Hip Asia, Vivanta by Taj Connemara, Chennai

Situated centrally in Chennai, this hotel does not need any gloatingly brilliant prologue. It is the oldest hotel and a stunning-work-of-art form of jewel in Chennai’s diadem. It was built in 1854 and had numerous owners until it finally was acquired by the Taj group. It was given a facelift in 2010 and was renamed to Vivanta by Taj Connemara.  But for me, Vivanta by Taj is still Taj Connemara and it still feels at home to be there.

Taj Connemara is a piece of history and has an art deco look to it. The corridor walls are affixed with numerous photographs of yesteryear that give it an authentically museum feeling. Here, I do not mean museum in the bad boring way instead I mean it in the most exhilarating and exciting way and it never fails to surprise me when I see guests standing in the corridors and admiring the artwork.

Apart from all the excellent services and exquisitely abundant rooms which are very comfortable, I do have to jot down about Hip Asia. I have been going to this restaurant since 2010 and every time I go there, I just sit down and enjoy my meal to the full. I never take a mental note or even jot down few things about this stylishly elegant. On entering, you are greeted by the most gracious and obliging staff and they usher you into a neatly arranged, subtly Chinese-esque restaurant.

The first impressions of the interiors are stylish, chic and very trendy. The lighting is perfectly apt and the chairs are also very comfortable. The teppanyaki is situated duly so that the scents of various ingredients being cooked on the open grill do not waft in the whole restaurant. The inner segment of the restaurant has high ceilings and the tables and chairs are arranged well beyond the earshot of other people in the restaurant. It is spaced correctly and this is why the privacy can be maintained. 

However, for every restaurant the food is the most important factor. Starting with the salad, it was Yuzen Ae Salada – fresh crunchy lettuce served with a miso dressing. This, I must say, is an absolute favourite. The freshness of the lettuce, the crunchy tempura pieces and the miso dressing is delightfully astonishing and it gives a very clean and mellow flavour to the taste buds which, almost always, tingles for more.

One important factor that I always consider before going to this restaurant is whether I like their sushi or not. However, in this case, I always turn to Hip Asia for Sushi. I prefer the makizushi or Uramaki more than Nigiri ( I am not very fond of raw fish) as I like the rolled form. Also, the use of toasted nori (another thing I like about sushis) is more in the case of uramaki or makizushi. I decided on – Ebi Tempura Maki - Prawns in Tempura batter, deep fried and rolled in a maki which was juicy and crunchy at the same time. It was effortlessly perfect and it was rolled just right. The Kaki Age Maki  - The Tuna felt as soft as velvet and as smooth as silk. With the wasabi and the dip, it was silky on the palate and even with the rice and nori, you could still taste the tuna. Then I had the California maki – Avocado, Crabsticks, cucumber and Tobigo (Flying fish roe) and little dash of Japanese Mayonnaise (Kewpie I think) which was a complete unadulterated pleasure. The cucumber was tenderly crisp that blended very handsomely with the crabstick and the mellow creaminess of the avocado. I was very uncertain of the Tobigo but it was an attractive match and it did not overpower the other ingredients. And last came the Yasai Moriwase Maki - a melange of vegetables were used and the crunchiness was evident with every bite. It was all served with their signature dip (generally soy), pickled ginger and wasabi paste.

Hip asia served the best Nasi goreng. It checked all boxes correctly - salty, Spicy, and sweet all at the same time.  It was like an elegant ensemble that was like wonderful music to the ears but in this case a melody for the mouth. The traditional sunny side up egg on the top looked beautifully presentable. While I found some Nasi Gorengs to be dry, this was moist, but still not sticky. I also felt that the sea food in the dish was flawlessly cooked, not overcooked and it was seasoned rightly.

The Yaki Udon that is the Japanese Buckwheat noodles was a visual delight with the vegetables and chicken 

in it. It had beautifully incorporated colors of the veggies and the chicken was moist and tender. The wafting smell of the noodles made me salivate and once in my mouth, it was an even better experience. The noodles were divine and the fragrance of the toasted sesame oil left me wanting for more.

We finished with traditional Malaysian custard which was the most delicate custard I ever had. It was velvety; absolutely right on sweetness and a mellow hint of coconut milk gave it a wonderful freshness. It held its triangular shape which means it was firm enough but not hard or eggy to be precise. However, the chocolate mousse was a letdown. The consistency was thick, heavy and jelly-like rather than smooth and light.

This meal was consumed over two nights by three people and everyone only had good things to talk about.

Coming to the service, it was prompt and rapid. We did not have to wait between the courses and they also have a good drinks menu. Also, they oblige to any concoction you would like. They do have a pre-set vegetarian and non vegetarian menu. Overall, service is good in this restaurant.

Also, the prices are reasonable for it being a five star hotel restaurant. I have seen insane prices for mediocre food so I again stress on this being a better restaurant than many in the market.

I have to emphasize that this restaurant is a must go-to place. Considering everything, the worth is more than the money spent!

Gam's Delicacy, Lokhra, Guwahati

Delectable Delicacy!

For the last one year, I kept thinking that I should go to Gam’s Delicacy Restaurant in Ganeshguri, Guwahati. But, I couldn’t make enough time to pay a visit. I heard about the real assamese food they serve in that restaurant and it was, supposedly, very good and very Assamese.

One free evening, I decided to go to a highway dhaba for dinner with my family. What I did not know was my cousin decided to take us to the Delicacy restaurant on the highway. I must say I was delighted at the sight of the place.

The ambiance was not like a dhaba at all. It was more like a normal family restaurant. Compared to the other dhabas around, it was pretty big. It seated quite a lot of people. My interest was particularly captured by the use of bamboo in the restaurant. The chairs, tables and even the lights were made out of bamboo. It gave a very assamese feeling to be there. I was very impressed because it was different.

Another particular thing about this restaurant was that it served all the various portions of food in Bell metal utensils. I have been to many places which boasts of serving assamese food but never have been to any with serves the food in authentic assamese utensils.

However impressive the other things are, the main concern of a restaurant is its food. Firstly, they served a kind of clear vegetable soup which was extremely refreshing because of its use of fresh coriander and ginger. Not to mention, it was packed with lots of flavor. I must say they have a very impressive menu.

Going to a restaurant means eating food that is not often prepared at home. Therefore, I chose accordingly. I ordered Goroi fish pitika (A type of snakehead fish that is mashed with green chillies, onions, fresh coriander and mustard oil), Duck with gourd, small fish steamed in banana leaves and smoked pork. Other delicacies that I tried were chicken fried with spices and plain dal.

The mashed fish was extremely delicate and it was a standout dish. They made an effort to balance the flavors in the fish, keeping it simple yet very Moreish. I wish they would have given me a little more chilli and mustard oil since I prefer my food a little more pungent than others.  The duck was deliciously fatty and mouth watering. I took a generous helping with the steamed rice and it was almost out of this world. I hope no regrets about putting something so fatty into my mouth. The steamed fish lacked some popping element like the other dishes had or may be the other dishes were too good due to which my mouth rejected the steamed fish. It was not bad yet it was not that great. And the smoked pork completely let me down. It was tough as rubber and I had to chew it for quite sometime until I decided to down it with water. The taste was not so bad but the rubbery effect was too much for my mouth to work on it. By the time I finished vehemently chewing the piece, my jaws were craving for some soothing agent. The chicken was good and it had a very heady aroma of a smoky flavor. The dal was simple and delightful.

After my jaw breaking experience, I would still say that delicacy is worth trying. Apart from the pork everything else was very pleasant and scrumptiously wonderful food is very hard to forget. I would go back to eat there anytime but from next time on, I would remember not to order any pork.

Delicacy does do a lot of justice to the almost vanishing assamese cuisine and I would encourage every assamese to try and bring back those long forgotten things into the kitchen.

Cream Centre, Guwahati

Cream Centre, Guwahati

Since the time "Cream Center" opened its door to Guwahati, Assam, it captured my keen interest. Everywhere I go, from gyms to salons, Cream Center managed to make a striking appearance in its advertisement boards. The offers and deals too seemed very attractive to me. Being a Non - vegetarian, I kept weighing my pros and cons before walking into this vegetarian restaurant. Finally, I decided to give it a go.

The first impression I got, as soon as I walked in through the doors, were about the interiors. It was done well which in turn added to having a good ambiance. It was quite clean at first and then I started noticing the floors which was dirty. Maybe I reached after 2.30pm and that could be a reason for not keeping clean floors. It was littered with food that must have fallen from servers trays. So, after noticing all that I realized that my impression did not remain the same.

Letting all the dirt out of my mind, I decided to look at the menu. The menu was presentable, but it did have quite a number of spelling mistakes on it. For instance, cashews were spelled as cashews. For me, a restaurant must have a presentable menu with no spelling errors in it. I must say it was downhill from then on.

The menu had quite a number of items on it that is new to Guwahati and I honestly was very keen on giving it a try. However, the dirt and the errors in the menu already let me down. But, again a restaurant is all about the food so I ordered the starters.

I ordered American Corn Cheese Balls and Nachos with Mexican beans for starters. The cheese balls were tasteless - either the cheese they used wasn't very flavorful or the corn wasn't fresh. It was only with ketchup that I could taste something (I tasted only ketchup!). The nachos were deep fried with Red kidney beans and melted cheese on it. And I was shocked when I could taste Maggi Masala in the beans. I do not think Mexicans use Maggi Masala/seasoning in their beans. The nachos were of the lowest quality. I could not taste the real nachos, it felt like having regular whole wheat chips that were deep fried. The melted cheese too was a disaster. It tasted like nothing! 

The main course was a mini thali. Oh ! What a disaster. That was a real shame. It consisted of a Dal, Rice, Paneer, Mix veggies, parantha and Raita. The Jeera Rice was overloaded with Cumin so much so that it tasted only of Cumin and the rice that they used looked and tasted stale to me.  I could only taste red chillies in the paneer though the quality of the paneer wasn't that bad. The Mix veggies was a complete yuck yuck to me because they were overdone, the yoghurt gravy was split and here also I could taste the excess of red chillies thus making it taste sickeningly disgusting to me. The parantha was also a let down because it was burnt and the sides weren't well done. The raita was a complete shock because the yoghurt they used was old and sour. It also had a very strikingly acidic taste to it thus, making it obvious that it was stale.

I decided to skip dessert and not make my stomach suffer anymore!!

I am not going back to that God awful disgusting place in my life. It is over priced with extremely bad and stale food. Even after a day of eating that dirty and musty food, I can still feel my stomach on fire. Fruits salts also couldn't help my stomach clear that mess !!

Beware of visiting Cream Center!

Caperberry, Review

Caperberry – The estate, 121 Dickenson Road, Bangalore

For the last few months, whenever I would open the Goodfood magazine, somehow the name “Caperberry” would pop out and glare at me. I always felt that the name was quite inventive yet inviting. I kept thinking that I would visit but kept postponing my plans, may be because it was new or may be because I was still not ready to meander into the domestic world of European cuisine. Finally, one fine day I made a list of go –to restaurants in town and somehow I managed to put “Caperberry” on it.

Caperberry is situated at – The estate, 121, Dickenson Road, Bangalore. The most alluring thing about this restaurant is the name. It is like unspoken promises between two lovers (In this case, the food and the foodie). Once you enter the dominion, you are ushered into beautiful, contemporary and artistically decorated interiors which boast itself hence making you believe that the ambiance will be great.

Before I comment anything on the food, I would like to talk about the service. It was impeccably flawless. The staffs were courteous and they had good knowledge about the menu. In terms of service, I give them 10/10.

Coming to the menu, I was certainly very impressed as it boasted of many things that are still quite new to the Indian taste buds and also are some techniques. For starters I opted for Potato Bravas, Squid Rings with aioli and Pan Seared Atlantic Scallops. The Bravas were fantastic and lip-smacking. It was spiced beautifully without making anything overpowering. The balance of the potatoes with the spiced tomato sauce was absolutely devouring. However, I feel sad to admit that I cannot write much beautiful things about the two other starters. The Squid rings lacked crunch and I definitely could not taste the parsley in the crumbs. It came out cold and it was soggy (to my utter disbelief). The Scallops tasted amazing yet it was deficient in seasoning.  I also believe that the scallops needs some more greens to it, may be a little more arugula would do the trick. The flavorful dishes left my taste buds tingling for more.

For mains I asked for Porcini Risotto, Meat Paella, Seafood Linguine. The porcini risotto was the best among all three. It was cooked to perfection or rather how I like it (Al dente). It was lusciously creamy with the flavour of the porcini being unforgettable. The Meat paella looked fantastic in its little paella dish. The courgettes and the peppers with the chicken and chorizo was a perfect delectable combination. However, I missed the subtle notes of saffron in the paella. I wish it was a little more pronounced as it would have made the dish perfect for me. The seafood linguine was a letdown. The pasta was not al dente, it was fully cooked and that made the linguine a little soggy and heavy with the sauce. The freshness was definitely not visible. Also, it lacked seasoning (for me).

Coming to desserts, the frangipane tart (taste wise) was definitely delicious but the tart shell was soggy and mushy. It felt like a re-heated tart rather than freshly made. However, the butterscotch ice cream was smoothly creamy with all the scotch-y flavors coming out with every spoonful. The Panna cotta was luscious and velvety but a little too profound for me. The consistency was silky and it held well. But instead of the kiwis, I would have loved to see some berries with it making it a little more desirable and attractive. Velvety 

There is one more thing that is hard to miss. The Table setting felt a little wrong. The dessert spoon and fork should be placed above the plate horizontally. However, that was not where it was placed or rather the whole dessert spoon and fork set was missing. They expected you to use the Salad knife and fork for dessert.

In a nutshell, I would say the place is worth trying and I definitely recommend the Bravas and the risotto. Please forgive me for not commenting anything on the drinks because I had ice tea and like every other good place, it was the best drink for non-alcoholics and the best palate cleanser.

My encounter with North Indian Food ~~~

I always loved food. But due to various disturbances during my growing up years, I stopped cooking. I wasn’t interested to know more about food and I lost my curiosity that spawned during my childhood years. I stayed away from cooking as much as I could. What I did not discover (until later) that that cooking or that inquisitiveness about food could help me recover from a very dull and extremely difficult life.

After graduating from High School, I went to college. Life was easy until me and my roommate moved to an apartment where we had to do our own cooking. I knew very few things to cook and she couldn’t cook at all.

We started eating the same things day after day. Either we would eat outside or same Dal Chawal (Lentils and Rice) at home. Finally, we got some time off from college and we decided to visit our hometowns.

After that holiday, everything changed. 

My roomie had learnt cooking from her mother and gave me a detailed idea on how to make different lentils and beans. We started using that technique and Voila! We had various dishes. 

I was ushered into an unknown world of North Indian food where there was a humongous variety of dishes using almost the same spices and vegetables/meat. 

I started cooking north Indian dishes like Kali Daal (Dal Makhani- A preparation of Black Lentils), Dal Tadka, Aloo Gobi Tamatar (Cauliflower and Potatoes in Tomato Gravy), Butter Chicken (Chicken cooked in creamy tomato gravy) and many more though they were more of a experiment then real cooking. I worked my way into knowing my spices when I started cooking these things and only after I knew the flavor and aroma, I could juggle them and try them in my dishes making them better with time.

I couldn’t stop myself from staying in the kitchen, exploring various things that even in my most dull moments brought me some happiness. I loved being in the kitchen because it makes me happy. Everyday I would try to cook something new. I think the best recipe during those years (2005,2006 and half of 2007) was Chole (Chick peas or Garbanzo Beans). I used dried beans that was soaked over night and I used a medley of spices to make amazing chole. The base was tomato and onions that I fried in a flavorless oil. I still cook it and it reminds me of those amazing experiment years.

It gives immense pleasure when someone compliments about the food that you cook. I would say that the years I spent away from my family were very fruitful in terms of learning to cook varieties of food.

If it not had been for my roomate, I would still be oblivious to the beautiful and mesmerizing world of north Indian food.