AARAMABAM SWEET HOUSE

 AARAMBAM SWEET HOUSE

Jawaharlal Nehru Road, Ambal Nagar, Ekkatuthangal, Chennai, Tamilnadu

 

When our Co-admin and good friend Guddu Paaji informed me about a common friend of ours starting a chain of sweet shops "I was sweetly surprised". We both met him at his office to understand the dynamics of the business. I was always curious of how this industry survives and more importantly how they handle wastage/expiry etc.  After almost 3 long hours discussion about various relevant topics the drooling and temptation peaked to visit the outlet at once. On my way back homes stopped by at the shop. A catchy logo and a bright lit interior with white and blue decor was nice and inviting. The counters were clean and the bright lighting making everything catch the eye.

As soon as you enter, to your right you find a warmer in which you find samosa, kachori and cutlet kept warm. Since it was evening snack time my eyes feel on Kachori which is unusual for a  South-indian sweet shop. The outer shell was crisp, the dal masala inside tasted decent and was served with a mint and sweet chutney in zip lock pouches (impressive). An addition of a mini freezer would help the mint chutney stand the test of time.was my suggestion

 

Next-up was to check out were the counters glittering with gold, yellow, white and brown delectables. The setup looks spic-n-span. They trays, the glasswalls, the flooring was clean 

 

Sweets: Chandra kala, Surya kala, Kaala jamoon, Dry jamoon, Kaju katli, Milk burfi, laddoo, Motichur laddoo, Jangri big, Jangri small, Badam halwa, and more

Picked up one each of the varieties to try and then go back for more if I like them. Unboxed them at home patiently and tried each one of them to register them for quality, taste and authenticity

They quality was good with no oil smell and only of ghee

Taste was fresh and yummy and was tad dry to bite - kaju katli and jangri the sugar had crystallized

Authenticity: Many hits and a few misses is all I can say and definitely room for improvement to unlearn a taste and relearn e.g., chandra/surya kala - my standard in chennai is definitely agarwal bhavan

Then savory section was the next to explore 

Ompodi, Corn mixture, hot mixture, madras mixture, navratan mixture, and kara boondi.

Perfect accompaniments with all types of sadams  sambar, rasam and thayir and also for evening snack. happily finished them all in successive days.

 

 

Then there was this bakery section which a variety of cookies and cookies only. Told them to pack 2 each of 5 variants. They were mostly millet based, so crispy and melt in the mouth tasty.The sweet in the cookies was just right and yummy in the tummy. Will definitely try them again

 

Have to make a mention about a few improvisations that they have made to their outlets - POS billing with integrated weighing machine so you only pay for what you buy exactly not more not less.  When you want to give your customers good quality at a reasonable price such attempts are welcome.

Verdict: Good quality at an affordable price. I was told only 4-5 day shelf life incl. refrigeration but they survived more than a week without issues. Savories were yumm. The quality good, price affordable and I know they are sweets but less sweeter and softer juicier please

Book your order for this diwali and have a blast from the start... "kondattam arambam aagattum"

aarambam/beginning to great things to come...

LORD of the DRINKS - NUNGAMBAKKAM

 

LORD OF THE DRINKS

103, 1st Floor, Nungambakkam High Road, Nungambakkam, Chennai

Play the video above to set the mood and read further if you please. Though the name suggests LOTR you get the feel of GOT all through

Such a catchy phrase for a bar.. it kinda keeps chiming in your head for a while (binge watching of fantasy series and movies could be the reason)

Covid effect is that you are oblivious to many things happening around you/city. The feeling was like I have missed so much in the last one year and its time to catch up. LOTD is one such thing I was ignorant about until my friends took me there as a part of the pub hopping ritual that day (one of the very few times, we have done that)

Ambience: As you reach the venue, it makes you wonder "how did they manage to have transparent glass panels for a bar that too on the ground floor?". Your eyes are tricked by the name board which is sandwiched between two floors and fail to recognize that's Vasantha Bhavan Signature on the ground floor and LOTD on the first. After the transience/illusion (blame it on the beer at Bikes and Barrels previously) you drive down through the narrow passage to the entrance at the corner (valet parking available). A flight of iron stairs with flame torch replicas and chain railings lead you to the Armored Medieval knight (photo time) and then to the door. You get a feel of  having arrived at the Kings landing

The setup has plush leather sofas, metal grills, wooden barrels for seating, lighting, Sigils of various houses (sadly most of them are behind iron meshes depriving us of photo op). But it does set the mood for the evening of relaxed royal drinking

Options are to either sit indoors or outdoor and we picked outdoor seating. A long corridor that has very relaxed casual seating options and also leads you to a private space on your left. The glass ceiling on top had a lot of light fixtures and misty water sprinkler. Was thoroughly impressed by the thoughtfulness of the management. This is definitely a refreshing option to cool down during Chennai summers

 

F&B: A detailed view of the eclectic food and the bar menu made me understand the prices were reasonable and good choices to try. We tried the recommended Guntur chicken 360/- with pint of Sterren. Hopper beer was available on the tap for 550/- a pint. Chicken was spicy and tasty with the crispy pita sticks n dip  

It was a short visit and hence a short review. But, what intrigued us more was the private party area. As admins of a few F&B groups, we  got the attention of the floor manager to discuss the details. The private space is available for pax of 25 and above for 3 hours each slot. Package price ranges from 1500/- to 3000/- based on the liquor (IMFL or imported) and type and number of snacks. Details available on request at the venue or online. We have a plan to organize a meetup soon.

Verdict: Loved the setup and the F&B. If you are a crazy big fan of "Game of Thrones" you would definitely want to visit and perch yourself on the IRON THRONE no matter what. I wish they had added the one-eyed raven somewhere on top:) caw caw

At the Lord of the Drinks... a lot of drinks await you

 

ERODU AMMAN MESS - annanagar branch

  ERODU AMMAN MESS

At the basement of the same building where Cycle gap Annanagar is. This has replaced  Junior Kuppanna who shut shop during covid.

Post-covid while visiting Cycle gap, we used to reminisce the popular seeraga samba biryani and pallipalayam chicken from JK. Of late, it was wearing a deadpan look as you enter to take the lift to the 3rd floor to get a high

To our surprise and joy, it has been rightly replaced by another brand franchise which is already doing brisk business in Adyar with rave reviews. This is their second outlet in chennai

I didn't know it was open until a kind-hearted Millet-Maharaja of Adyar (restaurant owner) invited me to join him for lunch :)

Ambience: The revamped place looks sparkling with new white tile flooring and fresh white coated walls which artsy wall hangings. A huge back-lit center piece pen art of the old palatial mansion of chettinad depecting people at work and a woman pounding some spices in a large mortar adorns the wall.

Menu: My friend had already ordered a few items and finished his soup and was ready for starters. That is when I joined...

 

 

 

Naatukozhi rasam: The soup was hot and yummy and true to its name. The flavors hit the right chords with my palate. The first impression was made and it was love at first sip.

Mutton sukka: Tender boneless pieces of mutton cooked to perfection with the right amount of spices and salt. I was literally craving for more. A must try

 

Mutton biryani and kola urundai: When my friend was contemplating on what biryani to order, I quickly asked for a mutton biryani as it is my benchmark for a good biryani joint. My choice was right and they nailed it, the portion size was good and it was a hot and flavorful. The mutton was melt-in-mouth tender with the right spice levels, color tone and oodles of ghee to accentuate the aroma. Was served two gravies of chicken and a tasty thick thayir pachadi/raitha. All 3 were good to try with the biryani

 

The chicken kola urundais immediately reminded me of another popular joint from Kovai in Annanagar. The roasted bengal gram with mashed chicken is a winning combination

 

Seer fish fry: A thin slice of vanjiram/seer fish tawa-crispy fried in coconut n groundnut oil combo was good. I have to admit the ones at the besant nagar fish shacks take the cake when it comes to the spices and outer coating 

 

Parotta: Flaky, crispy and soft parottas with madampatti chicken gravy was fantastic. This chicken dish is only available on special order or on Sundays. The royal preparation if of the "Maharaja of Madampatti" which has coconut milk, butter and tomatoes. A tangy-sweet-sour dish very unique and distinct from the usual gravies I have tried.

 

Rice with gravies and Rasam: Steamy hot white rice with 2 chicken gravies and 1 fish gravy was yumm. They use sea murrel (black) and with the small onions, right amount of tamarind and chilly power and oil it was lip smacking. Rasam was spicy, aromatic and tasty. Was served some vegetable kootu, beetroot poriyal and urulai pachai pattanai fry. All the dishes were to my satisfaction

Desserts: I was stuffed to my neck and I knew I had to have some dessert to reduce the heaviness. And came a new dessert combo of gulkand, honey and fresh curd. I was asked to mix it with rice and eat but I loved the combination by itself. This is a home invention of the owner's mom and is supposed to help in digestion of the meats ingested. Well, it worked :)

The elaneer payasam was true to its name. Mildy sweet kheer with bits of tender coconut and coconut juice seasoned with cardamom made the awesome meal experience worth remembering

 

Bill: I wasn't allowed to pay but we paid 425/- for 3 meals

Verdict: I am super excited with this welcome addition in Annanagar. Each dish was distinct in taste and absolutely delicious. Will  definitely visit a few more times for those addictive dishes. Before I left, I informed the management to retain this consistent taste and service always and they will be a super hit.

Erode Amman Mess... a taste that won't erode for years to come

MADURAI SIMMAKKAL KONAR MESS - EGMORE

SIMMAKKAL KONAR MESS

No. 29, Whannels Road, Ansari Estate, Egmore, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

The mood was set to try some quick non-veg dinner after having read a recent post by a fellow blogger about Konar Mess Egmore

Location: The restaurant is the ground floor of Park Plaza Hotel, Egmore diagonally opposite to Albert Theater on the left and TASMAC on the right (getting the drift? yes...) 

At around 8:00 pm, We had our quick car-o-bar session and got parking promptly in the front yard. Walked into a near empty restaurant with only a few customers. 

Ambience: The restaurant had a fresh vibrant look with posters of pencil art sketches of Madurai's Temples, popular spots and its details. Tables were clean and new (its only been a month since they started). There is another dining area with sofas and long tables (more suited for big numbers/families). The service staff outnumbered the customers inside.

 

We were seated promptly and menu cards were offered to both. Went through the items and prices and they looked slightly on the higher side. Nevertheless, went about ordering

 

The first item we ordered was idli and ayira meen kozhambu. Idlies were soft and the meen kozhambu was watery in its consistency. We fished out the ayirameens on to our leaves and mashed up up the idlies, toppled some soup onto it, gave it a nice mix and gulped. Was a good start

The kola urundais were tasty that tempted us to order a few more. All the gravies and dishes were served in Areca plates and main dish served in a banana leaf which is the need of the hour to keep it hygienic and no re-use guaranteed. This was a very good decision by the management in these critical covid times.

Next up, we tried the FAMOUS Mutton Kari dosai. Though it looked well roasted and brown on the top (pre-cooked meat topping), the insides of the dosa weren't cooked fully. The batter was still sticky, raw and the egg was goey. The dosa tasted slightly sour.  The moment the service guy saw our faces, he came back to find out if things were ok. We gave him the feedback and he tried to explain that it might be just the egg and I didn't want to argue. Both the naattu kozhi gravy and the regular chicken gravy didn't make any impact on my taste buds.

Next came the muttai botti. There was absolutely no bad smell and tasted fresh and well cleaned. Unfortunately, it tasted very normal and I felt that something was a miss. The spice levels were low too.

Here is where I gave up on the food. I couldn't get myself to click anymore pictures of the parotta or the veechu. Both were very chewy and not crispy/fluffy/soft. We decided to finish off with these and leave the place.

 

When asked for feedback I clearly explained what was a hit and a miss(es) and he understood. He mentioned that all ingredients arrive fresh from Madurai every single day by bus. That is definitely a great effort.

Verdict: I went there with a lot of expectations and was disappointed. Except for the ambience, the bio-degradable serving dishes and attentive service there was not much to write home about. I seriously feel that the MASTER CHEFS OF MADURAI  must have done the initial hand-holding during the launch and left the novices to fend for themselves. This very much shows in all the preparations food-wise

The very next day I had a chance discussion with a close friend of mine (Art Director) and he had the same opinion as mine. He had also given his sincere opinion about the taste to the staff

An experience that cost me dear. I remembered a quip by my Tamizh Aiyya who was totally against students preparing from Konar exam guide 

 Konarai nambinar ponare... 

Mango Tree

Jambulingam street, Tnagar, Chennai - 

 I wonder how.. i wonder why.. yesterday you told me 'bout the blue blue sky and all that I could see is just a yellow lemon mango tree :0)

Guilt-free indulgence in two of the 

Verdict: Chettinadu cuisine lost inside a confused cafe. With such delicious homely food I would have stuck to my roots be it with the naming or with the concept of authentic chettinadu cuisine passed on from a Mother-Daughter duo. I might sound too harsh but like the tamil saying goes hope it doesn't become "vizhalukku iraitha neer pola"...