Culinary Chennai

I have lived in Chennai for almost two decades now and from what it was, when it came to eating out, to what it has become now, there has been a sea change, Chennai has finally arrived on the Culinary Map and I am picking my top five go-to places when it comes to all things yummy. Here’s my list:

Benjarong: Nestled quietly in the bustling TTK road, Benjarong spells class and authenticity. In the ten odd years of it being around and the countless times that I have eaten there, I have to say, this one scores high on the priority list. The cuisine is far better than any of the Thai restaurants in the city (LOTUS included), the staff is extremely courteous and efficient and the service is impeccable. That apart, the quality of the food, the gorgeous ambience and the exhaustive menu make this one a winner!

Tangerine: When you walk in to Tangerine, it does not impress you at all. If you are one of those people who judge a place by their ambience then Tangerine will definitely not make the cut. But if you want the BEST sizzlers in town (take a hike Kobe!), then Tangerine is where the action is at. The food here never fails to make an impression and over the years, their menu has only become more exhaustive and impressive. Definitely one of the best haunts in Chennai.

Copper Chimney: What can I say about Copper Chimney that hasn’t been said before? Well if I knew who the head chef was, I would personally go pay him my respects and give him a tight hug because the food at Copper Chimney is the kind that makes you happy and puts a smile on your face. Perennially packed, always bustling with activity, there never is a dull moment at this place. Oh and did I mention that their Dal Makhani is only the best in the country? (Yes Peshawari and ITC Sonar Bangla do pale in comparison!)

Azulia: If you like your hummus, khaboos and tabbouleh, then the buck stops here for you! The man who rules with an iron fist at Azulia, Chef Joseph Chahine is a delight to talk to and is more than willing to help confused, indecisive people like me with their order. While the prices are a little steep, the quality of food that reaches the table – be it a simple hummus or a gloriously smoked piece of haloumi cheese, everything is perfection on a plate. Say Yalla, Yalla to this one!

Cornucopia: This has to be one of my most favourite, comfort food restaurants in the city. Cornucopia has had quite a nomadic existence in the city, moving from one place to the other, but what they carry with them every time they move is the glorious food. Now located in Gandhi Nagar, Cornucopia is hands down one of the best places to go to if you like Continental food with a twist. With an extremely comprehensive menu, almost everything I have eaten here has been akin to a warm, comforting memory that lingers on…

A bit of a bite!

To say that I love shopping would be stating the obvious. I don’t know too many women who don’t have a rush of oxytocin, every time they catch wind of the two ‘S’s – Shopping & Sales!  And my bunch of girls and I are no different. No sooner do our salaries get credited in the bank and the next minute we are off searching for the best bargains with our eyes on the grand prize like hawks (We would like to think of ourselves as the motley bunch from ‘Sex and the City,’ thank you very much!)

So to shoo away the mid-week blues, off we trotted with credit cards in hand and comfortable shoes to scale the expanse of a hugely crowded Express Avenue (even on a Wednesday evening? Really?). Four hours and three huge shopping bags later, our tired feet and even more  worn-out willpower was begging for some much need R n R, so off we headed towards a cute little joint called Café Pascucci.

Nestled in an innocuous little corner of the gargantuan mall, Café Pascucci looks like one of those American diners with bright neon signs and comfortable chairs. Hungry as ever, the three of us pounced on the menu, even as our bemused steward looked on and waited patiently as we placed our orders. The menu has a fair sprinkling of all things American and Italian, so we picked a Piadina Chicken Ham and Cheese, a Caesar’s salad and Gnocchi with Spinach and Cream Sauce.  |

While the salad was tasty enough, the dressing being top notch, what was really disappointing was the serving portion, or really the lack of it. The Gnocchi on the other hand was superbly seasoned, the right mix of creamy alfredo and green spinach with a touch of nutmeg, gloriously pulled together with the dense and flavourful gnocchi. The ham sandwich again was a letdown – less meat, more veggies and a tad dry too.  The desserts on display seemed extremely impressive, but since we were in a hurry to get ready and hit the town (Girls night out people!) we gave it a miss.

Café Pascucci actually has what it takes to become a landmark coffee shop in Chennai, considering the good ones are few and far between. However, it would serve them well if they relooked the pricing and portions. Worth a visit for sure though!

Don't do the dew!

After much hype and hoopla, a couple of friends and I decided to check out Dewberry's one sunny afternoon. Ravenous, and wanting to vent about office woes, all of us were geared for coffee, cheese steaks and more.

With a vast and extensive menu, what I will give the team at Dewberry's is that they have come up with a menu, which has something for everyone. However, that, sadly, is also their shortcoming. Because not one, and I repeat NOTHING that we tasted on the menu was worth its salt (In my case, I got salt only after I went up to the counter and got it myself).

We ordered a portion of cheesy, garlicky bread, an alternate topping on bruschetta and a portion of fries. Both were extremely small in terms of portion and absolutely lacked ANY taste. In fact, the bruschetta bread was soft and the cheese dry. The banana and oats shake that a friend ordered smacked of absolutely no originality and had a crust of bournvita on top. Determined not to let our initial impression leave a bitter taste in our mouth, we ordered a portion of pesto penne and a chicken steak, which was supposed to be stuffed with something, I don't remember what (but then again, it was not worth remembering either).

My penne was overcooked, the pesto was gooey and runny (quite a feat to achieve both at one go, don't you think) and had exactly three sliced black olives. Even though we did manage to finish it, we were terribly disappointed. Our friend on the other hand got a chicken steak that was uncooked (on asking they said it was poached and hence it had that flavour and colour), insipid and he REFUSED to finish it. We did complain to the manager who merely said 'Ok', did not present us with a comments card, just our cheque. Now that I have vented, I will tell you my basic problem with a place such as Dewberrys.

• Staff that looks absolutely disinterested in serving you and are trained to say just a few words: No, Can't, Not Available.
• A beautiful setting that could have people flocking by the droves, if only the food were palatable.
• Prices that do NOT justify the portions.
  
  I really hope the management does something to improve the quality and standard of the food at a place that I personally believe has the potential to become a success, if only it had something substantial to offer on the plate.
  
  (Note: Pictures are for representative purposes only, and bear no resemblance to any of the food we ate that day)

Livin’ La Vida Loca

 

When David Villa and his band of boys took home the Holy Grail of football thanks to some brilliant footwork by Andres Iniesta’s 116th-minute strike, the entire stadium erupted in cheer with the vuvuzelas blowing loud and clear. Yes, it was the night when the Dutch dream was shattered and Holland cried orange tears.

Far far away, in a land littered with clichés of being called ‘the mystical place of snake charmers, Kamasutra, sadhus and slums’, and further down south in seemingly conservative Chennai there was one quaint little place called Zara Tapas Bar which was celebrating the victory of Spain. Why you may ask? Well, though they don’t really need an introduction, Zara is India’s first Tapas bar and probably one of the best pubs in Chennai. 

As I sat at the pub on a muggy evening watching the finals, nestling my tall glass of sangria (that is my way of supporting Spain, apart from drooling over David Villa) a thought suddenly struck me! As a resident of Chennai and now well into my drinking prime, I have probably spent many a night at this pub drinking, talking, dancing and simply ‘sitting’ night after night with friends, strangers and just about every body. Such is the charm of Zara. Not once will you feel out of place, not once will you be asked to leave, unless of course you beat up the manager (I wouldn’t advise this because he has personally spoken at length with me about his fitness routine).

Truth be told though, if there is one reason I keep going back to Zara, It is probably because I personally think they have the best tapas, cocktails and food. Their Spanish sangrias, which come by the pitcher or glass is made with a combination of chunky tropical fruits and wines, dances like a Spanish chica doing the salsa in front of me. The starters range from the ever popular nachos, to interesting dishes like the jalapeno stuffed with cheese, spicy chicken and cheese, cottage cheese and potato nuggets, shredded crispy lamb with peppers, mushrooms and pimentos in a red wine reduction…the list just goes on!

I have said this before, and I’d like to reinstate that for me, if there is a bar in Chennai that really just lets me ‘be’, it would have to be Zara. The place has become a friend in need of sorts- Monday blues, Tuesday musings, Girl’s night on Wednesdays, retro Thursdays, or the Friday-Saturday weekend partying, there is something for everybody at Zara. It’s like a one size fits all…sigh, if only clothes were like that!

Flavours of the Orient

They say that all girl children are the apple of their daddy’s eye and all guys are mamma’s boys. In my case though, it is exactly the opposite. I’m my mother’s daughter and can safely say that whatever I am today - good, bad, ugly, the credit/discredit should go directly to her. My mother was a rebel in college and organized one morcha after the other; I spent a majority of my time outside class, playing marbles with the watchman and protesting parking ticket fee hike.

While my dad and brother would much prefer their ubiquitous north Indian, south Indian, East Indian (basically all things Indian) cuisine, mom and I are the experimental foodies in the family. So when Benjarong opened ten years back on TTK road, about two streets away from my house, the radar immediately went up. Off we trudged, cheerily, my mother and I, to discover the ‘Lingering taste of Thailand.’ There has been no looking back since.

I fell in love with the delicate, fiery, subtle, spicy and sensual experience that Benjarong embodies to me and can say with full gusto that it is a love affair that has continued over a decade; perhaps my most long-lasting one. I always try, and fail miserably every time when I try to point out that one special feature that makes this Thai restaurant a magical experience for me.  

Maybe it’s the décor…nah can’t be; sure it is nice, but that’s not what lends this place the midas touch. I could argue that it is possibly the amazing staff that makes you feel like you belong, but then again, no place survived on good service alone right?

Benjarong to me is special because it is unpretentious. It is simple, plain, sometimes rustic even when it comes to the food, but I guarantee you one thing – the chefs here do no cook because they have to, they cook because they want to; because if they if they did not serve you that perfect thick, creamy red curry with succulent pink prawns, or a bowl of glistening stir-fried greens just right, they would not be able to forgive themselves. The passion shows, the loves overpowers that.

So when I came to know that Benjarong had completed ten long years in the fine-dine business, my mother and I set off to be part of the celebrations, this time with me at the wheel (I was 15 then so I did not have a driving license) and promised to relive our first meal, only this time, we swore that it would be chopsticks all the way.

Did we use chopsticks? No. Did we eat the same meal that we have ten years back? No. But what we did have was some of the best, if the not the best Thai cuisine ever, with the stewards egging us on to try some new dishes on the menu. Well, there may be additions and a few subtractions from the menu, but like my mom said, “The heart and soul that goes into the food still remains the same.” And who am I to disagree? After all, ‘Thai’ (read: mother in Tamil) knows best right?