All You Can Eat for Rs. 179

From Amma Unavagam to ID in 24 hours.. Read on..

I am generally a sucker for combo offers.  I go for mini-tiffin, Thali, buffet types as I believe you can do paisa-vasool for the money you shell out.

It is customary for us to go to iD whenever we go for movies at Sathyam complex.  We particularly like the coffee and onion rava dosa at this Restaurant.  Raghav noticed this tent on our table and I couldn't resist.  This 'Eat all you can!' had almost everything from their main menu, barring my favorites Onion Rava Dosa and coffee.

But at Rs. 179, it was a good deal and we gobbled all we could and ended up missing the first 5 minutes of the movie, Interstellar.

Not sure, how long this offer lasts.. but if you go to Sathyam movie complex.. do check this out...:-)

Lunch at Amma Unavagam

Lunch at Amma Unavagam (அம்மா உணவகம்)

Between errands, I had sometime to spare and ended up having lunch at the Amma Unavagam on CP Ramaswamy Road.  I was mildly surprised by what I saw.. You would be surprised as well.. if you read on..

First thing that stuck me was, the place was clean.  In fact, it was cleaner than some of the private eateries I have been to.  Also, another striking thing was the gender of the employees.  From cash to kitchen, it was all managed by females.

Line Please - Unlike other places, entire experience was orderly.  People actually stood in line to get the coupons and again formed a line to get the food.  Both the serving lady and cashier was very polite and helped folks who didn't speak Tamil.  They helped customers who spoke only Hindi and ensured there needs were met.

Cheap - I asked for Sambar sadam and Thayir sadam.  Not knowing the price, but knowing it would cheap, gave only Rs.20 and to my surprise got Rs. 12 back.  In other places, one would not get Rs 2 changes but that was not the case here.

Hygiene -  The entire place was clean.  From kitchen to serving table to eating hall,  the entire place was clean and well maintained.

Food Quantity - Lots.  You get served two generous servings of each rice.  This would be a perfect for pre marathon carb loading.  Seeing the food piles that were being served,  I asked for one small serving of each sadam.  The serving lady didn't understand first but even after she understood, she wasn't convinced.  She not only served me generous portions of Sambar sadam and Thayir Sadam, but also gave me one bonus serving for lemon rice.

Food Quality - Food was piping hot.  Sambar sadam was little spicy for me and Thayir sadam (தயிர் சாதம்) was actually More sadam (மோர் சாதம் ). But the Lemon rice I got as bonus was good and I enjoyed it.

My only crib is that it was all rice fare and wish it was little balanced in terms of nutrition.  Having said that, I also saw a small vendor ecosystem mushrooming outside.  Few vendors, all ladies again were seen selling pickles, vadai and sides.

I went to Amma Unavagam out of curiosity and with low expectations.  But was thoroughly surprised by the overall efficiency and cleanliness and experience.  Keeping the commercial viability of these Unavagams aside, I do feel these places fill a vacuum and serves a critical segment of the society.  I only hope this model thrives and survives changes in governments.

Restaurant review # 1 - Cholayil Sanjeevanam - A healthy alternate ?

Cholayil Sanjeevanam - A healthy alternate ?

I don't know if it is a healthy alternate, but the restaurant does market itself as such. We went to the Adyar branch of Sanjeevanam for dinner yesterday. (Not to be misled by the prefix Cholayil, it has got nothing to do with the சோலை but everything to do with the parent company name.)

Web Site
When we decided to go to this restaurant for dinner, I decided to check out the website and get some pointers and there was none. The website had absolutely no information about the restaurant or the food they ofter or why is it different. All it had was just one static page with little or no information. Even for the location map / direction, I had to call. It's a pity that they aren't leveraging the information channels effectively.

Reservation
They do and they don't. When I asked for reservation, the person on the other end of the line told me that they are sold out. But he urged us to come anyways as it is on first come first served basis. I wonder why they have reservation in the first place at all.

Business Hours
Hoping to have quick dinner, we reached the place by 6:50 PM only to be told that they don't open until 7:30 PM. Now I had the choice of going elsewhere and fight the crowd or just be the first group to get in when they open. we decided on the later. But whiling away 40 minutes wasn't easy particularly with a hungry and talkative kid as there was nothing else to do in the predominantly residential area.

Setup
They have converted a residential place to a restaurant and it shows from the time one enters the place. The decor is all bamboo & choir and tries bring a Kerala countryside ambiance, however the old Chennai residence layout shows out loud and clear.

Menu
We got a menu of several pages but were told that most of the stuff is not available. So, in the end, we ended up keeping the menu card aside and just asking the waiter what they really served. After a few rounds of discussion, we settled for North Indian Thali (INR 100). Since we were the early ones, we hoped to served first but for reasons that weren't clear, it took over 40 minutes for the thali's to show up. By this time, we were throughly hungry and swallowed whatever came in our way.

Food
We were served hot 'Jeera water' which was very soothing and went well initially. But, later when we actually wanted cold water to soothe our tongues after some spicy food (most of the stuff had ginger in it), hot Jeera water actually made it worse.

Thali itself looked no different from the other places. The food portion was limited but was sufficient. We were served one Chapathi, and a small rice bowl with 9 different side dishes. I was told some of the side dishes were Kerala delicacy but I couldn't tell the difference.

Bottom line:
I wish some of the real Kerala delicacies were available for me to try out which would have given me a better gauge. Nevertheless, I would go again just to try out different items on the menu

What is Chettinad Idly?

What is Chettinad Idly?

I can't tell the difference even after consuming what I got served as Chettinad Idly in Woodlands drive-in today and the regular ones.

I like going to Woodlands drive-in for reasons other than the decent vegetarian food they are famous for. I like going there because of the vast open space and the availability of ample car parking. Anyways, back to Idly..

I wanted to try something new and as I was hovering through the list, I stopped at the first 'new' item. That's how I zoomed in on Chettinad Idly and ordered it without even asking about it.

When the Idlis were served, it didn't look any different, so I found myself asking the person 'What is Chettinad Idly?' Here is the answer I got:

It is Chettinad Idly because

1. You get 3 Idlis instead of the usual 2
2. The side dishes are different.. for eg., I got brown chutney instead the usual white chutnety.

I am not convinced of the answer.. so, my question still remains.. What is Chettinad Idly? Do you know?

Travelog # 40 - Curry Hill

Curry Hill
After a hectic day at work, my colleagues suggested we go to Curry Hill for dinner. If you are wondering about the Indian sounding name.. you are not alone. Indian restaurants dominate a two block area near Lexington and 28th. Every other shop is an Indian restaurant of all kind, from Saravanas to Copper Chimney. As I learnt later, that's the reason Murray Hill became Curry Hill in the local vernacular.

We went to a vegetarian restaurant called Tiffin Wallah. The place was small like most other restaurants in this part of town and was bare. But the food was decent and reasonably priced. I ordered South Indian plate (USD 14) which got me Idli, Vada, Masala Dosa, Uttappam and a sweet. The food portion itself was filling but the side dishes weren't enough and had to order extra (USD 2).

Though the restaurant didn't serve liqour, my colleagues bought King Fisher Beer from elsewhere and openly consumed it at the restaurant. That was not only permitted, but seems to be the norm in most of the food only Indian restaurants in Manhattan.

Our order was served in reasonably quick, but there was minor goof up. My colleague ordered Mysore Masala Dosa, instead he got the regular one. To make the matters interesting, our Mexican server didn't understand a word of Hindi or English. After few tries, we finally managed to grab the attention of an Indian waiter who casually told us about the language issue with the cook. Our eyes popped when we learnt that even the cooks in the kitchen are from Mexico and they don't understand English as well. But, these Mexicans from South of the border learn to adapt and pick up Indian culinary skills. Most of these folks are undocumented and work stealth on cash only basis.

We finished our dinner with a hot madras coffee (USD 2) which was served unique coffee mug, which I understand is from crate and barrel.

Overall Tiffin Wallah served us decent food and value for money. Check it out if you visit this part of the world.

Travelog # 35 - SouthIndies

If you are in Bangalore, do check this place out, it's on Indira Nagar 100ft road. The ambiance was good and the food was great.

The difference starts from the menu card and goes all the way. The menu card is done very differently and based on the specialties from 4 southern states. Another first for me in India was the way our order was taken. Our waiter took order in his PDA which was transmitted wireless to the kitchen.

We had Keera Vadai, Vazhathandu cutlet, Bisebelabath, poondu vathakohambu and a few other stuff. I must say, all of them were very tasty and authentic. All of us, including our friend of Egyptian origin thoroughly enjoyed the food.

The atmosphere was relaxing, though little noisy at times. We ended our dinner with a strong 'degree' coffee which was served in the traditional Davara / Tumbler.

The real surprise was when we saw the check. The tab came to less than INR 900 which we thought was very nominal.

So, If you are in Bangalore, do check this place out.. You will like it.

Cream Centre - A New Worthy Alternate

Cream Centre: Vegetarian Kitchen, RA Puram, Chennai
I understand Cream Centre is a popular dig in Mumbai, so I have been wanting to try this place since they opened in Chennai a few months back. We finally got a chance to go there for dinner tonight and I am glad we did.

We walked to the place since it is just a couple of blocks from our place and we were just in time as the tables were readily available. But, by the time we finished our dinner the place was packed and people were waiting. I am not sure, if they accept reservation, but it might be good idea to book and go if they offer one.

The place has been done up nicely and blast of cold air greets you as you enter the place. The place looks kind of small from outside and it might be due to the fact that, a residential house has been converted in to a free standing restaurant. Nevertheless, it does have lot many more tables inside and we preferred to sit in the back by the courtyard.

The menu is a mixture of North Indian, Mexican, Italian and American items. Since we were a party of four, we got to try out many items and were happy with the options. My kids went with Onion Rings, Supreme Spaghetti and Magic Macroni and we tried Signature Paratha, Delhi Chat & Quesadillas.

All of our food arrived hot and fast which was quite appreciated by the drooling mouths. However, I felt the portion itself was small compared to the price. (our tab was INR 1200 for a party of 2 adults and 2 kids). Of all the dishes, I particularly liked their Signature Paratha which was layered rumali roti stuffed with traditional stuffings plus some non-traditional stuffings like corn, capsicum and others I don't recollect.

Even though, we didn't order Channa Bhatura, several folks at other tables did and I learnt later from their website that they make the 'best bhaturas in the world'. Will have to check this one out at a later date.

My kids ended their dinner with Sizzling Brownie Sundae which was marked as Cream Centre special. It was quite a spectacle to see them serve this one. They brought the brownie and ice cream in a hot tawa and poured the liquid chocolate on top of the ice cream at the table with style. My kids were floored by that 'show' and went ga ga over the desert.

I wanted to end my dinner with a hot coffee but was surprised to find that they don't serve Coffee or Tea in Chennai yet, though I found them in the menu. But then again, their menus are not current as I found out later. The menu on their website is no where closer to what I saw at the restaurant.

Over all the dining experience was good with decent food and courteous service. This place is definitely a worthy alternate if you are in the mood to try something different.

What Thali is it?

What Thali is it?
North Indian..
No.. No.. it is South Indian !!, "See it has Sambar, Curry..
But then why does it Naan instead of rice.....
I don't know..
(Now the restaurant guy(server) arrives..)
Hmm.. don't what is South Indian..

This hilarious conversation was between white patrons and a Hispanic server in an Indian Restaurant called Madras Pavilion in Austin. What was interesting was the patrons didn't know what was what, the server didn't know what he served. But they ultimately figured it out and went on to enjoy the food.

Now to the restaurant review..
By the sheer traffic I saw in this restaurant, I am guessing it must be a popular joint. This place was barely full when I went in, but within 10 minutes it was full and was constantly overflowing from then on.

The ambiance of the place was good. The decor was minimum but the place was clean and neatly laid out.

I ordered Pavilion special (USD 12.00) which got me a generous portion of Pongal, Vadai, Mysore masala dosa, Coffee and Gulab Jamun. While Pongal and Coffee were excellent, rest were just passe. I was drooling when the big Dosa came my way, but after a few bites, I started to dislike it. It was dry and hard to swallow. Vadai wasn't cooked well and I passed on the sweet.


Bottom Line
Ambiance: B+
Food: B-
Service: A
Overall: B

Go to Madras Pavilion if you are dying for Indian food.