slightly sour flavour that went perfectly well with the Puris, the potato ‘subzi’ had a sweetish tinge that is the signature for Gujarati cuisine.

The Verdict

Photographer: Abhay Kumar

Lovely portions of authentic Gujarati cuisine served in a warm locale are bound to keep you satisfied. And it is easy on the pocket too! An afternoon at Amdavadi is a day well-spent as the restaurant nurtures an environment for good conversation and fantastic food. À LA CARTE • MAY 2013 • 47

Celeb Foodie

I believe in eating healthy and avoid carbs at night. I prefer vegetarian food and eat a lot of raw vegetables and fruits. I don’t follow a strict regime

KAJAL AGARWAL

With her twinkling eyes and lovely persona, Kajal Agarwal has carved a niche for herself in Tamil and Telugu cinema. She proved her talent in Tamil cinema with movies like Naan Mahaan Alla, Matraan and found her big break in the recent super hit Thuppaki. Her role in Magadheera put her in prominence in Tollywood.

The chirpy actor opens up about her food experiences and how she loves experimenting with local cuisines.

I am a big foodie and love experimenting with different cuisines.

But if I had to pick favourites it would have to be Lebanese and Thai cuisines.

good experience. But there was this one time when I was in Bangkok and experimented with the street food there.

To put it mildly I am never eating street food in Bangkok ever again.

Childhood memory of food…

My fitness regime

Cuisines I love

Pav Bhaji and Chaat at Chowpatty and Mexican food from New Yorkers.

Food I crave

My secret indulgence is roadside Chinese, but unfortunately this happens only once in a year at the maximum.

Also desserts are something I indulge in occasionally.

I believe in eating healthy and avoid carbs at night. I prefer vegetarian food and eat a lot of raw vegetables as well as fruits. I also sip on a lot of green tea throughout the day. I don't follow any strict regime. I try to do yoga or Pilates a couple of times a week and I run whenever possible.

The chef in me

My worst food experience

I have always made it a point to try the local cuisine wherever I go and for the major part of it, it’s been a 48 • À LA CARTE •MAY 2013

I cook whenever I get the time. I find cooking very therapeutic and often make Italian cuisine and desserts. I love to barbeque as well.

À LA CARTE • MAY 2013 • 49

Listings

Info at your fingertips

60

Fettuccine Alfredo

57

Kashmiri Pulao

Italian

North West Frontier

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Vanilla Icecream

Desserts & Icecream

Planning a birthday bash? Choose from a comprehensive list of bakers across the city Desserts, Bakers & Ice Cream P54 50 • À LA CARTE •MAY 2013

Bars & Restobars Bars & Restobars Zara Tapas 74 Cathedral Road, Gopalapuram.

28111462 Anna International Airport, Meenambakkam.

22560779 Geoffreys 171 J N Salai, AnnaiSathya Nagar, Arumbakkam.

66778899 Opium Bar Hotel Royal Plaza 3E Road, Koyambedu.

23790066 10 Downing Street Kences Inn Boutique Hotel 50 North Boag Road, T Nagar.

28152152 Bike & Barrel The Residency Towers 115 Sir Thyagaraya Road, T Nagar.

28156363 Black & White The Residency 49 GN Chetty Road, T Nagar.

28253434

Chipstead Taj Coromandel 37 MG Road, Nungambakkam.

66002827

Havana The RainTree Hotel 120 St Mary’s Road, Alwarpet.

42252525

Crystal Bar Ranjith Hotel 15 Nungambakkam High Road, Nungambakkam.

28270521

High Time GRT Grand 120 Sir Thyagaraya Road, T Nagar.

28150500

Distil Taj Connemara 2 Binny Road, Anna Salai.

66000000

Le Pub Liberty Park Hotel United India Colony, 1st Main Road, Kodambakkam.

24725950

Dublin The Welcome pub Park Sheraton 132 TTK Road, Alwarpet.

24994101 Gallop Radisson GRT Hotel St Thomas Mount, 531 GST Road, Anna Salai.

22310101 H20 Harrisons Hotel 315 Valluvar Kottam High Road, Nungambakkam.

42222777

Pasha The Park 601 Nungambakkam Main Road, Nungambakkam.

42676000 Bay 146 Savera Hotel 146 Dr Radhakrishnan Salai, Mylapore.

28144700 Rhapsody Courtyard Marriott 564 Anna Salai, Teynampet.

66764000

Regal Resto Bar Raj Park 180 TTK Road, Alwarpet.

42257777 The Leather Bar The Park 601, Nungambakkam Main Road, Nungambakkam.

42676000 Blend Taj Mount Road 2 Club House Road, Mount Road.

66313131

Cosmopolitan Want your restaurant to be listed? Give us a call. À LA CARTE • MAY 2013 • 51

Bars & Restobars The Pirate’s Esthell Continental Hotels & Resorts Royal Enclave, 1 Besant Avenue, Adyar.

24466240 Madera The RainTree Anna Salai 636 Anna Salai, Teynampet.

28309999 Xzubarence Bar Raj Park 180 TTK Road, Alwarpet.

42257777

Tequila Sunrise The Society Bar The Ambassador Pallava, 30 Montieth Road, Egmore.

28554476 Poker Bar Hotel Shelter 19 20 21 Venkatesa Agraharam Street, Mylapore.

24951919

Trantor Bar Breeze Hotel 850 Poonamallee High Road, Poonamallee.

26413334 Anchor Bar Taj Fisherman’s Cove Covelong Beach, Kancheepuram.

67413333

Vintage Bank Hilton 124/1 J.N.Salai, Ekkaduthangal 22255555 Mustang Bar Green Park Hotel NSK Salai, Arcot Road, Vadapalani.

66515151 Upperdeck Comfort Inn Marina Towers 2A Pooniamman Koil St, Egmore 28585454

Transque Bar Hotel Abu Palace 926 Poonamalle High Road, Egmore.

26412222

365 A.S. Hyatt Regency 365 Anna Salai, Mount Road.

61001234

Tropicana Bar New Victoria Hotel 3 Kennet Lane, Egmore.

28193638

Flame, Le Club Le Royal Meridien 1 GST Road, St Thomas Mount. 22314343

The B Bar Lifestyle Bar 94 Sathyadev Avenue Next to Chettinad Vidyasharam School MRC Nagar 49001010

Degree Pub Quality Inn Sabari IT Tech Park, 33 Omar Road, Navalur.

27435030

Arcot Bar The Trident Hilton 1/24 GST Road, Meenambakkam.

22344747

Winchester Bar Radisson Blue Hotel 2, Ethiraj Salai, C-in-C Road, Egmore 30404444

Zodiac The Accord Metropolitan 35 GN Chetty Road, T Nagar.

28161000

Q Bar Hilton 124/1 J.N. Salai, Ekkaduthangal.

22255555

Minus 1 125, Inside Hotel Park View, Valluvarkottam High Road, Nungambakkam 9025110838

52 • À LA CARTE •MAY 2013

Bars & Restobars · Food Chains Food chains

Mc Donald’s 106 2nd Avenue, Anna Nagar 9566022866 Taramani 45556008 Adyar Ananda Bhavan 70/241 Ramakrishna Mutt Road, Mylapore 23453031 Nungambakkam 23453037 Anna Nagar 23453048 Koyambedu 23790403 Mogappair 42845074 Pondy Bazaar 23453041 Vadapalani 42013008 Parrys 23453044 Tambaram 42034949 Hotel Saravana Bhavan Spencer Plaza, 769 Mount Road, Anna Salai 28495577 Egmore 28192055 R.K Salai 28115977 Mylapore 24611177 Purasawalkam 26616699 Anna Nagar 26269721 Ashok Nagar 24892466 KK Nagar 24745577 T Nagar 24345577 Vadapalani 24817866 KFC Spencer Plaza, 769 Mount Road, Anna Salai 45514447 T. Nagar 43042222 Taramani 42666061 Nungambakkam 43562222 Anna Nagar 42612222 Marrybrown 133 Pondy Bazaar, T Nagar 42023704 Anna Salai 42116777 Mylapore 45535362 Nungambakkam 42032923 Anna Nagar 46218777 Koyambedu 421790372 Kodambakkam 42135553 Shenoy Nagar 43532721

Vasant Bhavan 10 Gandhi Irwin Road, Egmore 4281 Mount Road 28418693 Mylapore 24936666 Nungambakkam 28222233 Tambaram 22264441 Sangeetha Restaurant 24/2 South Mada Street, Mylapore 24643898 Nungambakkam 42137300 Greams Road 28294081 Choolaimedu 23744041 T Nagar 42121170 Parrys 25341745 Adyar 24426554 Subway For delivery call 45600600 Located at Nungambakkam, Egmore, RMZ Millenia Tech Park, Express Avenue, Spencer Plaza, Citi Center, Besant Nagar Pizza Corner 64 CP Ramaswamy Road, Abhiramapuram 43009502 Nandanam 42131333 Nungambakkam 42139566 Anna Nagar 42172300 Meenambakkam 42064151 Tambaram 22390647 Adyar 42187666

Velachery 22552172 Domino’s pizza Spencer Plaza, 769 Mount Road, Anna Salai 28494444 Mylapore 28474444 Purasawalkam 25322333 Teynampet 24355890 Anna Nagar 42014444 Ashok Nagar 24714555 Mogappair 26536455 Perambur 25518888 Adyar 24424444 Tidel Park 22540221 Velachery 22431777 PitStop 1, Jay Nagar, Panayur Kumaran Nagar Indian Oil Petrol Bunk,OMR Chemmancherry 24501499 /1699 Kancheepuram 27470399 US Pizza 152 Abirami Mega Mall, Purusaiwalkam 42371111 Pizza Hut Spencer Plaza, 769 Mount Road 39883988

Garden Fresh Veggie Pizza

Want your restaurant to be listed? Give us a call. À LA CARTE • MAY 2013 • 53

Desserts, Bakers and Ice Cream Baker’s Basket Savera 146 Dr.Radhakrishnan Salai, Mylapore.

28114700 Fresco For queries call 456000600 Located at Nungambakkam, Egmore, Express Avenue, Citi Center, Besant Nagar Delicatessen @ Chamiers 45000008 Tuscana Delicatessen Located in Tuscana on Chamiers 89 Chamiers Road, Alwarpet, Diagonally opp.

Park Sheraton IN GATE 45000008 Muffin Tree Courtyard Marriott 564 Anna Salai, Teynampet.

66764000 Milkyway 24 G7 Wellington Estate, Ethiraj Road, Egmore.

28251194

Blueberry Muffins Desserts, Bakers and Ice Cream Ambrosia 11, Cenotaph Road 45002099

Amadora Gourmet Ice Cream 23, Wallace Garden, 3rd Street 42323482 Hot Breads 74 Cathedral Road Gopalapuram 28110345 Mylapore 28112760 Kilpauk 26444212 T Nagar 28153998 Thiruvanmiyur 24485080 Saidapet 22200850 54 • À LA CARTE •MAY 2013

Sandy’s Chocolate Laboratory 14 1st Cross Road, Off Greenways Road, R.A Puram.42303852 Nungambakkam 42134000 Emilios Gelateria 22/1 2nd Main Road, 5th Cross Cit Colony, Mylapore 43535544 Neelankarai 24495010 Anna Nagar 43016680 Besant Nagar 45511226 Snow Field Dessert Pub 1 Cathedral Road, Cathedral Road, Gopalapuram.

28116416

La Boulangerie 21 Arundale Beach Road, Kalakshetra, Besant Nagar 9566099917 Valluvar Kottam 42222777 French Loaf T46 A 7th Avenue, Anna Colony, Besant Nagar 32216628 Chetpet 32216618 Mahalingapuram 32216627 R.A Puram 32216625 Spencer Plaza, Anna Salai 32210936 Parfait 3 16 Manikeshwari Road, Kilpauk 25321601 Velachery 22432022 Valmiki Nagar 24405588 Anna Nagar 26288822

Desserts, Bakers and Ice Cream Ecstasy 8, Sathyam Cinemas, Thiru-Vi-Ka Road, Royapettah.

43920444 Cake Walk 10, Montieth Road Egmore 28553811 Besant Nagar 24917022 MC Renett A9 2nd Avenue, Anna Nagar 64551011 Kodambakkam 64551012 Mandaveli 64551022 Teynampet 64551027 Nungambakkam 64551028 Parrys 64551036 Purasawalkam 64551014 T.Nagar 64551019 Creamy Inn W396 School Road, Anna Nagar West Extn.

26150080 Anna Nagar 26220080 Chetpet 28362255 K.K Nagar 23663939

Strawberry Smoothie Freeze Zone 33 TTK Road, Alwarpet.

24661839 Jelly Belly E37 2nd Avenue, Besant Nagar.

24460777

La Patisserie Taj Coromandel 37 MG Road, Nungambakkam.

66002827 Cakes N Bakes 70/32 Nungambakkam High Road, 28277075, 28205554 Thoraipakkam 24580809 Velachery 65610502 Baker’s Cottage 6th Avenue, Anna Nagar.

9884532326 Maple Leaf Chocolate Lounge 9 Harrington Road, Chetpet.

43561666, 43561333 Brio - The Cafe Shoppers Stop Chetpet 42664471 T. Nagar 42024415

Banana Split Sundae

The Baker’s Code Kebab Court Complex, Velachery.

22591275 Want your restaurant to be listed? Give us a call. À LA CARTE • MAY 2013 • 55

Desserts, Bakers and Ice Cream · South Indian Fruit Shop on Greams Road Greams Rd, Thousand Lights 23450871 Besant Nagar 23450876 Anna Nagar 23450872 Kilpauk 23450877 Spencer Plaza 28490083 Cathedral Road 23460986

INDIAN CUISINE South Indian

Southern Spices Taj Coromandel 37 MG Road, Nungambakkam.

66002827 Vrindavan Restaurant New Woodlands Hotel 72-75 Dr Radhakrishnan Salai, Mylapore.

28113111 Amaravathi Restaurant No.1, Cathedral Road, Gopalapuram 28116416

Jakob’s kitchen 28/18, Khader Nawaz Khan Road, Nungambakkam 42032808 Chennai Woodlands 20 2nd Lane Beach, Parrys.

25214343 Annalakshmi Restaurant 804 Mount Road, Anna Salai.

28525109 Malgudi Savera Hotel 146 Dr Radhakrishnan Salai, Mylapore.

28114700 Anjappar 7/2 JP Tower, NH Road, Nungambakkam.

28256662 Rasam 25 Raja Annamalai Road, Purasawalkam.

9789062857

Maya 32 Platinum Building, Khader Nawaz Khan Road, Nungambakkam.

42137774 Southern Aromas The Residency Towers 115 Sir Thyagaraya Road, T Nagar.

28156363 Dakshin Park Sheraton 132 TTK Road, Alwarpet.

24994101 Meenam Harrisons 315 Valluvar Kottam High Road, Nungambakkam.

42222777 ID (Idly & Dosa) Sathyam cinemas, 1s floor, 8, Thiru-vi-ka Road, Royapettah 23920346

Madras The Kitchen The RainTree Anna Salai 636 Anna Salai, Teynampet.

28309999 Ponnuswamy 24 Ethiraj Salai Egmore 28270784 Curry Leaf The Chariot 4 Tirumalai Road, T Nagar.

28341212 Navaratna Le Royal Meriden 1 GST Road, St Thomas Mount.

22314343 The Raintree Taj Connemara 2 Binny Road, Anna Salai.

66000000 56 • À LA CARTE •MAY 2013

Semiya with Madras Fish Curry

Kerala · North West Frontier Barbecue Nation Shri Devi Park Hotel 1 Hanumantha Road, North Usman Road,T.Nagar 60600000, 64530160, Moti Mahal 7 Jaganathan Road Nungambakkam 42137539 Kabul 1/200 Dr Radhakrishnan Salai, Mylapore 24996761

Chemmen Roast

NORTH INDIAN

Kerala

North West Frontier

Thalassery W77 4th Street, AnnaNagar 26207853 Kumarakom 27/28 Vijayanagar Ext, Velachery Main Road, Velachery 42022277 Nungambakkam 42605677 Anna Nagar 42172217 Adyar 42034203 Ramapuram 22496109

Nawaab’s Express Avenue Mall, 49 Whites Road, Thousand Lights.

28464255 Sigree Hotel Aruna Annexe 144-145 Sterling Road, Nungambakkam.

42664222

Palki 1, Cathedral Road, Gopalapuram.

28111794 La Shaakahari 20 Pycrofts Garden Road, Nungambakkam.

28265000 Peshawri Chola Sheraton 10 Cathedral Road, Gopalapuram.

28110101

Coconut Lagoon 1 Cathedral Road, Gopalapuram.

42020428 Tharavad 6 Bay View Drive, Kottivakkam, ECR. 9840075355 Ente Keralam Kasturi Estate, Poes Garden, 1st Street, Alwarpet.

42328585 Kottaram 9/2 Taramani-Perungudi Link Road, Perungudi.

24540660

Hyderabadi Pulao

Want your restaurant to be listed? Give us a call. À LA CARTE • MAY 2013 • 57

North West Frontier · Chinese Copper Chimney 74 Cathedral Road, Gopalapuram.

24980819 Mouthful 12/20 Raghaviah Road, T.Nagar.

42124260 Mast Kalandar 17 2nd Sashtri Nagar, MG Road, Adyar.

42018382

INTERNATIONAL Chinese

Barbecue Chicken Minar Savera 146 Dr.Radhakrishnan Salai, Mylapore.

28114700

Beyond Indus Taj Mount Road 2 Club House Road, Mount Road.

66313131

Navaratna Le Royal Meridien 1 GST Road, St Thomas Mount.

22314343

The Great Kebab Radisson Blue Hotel 2 Ethiraj Salai, C-in-C Road, Egmore 30404444

Olives Hotel Deccan Plaza 36 Royapettah High Road, Royapettah.

66773333

Tandoor Aruna Hotel Annexe 144-145 Sterling Road, Nungambakkam.

28262626

The Cascade 32 Khader Nawaz Khan Road, Nungambakkam.

28333836, 42137767 Besant Nagar 42019372, 24461625 3 Kingdoms 3rd Floor, 20B Khader Nawaz Khan Road, Nungambakkam 28333388, 28333390 Equinox 9-B 1st Floor, Kakani Towers, 34(15), Nungambakkam High Road, Nungambakkam 43084708, 9566167736

Up North The Raintree Hotel 636, Anna Salai,Teynampet 28309999 Mughals Zaika Restaurant 8 Rajarathinam Street, Kilpauk.

42858901 Rajdhani Shop No.5, Express Avenue Mall, 49 Whites Road, Royapettah.

28464422 58 • À LA CARTE •MAY 2013

Grilled Mutton Kebab Skewers

Chinese · Continental Stix Hyatt Regency 365 Anna Salai, Mount Road 61001234

Golden Dragon Taj Coromandel 37 MG Road, Nungambakkam.

66002827

Rangis Continental Chambers 142 Nungambakkam High Road, Nungambakkam.

42144933

Dynasty Restaurant Firm Tower, W121 3rd Avenue, Anna Nagar.

26212699, 42026609

Wonton 39 4th Street, Alwarpet 32513335, 43009700 Nungambakkam 28332002 Anna Nagar 26264633 Adyar 42116364 China Town 74 Cathedral Road, Gopalapuram.

28112246

Oriental Blossom Radha Regent 171 Jawaharlal Nehru Salai, Arumbakkam.

24757788 Mandarin 19 Thiruvedian Street, Gopalapuram.

28117431

Continental

Flower Drum Prince Plaza, 46 Pantheon Road, Egmore.

30228822 Mainland China Hotel Aruna Annexe 144-145 Sterling Road, Nungambakkam 28238345 Teynampet 45000236

Eden E37, 2nd Avenue, Besant Nagar 24460777, 04424463777 Anna Nagar 26221010 Nungambakkam 42222777

Ox and Tomato 145 St.Mary’s Road, Alwarpet 43060009 Above Sea Level The RainTree Hotel 120 St Mary’s Road, Alwarpet.

422525252 Yoko Sizzlers 20B 2nd Floor, Khader Nawaz Khan Road 42180888, 9043043090 Giorgio T29 7th Avenue, Besant Nagar.

24461828 Tangerine 5 Murrays Gate Road, Alwarpet 42110888 Kobe sizzlers 10 Khader Nawaz Khan Road, Nungambakkam 28332711

Chin Chin The Residency 49 GN Chetty Road, T Nagar.

28253434 Lemon Grass The Rain Tree 120 St Mary’s Road, Alwarpet.

42252525 The Canton Kaveri Complex, 96 Nungambakkam High Road, Nungambakkam.

28272197, 28214445

Crispy Sesame Chicken with Gingered Beans Want your restaurant to be listed? Give us a call. À LA CARTE • MAY 2013 • 59

Continental · Italian · Japanese · Korean · Malaysian Kipling Cafe 14 L. Jey Avenue, Akkarai, Sholinganallur, ECR. 24530040

Prego Taj Coromandel 37 MG Road, Nungambakkam 66002827

Ashvita Bistro 11 Bawa Road Alwarpet 42109990, 42031982

Little Italy Eldorado Building, 1/2 Nungambakkam High Road, Nungambakkam.

42601234, 66246178

Italian

Tuscana Pizzeria No.19 3rd Street, Wallace Garden, Nungambakkam 45038008

Sam’s pizzeria 7 Jaganathan Road, Nungambakkam 33703370 The Pasta Bar Veneto Old No.59, New No.32, Burkitt Road T.Nagar 42126680 Egmore 42145534 Fresca Pizza by Sandys 32 Platinum Building, Khader Nawaz Khan Road, Nungambakkam 42068484 Smoking Joe’s 31, Burkit Road, T.Nagar 24350505 Rhapsody Courtyard Marriott 564 Anna Salai,Teynampet 66764000, 66764488

Casa Piccola 7, Khader Nawaz Khan Road, Nungambakkam 64500500

Japanese Teppan at Benjarong 146 TTK Road, Alwarpet.

24322640, 43009161 Dahlia Kauvery Complex, 93 Nungambakkam High Road, Nungambakkam.

28265240

Focaccia Hyatt Regency 365 Anna Salai, Mount Road.

61001234 Papa John’s Pizzeria 29 Nungambakkam High Road, Nungambakkam 42075656 Bello Ciao 140 Nungambakkam High Road, Nungambakkam 24511130 ECR 24511130 60 • À LA CARTE •MAY 2013

Hummus with Pita Bread

Akasaka 128, Grd Floor Lattice Bridge Road, Thiruvanmiyur.

24453424

Korean In Seoul 530 TTK Road, RA Puram 42081998 Kyung Bok Gong 10 Chamiers Road, Nandanam.

42113346/7

Malaysian Pelita Nasi Kandar 16 17 18 Appaswamy Towers, Sir Thyagaraya Road, T Nagar.

24335759 Bee’s Kopitiam Express Avenue Mall 49 Whites Road, Thousand Lights.

28464088

Mexican · Pan Asian · Thai · Mediterranean · Sweets Estia Aloft Hotel 102 Rajiv Gandhi Salai, Sholinganallur, Old Mahabalipuram Road.

45925500 Azzuri Bay 13 First Crescent Road, Gandhi Nagar, Adyar.

42115253 Kefi Taj Mount Road 2 Club House Road, Mount Road.

66313131 5 Senses Oyster, 9, Khader Nawaz Khan Road Nungambakkam 30062010

Rava Khoya Laddoo Mexican

Baan Thai 10 Khader Nawaz Khan Road, Nungambakkam.

28332611, 28332612

Don Pepe 73, Cathedral Road Gopalapuram, Chennai 04428110413 Texas Fiesta 17/2, Shaffee Mohammed Road, Off Khader Nawaz Khan Road Nungambakkam 43087882

Pan Asian

Hip Asia Taj Connemara 2 Binny Road, Anna Salai.

66000000

Thai

Benjarong 146 TTK Road, Alwarpet.

24322640, 43009161 Lotus The Park 601 Anna Salai Nungambakkam.

42676000

Mediterranean

Aqua The Park 601 Nungambakkam Main Road, Nungambakkam.

42676000

Silk Asiana Hotel 1/238 Old Mahabalipuram Road, Semmencherry 67411000

Azulia GRT Grand 120 Sir Thyagaraja Road, T Nagar.

28150500

The Upper Deck Taj Fisherman’s Cove Covelong Beach, Kancheepuram.

67413333 The Crown The Residency Towers Sir Thyagaraja Road, T Nagar.

28156363 Kryptos by Willi 24 Yafa Tower Khadar Nawaz Khan Road Nungambakkam 45038001

Sweets Gangotree 42 Cathedral Road, Gopalapuram 28111664 Adyar 24452422 Shree Mithai 18 Dr TV Road, Chetpet 42809999 Spencer Plaza 42134455

Want your restaurant to be listed? Give us a call. À LA CARTE • MAY 2013 • 61

Sweets · Coffee Pubs · 24 Hour Dining The Grand Sweets 2nd Main Road, Gandhi Nagar, Adyar 42054466 Besant Nagar 45006464 Anna Nagar 42634422 T.Nagar 42124466 Sri Krishna Sweets Soundarajan Street, CIT Nagar, Theyagaraya Nagar 42616161 Adyar 24413805 Anna Nagar 26191222 Ashok Nagar 24850808 Mylapore 28112827 Nanganallur 9789062861 Purusawalkam 26616667 West Mambalam 9789062860 Mishtee 112 Nungambakkam High Road, Nungambakkam.

43084984 Adyar Anandha Bhavan 9 Lattice Bridge Road, Adyar 23453045 Anna Nagar 23453043 Nungambakkam 23453037

Coffee Pubs Amethyst Whites Rd, Royapettah Entrance next to Corporation Bank 4599 1630 Robustaa 24/67 Halls Road, Kilpauk.

42858412

Barista 4 Khader Nawaz Khan Road Nungambakkam 42138567 Besant Nagar 42019455 Tea Lounge Radisson Blue Hotel 2 Ethiraj Salai, C-in-C Road, Egmore 30404444 Café Coffee Day Montieth Road, Egmore 28546981 Kilpauk 42175621 Ispahani Centre Nungambakkam 64627082, 43577231 Café Zha 25 2nd Main Street, Kamarajar Avenue, Adyar.

42116027 Coffee World Abhiramapuram, 64 CP Ramaswamy Road, Alwarpet.

43009499 Coffee Central 11 Dr B Narasimhan Road, Opp GN Chetty Road, T Nagar.

28152045, 9840111298 Café Pascucchi Express Avenue Mall 49 Whites Rd, Thousand Lights.

09840922895

Anokhi 106 Chamiers Road, Opposite Oryza 24311495

Café tapas 47B Ground Floor, Ramana Nursing Home Complex Velachery Main Road, Velachery.

42325165

Cafe Chokolade 10/1A3 Montieth road Egmore 42126461 T.Nagar 42606532

High on Caffeine Mitsubishi Showroom, LB Road, Adyar.

42116482, 9003034049

62 • À LA CARTE •MAY 2013

24 Hour Dining Est Hilton 124/1 J.N. Salai, Ekkaduthangal.

22255555 Anytime GRT Grand 120 Sir Thyagaraya Road, T Nagar.

28150500 Garden Café Radisson Blu Hotel 531 GST Road, St Thomas Mount.

22310101 Paprika Mariott Courtyard 564 Anna Salai, Teynampet.

66764000 Main Street The Residency Towers Sir Thayagaraya Road T Nagar.

28156363 Anise Taj Coromandel 37 MG Road, Nungambakkam.

66002827 601 The Park 601 Nungambakkam Main Road, Nungambakkam.

42676000 Caramel Asiana Hotel 1/238 Old Mahabalipuram Road.

Semmencherry.

67411000 Rainbow The Raintree Hotel 120 St Mary’s Road, Alwarpet.

42252525

24 Hour Dining · Seafood · Multicuisine My Cafe Chola Sheraton 10 Cathedral Road, Gopalapuram.

28110101 Bay View Point Taj Fisherman’s Cove Covelong Beach, Kancheepuram.

67413333 Samudra Trident 1/24 GST Road, St Thomas Mount.

22344747 Kayal Le Royal Meridien 1 GST Road, St Thomas Mount.

22314343

Multicuisine

Mixed Vegetable Broth Water’s Ege Café GRT Temple Bay Mahabalipuram.

27442251, 27443636

Cilantro Le Royal Meridien 1 GST Road, St Thomas Mount.

22314343

Club House Taj Mount Road 2 Club House Road, Mount Road.

66313131

Seafood

The Kitchen The Raintree Anna Salai 636 Anna Salai,Teynampet.

28309999 Verandah Taj Connemara 2 Binny Road, Anna Salai.

66000000 Seagull Taj Fisherman’s Cove Covelong Beach, Kancheepuram.

67413333

Coast to Coast Radisson Blue Hotel 2 Ethiraj Salai, Egmore 30404444

Fusion 9 Aruna Centre 145 Sterling Road, Nungambakkam 42664299 The Right Place The Residency 49 GN Chetty Road, T.Nagar 28253434

Fisherman’s Fare Casa Major Road, Egmore.

28194840

Cilantro Le Royal Méridien 1 GST Road, St. Thomas Mount, 43534545

Sea Shell Greams Rd, Thousand Lights 28295789

Cream Centre 55 2nd Main Road, RA Puram 42815777 Nungambakkam 43561777

Wharf GRT Temple Bay Mahabalipuram.

27443636

Ashvita 11 2nd Street, Dr R K Salai, Mylapore.

28476063

Want your restaurant to be listed? Give us a call. À LA CARTE • MAY 2013 • 63

Multicuisine · Health Food · Arabian Rain Forest Gandhi Nagar 1st Main Road, Adyar.

42187777

Drizzle No. 1, Sultan Ahmed Street, Neelankarai, ECR. 32219966

Duchess 1/200, Dr.Radhakrishnan Salai Road, Mylapore 24996762

Seven Comfort Inn Marina Towers 2A Pooniamman Koil St, Egmore 28585454

Oasis Radisson Blue Hotel 2, Ethiraj Salai, C-in-C Road, Egmore 30404444 Mash, The Grill House 3/2 Haddows Road, 2nd Street 2821 1555 Crimson Chakra 13 First Crescent, Gandhi Nagar Adyar 09677277900 Nungambakkam 64500 500, 97866 55845 Piano Hotel Savera 146 Dr.Radhakrishnan Salai,Mylapore 28144700 Vasco’s Hilton 124/1, J.N.Salai, Ekkaduthangal 22255555

Zaitoon No.1, Vintage Plaza, L B Road, Adyar, 24527778, 24527779 YallaYalla Radisson GRT Hotel St Thomas Mount, 531 GST Road, Anna Salai.

22310101

Burgundy’s Somerset Greenways Serviced Residence 94 Satyadev Avenue, MRC Nagar.

49001000

Al Arab 131 Dr.Radhakrishnan Salai, Mylapore.

45130000

Health Food Cholayil Sanjeevanam 97/45 Nungambakkam High Road, Nungambakkam.

64508427 Mahamudra 117 Luz Church Road, Mylapore.

43535555

Dewberry’s The Resto-Café 6/29 Rajasekaren Street, Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai, Mylapore 28473439

64 • À LA CARTE •MAY 2013

Escapade 361 Shakti Garden Road, Okyampettai, Thoraipakkam.

9884051456

Ayna Hilton 124/1, J.N.Salai, Ekkaduthangal 22255555

La Shaakahari 20, Pycrofts Garden road, Nungambakkam 9940415747

Five Senses Oyster, No. 9, Khader Nawaz Khan Road, Nungambakkam 30062010

Arabian

Chicken Shawarma

Arabian Delights A46 3rd Avenue, Anna Nagar East.

42172047 Palmshore Foreshore Estate, 111/108 Santhome High Road.

42102244 By the Bay T55 Elliots Beach Road, 6th Avenue, Besant Nagar 24461922

A royal treat to the vegetarian taste buds!

Renovated to your comfort Special offers on week days Live stations & show kitchen Lavish buffet spreads for breakfast, lunch & dinner

NO, 36, Royapettah Highroad, Royapettah, Chennai - 14 Ph: +91-44-66773333 rmgr@deccanhotels.com www.deccanhotels.com