Every time we host a client visit, we always end the itinerary with a team lunch at the Madras Cricket Club. My boss, whom I absolutely adore and is completely clueless of my regard for him, seems to collect club memberships in every city. In Chennai, he hops between the Presidency, the Madras Club, Gymkhana, some weird golf course in Guindy and the Madras Cricket Club! There goes 5 years of my salary just in club memberships!! This is the second time that I have been to one of these events organized by our office … actually, I organize them for my office!
This particular event was close to heart as we were hosting our premier client and I absolutely love their work culture, their commitment to building relationships, and their VP Asia Ops (have been crushing on his voice forever!! :D). Unfortunately, my virtual darling wasn’t able to visit, however the MD and another senior manager did.
I was absolutely delighted when the MD brought a special message from the VP, just for me … ‘lil ol moi’ … On top of enjoying the seething envy of my rivals, I was lost in my head with visions of pink floating petals, sparkling fluffy clouds and me ‘baywatch bouncing’ towards a beautiful faceless man on a white unicorn; ready to carry me off into publishing paradise!!
By now, I am sure that you are wondering whether you are reading a food blog or a 16 year old’s diary!! I promise, I am getting to the food, just as soon as I stop smiling at my hallucinations !
Anyhoooo … the team lunch was organized for about 35 people at the Cricketers’ Lounge. I like the MCC for its space and history; the lounge itself is a very casual arrangement suitable for a maximum party of 45. The food was a pre-selected buffet of the Cricketer’s welcome drink, Garlic Chicken (which I sniffed), Fried Rice, Naan, Butter Paneer, Cauliflower Manchurian, Daal Makhani, Dahi Chawal, Pickle, Mango Ice Cream and Vanilla Ice Cream. And you won’t believe the price, Rs. 180 per head! I guess the ‘5 years’ salary’ membership benefits somewhere!
The food is generally good; your taste buds won’t explode with culinary delight, but one feels supremely satisfied at the end of the meal … my favorite was the mango ice cream. I also enjoyed the Butter Paneer and Cauli-Manchurian.
I am not particularly the club type, however, I maaaaaaaaay move in that direction in the prosperous stage of my world domination!! :D
Showing posts with label Guide. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guide. Show all posts
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Zara Tapas Bar
My friends have been drilling me to come out to Zara for the last 2 years and I never really bothered to. Bars hold very little attraction for me as I am neither the type to studiously nurse a drink nor am I the resident fish. However, this particular day was different, Bambam needed to chill, I am always happy to be with my bro, it was already 10:30pm and earlier that day B-boy had enticed me by mentioning that Zara was a Tapas bar!
If anyone knows how to mix the right drink with the right food, it’s the Mediterraneans. Spain, Portugal and Italy have rampantly influenced global tastes; with a colourful colonial and adventurous history, they have amalgamated the best of cuisines from across the world. One of my favourite elements of Mediterranean cuisine is the Tapas, a Spanish tradition of social drinking which includes a fabulous variety of appetizers. Here, the word appetizer would be obsolete, as the Tapas spread is a complete meal in itself.
Strategically, there are two locations for Zara, one at Cathedral Road which closes at 11:00pm and the other at the Airport which, pretty much, greets the dawn. So, off we went, setting off from my office in T. Nagar at 11:00PM to the Airport Zara … The drive was brilliant, the roads empty, until we hit the airport!
When we walked into Zara at 11:30ish, the place was nearly empty, the décor dark, the lights dim, typical mid-scale bar ‘without’ an obvious bar. I must say the leatherite seats were very difficult to get into and get out of!!
Bambi seemed to know the manager so we did some ‘ha ha hi hi’ and settled in to choose our drinks. Since I was more interested in the food, I looked around for the food menu until Bambi pointed it out right in front of me on the place mats.
Now thaaaaat is a huuuuge ‘No No’ !! There is one thing I absolutely detest, moving around my cutlery so I can order my damn food!
Once I got past my annoyance, I glanced through the menu and found it quite interesting. The menu had Spanish names for the dishes with good ‘easy to understand’ elucidations. B-boy had mentioned the Calamari (though, how a hardcore vegetarian knows good calamari, is an absolute mystery!). So we settled on Spinach Coquettes, Cheese pops and Calamari. I would have loved to try the other items, however, that will have to wait till I plan a big Zara party with lots of people so I can eat off all their plates! :D
Being a new born in the vege world, I wanted to avoid the meat, but had to taste the calamari. So I popped one of the small channa sized rings into my mouth and chewed with guilt overflowing. It was cooked just right, but was slightly over seasoned with salt. My only real complaint would be the size of the rings. Real calamari is almost as large as an onion ring and there is something sinfully delicious about a mouth full of fried squid!
The best part of the meal was the Spinach croquettes. Absolutely scrumptious!
Overall, it was a great evening spent with my bro, talking about life, love, business, and friendship … Life is good!
Zara Tapas Bar
First Floor # 74, Cathedral Road
Chennai - 600086.
Tel: +91 (44) 2811-1462
Zara Tapas Bar
Anna International Airport (Departure)
Above The Food Court, Meenambakkam
Chennai - 600 027
Tel: +91 (44) 2256-0779
Some interesting tidbits on Tapas:
The word tapas is derived from the verb tapar, which means "to cover". Apparently, the original tapas were slices of bread or meat used to cover sherry glasses to keep away flies from the sweet alcohol in Andalusian taverns. This evolved when bartenders started creating thirst inducing snacks to serve with sherry to increase alcohol sales. Pretty cool, Medieval Business Management 101 !!
If anyone knows how to mix the right drink with the right food, it’s the Mediterraneans. Spain, Portugal and Italy have rampantly influenced global tastes; with a colourful colonial and adventurous history, they have amalgamated the best of cuisines from across the world. One of my favourite elements of Mediterranean cuisine is the Tapas, a Spanish tradition of social drinking which includes a fabulous variety of appetizers. Here, the word appetizer would be obsolete, as the Tapas spread is a complete meal in itself.
Strategically, there are two locations for Zara, one at Cathedral Road which closes at 11:00pm and the other at the Airport which, pretty much, greets the dawn. So, off we went, setting off from my office in T. Nagar at 11:00PM to the Airport Zara … The drive was brilliant, the roads empty, until we hit the airport!
When we walked into Zara at 11:30ish, the place was nearly empty, the décor dark, the lights dim, typical mid-scale bar ‘without’ an obvious bar. I must say the leatherite seats were very difficult to get into and get out of!!
Bambi seemed to know the manager so we did some ‘ha ha hi hi’ and settled in to choose our drinks. Since I was more interested in the food, I looked around for the food menu until Bambi pointed it out right in front of me on the place mats.
Now thaaaaat is a huuuuge ‘No No’ !! There is one thing I absolutely detest, moving around my cutlery so I can order my damn food!
Once I got past my annoyance, I glanced through the menu and found it quite interesting. The menu had Spanish names for the dishes with good ‘easy to understand’ elucidations. B-boy had mentioned the Calamari (though, how a hardcore vegetarian knows good calamari, is an absolute mystery!). So we settled on Spinach Coquettes, Cheese pops and Calamari. I would have loved to try the other items, however, that will have to wait till I plan a big Zara party with lots of people so I can eat off all their plates! :D
Being a new born in the vege world, I wanted to avoid the meat, but had to taste the calamari. So I popped one of the small channa sized rings into my mouth and chewed with guilt overflowing. It was cooked just right, but was slightly over seasoned with salt. My only real complaint would be the size of the rings. Real calamari is almost as large as an onion ring and there is something sinfully delicious about a mouth full of fried squid!
The best part of the meal was the Spinach croquettes. Absolutely scrumptious!
Overall, it was a great evening spent with my bro, talking about life, love, business, and friendship … Life is good!
Zara Tapas Bar
First Floor # 74, Cathedral Road
Chennai - 600086.
Tel: +91 (44) 2811-1462
Zara Tapas Bar
Anna International Airport (Departure)
Above The Food Court, Meenambakkam
Chennai - 600 027
Tel: +91 (44) 2256-0779
Some interesting tidbits on Tapas:
The word tapas is derived from the verb tapar, which means "to cover". Apparently, the original tapas were slices of bread or meat used to cover sherry glasses to keep away flies from the sweet alcohol in Andalusian taverns. This evolved when bartenders started creating thirst inducing snacks to serve with sherry to increase alcohol sales. Pretty cool, Medieval Business Management 101 !!
Monday, April 13, 2009
Biryani Tasting Party - Chennai Food Guide
Since my last post, I have been to countless joints in and around Chennai; just haven’t had the time to blog about all of them. I will get to them at some point in time.
One of the best experiences I have had so far in Chennai has been at the house of Sam Paul, a well-known business man and foody in Chennai. He and his wife, Babitha, are two of the warmest, most hospitable people I have met.
We bumped into Sam at 2:00AM at the Taj Mount Road on Easter Sunday. Bananna introduced me to them, and about 5 minutes into the conversation, I fell in love with them. At the end of the chit-chat, Sam invited us to a Chennai Food Guide Members get-together at his house where Babitha was organizing a ‘Biryani Tasting’ party! I was super excited, especially when Sam mentioned his two Great Danes!
So, after church on Sunday, Bananna, Bambi, B-boy and I got together and off we went to Sam and Babitha’s house.
Babitha greeted us at the door, we said hi to Sam, and we strategically moved towards the food!! I was surprised at the number of people and at the fact that most of them seemed to be our age group (I am so proud of my generation!).
The spread was torturously mouth watering and I was dying at the sight of the scrumptious crab !! Most people who know me would be stunned at this revelation; I turned vegetarian about a month and a half ago. Seriously, I can’t imagine how vegetarians enjoy Biryani!
Luckily for me, B-boy is a hardcore vege and his plight is always amusing, which takes my mind off my drastic decision!! :D
As I edged towards the vege counter, Sam caught sight of us; the next few minutes were wonderfully comical!! While I looked on in horror tinged with longing, Sam piled my plate with all the deliciously meaty Biryanis and crab that could fit on it. He also gave me a look that said, “you better eat everything on this plate”. He handed the plate back to me and trotted off to socialise.
I must admit, I was such a good girl; I separated all the meat from the rice and slipped the meat onto Bambi’s plate! The crab had to crawl into Bananna’s!
Even without the meat, the food was gorgeous!! I didn’t get a chance to taste the vege items, must ask B-boy more details. Babitha’s arrangements were wonderful; perhaps the secret ingredient was the warmth that was extended by all the people we met. It was so easy to walk up to people, introduce myself, chitchat, and set coffee-dates!
Seriously, foodies rock! We know how to live life!! Infact, every foodie I have met in my life are so open, warm and happy! Love it!
My day was made when Sam brought out his Giant Great Danes, Scooby and Scrappy. Even though my shirt got totally slobbered, I was hanging all over Scooby!! Next time, have to take them for a walk and burn off all that gorgeous food! :D
One of the best experiences I have had so far in Chennai has been at the house of Sam Paul, a well-known business man and foody in Chennai. He and his wife, Babitha, are two of the warmest, most hospitable people I have met.
We bumped into Sam at 2:00AM at the Taj Mount Road on Easter Sunday. Bananna introduced me to them, and about 5 minutes into the conversation, I fell in love with them. At the end of the chit-chat, Sam invited us to a Chennai Food Guide Members get-together at his house where Babitha was organizing a ‘Biryani Tasting’ party! I was super excited, especially when Sam mentioned his two Great Danes!
So, after church on Sunday, Bananna, Bambi, B-boy and I got together and off we went to Sam and Babitha’s house.
Babitha greeted us at the door, we said hi to Sam, and we strategically moved towards the food!! I was surprised at the number of people and at the fact that most of them seemed to be our age group (I am so proud of my generation!).
The spread was torturously mouth watering and I was dying at the sight of the scrumptious crab !! Most people who know me would be stunned at this revelation; I turned vegetarian about a month and a half ago. Seriously, I can’t imagine how vegetarians enjoy Biryani!
Luckily for me, B-boy is a hardcore vege and his plight is always amusing, which takes my mind off my drastic decision!! :D
As I edged towards the vege counter, Sam caught sight of us; the next few minutes were wonderfully comical!! While I looked on in horror tinged with longing, Sam piled my plate with all the deliciously meaty Biryanis and crab that could fit on it. He also gave me a look that said, “you better eat everything on this plate”. He handed the plate back to me and trotted off to socialise.
I must admit, I was such a good girl; I separated all the meat from the rice and slipped the meat onto Bambi’s plate! The crab had to crawl into Bananna’s!
Even without the meat, the food was gorgeous!! I didn’t get a chance to taste the vege items, must ask B-boy more details. Babitha’s arrangements were wonderful; perhaps the secret ingredient was the warmth that was extended by all the people we met. It was so easy to walk up to people, introduce myself, chitchat, and set coffee-dates!
Seriously, foodies rock! We know how to live life!! Infact, every foodie I have met in my life are so open, warm and happy! Love it!
My day was made when Sam brought out his Giant Great Danes, Scooby and Scrappy. Even though my shirt got totally slobbered, I was hanging all over Scooby!! Next time, have to take them for a walk and burn off all that gorgeous food! :D
Monday, November 3, 2008
Kyong Bokgong
I had the most amazing culinarily delightful weekend!! It all started with my desperation for Sushi. I started researching online for Japanese restaurants and found two – Dahlia and Akasaka. Akasaka was way out there in Thiruvanmaiyur (God knows how to spell the stupid place) and Dahlia was completely booked up!I was peeved with life but continued my search until I noticed another name popping up with the Japanese names. I decided that I couldn’t wait any longer for my sushi and badgered Bananna and Bambi to accompany me to this strange sounding place that wasn’t Japanese at all!!
Kyong Bokgong Restaurant – Korean Specialty
No 10, Chamiers Road, Near Nandanam Arch, Nandanam, Chennai (044 42113345)
The whole place was made up like the typical Japanese/Korean eateries with individually enclosed spaces for the privacy of every diner’s party. It looked a tiny bit dinky but we marched in with great purpose! The best part of the décor were the cutest teeny weeny waiters from the North East of India and Nepal, ‘kawaiiiiiiiii’ !! :D
I glanced through the menu in my Friday night euphoria, and my heart sank. There was nothing on the menu for less than 400 bucks! I started feeling just a tad bit guilty that I had browbeaten Bananna and Bambi to indulge my eccentric taste for the orient!
Then our delightfully cute little waiter came to help us choose our entrée’s and main course. The poor little wood nymph (our waiter) had to stop me from going crazy and ordering the whole damn menu! Finally we settled on an Octopus and noddle thingamajiggy, a sweet pork dry thingy with salad wraps, Prawn sweet and sour dishamajig and Pork dumplings (Wohoooooo!!). We settled in for our usual 15 minute food-wait.
Exactly a minute after our order, our wood nymph waiter wheeled in a trolley full of small bowls with several alien concoctions. As he laid all the colourful items on our table, he noticed our blank expressions and decided to magnanimously let us know that these were the side dishes. Side Dishes? What the hell are side dishes?
The side dish spread looked more amazing than any meal I had had in the last 1 year! We had sautéed mushrooms, tiny fried prawns with a hint of sweetness, cabbage kimchi, horse raddish kimchi, some sort of white germ jelly with a sprinkle of flavoured seaweed, boiled eggs cut in halves in a delicious sweet sauce, something that looked like a sliced sea cucumber elegantly sautéed, a mashed potato and vegetable thingy that looked like an omelet but tasted a bit like a pancaked hash brown; all served with a variety of sauces! And the best part, UNLIMITED!!
I was in heaven!
We filled ourselves up just with the side dishes and groaned when we saw the main course servings. Every item had a unique flavour and adding that to the exotic visual aid was definitely a wohoooooooooo moment! To finish off, we had a dainty serving of fresh fruit and cold coffee (all on the house!) We were all stuffed like turkeys on Christmas Day; and the bill, just 600 bucks per person.
I never did have my Sushi, but I couldn’t have been more satisfied!
Kyong Bokgong Restaurant – Korean Specialty
No 10, Chamiers Road, Near Nandanam Arch, Nandanam, Chennai (044 42113345)
The whole place was made up like the typical Japanese/Korean eateries with individually enclosed spaces for the privacy of every diner’s party. It looked a tiny bit dinky but we marched in with great purpose! The best part of the décor were the cutest teeny weeny waiters from the North East of India and Nepal, ‘kawaiiiiiiiii’ !! :D
I glanced through the menu in my Friday night euphoria, and my heart sank. There was nothing on the menu for less than 400 bucks! I started feeling just a tad bit guilty that I had browbeaten Bananna and Bambi to indulge my eccentric taste for the orient!
Then our delightfully cute little waiter came to help us choose our entrée’s and main course. The poor little wood nymph (our waiter) had to stop me from going crazy and ordering the whole damn menu! Finally we settled on an Octopus and noddle thingamajiggy, a sweet pork dry thingy with salad wraps, Prawn sweet and sour dishamajig and Pork dumplings (Wohoooooo!!). We settled in for our usual 15 minute food-wait.
Exactly a minute after our order, our wood nymph waiter wheeled in a trolley full of small bowls with several alien concoctions. As he laid all the colourful items on our table, he noticed our blank expressions and decided to magnanimously let us know that these were the side dishes. Side Dishes? What the hell are side dishes?
The side dish spread looked more amazing than any meal I had had in the last 1 year! We had sautéed mushrooms, tiny fried prawns with a hint of sweetness, cabbage kimchi, horse raddish kimchi, some sort of white germ jelly with a sprinkle of flavoured seaweed, boiled eggs cut in halves in a delicious sweet sauce, something that looked like a sliced sea cucumber elegantly sautéed, a mashed potato and vegetable thingy that looked like an omelet but tasted a bit like a pancaked hash brown; all served with a variety of sauces! And the best part, UNLIMITED!!
I was in heaven!
We filled ourselves up just with the side dishes and groaned when we saw the main course servings. Every item had a unique flavour and adding that to the exotic visual aid was definitely a wohoooooooooo moment! To finish off, we had a dainty serving of fresh fruit and cold coffee (all on the house!) We were all stuffed like turkeys on Christmas Day; and the bill, just 600 bucks per person.
I never did have my Sushi, but I couldn’t have been more satisfied!
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