Gourmet desires...

2009-03-24T01:47:00.001-07:00

High Tea

2008-05-27T23:13:00.000-07:00

I buzzed Saideepa last evening and she suggested some good ol hot chocolate from La Boulangerie for the sore throat that she had ( and conviniently passed on to me) So went home took a shower landed at La Boulangerie half hour after i promies to be there and Voila! its shut. And then i see the missed calls and messags on my phone from her asking not to come over. darn! still we stood outside for a LONG time debating what to do. the idea is that we dont want to eat, we wanted something hot and soothing for our throats. the only "coffee" place in anna nagar is that sad ass Cafe Coffee Day, which by the way i hate and belive should be banned across India. or atleast the one in anna nagar, sucky service and BAD coffee. like the last time i went there , it was those rare moments when i decided to be a veggie. and of course true to their fame they serve me a nice chicken sandwhich. idiot!

We buzzed Hari and asked him, " Hey what is the nearest only other option?" and then, we discovered TEA!!!

Now Cup and Saucer is at Blue Star Anna Nagar, a 5 min walk away from my home. near and a Branch of Nuts and Spices, the whole place smells like a herbal concoction when you enter it. The place offers a wide ( i mean like real WIDE ) selection of tea. Be it geographic ( Assam , Darjeeling the works ) or Herbal ( For sore throat, for cardio , for relaxation) or plain nice ol english tea ( Strawberry, Blueberry) yes, this has it all.

Now for our throats Sai went for the Typical ginger lemon tea with Honey by the side. I went for the Thyme Tea ( Its herbal and good for the throat) and o'course each tea comes with some krackjack mint biscuits. I was also very hungry ( thats nothing new) so i went ahead for some Spicy Chutney and Cheese sandwich and Sai did the same minus the Cheese.

The sandwichs were dirt cheap ( 30 bucks) and mind blowingly awesome! wow! and talk about spicy! very nicely grilled. Now the tea was another story. Sai ended up pouring lime into it, and did like her tea quite well, but seriously (and no offense sai) it looked like muck water to me. and no i dint take a sip, thoh hari who joined us by then also seemed to like it. she fell for my thyme tea ( a good 4 sugar cubes later) and i did like it too. esp cos it was so hot!

The decor of the place..well its a small place and perhaps like Sai said if they could have kept the grill and the stove a little away from where we have to sit, we dont have to be swamped in the smells of cooking. and yeah they do have cup and saucer sets for sale too. and yes a game of tic tac toe where the lines we draw are replaced by a built bamboo stick set and some large wodden chess pawns instead of our x's and o's. oh and we got the best seat in the house, only two low tables with four low chairs for each of them. and oodles of femina to read from!

now tea is done, what do we do. i was quite happy having some nice tea, but i think my all time favorite would still be the milk tea we get in Kerala. Lol guess mallus never change eh? and Hari yes, went for a typical south indian filter coffee and the sandwich we recommended. guess a year away from India will make you miss Narasu's coffee.

The end of the I ( who hates Subway just cos they reduce the quantity of meat in the subs) wanted a desparate go to that place, but however, we all carted our way to my all time fav and often visited restaurant , Mainland China :D

Our menu was Peppery Lemon Chicken Soup ( Man was it good for the throat!!) Vegetable Dimsums ( I love the accompaniment!) Cranberry Vodka ( :D ) Cantonese Chicken Rice Noodles ( Oh la la!) and my latest passion , Roast Lamb in Devil's sauce ( Slurp!) and yes Oodles and Oodles of Chinese tea.

What an evening! What - ay Night!

P.s Fellow Diner spotted - Khushboo ;)

Emote-Eater

2008-05-23T00:47:00.000-07:00

My friend Poornima had written this article about emotional eating for NXG on the Hindu. She found this when we were on the phone together and boy did i get quite a earful of her happiness when she saw the article ( read as a high pitched scream ) . while being extremely happy for her i did wonder whether to an extent if i am also an emotional eater?

i am an eater agreed. but then when it comes to food, there have been times when even though im quite unable to eat much i find myself stuffing things down my throat. sometimes i do wonder if i am just trying to maintain my image for being someone with a lot of capacity to eat. but that is not the truth. in reality its just that food drives me crazy. there are lot of things i associate with what i want to eat.

for example if i see a lot of wood around me, i would want a chicken steak. if i see plastic, then its masala dosa for me :D. a white cloth will start a yearning for a buffet, a red stained cloth would indicate greasy naan and paneer. so then what do i call myself? a environment eater? bah!

somethings that i can quote as all time favorites are - chicken tikka ( full tandoor :D yumm!) steaks, gulab jamoons, a chicken bucket ! lol. but i think im an emotinal movie watcher. considering the fact that movies are my bread, i only watch films when i feel like it. like when i eat the two favs for me to watch are jurassic park and the simpsons movie. when im eating ice cream its hot chick. legally blonde calls for pasta and lasagne. war/action/drama calls for starving until i get my hands on a copy of simpsons or seinfeld. weird eh?

also i LOOVE to read when i eat. mostly its Tinkle. but pure torture is when you read a copy of famous five or for that matter any enid blytons and dont even find some bread to munch on. her descriptions of teh english tea and breakfast makes me want a ham and egg scrambled with toast and strawberry tea ( i got that receipe from secret seven). i do so hate her just for that !!!

so until the next beleaugered post., im off to dig into some hot rice and chicken curry for lunch while you sit and fantasize that taste in your mouths :P

Lurv

My tummy says Oui!

2008-04-25T09:02:00.000-07:00

Bonjour mademoiselle! Comment ca va?

Oooooh anything French is exciting. Be it fashion, the language or most importantly the food. That’s why I still am thanking my lucky stars for accidentally discovering “La Boulangerie” near the Mogappair signal. With no crowd and full of pastries, this is truly heaven.

So Saideepa and I went on a trek walking all the way from the signal hoping to heavens that we don’t miss it for anything. And how can you? With its bold black and white exterior / interior finish with purple lights inside and the whole garden ( which is a cactus fenced wooden planked table and chair fest) lit by lights from the ground when its evening and yes of course the barren Christmas lit tree outside, you cannot miss it for the world.

Inside the look is clean and streamlined. The bread collection is very satisfying to the eye and the appetite. Most of the food there is of a miniscule quantity so I kind of eyed them disappointedly. Anyway not to get bummed out, we went ahead and ordered.

So at our table now there was a chocolate mousse ( in a cup smaller than a tea cup!) a guava and lemon mousse ( same size) a cold chocolate milkshake and a hot hot so very hot ( what was I thinking ordering that in this weather?) hot chocolate ( in a tea cup) the time is 4. 30 pm

Its 7 p.m and we both are still looking at a half cup guava and lemon mousse, an empty chocolate mousse finished seconds before, a half glass chocolate milkshake and a ¾ full hot chocolate. Why? Because unlike my underestimated view earlier, the food even though so very small in quantity was so rich in its ingredients that we simply couldn’t finish what was there on the table.

The hot chocolate was so thick and so hot that one teensy weensy sip cemented my mouth in excess chocolate pleasure rendering me incapable to speak for the next 15minutes or so. I enjoyed the pleasure of sitting at the garden and relishing this under the hot sun (weirdly it was a good feeling – hot outside hot inside!) while Sai tried to darken her pale cow milk tasting milk shake. Problem solved – I pour some of my hot chocolate into it, she discovers that the sugar has been lurking in lumps at the bottom and voila its all done in a slurp!

Now the piece de resistance will definitely be the guava and lemon mousse. Now this is a guava mousse on top, a layer of bread crumbs and a lemon mousse below, the whole thing topped with almonds and a slice of guava. Ever since I saw “Million Dollar Baby” I’ve always wanted to eat a lemon pie. Figuring this is as close as I can get now I scoop lemon mousse part alone into my mouth. About half an hour later ( I’m NOT EXAGGERATING!!!) when I recovered from the stinging shock and surreal sensation that I experienced and also being the very generous person that I am, scooped another bit into an unsuspecting mouth of my dearest friend :P

Poor girl!! Anyhow we did get a kick from it pretty soon. Its good to realize that now people who want to get a high can merely scoop some of this into their mouth and its good bye earth, hello la-la-land! In an instant.

But I guess sometimes you simply have too much of everything. When I got too addicted to the lemon mousse I had to wash it down right? It took two chocolate truffle pastries ( very tiny but amazingly chocolaty) , three more chocolate mousses half a mango shake and a bottle of water to calm me down. But then I did wonder why I kept smiling the whole way through dinner at my aunt’s place…

Took home from the very pretty and very nice French hostess ( I forgot to ask her name! ) a loaf of garlic ( yumm ) bread and two slices of banana cake, which according to my usual foodie partner Keshav was like a tea cake when you bite it but leaves an after taste of banana ( unfortunately for me he HAD to eat both the slices to understand its true flavor )

La Boulangerie, I’ve been eyeing you for weeks, now I did what I came to do. Only complaint, change your seating arrangement inside (three box like chairs – I want to lean back when I enjoy chocolate) and also my dear French hostess please pass some of your charm to the other attendees there.

Also available – chocolate éclair, bagels, croissants, lattes, cappuccinos, milkshakes, chocolate and almond rolls… you name it ( in a French accent) they have it!. Oh and watch out for the numerous lizards near the cacti –they are very friendly and might just stop by for a sip of coffee.

Anju's Pick: When you visit Cochin !!!

2008-04-03T00:18:00.000-07:00

Cochin is a dear dear place to my heart. Why? cos a. I loove when it rains n the sea was so close to my home. b. its got the finest quaintest little Fort Kochi which is like being lost in a place which looks like a Colonial Land always stuck in Christmas and of course c. the FINEST foods on this planet! the best times are always when I am in a,b and c at the same time..stuck in a quaint coffee ( or tea in my case ) shop in Fort kochi with the skies thundering away.

Now this seems very very unfair! the second i leave cochin, bang comes up this sexy amazing place called SandDunes at T.D Road which is like a version of Mocha @ cochin. But the place seriously looks more like a lounge bar to me!

Anyways, now my friends in cochin keeep calling me up almost everyday to say what an amazing place this turned out to be. they also serve hookas which kind of makes this a home away from home for all the gulf returnees :P that populate Cochin. Sigh !

So now i am very tempted to board the next flight to Cochin for a first hand look but till then you can all enjoy and get jealous over these pics!

എന്റെ കഷ്ട കാലം !!!!

\

Many thanks to the gorgeous Neethu Mary , Venkit , Akshay for the pics and Lainu for his enthusiastic first call to get me all jealous :)

Chinese overkill!

2008-03-27T04:37:00.002-07:00

Keeping true to my promise , I once again dragged Keshav and headed toward the place i've been eying for this long, Noodle House. The ride to noodle house was however quite irritating, provided the fact that the couple next to me couldnt keep their hands off each other! ( pls people get a room!) throwing a nasty glance at them, i jumped off next to mainland china ( ) and crossed the road, heading toward noodle house.

now the decor was pretty much expected but then instead of how the local so called chinese restaurants seem to go ga ga with the color red, noodle house surprisingly goes for the black and white combination which more remineded me of a japanese art !

anywhoo we sat down and even before we adjusted to our seats , the menu was thrown in our faces. hosts must remember that it is not Saravana Bhavan where we just walk in only for the food but rather we look for the experience of fine dining. so pls wait a bit until we settle down before forcing us to order!

i was happy to see chicken momos on the menu and went straight for it without second thought. and then once the host stopped hoevring about us, i decided to get a little adventurous with my palate.

crab isnt my cup of tea just for the fact that ( as Keshav puts it ) you spend half the time cracking the shell and all you get is some fibre! lol but still i went for the Pepper Crab, Bamee Aphd Thai chicken Noodles and Manchow Chicken Curry.

The momos arrived soon enough and we could split four a piece. while i proceeded to eat with care and relish the chewy flavor it gave, my brother merely popped all four in one after the other and started growling for the main course. Dad called, keshav went out to speak while i merely caught up on the news headlines to pas time.

The food did arrive and as soon as i took the first bite...well i was dissapointed. the noodles had a peanutty flavour and though i asked for chicken, there was more of egg in it. the noodles and the Manchow chicken alternated between each other for which was blander than the other.

now for that Pepper crab. The exterior was lathered with pepper and spices and the fibre insde was...well tasteless. so we got dirty and pooled in our fingers and toes ( an exaggeration for readers pleasure :P ) and managed to season the crab meat with the pepper. the only effect i got was a very very leaky nose and unable to drink water as the pepper was smeared all over ( and in my brothers case upto his elbows! ) and the noodles was just toooo sweeet. the one good thing though was that the crab pieces were small and those that landed on my plate, were soft enough to be torn by hand. however as an irony, Keshav got the most hardest of pieces and being the clumsy person he is, it was a miracle i dint have to duck or see any pieces flying across the room :) poor boy!

and then the heat off the pepper became unbearable forcing us to order me - a glass of pepsi and keshav - ice lemon tea. the second it arrived my brother correctly guessed that it would suck. and it did. the look of the tea was UNBEARABLE. it looked like floating ice in the bottom and some tea decoction on top! yik! just imagine an upside down version of this!

And so being too disappointed, we paid the check, parceled the unfinished crab and noodles and took the next share auto home intending to finish some of that left over Vodka or Rum and home. but as usual i dozed off only to wake up mornign n rush to office.

but i always believe good things come out of ever situation. the only good that shall come out of this is that my obnoxious watchman will probably wonder tonight when it began raining crabs

P.s : sorry folks no pics of the food. ill get my cam the next time n head outside ! cheers!

China ho!

2008-03-27T04:37:00.001-07:00

For most of the metro crowd across India , Mainland China is a pretty familiar name. and the point being that I dined there two weeks back with my brother - i thought what best to start reviewing with.

Keshav ( my brother ) and I were justr top notch bored at home when he suddenly announced his craving for pizza. it was already 9.30 pm and most restaurants (esp pizza hut) would be shut. anyway hoping to the gods, we got ready and stepped out. now pizza hut is an average joe restaurant where as yours truly was dressed to kill. and so did not want to step into "some" place with my new outfit

Anyhoo after a lot of convincing, my brother dishearteningly made his way with me to Eatalica . and much to his dismay, the place was overcrowded! after popping in anyway to say hi to a colleauge of mine, we headed out and decided to stalk sterling road in hopes that some shop would be open! seriously!

and thats how we landed up at mainland china @ aruna inn. we were a little apprehensive as it was a friday and peopel generally take a reservation before coming here due to the crowds. but luck favored us gain, cos even though the crowds were swelling, we were seated immediately. the one thing that i love about mainland china is the service we get. excellent hosts and a papmpered atmosphere is why i love going over and over again to this place even though continuous visits can detonate your pocket. but its totally worth it.

And so once we were seated , menu in hand, i made a rare decision of ordering for the both of us. we asked for Cantonese Rice Noodles ( i love it!) along with Braised Chicken With Black Mushrooms and Sliced Lamb With Greens In Oyster Sauce.

and yes people the food was every bit delicious as it sounds. the lamb was a little rough, but the chicken blended in smoothly with the rice noodles. i was also tempted to order some pina colada ( its not exactly a great combo..still!!) but then we decided to skip desert and head outside. the food was excellent and the service first class.

we stepped out of mainland china and now were in despearte need of desert. where else woul we head to at 11 in the night but to Sweet Chariot. after trying an unsuccessful jump over the fence at Gee Gee Emerald ( where i spotted Pizza hut :P and the place ive been meaning to try out - Noodle house) and an encounter with a bizzare looking lizard (why me?) which made me run back all around the building, we reached sweet chariot and felt weirdly out of place with a couple whispering sweet nothings to each other.
And there i just went for a chocolate ice cream ( no stings attached :P ) while keshav had an AMAZING jughead shake ( next time thats mine! )

a tired auto ride later, we both are at home, happy and sedated.

and today i am so heading over to noodle house, with fingers crossed hoping to taste some fish ball soup which is my all time continental favorite! cheers!

Another blog

2008-03-27T04:37:00.000-07:00

Hey!

For people who know me very well, food is like my middle name. so it was only natural that after this much experience in blogging i should go ahead and start one on food. ive been to a lot of lovely places across india and one month of insane food mania at malaysia. plus i have a lot of friends with whom i common bond over food. and yes i am a big experimenter at home also :) perhaps this passion passed on from my achan and amma who are awesome cooks by themselves. and yes a dear aunt of mine whose food is unparalled :D so happy blogging to me and happy food spot discovery to all of you :)

p.s thanks to all my friends and fellow bloggers for all the support. this blog is dedicated to satisfying your palate senses !