Chennai

Hi Foodies,
I thought this should be my first post.
http://picasaweb.google.com/jagansayshi/Food/photo#5237327791276963106

Cheers,
Jagan

This restaurant is inside the Trident hotel in Chennai near the Airport. One of the worst experiences...why?? Read on

- Over enthusiastic / pushy staff : They tried to push us into going for a buffet dinner even though i told them that we want Al a carte. Only after we told them for a few time they seem to get it. The moment we sat there were 3 / 4 of them around us forcing us to order the expensive dishes in the menu. One of waiter was trying to get us order a bottle of wine that costs some 3000 bucks even though we said we want beer.

We told them we will take sometime to order but "no"...they wouldnt listen. Every other minute somebody would pop in asking for us to order.

- Food : Bad...for the money they charge it is really bad. We ordered a soup / 2 starters and they were unpalatable. We just wound up there and went straight to the coffee shop in Radisson next door... it is lot better there. Wait...i just realized that the chef was outside greeting and talking to the customers. What on earth was she doing in the restaurant than spending time in the kitchen. Probably that explains the bad quality food.

Price : Steep by Chennai standards.

Never knew chennai had such options....A health restaurant serving sattvic food ....(that which is freshly prepared and served immediately and where the concept of serving reheated food is anathema)...

well wanted to try this place after the excesses of the year ending jamborees. you need to get in early though...at 2.00 pm we were about to be turned away but for some effective bit of calojing by sriram and senthil :-)

We were lead into a house cosmetically converted into a "Kerala tharvadu lookalike" with small rooms leading into one another with seating around functional tables seating 4 -6.

Its a strictly course driven meal...wherein the first item served was a small bowl of sweet pineapple chunks as an appetiser. The next in line was a series of tiny glass bowls filled with pink, white, amber, green liquids...there were a total of 5 in all. We were informed that food would be served as soon as we are done with these healthful cups of vegetable soup, juice, minted buttermilk etc. The next course was 8 varieties of starters ...hope i remember all ...well here goes...there was a banana stem pachadi, mango salad (with the fresh bite of green chillies), a kerala style simply done glistening white pumpkin olan, a flavourful cabbage poriyal, some kind of pulinkari ( veg + dal + spices) side dish, a tomato and coconut based pachidi and i dont remember the other 2...but guess you get the picture .....
what follows is the rest of a traditional south indian meal of 2 dry vegetable dish, rice , sambhar, rasam, moru (buttermilk). Finally for dessert they serve pure honey which they pour into the cup of your palms ... slurping and licking the dripping sweetness of authentic honey was what the meal was all about ....fingerlickin good ;-)

Some trivia about the place...

The food is prepared only in earthen, bronze and copper vessels by specially trained staff. Usage of substances considered an irritant to the system like vinegar, red chilli and sugar, are totally avoided. Pepper, curds and honey are used instead...

while leaving don't miss the natural products counter...selling all natural products like ginger, coriander coffee, honey, palm candy etc...i picked up a packet of Kasthuri manjal...oh the things we do for vanity...(its supposed to be an awesome facepack)

Among the various South Indian food varieties, the Chettinad style holds a special place in the taste buds of food lovers. Of the various Chettinad cuisines in Chennai, 'Kaaraikudi' tops the chart among favourites.

Everything about this restaurant is Chettinadu. The waiters are attired in the traditional Panchakacham (Dhoti, tucked in behind, in five folds). At the entrance are two brass pots, as in a typical Chettinadu bungalow. Soft lit, the interiors are pleasingly decorated with light brown carpeting and dark brown wood paneling. The seating capacity is 82 covers.

Kaaraikudi has become so top-of-the-mind today that outstation visitors ask for and dine at this place. Check out their specialties like Kaadai Varuval, Pallathur Special Chicken, Chettiar Special Chicken Pepper Roast and Pigeon Varuval. (Varuval in Tamil means fry).

An average meal for two costs around Rs.110/-. At around 1.00 or 2.00 p.m. you may have to wait a few minutes for your seat. Outdoor catering is undertaken.
Open from 11 am to 3.30 p.m. and from 7 p.m. till midnight.

From 7 in the evening, the kitchen also produces delicacies such as Kal dosa, Kothu Paratha, Kheema dosa, etc. All the chefs in the kitchen are from Chettinad, so that there is authenticity in the dishes prepared Briyani varieties are fast moving, for there is a great demand for it. The food is spicy, and is served in traditional south Indian containers. The desserts available here are quite different too. The carrot halwa, in which 'Vettiver' is added, is quite a delight. The restaurant plays evergreen songs from old Tamil movies for its customers.

For all those who are tired of customary food, check out the delicacies Kaaraikudi has to offer, and you will not be disappointed.

Krishna Sweets is well known for its mysorepaak (which I honestly think drips too much of ghee and is getting stale) and other sweets. They've added new snack items these days. Check out the masala poli - stuffed with potato, corriander and spices and served piping hot with lots of chilli powder on both sides. Variations are the Dhaal Poli, and Pudhina Poli (this rocks!). All are priced at Rs 12.

Other good items include the Kaara Aapam and Jalebi. They also have lots of combinations for thali, breakfast, tiffen etc now, including a salad bad during lunch.

Seating could be better. During peak hours (lunchtime and evening) its next to impossible to get a place to sit. They now have several branches apart from the main T. Nagar branch - Mylapore, Spencers and Adyar are the most popular.