The continental shift

As Chennai changes its morning patterns, restaurants and cafes are responding with chic, intuitive and global menus. Even just a year ago, if you wanted an early breakfast in this city, it meant ghee dosas, idlis and pongal in bustling Udupi-inspired restaurants. Now, it’s fascinating to see how quickly the city is embracing new spaces, flavours and ideas. Today, you can choose between inventive jalapeno waffles, Israeli shakshuka or classic chocolate croissants. Between cold-brewed, Turkish and Aeropress coffee. Between trendy European-style cafes, beach shacks and even a farm, complete with hens and cows. All at 8 a.m. The MetroPlus team scours the city to find you the most delicious ways to start your day.

Mash

Sitting by a veranda and watching the azure sea is therapeutic. More so when, with each wave crashing into the shore, a spoonful of tangy baked beans makes its way into my mouth. And then there are the additional views — people running on the beach (inspiring yes, but I’d rather tuck into my large breakfast here), a few attempting yoga on the warm sands, friends catching up, coy couples holding hands while surreptitiously looking around, chubby, playful dogs being walked — a laid-back breakfast at Mash entitles you to all of this.

As for their breakfast menu, there are fluffy pancakes topped with fruits coated in honey, plump sausages, a satisfying selection of eggs, including a gooey cheese omelette, French toast, veggies, beef masala, chicken masala, and if you can resist temptation, there are oats. The only risk however is that if you have somewhere to be the blissful ambiance can make you forget all about it.

Timing: 7 a.m. on weekends, 11 a.m. on weekdays

Address: T54B, Elliots Beach Road, Besant Nagar

Tel: 4551 1555

L’amandier

With exposed-brick walls, high windows through which the morning light streams in, and comfortable seating, this cafe is popular for its breakfast buffet. The charming interiors can make you feel like you're in a French bistro, and the choice on the menu can leave you reeling.

Croissants, toast, muffins, preserves, maple syrup, fresh fruits, juices, cheeses and cold cuts, a salad bar, baked beans, bacon, sausages, eggs to order, one hot dish each for vegetarians and non-vegetarians, a potato dish and a vegetable stir fry... If it's your lucky day, they might even be serving pancakes. Finish with a steaming hot cuppa of your preferred brew: all of this at Rs. 399 plus taxes.

While service is friendly, it can be slow at times. Best go here when you're not in a hurry, so you can soak up the atmosphere and have a leisurely meal.

Timing: 7.30 a.m. to 10.30 a.m.

Address: 57, 2nd Main Road, R. A. Puram

Tel: 4282 7882

Chamiers Cafe

Fancy having continental breakfast for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Well, you can do exactly that thanks to the all-day breakfast menu at Chamiers Café, the quaint, quiet café just off a busy main road.

Aimed at people who’re creative with irregular timings, the café offers classics like baked beans on toast, pancakes, baked croissants and French breads. For those looking at healthy options, there’s muesli, fresh fruit platters and juices.

The simplicity of the fare on offer, including fruit or a quick meal of eggs and toast, is what works best here. One of the hot favourites among regular patrons are the waffles, which come plain, with cheddar and jalapeno, or chocolate chip, with toppings of bacon, maple syrup or ice-cream. Also, don’t miss checking out the recently-introduced Shakshouka, an exotic dish of poached eggs on a bed of tomatoes, peppers and chilli, spiced with cumin. All this while you can hear the busy world go about their everyday business from the comfort of your cosy chair.

Timing: 8.30 a.m.

Address: Old No. 79, New No. 106, Chamiers Road, R.A.Puram

Tel: 2431 1496

The Farm

A koel sings a longing song as we drizzle syrup on the spongy pancake; bamboo leaves rustle overhead when the baguette is served; a squirrel scuttles on the branch of a nearby tree, slides down the trunk and settles on a stone bench as we dig into omelettes. This is what breakfast at The Farm does to you; although the food is good, the ambience makes it difficult for you to concentrate on your plate.

It’s located inside a 17-acre farm — we park our vehicle near a cattle shed and walk past a hen and her noisy chicks into the restaurant. But what’s the fun in eating indoors when we can eat on wooden benches surrounded by strapping trees?

For the meal, we order a bowl of ragi flakes with honey and almonds, baguettes, plain pancakes with butter, omelettes with Mozzarella cheese, and baked beans on the side. The Farm claims to make its own bread on wood-fired ovens in ‘traditional methods’; the jams, butter, and cheese too are said to be made in their kitchens in small batches.

The snow-white butter and jam are excellent; so is the creamy yoghurt that’s served with the baguette. Apart from their artisan breads, you can choose from fruit bowls, cereals, and eggs served with two slices of rustic baguette, grilled tomato, potato wedges, butter and jam. The potato wedges deserve a special mention — done crisp on the outside, they soften as we bite in.

We feel a tad stuffed with all the butter and cheese and decide to burn if off with a walk — they offer a complimentary guided tour. The sun steadily climbs up the Sunday sky as we pass by the empty cattle shed (the cows have gone grazing) and trudge through their organic vegetable garden that supplies to the restaurant. We’re also introduced to their horses.

We leave for home, sun-burned and sweat-drenched, but satisfied — what we had was not just breakfast, but a field day.

Timing: 7.30 a.m.

Address: 1/277, Semmancherry Village, OMR

Tel: 91760 50562

The Brew Room

If you like eggs, this place is for you. The Brew Room offers an all-day speciality breakfast featuring eggs any way you might want them — Benedict, Florentine, or made to order. They also offer a massive soufflé omelette with chives and three types of cheese: brie, cheddar and parmesan. Their house speciality, however, is the moist and fluffy French toast, which come with a satisfying cinnamon twist. It is served with melted butter and maple syrup, and surprisingly, bacon, should you opt for it; its saltiness cuts deliciously across the sweetness of bread.

Breakfast is incomplete without a strong brew, and here you have eight different kinds of coffee, from the German-invented chemex, the cardamom-flavoured Turkish coffee to the Aeropress with caramel and nutty tones and the davara coffee, which lends a local flavour.

The place invites a wide range of diners, including joggers and guests from the hotel it’s situated in. Sit inside the cozy room with its European influences, surrounded by the smells and sounds of fresh brews or bask in the summer sun while lounging in whimsical wrought-iron cabanas, under the canopy of a 100-year-old sleeping tree.

Timing: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Address: 146, Dr. Radhakrishnan Road

Tel: 2811 4700

Pantry D’Or

Anna Nagar used to be fuss-free. Early risers from the locality settled for the traditional masala dosa and filter coffee — besides, these were the only breakfast options available in the area. Not anymore.

Now Pantry d’or, that opened a year ago, offers an elaborate breakfast menu with cereals, omelettes, juices and different types of bread — white, brown, multigrain, French toast, croissants, pain au chocolate, viennoiseries, cinnamon rolls and doughnuts. They also have a platter with hash browns, sausages, muffins and more, and four kinds of pancakes, served with maple syrup, chocolate, bananas or mixed berry capote, which are available all day due to popular demand.

On weekdays the place is usually relaxed during breakfast time, with families and working professionals from the area coming in to start their day with an international spread. The weekends, however, it is packed with visitors from as far away as Adyar, in addition to the regulars from the locality.

Timing: 8.30 a.m. to 11.30 a.m.

Address: 21/11, J Block, 6th Avenue Main Road, Anna Nagar East

Tel: 3085 3598

Old Madras Baking Company

Sometimes the only thing that can make you feel better is a custard Danish. Especially when you’re on your way back from yet another gruelling summer workout. Duck in here for some quick caffeine and carb comfort.

As the staff stack trays of still-warm croissants and pull loaves of spongy brioche out of the oven, grab a cup of coffee teamed with an indulgently buttery croissant. There’s just one communal table, and it can get rather cramped. Especially since, at 8 a.m., the store is still being put in order, and even the lone table is piled high with boxes of bread.

Nevertheless, if you don’t mind the constant bustle, it’s an unexpectedly reassuring setting, chatty customers, busy waiters and the powerful scent of baking bread.

While there are a range of baked goodies, from billowy buns to golden-brown gluten free rice bread, the menu’s deliberately short. However, besides the wide range of cheeses and meats, they have a set of salads as well, so the staff can make you a variety of grilled sandwiches. The only tough part is making a decision. Try the brioche or sweet bread with their creamy egg salad. And, of course, finish with a Nutella-filled brioche. You’ll probably have to run another 10K to work it off. But at least it’s worth it.

Timing: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Address: 279, TTK Road, Alwarpet

Tel: 4208 4422

Sandy’s

Who wouldn’t want to start their day with French toast, maple syrup and pure, melted chocolate? Situated in the heart of the city, Sandy’s is a well-known hangout for youngsters in the city. Particularly famous for their desserts, they also serve mouth-watering breakfast dishes starting at Rs. 60.

The menu will leave you spoilt for choice, with steak and eggs with baked beans, grilled toast and hot beverage, eggs Benedict and Florentine, regular and red velvet pancakes, Nutella croissant, hash browns, toast with flavoured butter, chicken sausage, eggs to order and bacon.

The most popular dish is Hearty, a combination of sausage or bacon, three eggs, toast, hash browns and a hot beverage. Those who are looking for a healthy option can order ‘Light’ and get granola, fruit, yogurt, croissant and juice. Either way, you are going to be stuffed with delicious food and nothing compliments the start of the day better than breakfast that makes you smile!

Timing: 8am onwards. Served all day.

Address: 16/1, Wallace Garden, Next to Subway, 2nd Street, Nungambakkam.

Tel: 4214 4000

Source : thehindu.com

Chennai’s five best seafood restaurants

The Marina

Ideal for people who love fish and daunting for those who don’t, this restaurant takes its fish seriously. As you enter the aquarium-like interiors, brace yourself for the scent of the ocean (a polite way of saying it can smell a little fishy). Their dramatic display features the day’s catch, wrapped in snowy ice chips, making this the ideal place to widen your repertoire: There’s a chef on hand for advice and the menu is comfortingly flexible.

The Marina is at 39, College Road, Nungambakkam.

Call 3085 3780 for reservations. A meal for two costs pproximately Rs. 1000.

Dahlia

Set in a grungy building, the diminutive restaurant, like its staff, is more businesslike than welcoming. The television is blaring when we enter, featuring a fight between two chubby Sumo wrestlers. The clock shows Japanese time. And we’re unsmilingly shown to the only empty table left, and promptly handed menus. No time wasted on small talk: just point to the menu, and ten minutes later you’ll be dipping your sushi into a dainty bowl of soy sauce, and gingerly topping it with their signature wasabi, powerful enough to bring tears to your eyes.

Also try the perfectly flaky butter fish, served in a golden pool of caramelised butter sauce.

Dahlia is at 37, Kaveri Complex, Nungambakkam. Call 2826 5240 for reservations. A meal for two costs approximately Rs. 1500.

Jonah’s Bistro

Besant Nagar beach is famous for its fried fish stalls, offering everything from prawns to sardines, slathered in bright red masala, deep-fried and served with a generous squeeze of fresh lime. If you prefer a place with air conditioning and comfortable sofas, head to Jonah’s Bistro, a ten minute walk from the beach.

The menu unapologetically offers pop food, but instead of taking the obvious multi-cuisine route, they feature a curated, refreshingly unpretentious range of dishes. The seafood includes crisp calamari served with butter sauce, as well as Italian fritto misto.

Jonah’s Bistro is at 147/9, 2nd Avenue, Besant Nagar. Call 3085 3946 for reservations. A meal for two costs approximately Rs. 800.

Nair’s Mess

Get here by 12 p.m. for lunch, or be prepared to wait outside. Nair’s Mess gets packed quickly, and for a good reason. Prices are low, service is quick and the food is consistently good. Instead of handing you a menu, the faintly impatient waiter will reel off a list of available items once you finally find a table. This includes “chicken fry-brain fry-prawn fry-fish fry-omelette…”

The omelettes are good, and the ‘meals’ are tasty, but the highlight here will surface unexpectedly. Just as you start to eat, the waiter will bring a tray of freshly fried vanjaram (seer) to your table – just to look at, of course. Its brilliant marketing; because the fish smells so fabulous, customers rarely turn it down. Fresh, thinly-sliced and marinated in minimal masala, it’s crisp, flaky and tastes of the sea. Once you’ve had a slice, or three, ask for the prawn masala, which is hot, spicy and unexpectedly addictive.

Nair’s Mess is at 22, Mohammed Abdullah, 2nd Street, Chepauk (Opposite the cricket stadium on Bells Road). Call 2842 0850 for details. A meal for two costs approximately Rs. 300.

Amma’s Chettinadu Restaurant

The walls are grimy, the furniture is ramshackle and the music system, playing MGR songs on loop, has clearly seen better days. Nevertheless, if you want an epic crab masala, Amma’s Chettinadu is the place to go. A bowl of crusty little anchovies is served with hot rice and a range of curries. The cook is clearly an old hand, because every dish is executed with practised flair. While some of the curries do taste the same and the food is generously salted, it’s not thoughtlessly spicy and oozing with oil. The crab in particular is unexpectedly nuanced, even sophisticated. Those legendary drunk hoards clearly have excellent taste!

Amma’s Chettinadu Restaurant is at 1, Giri Road, T. Nagar. Call 4212 2176 for details. A meal for two costs approximately Rs 800.

Source : thehindu.com

An app that rewards everytime you log in to a restaurant

Here’s a mobile app that looks to become popular among foodies-cum-shopaholics. Bounty, a free mobile app, now plans to spoil you more by rewarding you for checking in at partner places. 

 

All that the user has to do is to download the app from Google PlayStore and there you go.

Every time you walk into restaurants or cafes that the app has partnered with, Bounty automatically recognises the location, alerts you on the reward points (read vouchers from Flipkart, Amazon or other recharge gifts) that could be redeemed later.

 

The app works even without your GPS being on or even if you’re offline. The 5.5 MB app recently got an updation that has increased the efficiency of the app.

 

However, with a lot of interest happening in the online F&B space, it will be very interesting to see how the app stays in the competition current.

Moreover, the app is now only functional in Bengaluru,Chennai and Hyderabad. Expanding it to more cities will defintely be one core concern to see better traction.

Source : business-standard.com

1500 kgs of Biriyani served throughout Aasife Biriyani outlets everyday in Chennai

The Aasife Biriyani Centre started in the year 2000 with a single shop of selling Biriyani to the people at Butt Road, Guindy has now expanded to other Indian cuisines and 6 outlets with an average walk-ins of 200+ people a day at each the outlets. Right from the beginning, Mr.Aasife, the founder of Aasife Biriyani has always emphasized on taste and ensured that the Biriyani made at his Centre was both delicious and unique. This was achieved and still is, by meticulous selection of ingredients prepared from quality masala products and the Biriyani was prepared using superior quality rice.

1) How did you get your start?

I started my business by selling biriyani from a pushcart outside the GRT hotel in T.Nagar. Prior to that I worked in a catering company, servicing weddings and that’s where I honed my skills. I owe a lot to my mentor Rehmat Khan who taught me the traditional Mughlai style of preparing Biriyani and all other little tricks that turn a recipe from good to memorable.

2) Why did you decide to pursue a career in the restaurant business?

I have always loved cooking and got great joy in feeding people good food. Moreover, I was not very interested in studies and left school early. I always knew that I would start something on my own that would involve food

3) What makes Aasife Biriyani Special?

We spend a lot of time selecting the best quality ingredients and ensuring that everything is fresh - from our meats to our spices. From the time the chicken is slaughtered to the time it reaches the plate of a patron in my restaurant is no more than three hours. Also all our spices are ground freshly every day, which plays a significant role in ensuring that everything that we prepare tastes great. I also strongly believe that if anything needs to be done well it cannot be hurried and I apply the same philosophy in my cooking techniques. We stringently follow traditional techniques of preparing Biriyani and slow cooking most of our food on wooden fires. It is this technique of slow cooking and flavour from the smoke that gives my food its distinctive taste.

4) Where do your ingredients come from?

I am a fanatic about my ingredients and scour the market for my vendors and work closely with them to get the best quality produce. 

5) What’s your secret to keeping customers coming in?

I believe that our customers will return again and again and refer us to their friends and family if they leave my restaurant satisfied. Although this is simple enough to understand it’s a challenge to translate into a winning strategy. My team is constantly striving to deliver repetitive quality at great value. We constantly work with our suppliers to ensure quality of ingredients. Every ingredients is measured in the kitchen before being added to the cooking pot to ensure that variability is reduced to a bare minimum and finally of course, my chefs constantly taste items leaving the kitchen, so that patrons can enjoy the meal they have ordered each and every time.Our motto has always been “Smile when you eat and smile when you pay”. We stand for good quality at great value.

  

6) 1500 kgs of Biriyani served throughout Aasife Biriyani outlets everyday? Tell us about it.

I started my business by selling 3kgs/day and have grown to 1500kgs/day. This is a testament to our quality and consistency. Every ingredient that goes into my Biriyani is measured to ensure that it tastes just as good tomorrow as it does today. We also prepare it in our centralised kitchen to ensure consistency and it gets transported just in time (JIT) to all our outlets. Every Biriyani delivery is consumed within an hour of reaching our outlet from the central kitchen. 

7) What sells the best at Aasife? Chicken Or Mutton Biriyani?

Chicken Biriyani is our best seller but I personally prefer Mutton Biriyani.

8) How do you look at your competitors? Have you had a chance to taste Biriyanis from other restaurants? 

Absolutely. I always strive to learn from my competition and grow. I believe competition is always good as it keeps us on our toes and pushes us to better ourselves. I constantly observe best practices not only by my immediate competition but other restaurants to ensure that my customers receive the best and are always happy.9) How are you positioning yourself as a brand in a place like Chennai? We cook authentic food prepared using traditional recipes and serve it in a modern relaxed environment for today’s customer. Our mantra is “Smile when you eat and smile when you pay”. 

10) Few foodies have been complaining that Aasife Biriyani is not as tasty as it used to be. Would you like to comment on that? 

We always take consumer feedback seriously and will definitely look into the views that you have expressed here. There’s an important point that I would like to make, having gone through the screenshots that your team had shared with me. Recently Aasife Biriyani has separated from Aasife & Brothers Biriyani and I think many of the comments were regarding the restaurant in Butt Road which is now run by my brothers. Aasife Biriyani now has 3 restaurants in Alandur, GST Road and Anna Salai and my biriyani is being prepared using the techniques and recipes that I had developed myself and has been the source of my growth. We have also changed our branding and are in the process of launching a marketing campaign to highlight our new identity and at the same time communicate that our recipes are the original ones.

11) Are you looking to expand?

That’s an emphatic YES. I currently own 3 restaurants- 1 in Alandur, 1 on GST road and one next to the Thousand Lights mosque on Anna Salai. I plan to expand to 10 outlets in Chennai with a total of 2,000 covers by the end of this year. I am also looking to expand to other cities in Tamil Nadu and later to the rest of India. If a suitable opportunity arises I would also like explore the possibility of setting my chain in UAE, US and in the UK.

12) What medium will you be advertising yourself on?

We will be using multiple mediums to connect with people. We are in the process of launching our new Digital Media Marketing initiatives along with a new Android and iOS APP. But we also plan to be on traditional media.

13) What next? 

Our primary focus now is on expanding our restaurant footprint across Chennai and revamping and improving our centralised kitchen. We are also investing time and resources to improve our information and MIS systems so that we are able to deal with the scale that we are trying to achieve. A big part of our future growth plan is linked to Home Delivery and we are focussing on aggressively growing the Home Delivery business. We have recently created a new call center set up for improved customer service. The new APP should also help the ordering process immensely. On the operations front we are investing in significantly increasing our delivery capability and also on new packaging ideas that are more functional and at the same time helps us create brand connect.

Source : lifeandtrendz.com

Dipping Pot

Fondue has arrived in Chennai! Perfectly named the 'Dipping Pot,' set up in TTK Road, the restaurant has taken the easy way out by having a cafe menu and having the fondue menu at the end.

They have tweaked the fondues to include a slightly spicier and flavourful fondue while also retaining the classic Swiss fondues. The cup sized portion is also a welcome change and the only thing the cup takes away is the crisp layer of cheese that settles in classic fondues that people tend to love to scrape and eat. No such thing here. 

Unlike the classics where you get typically just bread cubes and potatoes, here you have some fabulous options. Like chicken balls, fish fingers, nuggets, broccoli along with bread sticks, cubes and potatoes.

Source : chennaifoodie.com

C K Ranganathan and Actress Pooja kumar launches "the Chinese Story" restaurant in chennai

The Chinese Story is a new venture taken by its partners to make a story out of each eating experience. It's not just another Chinese food place.The chinese story was launched in the esteemed presence of  Mr. C K Ranganathan Founder Chairman of CavinKare, Mr. Sanjay Thumma founder of the phenomenally successful cooking website, vahrehvah.com, Actress Pooja Kumar.

Not only the food there... Each wall , each prop tells a tale.

"We have strived to include new items in our menu... We have the guidance of chefs with over two decades of experience in India and abroad. With their help we have designed a menu which is not only interesting but tasty too. Our Menu card has been designed in an interesting manner. Interesting and funny jokes are also a part of our Menu. Nowadays eating is not only about the food it is about the ambiance in which it is served. The decor is from the name itself! Walls telling stories of China, table mats with snippets and funny stories...we have also sourced interesting artifacts from China which is on display here.We hope to cater to the family customers and to the office goers. We have various interesting combos for people looking for a quick lunch.An innovative Chinese takeaway box has been designed so that people traveling can pick it up on the go.The experience we want to give the customers who come to The Chinese Story is that of great food, great ambience at a reasonable price", said Vaibhav, Co-founder -The Chinese Story.

Source : lifeandtrendz.com

A moonlit millet dinner

Can healthy, organic, responsible food be tasty? Gandhimathi Azhaguvel, the owner of Diet-in, a niche restaurant in Vadapalani, attempted to prove that a healthy meal can also be fun. To make her point, on all full moon nights, she holds a dramatic dinner on her restaurant terrace.

The event, named ‘Nila Soru’ (which literally translates into moon rice), has been held every full moon night since 2012. The food is vegetarian, and always accompanied by music. The imaginative menu is made from ingredients rarely seen in today’s urban cooking, whether it’s in homes or restaurants. This includes Navadhaniyam and a range of traditional millets.

The event, held recently, began with thirikadugam soup, spiced with dry ginger, black pepper and thippilli (Indian long pepper), a combination of healing spices used to aid digestion. The next course comprised millet vadas and kandarappam, made with a blend of rice, dal and jaggery.

Explaining why they make an effort to host this dinner every full moon, Gandhimathi says Pournami or the full moon has a cooling effect, and she believes that eating in the moonlight can be a powerful experience. They inevitably get a good turnout — some regulars, some health buffs, and many who come out of curiosity.

“I enjoyed the red rice puttu and the jackfruit payasam the most. So did my kid,” says Shyam Sundar who works in the Organic Farming Association.

Venue: 7/12, West Sivan Koil Street, Vadapalani, Chennai- 600026

Contact: +91 9791090646/ 9677161539

Source : thehindu.com

Ginger Hotels explore the blogosphere with ‘The Thrifty Drifter’

A chance to win 20 nights free stay at any Ginger property & Flipkart vouchers worth INR 20,000/-

Ginger Hotels, from Roots Corporation - a subsidiary of The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), today announced the launch of a bloggers outreach program as a part of their online marketing campaign. 

The campaign called ‘The Thrifty Drifter’ will invite travel bloggers and reviewers across India to blog about their travel experience across a designated Ginger city and its hotel. To qualify for participation all one needs is an inclination to travel and the ability to translate those experiences into a story. (Active bloggers and travel reviewers could have an added advantage). The campaign is divided into four phases: Registration, Shortlisting, Crowdsourcing and Blogging. This activity is a successor to the launch of a travel blog on the Ginger Hotels website.Two lucky bloggers will be shortlisted on the basis of a story submission. The winners will be assigned a Ginger city and the specific tasks to be performed during their journey. These tasks will be based on the responses gathered by crowdsourcing questions to their fan base. The catch? The bloggers smart backpack will be created by our audience who will select a cart of travel essentials from Flipkart to carry with them along their zesty journey. The thrifty drifter will then select the least expensive cart and promote their smart choices through videos.The quest will take bloggers to explore cultures and regions foreign to them. The two finalists win a 20 night’s free stay at any Ginger property across the country along with vouchers worth INR 20,000/- from Flipkart.Registration for the ‘The Thrifty Drifter’ contest starts on May 4th, 2015.Send in your entries at  TheThriftyDrifter@gingerhotels.com

About Ginger Hotels

Indigenously designed and developed by Indian Hotels Company Limited, Ginger Hotels are designed to create a unique ‘space’ that is conducive not only for guest comfort and relaxation but also for their work requirements.  Ginger Hotels characterise freshness and are modern, modular and scalable, providing guests with a consistent experience. The hotels have 100 / 150 well-appointed air-conditioned rooms equipped with a 27-inch LCD television with satellite channels, mini-fridge and tea/coffee maker. Other guest facilities at the hotel include a meeting and conference room, net zone, gym, vending machines, digital safe deposit boxes, as well as Wi-Fi connectivity in the public areas and individual rooms.

Source : lifeandtrendz.com

Double Roti

Chennai's all set for the sandwich invasion. Joining in and making fillings that much more interesting, Double Roti has our city coming back for more. Unfinished walls in combination with the 'factory' look have become statements in restaurant interiors, and Double Roti is no exception. Complete with rustic wooden furniture, differently coloured seating and a ceiling crisscrossed with red and blue pipes that end in focus lights. Although not a very bright place, with very little sunlight, the cafe has a well-lit kitchen that is the focus of all activity. 

Source : indiatimes.com

Restaurant chain Mast Kalandar launches mobile-based delivery only service

Indian restaurant chain Mast Kalandar has launched MK Dabbawala, a delivery only mobile-based service in Bengaluru to cash in on the demand for quick, affordable food by the younger generation.

Currently in beta phase, the service is catering to the city'sKoramangala area. The firm plans to roll this out to other parts of Bengaluru in two-three weeks

There has been a rise in internet-first restaurants, or those operating on a pure delivery based model, which are getting the attention of entrepreneurs and investors alike.

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com

Restaurant Week comes to Chennai

Chennai’s dining scene gets a serious shot in the arm with its inaugural Citibank Restaurant Week India (RWI) starting this Friday. After ten successful rounds in cities such as Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, the popular pan-India culinary event started in 2010 finally makes its way down south. 

Look forward to a three-course prix fixe menu that will include handpicked signature dishes from The Raintree and Hip Asia at Vivanta by Taj to Beyond Indus and Kefi at the Taj Club House — all at a fraction of the cost of an a la carte menu. Plus, a few signature RWI additions like seafood pongkari at Benjarong, Vietnamese silken tofu and shiitake cabbage parcel at EST, and Chettinad paneer and gobhi kemphu at Samudra. 

The meagre line-up may pale in comparison to Delhi and Mumbai’s 25 plus restaurants, but don’t let that put you off. Managing to balance cuisine and geography, the list looks promising with restaurants such as Thai specialty eatery Benjarong, sushi bar/Japanese restaurant Teppan (Alwarpet), The Raintree, Beyond Indus, The Gateway Hotel's Sian at the IT Expressway, Samudra, Kefi, Hip Asia, EEST and Ayna. 

While seats for today are filling up, reservations are open until they’re fully booked, so sign up now. Rs 750 (plus taxes) for a three-course meal per diner, Rs 200 (plus taxes) extra for RWI signature main courses. - See more at: http://www.gqindia.com/live-well/food/restaurant-week-comes-chennai-gq-india#sthash.ZJ3udahg.dpuf

Source : gqindia.com