Wine, Cheese, Parmesan wheel: Fromage, MRC Nagar, Chennai

All talks in the town until a couple of weeks back was about the famish Parmesan wheel! The idea of the parmesan wheel is to take the pasta out of the pan when it's half or almost cooked and to cook it in the spinning parmesan wheel for the rest. By doing so, it is believed by experts (I mean the restaurant's F&B) that the parmesan's flavor homogeneously mixes out throughout the plate. My only complaint was that the pasta turned out more al-dente than ever. 

Fromage a newbie in town did not fail to attract long standing queues and extensive waiting times since their launch almost a month ago. Gimmickry is a crowd puller, and they did do it right to excellently pull off a crowd. With that being said, the major shoutout goes to the wine and cheese concept. With all focus on the wine and bringing out the flavors of cheese on different forms, Fromage did a good job in throwing a new idea to the old city. Though I find the wine and dine to be too cozy and out of the box idea for a conservative crowd like Chennai's they did manage to prove the criticisms wrong. Having grown up in the city and in a tambrahm family, my parents would out rightly abhistoo me if I try to introduce them to the "Wine" and dine.

So my review is particularly about the food and food alone (not just because my parents are going to be reading this,) because it was an on the house invite for a food tasting (yeap, this blog is pretty much going to pay for a few more meals like that.)

The place is all set cozy and ambiance right with lively happy music, no one wants to drink in a sad place would they? They have a clear seating space for atleast 70 people (my estimation skill kind of wrapped down owing to the crowd and the people around.) The walls are well done and brightly lit up. Fully glazed spider glazing on one side balances the daylight fusion which deserves a pat, to the architect!

FOOD

I'm nowhere close to commenting on the authenticity of food when it comes to European cuisine, as much as I am not expert in Chinese, North Indian, Chettinad, Malgudi and the infinite others I don't know about. 

For soup, was a brilliant soup made of corn kernels crushed, cream of corn, some corn and cornflour for stock. They were almost void of any other flavoring yet tasted amazing. It is one of those times when the true flavor of the food and raw material comes out without too much of seasonings and taste additives doing the talking.

Corn kernel soup

Followed by soup was the bread. Since we're eating European they're served open(?) Okay I know a bruschetta, This one is an odd man out, the only one who got sadly sent out of the kitchen without any gimmicks. As simple and right, the cheese on top though too little for my liking did make a difference.

Bruschetta

The spinach and corn tart is a clear winner in my own terms. This is a simple cookie base filled with corn, spinach and loads of cheddar and baked to perfection. Don't forget the Parmesan on top.

Spinach and corn Tart

I said and I repeat, I judge a restaurant with their ability to serve a daily comfort food in a whole new level and this is the reason why I started writing this up. This Mac 'n' cheese like any other was well done(not like the al-dente that came out of the wheel). The layers of mac were very generously loaded with cheddar on top in addition to the parmesan in the cooking itself. I loved how the chef did not even bother to season or salt the dish sufficiently for us to process the flavor of cheese. Though we did dump all the required seasonings from table I am thankful to the chef for having put this on the menu and on our table!

Mac 'n' Cheese

A lamb dish that was exceptionally well plated for me to resist clicking a picture of.

The menu did comprise of a few more of the extensive variants like the eggplant parm which was a lasagne of the kind by looks but stuffed with eggplant and obviously cheese and lasagne sheets.

My comment on the parmesan wheel would be gone too ahead to desperately bring something out new because I felt the pasta came in undercooked (or aldente to sound more like I know european food) and would really take that extra minutes in the pan or the boil. 

Though they claim the parmesan to be vegetarian sans the calf rennet, I sense an air of confusion with waiters who serve. My advice would be to double check once the dishes are served on the table. 

Though an on the house invite, I would assume this place would cost somewhere close to 2k for two people without the wine. Rest is upto you to try out and let know!

Chao: Somerset, MRC Nagar, Chennai

This restaurant is located in MRC Nagar inside Somerset Hotels next block to CV. The ambiance and decor are to point that doesn't yell Chinese and give you the right amount of cozy feel. They've got a wine display and a lavish table room that's partitioned in the middle to accommodate a private meal for a 15 pax(approx). This place wouldn't be my choice for a romantic place though the ambience and mood is well set. Coming straight off to the food, between serving Chinese food in roadside shops and being home to restaurants like these, Chennai is fast moving towards cosmopolitisation (not sure if that's a word). Having practically ended my taste buds for Chinese and Asian food after most newly opened (and much anticipated) restaurants let down with Asian food it was always a sceptical move to eat from one, fine dine for any matter.
Chao did restored the faith for once. I prefer the food here over any other Asian fine-dine I happened to visit in the near past.

Food

The single most appealing factor was the food. The three course did as much justice it could to both the palate and cuisine. 

For soup they serve a range of Thai and clear soups. My personal favourite was the Thai clear soup. A simple start to be honest.

Starters had an abundance of salad and fried stuff. Sushi platter stood out among the lot and so did the green papaya salad which had ample spices and sour to go along. 

The vegetarian Sushi platter sided with wasabi. Goes well with soy sauce on the side

Fried corn and spinach. A typical corn kernels fritter with very sparse spice and mild seasoning. The thick soft crust turns into a crunchy core with the corn still in good shape without any traces of over-cooking.

A standout winner of the lot. The crunchy salad went amazingly good with the hot sauce 

Wasabi prawns seasoned with mayo that is bloody photogenic. I do not eat meat sadly so no comments on the taste.

Braised broccoli with mushrooms and tofu. The spicy touch of the gravy did absolute justice to the vegetable stock. Tofu was a bit off putting with the texture. A bit more tendery version would be better off.

Thai curry in the green! A must must try if you're going here for the first time. Damn those flavours that complement the spice and the touch of coconut cream was an explosion in the palate. 

I detest the flavour of custard yet I loved this one. I do not prefer the texture of custard based dish in my mouth so I would still prefer a smooth cake. To top this off was a coconut ice-cream which did not quite seem like coconut flavour. 

Water chestnuts soaking in the cream of coconut milk was a true winner. I was sceptical for the tinge of sourness it carried possibly because of the storage malfunction of the coconut milk.

To summarise, if you have the strong will to eat good Asian food and your wallet has the ability to shed for the same, this place is a must try.

Le Royal Meridien: Navrathna

Royal meridien makes an effort to join the crew celebrating food! How? Ofcourse with bloggers meets.
The ambiance is late '90s themed, with dull toned lightings, filmsy decor, calm dead dropped silent table room. The wooden finishes literally sing the all India radio promo song to prove, in a positive way.
We were six in number mostly veggies so it's a vegetarians take on vintage fine dine multi-cuisine.
Back in the days when Chennai was pretty much oblivious to food outside of south Indian, these people would have been the first ones to bring in a mix of North cuisine along with a mixed Tamil cuisine to the city. It's sad that the menu has stayed the same since then. Jokes apart, they serve a very simple gimmick free food with simple recipes that's just as good as home made.
It started with a banana stem clear soup. I almost expected a corn starch rich cream but it was just clear. With ample spices and crunchy bits of the thandu in the middle, it made a real good soup. A spinach shorba was also served which I found no complaints with, yet nothing to rave about at the same. Starters had a plate of malai broccoli, the soggy broccolis are just out of season. Lotus stem kebabs were a winner of the lot. The texture was so fine with the only complaint being too crumbly for a kebab. I wonder how they put the plate up together with so much crumbling. Jalan pepper fry was not my thing for it was way too spicy. Sabudhana vada went so well with the jaggery and mint chutney. Paniyaram on the other hand was literally like how I cook it. I am a self proclaimed master home chef, be wary my mom is the only one who eats what I cook so you never can estimate.
For main course was a biriyani representing the south. I've had better biriyani from Bangalore streets. There was a basket of naan, kulcha, and similar Indian breads. To side were a couple of typical Indian subji. I found them to be underwhelming, not bad though. Like I mentioned earlier, they just tasted like how we'd make it at home.
For desserts was a goan cake drenched in coconut and fluffy with mild spices. Fig halwa was yet another sweet, which was bit too sweet. I loved the consistency though.

To summarise, Royal Meridien though have grown and sustained for so long call themselves the big players. Yet they do lack the most required gimmicks when it comes to food to keep them active in the local circle.

Persian food festival with Chef Rehman - by Ayna, Hilton, Chennai

*Melancholy persian music cues in*

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The Persian food festival is a crown jewel to add on the revolution of bringing world cuisine to our own city. Chennai has always encouraged good food, and never fails to rave about something that's proved on the plate, despite the cost or other ruling factors. This fest to talk about is a special set menu that is hand crafted by Chef Rehman that brings home the century old biryani and kebab, from the creators themselves.

It was pretty evident from the passion as the chef pep talks about the history of food and the sense of authenticity is instilled into your head so not to think otherwise.

Cutting short of the rant, I'd very much rave about food as the topmost priority. Welcomed by a carbonated butter milk that was rich in flavour, the true flavour of the chass was forcefully overrode by the humpy aeration which is a very innovative yet bold move to start the meal off, perhaps the way he conveys we're going full on pro. Typical show off chef!

Soup came to be revealed as Soup E Jao- a pureed tomato base filled with spices that's dressed with barley grains (that's well soaked and sparsely or not cooked) and wedges of boiled potato. The barley twitched on spot to complement the palate off the spice overheads, and the potatoes just went along. Who puts potatoes in a soup, and damnit it's totally nailed. There is a common assumption among the star hotels that heavier the silverware the better the diners perceive the food to taste. For such places my suggestion is to probably focus on the food as well because the cutlery here is damn light that's a bit odd to go with the otherwise heavy plates and crocks. 

For starters a platter of kebabs were served on a bed of rice (apparantly asli Persian, read as quoted). I judge a veg platter by the quality of paneer, a well done paneer that was a bit hard to bite into. The seasonings were good, the texture was a tiny bit burnt. A tender paneer would have enhanced the texture a multifold. Mavoha tanur, a chunk of pineapple grilled with somac powder. It was grilled to cook the marinade enough while leaving the core still juicy. On the farther east of the plate was the gharth tanur - a succulent mushroom spiced with herbs (read predominantly saffron) and tossed in olive oil. The spices in oil gave out a generous tinge of sourness that formed an amalgam in the palate (drools as I write upon). Khubanni shammi was another masterpiece, as weird as the name sounds this is a typical aloo kebab hid inside with a slice of apricot. By now I've accustomed my palate to suit the Persian. Falafel cannot go wrong, classy yet bland. The bed of rice was spiced on the right side. A tinge of cardamom or such made me take a back stand, otherwise flawless.

Main course was two baskets of bread one topped with sesame seeds and the other was filled with herbs. Both of these were of excellent texture and soft with just a hint of spices that complements the naan but doesn't dominate in flavour. For the sides, Dal adasi was a stand out. The smallest of the cups is worth the drool, was Richy rich in butter that gave out a brilliant texture. Paneer fasenjan was a pretty much similar paneer gravy seasoned with pomegranate and walnuts to add up to the stock.

Service was top notch, a weekday lunch took us out of the table room pretty quick, hope to be here soon to try out the rest of the menu and their hospitality.

*melancholy fades out with a hymning in  deep tone*

Nellai Xpress

 “…his mom personally watches over when the masala is being prepared.” A running comment I heard from a friend of mine who invited us to this soft launch of Nellai xpress on RK salai.

The restaurant is located two buildings away from the novelty tea house and quite easily locatable (if they had a larger signboard in English.)

Finding a parking lot here could be the worst nightmare, but they’ve got a valet that is prompt enough, so that’s where they start getting brownie points.

By the name of it and the type of cuisine, anyone would expect a parotta master and a few waiters shouting out “master naalu kalakki,” this one takes us by shock. The decors were amazing, effective and efficient usage of lighting, and ambient usage of space. The wallpapers, sofas, chandeliers, and the whole thing looked girly with pink dominating the furniture and flowers in the wallpapers, and it goes out to match with the food very well. I never knew warm lights with a black false roof would go so amazing. It provided the required cozy feel and enough luminance at the same time. Round of applause to the interiors designer! 

Service was too good. I could not be completely right about this because it was their soft launch, but the waiters were awesome in the whole. It doesn’t require much of a skill to know of what the dishes are, because they would’ve obviously grown up with these. Service was prompt and food was served hot.

FOOD

We were served with a variety from the four course menu, starting with the welcome drink.

Nannari shorbet- Well done, tasted natural unlike the syrupy versions we get on the streets. 

Tomato melagu Rasam- Thanks to my mom I was the only person in the whole table who felt salt was just right. Though others found it a little salty, the blend was amazingly done. It had flavors on the higher side but spices weren’t too hot to kill the palate. Since they’re served as a soup, reduction in the oil added for garnishing could be reduced. Both oil and salt was spot on if it was part of the meal with rice, but a little high for a soup.

Onion Pakoda- Just the previous day I stuffed all my cravings with pakdas at home and I was more than overwhelmed to see them here. It was all fine, but with a pudhina chutney along (or any other chutney,) I could have it as the main course

Butter Beans masala- This is one of those legumes I never used to eat as a kid. The masala part was spiced up enough, but the beans never take in or absorb the flavour. If you take out one bean from the really spicy masala and taste, it would be all bland on the inside, I wonder if there is a way to cook it different of it’s the property of the material. As a whole, went awesome with dosa and Parottas.

Veg Kuruma- They had the right amount of everything other than spice. Having lesser spice is better for family restos but that can’t come in the cost of losing the best part of the cuisine. I’d really love to see with more green chillies and pepper. The consistency was good, potatoes could be cooked and mashed up a little rather than cutting em out.

Dosa- We were served with normal dosa that mom makes that is all so yummy. A chutney or sambar on the side is recommended in addition to the gravy.

Parottas- I didn’t taste them, thanks to my physician, it looked awesome. I can brag about this parottas to my bratty Madurai folks. It was crispy on multiple layers well cooked and wasn’t floating with oil all over. They have practically overcome every threat in making parottas, applause to the chef!

Idiyappam Biriyani- First time I’m coming cross this stuff. Flavour was all so light and little bland, but the quality was super good. It was little too dry for a biriyani and I could hardly find green peas and idk, what else. I used to detest this as a kid and I now remember why! They have three variants of this veg, mutton and chicken. To my surprise folks felt veggie version to be better than the others.

Masala Kalakki- If there’s one thing Coimbatore has taught me, kalakki. It was just like the Madurai ones done with a tinge of gravy inside. Smaller onion strands could do wonders.

Phirni- After a discussion on whether it’s kesari or payasam we asked the waiter who revealed the true identity. Made out of roasted rava in a base of sweet condensed milk added with almonds and other nuts. They went a little soft on the nuts, which is calorifically (?) very sensible, you can enjoy more of it without feeling too full.

Bread Halwa- My awesome college mess introduced me to this innovation, which I dread most till date. But to my fellow college mates or people who’ve had bad experiences with bread halwa, do try them here before anywhere else. 

To end the course with was the panneer soda. I’ve witnessed soda losing all the gas by the time it reaches the table on the fancy glass, take my word this is the best paneer soda I’ve had. I could feel the kick of aeration in my palate!

This is one awesome start, and a great idea to show the folks of Chennai what the rest of Tamil Nadu eats, way to go!