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"...

BLACK BERRY - RESTO BAR, BHIMAS HOTEL VADAPALANI

 BLACKBERRY - RESTO BAR 

1, Amman Koil St, Vadapalani, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600026

My review of the restobar  blackberry

I have been here thrice already and this review is a collective experience of all three visits.

The place is opposite SIMS hospital near Vadapalani signal. If you are traveling from Koyambedu towards ashok pillar. This is on your left 100 mts before the Vadapalani signal 

Ample parking available for both cars and bikes makes you breathe easy as you don't have to stress out about the issues that come with it

There is a huge neon board on top of the building and one at the entrance. This is the same place where barbeque nation is also housed. You have to walk past the bouncer desk.

Next is a flight of stairs down to the cellar where the bar is. To the right of these stairs is the men's washroom - yes every time you have to relieve yourself  - your patience and drink handling capacity will be tested and helps to workup a nice appetite

This was formerly 6th Avenue.. and you will still see remnants of it on walls, graffiti and even on the door.

The first thing you notice on your right are a few tables/chairs and a periodic table of booze.  Two letter abbreviations of liquor brands are listed out to resemble Mendelev's periodic table

The moment you are in, you see the lengthy walk way. There are tables and chairs in the front and the far end of this space. On the right is the seating area with one side blue colored cushion sofas and on the other wooden chairs with cushions. A partition between these two zones has bar stool seating. There is also a six-seater private area in the fag end which is under renovation. Can be booked for groups either to have a private party or stay away from loud music

In the middle of the walk way is the DJ console belting out the flavor of the day. The most happening event is the Saturday afternoon DJ party. Entry is 700/- per stag and you redeem a drink worth 300/-

The bar setup is neat.. honey comb design to the front with wooden blocks and backlight with all good brands of liquor stacked at the back.

 

Very good options of international and domestic liquors are available. The bar tender has some skills to showcase and bring out some nice cock/mocktails. Some may feel the prices are a little upmarket but be the best judge yourself

Service: Gudduji was at the helm of affairs taking care of us the entire time. He made sure the food came on time and in the correct order; the tables were cleared time-to-time, and drinks were served orderly and timely

Food:Like every other bar in Chennai they do provide two cups of finger food - chips, boiled legumes, kara sev and the options keep changing every day.

Being a resto bar you have the comfort and privilege of ordering yours main course and  dessert too - all in one place.

Daily new items are being innovated in the kitchen aka Gudduji style - Mind you he has been a food critic, connoisseur, home chef, ex-hotelier himself. Trials are going on before they finalize and print the menu card

French fries - This was served with some Cilantro mayo which tasted yummy

Paneer 65 - square blocks of paneer marinated in spices and cooked in the tandoor with tomato and capsicum wedges served with some masaledar onion shreds and lemon slice

Hariyali kebab - Patties made of green peas served with green tawa tossed peas, garnished with a cashew made for a good snacking option for veggie folks

Chilli egg - I loved the Chinese preparation hot, sour and spicy

Tandoori chicken - no artificial flavors or color. This was juicy and cooked well to my liking.

Smoked Wings - They come in an iron box  nicely sealed with aluminum foil and coals inside are ignited to smoke up the saucy wings. They felt a bit dry to me but were quickly fixed by a juicy/saucy wings in the next order

Fish fry - Catch of the day was good but the size of the fish slice was small.. donno if that is the standard

Schezwan fried rice - Good portion of rice served with Manchurian sauce. Rice was with lots of tiny chunks of chicken making every spoon an experience by itself.

Must try - Ghee roast chicken: very juicy and tasty chicken (didn't like it with bones, would prefer boneless chunks any day).

From LtoR: Ravi, Kiran, Rohit, Gudduji, Sujeesh, NSK, Guru Ramesh

From LtoR: Murlidhar S, Kiran, Gudduji, Patrick and Sowmith

Pic courtesy: Muralidhar Shreedhaaran, Guru Ramesh, Rohith Ramanujam

Verdict: Blackberry is an established brand who has made a mark in Delhi, Mumbai and now in Chennai. If you are from this side of town, you now have a decent place to enjoy your drink with good food and music.
PS: don't mind the price

So let your hair down and do that balle balle with the gentle gaint "Gudduji the great"

PREM'S GRAMA BHOJANAM - SHANTHI COLONY BRANCH

PREM'S GRAMA BHOJANAM 

 AL Block, 112&113, 4th Avenue, Shanthi colony, Annanagar - 600040

A wish that finally came true was a branch closer to home. Millet-based vegetarian restaurant in an artfully decorated, new menu driven, air-conditioned ambiance is the latest offering from the house of PGB Adyar

Me and a friend visited for lunch and had a very satisfying experience. More than the food the warm hospitality which is seldom seen in this industry is amply fulfilled by by none other than NSKji himself. Not just with us (being friends) but with every other guest in the hotel. He is so sharp to note the needs, heed to their requests or suggestions and give them a wow experience is very rarely seen these days
We went for a regular thali and shared among us along with the starters

Welcome drink 

Panagam and spiced buttermilk shots (so creamy and tasty)

Soup - Palak and green chilly based soup served with ragi crisps. More like a clear soup to get you warmed up for things to come 

Starters

Ragi Pakora - The portion was huge. If you are going as a pair, this dish can almost fill you up

Sweet Potato Roast - Round slices of sweet potato blanched and tawa fried with  masalas and served with ginger chutney - the famous allam pachadi made sweeter for the local palates who cant handle too much spice

Chickpea sweet potato cutlets - heard shaped cutlets were crisp outside and soft inside (would have liked some tomato sauce or chutney to go with it) Kids would love this

Apollo Paneer (inspired by the Hyderabadi Apollo Fish) - This has become my instant love here. If I ever crave for my hyderbadi apollo fish which I ate from the famous blue fox restaurant in hyd almost every other day, i would visit PGB as the vegetarian variant is no different. The paneer was so soft and tender (doesnt leave a dry feeling in your throat which makes you go for that glass of water is why I normally avoid paneer at restaurants mostly) You have to eat a few of those chillies to know what i really mean like the true hyderabadi.This was not billed as it is soon to be introduced.

Veg Thali - Is served with a 75% ragi 25% aata roti with dhondakai/kovakai poriyal not deep fried just made a healthy way and a veg kurma. Millet Sambar and rasam sadams - what was improved this time around was that the rasam was lighter and sharp with the pepper corns hitting the right notes. Finally to end with a creamy, mashed, buttery curd rice. To top it all was thogaiyal and fresh amla pickle. The millet halwa was the perfect dessert to end that guilt-free indulgence.
Inspite of eating so much there is no sugar rush, no heaviness and so light on your pocket too
315/-  

FABELLE - PREMIUM CHOCOLATES FROM ITC

 Fabelle - Premium Chocolates

ITC grand Chola - Guindy, Chennai

Food blogging Charlies and the Verucas got their golden ticket to experience and taste the ITC's grand entry into the market of Chocolates. After successfully launching in Bengaluru and Kolkotta, the next destination to get lucky was Chennai. I was thrilled to bits but didn't get my hopes too high since it was Indian and most of my attempts have been disappointing to say the least. How they shattered it all and made me cry "wow" in joy unfolds

As you walk into this landmark structure you really feel the grandeur and panache and a be-fitting jewel to this crown Fabelle - first luxury boutique in India is on your left (Mind voice - good things start with sweet) . If you have watched "Charlie and the chocolate factory", "Chocolat" - the child like glee is what you wear and the sinful indulgence is what your mind craves. You are desperate to get your first aroma, the myriad textures and the perfect flavors to hit your tongue. We mostly would have tried the Lindts, Hersheys, Ghirardelli, Ferro-rocher, Guylian, Toblerone brought down from abroad and you will already know the difference from the Cadburys (India), chocolates of ooty or the compound "Morde, Godiva - home made chocolatiers" mostly. If you don't - they contain more of vegetable oils and other fats than chocolate/cocoa. Any chocolate which has 70% and above cocoa in it is premium.

The evening started with a tea/coffee snack session and quick introductions as people were still coming as they were delayed by some convoy blocking traffic around city

Vineeth Viswambharan - The Managing head of the specialty foods division gave a short and crisp presentation of their new addition to ever growing presence in the retail market. When you visualize this you feel the brilliance and the mastery of this 4000 year old art and its only fair that ITC has taken not less than 10 years to explore, understand, research, develop and deliver this to us
All those individuals involved be it the PR/chefs/marcomm seemed so passionate about the brand and its offerings. There was never a dull moment in all those 3 odd hours we spent there. This puts India up there alongside Swiss, Belgium and Germany from where I mostly had my chocolates
Trivia: Did you know that chocolates date back to as old as 1900 BC of  the aztecs and the Mayans?

We were split into two batches and were taken on a trip of Choclatopia. First group tried the lounge and the other were to try the dream collection and vice-versa

Chef Harpawan's : His passion (would love to call him Mr. Willy Wonka), his words are still ringing in my ears as he kept re-iterating that "the proof of the pudding is in the taste" and how true as it become meaningful when you have a first bite and connect with whats being said.Spot on!
His vast patisserie experience alongside ever smiling Chef Stefan's made it even more tasteful. Its a global team work

5 ELEMENTS pralines - 400/- and 10 for 750/-
26 ingredients sourced from 7 countries that go into making this masterpiece collection
EARTH: Granules of muddy chocolate pod seals a smooth dark mousse encrusted. The crumbling of the stones and muddy after chew is the key sensation.

AIR: Aerated mousse covered by a dark chocolate shell. Mousse is so creamy and light that it gives you the sense of air and is encapsulated by the dark chocolate shell. They didn't just go about trapping smoke just to make it to true to the element

WATER: A dark chocolate shell which seals acacia nectar (honey which doesn't freeze) and a tinge of french sea salt makes you salivate giving you feel of mouth filled with water. Brilliant conceptualization

WOOD: Chocolate, cinnamon and coffee in their mousse was a culmination of aroma, flavor and sensation. Even woody allen would agree!

FIRE: Sweet candied mango is what you taste first and then Ancho chilli kicks in. You feel the heat only when it reaches your throat.  A must have from their collection 

PS: pralines are to be popped in whole and enjoy and not in bites

GANACHE: 20 cubes for 675/-
This isn't the one commonly used as glaze, icing, sauce, or filling for pastries made from chocolate and cream. Fine Ghanian and Ivory Coast chocolate and fresh cream are conched for 12 hours (seriously!!!!) into rectangles and sprinkled with cocoa. A melt in the mouth experience (I just popped in one now as I write from the gift pack I got - couldn't resist the temptation)
Conching - Is the process of continuously for hours rubbing/polishing of the intricate components of cocoa - the crystals and the butter together to bring that sheen you see of the chocolate.When air is trapped and the heat gives it all the more flavor and texture

AS YOU LIKE IT (Chef's recco) OR personalized chocolate cups  at 100/- per piece  6 for 500/- and 12 for 1000/-
You can choose from Triple chocolate, Machiato, sweet n salt, minty dark and creme of caramel. If you do not fancy their offering or if you want to get creative with your choices or wish to have your favorite combos. Choose a cup, the fillings and toppings - you can choose from a variety of tid-bits (almond slivers, cocoa nibs, french sea salt crystals, arabica coffee etc) and fillings  (caramel, white chocolate, dark chocolate to name a few). The options to keep increasing and expanding soon. The best part is you can sit back and enjoy the making on live-tv (request for it) and ogle at the beauty being crafted to be devoured by the beast. You can take suggestions if you are indecisive or want to know what pairs best
PS: in between all your indulgences, its good to have a soda or bread as taste breaker/cleanse your taste buds palate

FABELLE SIGNATURES aka THEATRICAL DELIGHTS - 525 - 575/-
Chocolate flower: Mousse of single origin Saint Domingue 70% dark chocolate enriched with Turkish pistachio cream, balanced with raspberry confit, in a dramatic setting of a chocolate flower, set to unfold at your table.
When the Chef Deepti picks and places each of the fruit pieces with the tweezers so skilfully and patiently with perfect hand coordination is when you assure yourself that this art needs to be perfected and its not an easy task. Each of their creations requires immense concentration and hand eye coordination to position things right

E N T R E M E T S 450/-
Premium almond and coriander praline tartine: Balanced notes of 33% Ghana milk chocolate paired with Mandarin orange, brittle coriander almond praline is a welcome addition. The orange and coriander culminate well as you work it around your mouth one should personally indulge and cherish. The cocoa-almond tartine underneath forms a fine base.
Ghana milk chocolate mousse with caramel and banana créme: 33% milk chocolate, notes of toffee, vanilla and coconut, complementing layers of caramel and luscious banana créme on thin hazelnut crisps. you can instantly identify the flavors as banana and coconut can stand out in anything
Black forest revisited: Sour cherry confit accentuating the vibrant berry notes of 64% dark chocolate, balanced with elegant Madagascar vanilla bean créme is very good
Éclair Venezuela 375/-: Éclair of single origin 72% Venezuelan chocolate, augmented with rich caramel notes of dulcey cream and garnished with gold pepin  wasn't my type

BEVERAGES 375/-
Smores chocolate milk - An American classic, this is pure Ghana milk chocolate
with flame charred marshmallows and sinful choco-chip was for the ones with sweet tooth and who love mashmallows
Milk cocoa - Pistachio almond torrone nougat chunks, in a rich reassuring hot chocolate. Really thick hot chocolate with the melting gooey nougat is a must try (In spite of being a cold drink fan. I loved this)

The purchased packs are neatly packed. A hand-crafted box to match the hand crafted chocolates is an artful combination with an ice gel pack placed in a dark cover lined with styrofoam to protect the quality/temperature for a few hours. Chocolate flavor may change with temperature fluctuations and therefore this setup until it reaches the refrigerator of the end consumer. A lot of care and thought has gone into this as ITC owns up the complete life-cycle from production at a world class manufacturing unit at hoskote near bengaluru to the chocolate boutique (24 hours) - I was impressed

After 3 odd hours, you are in a tizzy with a chocolate high. Who needs alcohol after that on a Saturday night? Made a few suggestions about making it kid friendly with cartoon moulds, sugar free versions for diabetics and weight-watchers and of course the liqueur based creations for the after party sweet cravings. They already seem to be in tandem with our thoughts and will be releasing them in a paced manner. There is a lot more being planned in terms of enriching the experience of the customers like chocolate making classes, theatricals etc.

If you are a Chocolate aficionado, this is your must try place. Our very own Indian premium brand of Chocolates - Fabelle-ous !

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