Best combination of cakes and savouries- Winner's Bakery in Alwarpet, Chennai

Cakes- Rs 25-40 ($0.50-.80); Bread- Rs 20 ($0.40); Savories- Rs 25-40 ($0.50-.80).  Two thumbs up!
Ever since my return to Chennai, I have been looking for the yummy cakes of my childhood.  Almost all the old and new places have disappointed me. They were too sweet, had too much icing, were soggy, and just did not taste right.  Most of them seem to have sudden urge to copy the American style of baking- more focused on the themes and shapes.  All I want is a tasty, goodness-to-earth cake. "Sugar, Butter, Flour" in Sunnyvale is always a point-of-reference.

Cake counter at Winner's Bakery.  Courtesy of chennaionline.com

Today, we stopped at the Winner's Bakery at the corner of C. P. Ramasami Road and C.V. Raman Road in Alwarpet.  The outside looks bright but very simply.  The car park could accommodate about 5 cars total.  It was in the corner of a corporation building.  I walk in and there is a dazzling array of colorful cakes, breads, cookies and savories.  The layout of the store was pleasing, extremely clean and the cakes looked really colorful and inviting.  You can also peak into an extremely hygienic kitchen.  The place was not crowded, considering it was a Sunday at 11 AM.  The puffs, sandwiches, doughnuts and pastries were in a separate counter.  The breads were stacked up really high behind the counter. 

The folks at the counter were extremely efficient and fast, unlike my recent visit to Reliance Fresh.  The cakes were not too sweet.  We ordered 8 different types of cakes- litchi, kiwi, chocolate, strawberry, Irish coffee, pyramid, black currants and black forest.  I first tried the litchi and the kiwi cakes. The icing was minimal and the cake was extremely tasty.  I could taste the tinge of the fruit in the cake, not sure whether it is artificial flavors.  The cake was soft but did not crumble.  They all had nice decorations.

The bread was another highlight.  We took home a sweet bread and a garlic bread.  The bread was baked with garlic bread.  We could see the pieces along the crust.  The bread was not over-powering with the smell.  Rather it had a nice tinge to it.  The bread was soft and tasty.  It definitely felt better than the mass-produced Costco bread that I have had in Sunnyvale!  We could eat it without any condiments or applications on top.  The savories were quite good.  We could taste the freshly cooked vegetables and the outer shell was firm.  It did not crumble and mess the whole eating area!!

Overall, a great experience and would highly recommend the place.

I researched the Bakery and found that it was built around a very noble cause.  A joint venture of Chennai Corporation, Rotary Club of Madras East and Chennai Culinary Institute, this Bakery provide free training to youngsters from economically backward families.  They also take orders for birthdays and special occasions.  Most 1 Kg cakes will be delivered within an hour of ordering.  Special shapes require overnight requests.

Blistering barnacles!- The Adventures of Tintin (Secret of the Unicorns)

Billions of bilious blue blistering barnacles! and Ten thousand thundering typhoons!- An Absolute Must Watch.  The Unicorn really comes to life in this awesome movie by Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson.

This is the first time in my life that I have see a movie on the first day- first show and is probably the best movie I have ever seen in my life.  The movie really brings the comic characters into a 3-dimension life form.  For Tamil movie lovers, this is "Michael Madan Kama Rajan" in English with finesse and Crazy Mohan replaced by Herge'. It feels like I am turning the pages of the book and can see it come to life.  The story line was kept along the same order and speed of the book.  The action packed scenes kept moving at a super-fast pace.  I could not bend to get my drink, lest I missed an important scene.  Spielberg had done a great job into weaving animation into the storyline, especially in places at sea.

The cinematographer has made full use of the 3-D by making it realistic, as opposed to scary.  This movie is not appropriate for kids below the age of 10, as the pace might frighten them.  The costumes and the makeup were really outstanding, especially for the Thom(p)son and Captain Haddock.  The 3-D made their nose standout and, of course, showed Tintin's hair in the natural flair.  The speeding away car, the innocent detective work by the Thom(p)sons and the bottle on the head with stars were nicely brought forth.  A melodious music of John Williams really produces the effect at major points at sea and in the final chase down to the sea coast.

Capt. Haddock does a great job in both the drunken state and in the motivating Tintin to go forward, especially where he explains that realism is a euphemism for defeat.  Snowy was probably the weakest link, though the scene where the huge dog became a puppy in front of him was a really nice touch.  The 3-D made Snowy look much bigger than he should actually be.  Also, Tintin takes less interest in him and displays less emotions relative to the book.  I am not sure whether this was a adaptation need for a movie.

All in all,  a fantastic movie and a must see.  For those with 3-D TV's make sure you get a original copy for your collection.  All those that have read the "Last of the Unicorn" in their childhood should look forward to it.  I am already waiting for the remaining two movies in the trilogy.

For those of you that have never heard of Tintin or the movie, here is a link to the trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DW6TkX1YOK8.   For the adventurous one's, the link to the book on Amazon is http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Unicorn-Tintin-Herge/dp/1405206225/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321036549&sr=8-1-fkmr1.  To learn more about Tintin, go to Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Tintin. A video game on the same theme has been released.

I would like to thank my mother-in-law for getting prime tickets to a sold-out first day show! The crowd really enjoyed the movie. 

Sathyam Theatres Chennai takes movie watching to another level.  The whole auditorium shook with the ship and the pirate cannons could be felt with every Boom.  The theatre has done a fine job in making every aspect of the experience very pleasant, right from the concierge to the parking attendant.  A note to my friends in the Bay Area- tickets for 3-D movies in India are Rs. 120 + Rs. 20 (for glasses), a grand total of $2.75.

Basera- A BBQ Restaurant on ECR, Chennai (Madras), India

Basera Restaurant, Injambakkam, Nr. Prarthana Theater, ECR, Chennai(Madras), India
3* Restaurant/ Rs 408/$8 (Veg) and Rs 450/$9 (Non-Veg) /Open to lush garden

Happy and Satisfied Customer

Courteous staff, great BBQ and a fantastic dessert layout.  The lush garden is a very romantic setting, but available only for dinner!! During lunch, the A/C indoors serves a buffet.  The place is extremely clean (toilets too!!) and everyone is courteous. The Manager comes to your table to inquire after every course. We ate a buffet in the cool confines of the indoor restaurant. The diners are IT-types that come in large groups on bikes and sub-compact cars, families with kids, lovey-dovey couples like Vaishnavi and myself, and local elites in 7-series BMWs.  There were quite a few regulars but we were treated no differently from them.

Dessert Table

The first thing to say about the food is that the dessert was extremely good.  The fruit salad was fresh, cut evenly and tasted good. The caramel custard tasted was so delicious, that I am out of words to describe it.  Of course they had a payasam/kheer and ice cream.

BBQ: Left are the vegetarian and right are the meat

Lemon-mint drink and the 5 starters

The buffet appetizer had five veg. and five non-veg items.  Five were BBQ items including prawns, mutton, chicken, paneer, and a veggie kabobs. They BBQ on a nice chargoal grill in the middle of the table. Being October and in A/C, we did not feel uncomfortable.  It might be the case in peak summer.  The BBQ items were extremely tasty and were cut to the right size, seasoned very well.  The meats and the veggies felt fresh and firm with a little juice.  They actually made sure that the meats and veggies were placed separately. This was important because my wife is a strict vegetarian.  The other five were fried items- fish fry, veg wontons, gobi manchurian, tandoori chicken and aloo tikki.  The wonton was a little soggy but the rest were very well done.  The fish tikka was immersed in a little too much spices and grease. So, it was a little suspicious.

You could match the appetizers with a lemon-mint drink which was quite refreshing.  We actually requested for a refill three times. They had soda drinks but we did not bother. 

Moore mulaghai- delicious

Salad, Yogurt and pickles

The main course was a combination of North Indian dhals, channa and naans with South India rasam and curds.  The curds was hard and very tasty, with no added sugar.  The The best part meal was the moore mulaghai (chillies soaked in buttermilk,dried then fried), a South Indian accompaniment to rice + curds. The dhaal and the kadai vegetables were very tasty.

All in all, it made our marriage anniversary a extremely good one.  Then we were off to pick up our daughter from the grandparents house.

Crimson Chakra- A great meal combination in a Single Restaurant

4+* Restaurant, Average is Rs 500/$10 per person including dessert.  Each entree is about Rs 250/$5.

This place is all about service, ambiance and personalized treatment.  right from the time, I made a reservation the treatment was above par.  Among all the upscale restaurants in South Chennai, I have visited this is the best service.  They call me a few hours before the reservation time to remind me and also find out if we had special requests.  I told them that we want to be in the quiet part of the restaurant.  When we got there, they had reserved a table close to the entrance but was private from the other diners. My daughter felt it was below her dignity to sit in a high-chair. They first put cushions on the existing chair, and when that did not work, they gave her a high revolving chair.  They were really creative.  The diners were also very discreet at this place. Cream Center has better food but this place has quieter ambiance and a more relaxed eating environment.

The best part of their food are the salads that come with the main course, mud pie dessert, and the fresh-baked bread that we start off with.  Their menu of South Indian (Crimson Chakra) and Continental (Cornucopia) is very complementary.  The restaurant is called Crimson Chakra and the Cornucopia name is there just for nostalgia.  The food is anything but nostalgia.  Both these menus have a different chef.  Both menus are very authentic and the selection is wide.  The hardest part is to select the right item out of the menu.  The continental menu has exotic names that could be overwhelming to some, myself included.

Their Lasagna sauce seems like it was allowed to simmer for awhile and it brought out the spices in the sauce. They had a three layer with minimal amount of cheese.  The taste was authentic to our tested American taste buds.

When I want a quiet meal or to chat up with a old friend, I would always pick this one.  The reastaurant closed at 10 PM but they let us stay until almost midnight. They did not show any signs of wanting us to leave and did not try to dim the lights.  Also the entree price is much lower compared to all the restaurants of similar standard in Chennai.

Ambiance without the Ambiance at Lunch

Babal da Punjabi Dabha (Very flavourful and tasty khaana (food) Average per person is Rs. 200/$4)  

Chennai is not known for anything beyond South Indian foods.  There are so many varieties of South Indian food that it can really keep you occupied for years trying them all.  Once in a while, you want to venture out to something else.  One such meal is Punjabi khaana. Babal da Punjabi Dabha is right across the road from KJ Hospital. Most North Indian places in Chennai are expensive and have a huge amount of cream/sugar added to the dishes.  Dabha Express is probably an exception but that is for another day!!  North Indian places are also very pretentious.  Anytime a friend recommends a nice quiet place, I am always game to try it.

This time it was my dear buddy Manesh Sehgal.  I was talking to him about some business ideas that I had.  He gave me a good and quick rundown on the entire retail industry.  My MBA did not teach me these things and I paid over $60K for the coveted piece of paper from a top-ten school!!

Back to food.  This place has absolutely no ambiance.  They have soft music, white tablecloth, low lighting and a few photos on the walls.  The ambiance is really about who you are with and the type of conversation.  In this case, Manesh was it.  Manesh has been a food connoisseur since our days together at DB (Don Bosco). Snacks would be the puff at the Cafeteria and paratha kurma lunch at Atlantic Hotel.  In between, there would be the munching of the fluffy and flaky samosa at the Travancore Egg Mart. Back to the Dabha, the fact that he knew the place and knew what to order was great.

We started off with Fish Tikka.  The fish was firm and soft, the flavors were embedded.  It looked like a perfectly cut slice of fish! There was nothing dripping from it. If you wanted more flavor, onions, chillis and a green chutney were provided on the side. Manesh had his with the spicy chutney and mine was more American!  To prevent any taste degradation, we decided no juices, lassi or soft drinks.  Next we got the palak paneer and butter chicken. The paneer pieces were big and the chicken had butter, but no visible cream.  They were a little spicy but not overdone.  There were no bones in either the fish or the chicken.

The best part of the meal were the naans.  There were fresh, right from the tandoori, and just melted in my mouth.  One of the best naans I have ever tasted outside of a home.  We had the plain, letcha and garlic naan.  The garlic naan was the best of the lot.  After we finished the gravy, we ordered a butter naan.  It was awesome to just eat the naan.

The waiters were always handy and brought the food/water very quickly.  They did not object that we were a party of 2 and had taken a table for six.  I would definitely go back with my family.  Ambiance would then be my daughter talking!!!!

Tuscana at Chamiers, A Italian restaurant on Chennai

4* Restaurant/ Average about Rs 500 per entree /Nice decor and Ambiance /2 Thumbs Up.

One of our favorite outings are visits to new restaurants.  Our goal is to never repeat a restaurant, unless we find one we like so much.  Then we end up going there every week.  Since we have traveled widely, we tend to realize which restaurant is authentic and true to their heritage.

Yesterday was Navaratri celebrations.  More on that in a separate Gollu subject.  Tired after a long day of working around the house and the job of entertaining guest, we decided to drop off the daughter downstairs.  Off we went to the new restaurant on Chamiers Road, across from Hotel Park Sheration in the Boat Club Area of Chennai (Madras) India.  It was past 9:30 when we got there but the staff was still wide awake.  The location is a old home that has been slightly remodeled. The interior seems to have been maintained, just painted with occasional paintings. This looks similar to Cornucopia/ Crimson Chakra.

The valet instantly opened the door for both of us.  They waited until we firmly got out of the car, before presenting the token.  I hate it when the valet is just rushing to get you out of the car.  Similarly on the return, he had the car nicely positioned for us to get in.

As we had no reservation, they took us to a quiet table.  Funny that it was the same table that my wife had the last time she was there.  This was my first visit.  They brought the menu and stayed away until we called them. 

Before the food, they brought the bread, sticks and toast.  It was all fresh.  They center tray was really tasty and colorful.  It has a hummus-like spread, chopped olives in a olive oil/vinegar sauce and tomato bits.

My wife ordered the gnocchi in marinara sauce while I order Kritiko Boureki, from their Middle-Easter Menu.  The gnocchi were soft and seemed fresh, as opposed to store-bought.  Now, I wonder where you could buy it in Chennai.  We still have our stock from the US.   Mine had a nice pastry covering for my potato and zucchini pie.  I could actually taste the zucchini.  But stunner was the salad.  The leaves were bright and strong.  The dressing ting to it that make the salad just roll in your mouth.  I did not want to sallow it at all.

I had a Fresh Lime soda with salt.  The drink was strong and felt good after a long days work.

The menu is huge and is split nicely between vegetarian and meat dishes. There quite a few desserts and there is a ice cream shop on the Ground Floor (They also sell high-quality beef). The only negative is that music is too loud and the noise from one table runs through too all the nearby tables.