TechieFoodie

I’ve been here countless times since the time it was opened, and almost every single time, Sree Akshayam hasn’t let me down. A pretty decent place to have vegetarian food, Akshayam has good tiffin options as well as good veg meals. I really love the Elam dosa with garlic kozhambu. The Elaneer taste in Elam dosa is quite subtle and it goes well with the kozhambu. The only negative point here would be the long waiting times – Esp. in their AC division. Regardless of when you go (Lunch/Dinner), unless you’re lucky, be prepared to wait for anytime between 10 minutes and 45 minutes to get a table. But then, the crowd itself would be good proof for the delectable food served here I guess. Rating: 3.5/5 [srizonfbalbum id=5]

This is a fairly old review, so I’ll keep it short. I’ve been to Little Italy in Anna Nagar, couple of times and I’ve placed home delivery order from them quite a few times in the past. Every single time, they’ve impressed me with their consistency and awesome food. Cheese Fondue is one thing that I love a lot but priced at around Rs. 500, you must be wary around it. But just one portion of this would feed one moderate eater or in case you’re a light eater, single portion would fill up 2 of you. Canneloni Alla Florentina is another dish that I relish a lot, and together, Cheese Fondue and Canneloni have been a part and reason of my home delivery orders from Little Italy. There aren’t many pure vegetarians options when it comes to Non Indian cuisines, but taking Italian and Mexican cuisines as their only offering, Little Italy has really nailed it and is a big treat for vegetarian lovers ! Rating: 4/5 [srizonfbalbum id=11]

Few weeks back, I was looking for home delivery options for dinner around Anna Nagar and the name “Cafe H” caught my eye as I was noticing it for the first time. I quickly glanced through the menu and ordered for a  Chilli Cheese Garlic Toast and  Four Country Cheese Pizza. Chilli Cheese Garlic Toast:  This was pretty nice really, with the spicy flavor settling into it. Cheese flavor was rich and overall, for Rs. 80, this was total VFM. Four Country Cheese Pizza:  Sadly though, this was average at best. Priced at Rs. 270 for a small portion (with Jalapeno and Olives toppings extra), this was such a let down, especially after the expectations set by Chilli Cheese Garlic Toast. The amount of cheese for  cheese pizza  was less to be honest, and I honestly felt it wasn’t worth more than half that price. Rating: Taste: 3/5 Cost: 3/5 VFM: 3/5 Delivery Service: 4/5 Overall: 3/5 [fb_album id=”1103383173006765″ order=”asc”]

Arabian Delights – This is a hidden gem that I discovered by chance, thanks to my curiosity. After my colleague Asif introduced me to Shawarma last year, I’ve become a fan to the  divine dish.  When you love something, you start hunting for the great places to have it. This is exactly what I did and I chanced up on Arabian Delights after a short hunt. I’ve been here numerous times, and to my considerable surprise and happiness, they’ve been consistent across months with their Shawarma. Though they have Shawarma rolls, which cost Rs. 70 (With veggies) and Rs. 80 (Without veggies) each, I usually go for their Shawarma plate, which is priced at Rs. 120 with 2 extra Kuboos, making the total to be Rs. 140 including 4 Kuboos. Their signature garlic sauce with their finely shredded chicken makes their shawarmas a treat for everyone ! The main downside to this place, however, is their ambiance. It’s a dingy shop located amongst many larger shops on the pavement. Th...

I recently placed a home delivery order from Charminar in Anna Nagar East, thanks to the rains that prevented me from venturing out. I had ordered for  Mushroom Biryani and Paneer 65  from them. Mushroom Biryani: OMG ! It’s easily one of the best I’ve tasted so far. I had ordered for a single portion of it, but what I had got instead was something I could have for 2 meals 😀 Generous quantity of Biryani, even more generous quantity of Mushroom set it apart from most others who are quite stingy when it comes to Biryani (Yeah, which evil mastermind does that ?). It was quite spicy, but I’m not gonna complain about that, since it was very much enjoyable. Paneer 65: Another Wow ! The paneer was quite succulent and the it wasn’t like the usual batter fried Paneer that we regularly get. It was fried, but had been marinaded well before that and the flavor was quite rich in this. Goes without saying, it was spicy as well 😉 Accompaniments:  These were actually a bit of ...

I’ve been to this CCD Outlet in Anna Nagar West (15th Main Road) numerous times, and sadly, their only consistency has been with their drop in quality and service. In fact, it has been dropping so consistently like that something that drops from the trees when you go out wearing a new shirt. Thus, the week before last, when I went here, it was with some apprehension. I was proved right with my apprehension. I ordered the Pomegranate Lemon Frostea, which was mentioned as Rs. 95 in the menu. This is how the conversation went: Person at CCD Counter (Him): Rs. 174 sir Me: But how? It shows Rs. 95 Him: Taxes extra Me: Taxes add up to almost twice the price is it? Him: Flavors are also there na Me: What flavors? Him: Pomegranate, Lemon flavors Me: But I didn’t ask you to add the flavors, I just asked you to give me what’s listed in the menu Him: Sorry, but that Rs. 95 is only for plain iced tea. Me: It clearly mentions Pomegranate Lemon Iced Tea Him: No, we’ll bill tho...

We went to Sankranti, a restaurant in Anna Nagar East, that serves Andhra cuisine primarily. It was a chance visit, since I hadn’t really decided on Sankranti, and it was more on the lines of whichever is open at the time, since we went there around 2.50 PM, while most restaurants close for the afternoon at 3.00 PM. Boy, I’m now thankful I went here. We went for a Soup, starter, and 2 meals. Our order: Miriyalu Carrot Rasam (The Soup) Punugulu (The Starter) 2x Bhojanam (The Meals) Miriyalu Carrot Rasam: This one was an intense and passionate dance performance on our taste buds, with the soup being spicy enough to make a hard core pickle eater cry, while still being irresistibly tasty that I went back to it till it was finished. Loved every sip of it. Punugulu: Nothing special to mention here, tasted good, though my companion got some pieces which weren’t cooked/fried completely. Bhojanam: The usual Andhra meal fare: Nothing extraordinary, nothing too bad. Service: T...

I had tried The Perf Blend smoothies sometime back. I called them ahead, placed the order, and went to collect it (It’s operated on Take-away/delivery model, and since the place was close to my home, I opted for take away). I had also availed Sudharshan’s advise on choosing the blend. Smoothie: It tasted well, but the consistency was not that of a smoothie. It was more like a juice. Having said that, since it’s quite new, and has a passionate foodie behind it, I’m sure it’ll only get better and better from here. Rating: 3.5/5

So, I was coming back from work last week, got completely drenched in the rain and was very hungry. Nearer to my home, I took a small detour and ended up on Kettle. I wish I had gone there earlier now. I’ve been missing out on a great place for a long time. Now let’s get to the review. My order consisted of a Creamy Fusilli with Mushroom, Scones Combo and an Organic Kala Moti. Creamy Fusilli with Mushroom: This is the usual mushroom fusilli pasta, with some added cream. It tasted food(nothing to rave about) and started me on the path towards a full tummy 😛 Scones Combo: This is the first time I’m having Scones, so can’t compare them. But I liked what they had to offer. Organic Kala Moti: Now this, this I can rave about all I want. Being a Tea fanatic, I loved every sip of this divine blend from Kettle. For Rs. 80, the quantity offered is humongous. I had two cups of this and there was still some more left over in the Kettle(may be for another cup). It’s total VFM ! Service:...

Cream Centre ! One of the jain friendly, heavenly abodes for vegetarian foodies in Chennai ! I went with my family here on the 23rd of September, for celebrating my mom’s birthday. Since my parents are strict, orthodox vegetarians, I wanted a jain friendly place where they can eat without feeling uncomfortable. Cream Centre was the obvious choice for me then. We were greeted cordially by the stewards and were seated in a cozy table for four. I ordered for 2 tandoori rotis, 2 naans, 1 Malai Kofta, 1 Macaroni Magic and a Italian herbed chilli cheese toast. Malai Kofta: One word: WOW ! Macaroni Magic: Lovely, Yummilicious, heavily loaded with calories. Italian Herbed Chilli Cheese toast: Light on the stomach, but filled with calories, thanks to the cheese. Yummy as well. Total cost: Rs. 1134 for 3 of us, incl. all taxes and service charge. I went here for a second visit with my friend. This time we ordered the World’s Best Nachos, Half and Half Enchiladas, All in one Pasta, American Corn ...

Pantry d’or, the cozy little cafe on Anna Nagar will definitely make your tongue dance. Couple of my friends and I went here few days ago, to have a chit chat over good food. The place was very crowded and we had to wait for around 10 minutes to find a comfortable seating. I promptly placed an order for Cream of Broccoli Soup, Veg Wrap platter, Pesto Pasta and a 12″ Margherita with Olives and Jalapenos. The soup was the first to arrive, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration when I say it’s one of the cream soups I’ve had in recent times. It prepared our tongues for what was to be a feast. Next came the Pesto Pasta. Oh no, next went the pesto pasta. I mean, before I could even click a pic, it was half gone. I had to openly ask my friend to leave some, so that I can click a pic and taste it. It was that heavenly and all of us loved it ! Now came the Margherita. It was 6 slices of finger-licking, droolicious heaven for us. No seriously, this is one of the awesome pizzas I’ve had in Chennai a...

I was here yesterday. Ordered a Litchi Sundae. After waiting for 5 minutes, I got it. I must say, my taste buds were drooling already on seeing how it was presented. And it didn’t disappoint my buds. It was a lovely sundae. Priced at Rs. 110, it was totally VFM. Do try Creamy Inn when you’re craving for ice creams. Total VFM and a pleasant ambience set this place miles apart from the Ibaco’s around here. Overall: Quantity: 4/5 Taste: 4/5 Cost/VFM: 4/5 Ambience: 4/5 Overall: 4/5 Would definitely go here again.

I’ve been to Veg Punjabee Bites few times. And this place was impressive every single time. First time I went, I had the Punjabi Thali. Priced at Rs. 175, it had these: Butter naan, Tandoori roti, 3 gravies, 1 rice, raita, salad, pickle, papad and sweet. The quantity was more than worth the price we pay for it and taste was pretty decent. The waiters were polite and attentive. Second time I was there, I had Stuffed Mushroom Tikka and Cheese Garlic Paratha Combo. To put in one word how this experience was: Divine ! Recently, I went here with my mom for dinner. It was a bit crowded at that time and we had to wait for like 5 minutes before we got a table. We had a Paneer Paratha, Stuffed Kulcha and Butter naan, with Dal Maharani to go with it. Hara Bhara Kebab was tried for starters and Fresh Lime Soda, Rabadi for the dessert. The portions were quite filling and the taste was, yet again, divine. All in all, I’ve been impressed everytime I’ve been here. Overall: Quantity: 4.5/5 Taste:...

We went here for a quick lunch recently. The experience was just average to be honest. The Positives: 1. Ambience 2. Taste 3. Quantity 4. VFM Coming to the menu, This is what we ordered: Hummus(Medium), Kuboos, Cheese Naan, Paneer Hariyali Tikka, Punjabi Kofta, Zaitoon Favaco and Mini Falooda. Ignoring the breads which almost taste the same in most places, Hummus: This was plain hummus without any flavors. I like hummus in any form, so I had no complaints, though my companion felt it was too plain and bland. I would rate this ok. Paneer Hariyali Tikka: Again this tasted like most other places and no special touch was present. Punjabi Kofta: Very average. Wouldn’t mind missing it. Zaitoon Favaco: This was the King of our lunch. I absolutely loved it. I was starting to feel I would never visit Zaitoon Anna Nagar again,(Will be mentioning why shortly), but this made me change my mind. It was brilliant and lovely and yummy. I wish I had treated the place like a desserts-only, instead of tr...

The review is a bit old, as my last visit to this place was some weeks ago. I’ve been busy since then, and was able to write only now. I’ve been here couple of times and both the times, I found the place just ok. The first time I was here, it was a lazy afternoon, I ordered for a Badam Kheer and a Ghee roast. The waiter was polite, served the item and left without further ado and didn’t come till I was almost finished, to ask if I want anything else. The kheer was pretty decent and the dosa was ok. For the price they charge for the ghee roast, it could’ve been better. The second time I was here, I settled for a simple chapathi and coffee. They were decent enough. I’ll skip to the ratings now: Overall rating: Quantity: 3 / 5 Taste: 3.5/5 Cost/VFM: 3 /5 Service: 3.5/5 Ambience: 4.0/5 Total: 3.5 / 5 The place is better if you wanna spend some peaceful time with your family. Not good for a quick bite. Originally posted a month ago on Zomato:  http://www.zomato.com/review/zvEkb

This review is for our visit few weeks back. It was a lazy afternoon when we decided to try out this place, over Pasta Bar Veneto. We were greeted politely by the persons here, who also helped us with our orders. We ordered for a thin crust pizza, veg pasta, mushroom omelette, vitamin drink and a jaljeera juice, paneer tikka. Pasta: Pasta was ok. I would not say over the top or very bad. It was ok. Pizza: Maybe I’ve had too much of conventional pizza to appreciate this one. The taste was good, but the crust was bad. They said they prepare their dough and make their own crust. But I would rather call it as a Papad pizza rather than a thin crust pizza. The crust was that thin. In fact, I’ve had Masala Papads as thick as this crust. Again, taste was good. Drinks: I’ve no complaints on this department. They were good. Mushroom Omelette: I didn’t taste this, but my companion who did, said this one wasn’t up-to the mark. Apparently the taste was very bad. And it made them sick later on the d...

Tried their Andhra Bhojanam. Priced at 153(incl. taxes) it’s a total VFM ! And they are pretty decent at their service too. The Andhra Bhojanam spread has some 12 items + Unlimited Rice + Podis + Pickles + Ice Cream + a banana. And the items are based on Andhra Cuisine(what else can you expect from a Specialty Andhra restaurant? ) As for the taste, it is pretty decent. I wouldn’t call it out of the world, but it’s worth every paisa that you pay. Ratings: Quantity: 4.5/5 Ambience: 2/5 Service: 3.5/5 Taste: 3.5/5 VFM/Cost: 4/5 Overall: 3.5/5 Originally posted 6 months ago on Zomato:  http://www.zomato.com/review/BLOvd

Went here for a quick bite, after a longer, round-about travel after work. Ordered some sponge cake thing(forgot the name) and a Yogurt Blueberry Cake and a Diet Pepsi. The sponge cake was not upto the mark and was just ok. The Yogurt Blueberry cake on the other hand was quite yummy and tasted pretty good. As for diet pepsi, I don’t feel it qualifies for a review Ratings: Service: 3/5 Taste: 4/5 Quantity: 3/5 VFM: 2.5/5 (I still feel French Loaf is over-priced, not worth the price tag) Ambience: 3/5 Overall: 3.5/5 Originally posted 6 months ago on Zomato:  http://www.zomato.com/review/voARg

This was actually a follow-up visit after my previous experience here  (link directs to my Zomato review), which was very poor. This time though it was considerably better than last time. The food was served in a decent amount of time(The service was still slower than most other places I’ve been to, but compared to my last visit, it was much better this time) The food was, as usual, great. Overall, it was a pleasant experience. Will keep visiting this place to see if the speed of service improves(there is still room for some improvement, but no complaints this time as it was not too slow) Ratings : Cost : 3.5 / 5 Ambience : 3.5 / 5 Quality, taste : 4 / 5 Service : 3.5 / 5 Overall : 3.5 / 5 Originally posted 7 months ago on Zomato:  http://www.zomato.com/review/OxkXL

Went with my girl and mom here. Though it was a busy time, we were able to get a table immediately. We ordered a soup, two starters(a tikka and a roll), a salad, one bhaingan bartha, couple of phulkas and couple of naans. With my previous experiences I was expecting to get the food after 30 minutes. Therefore, I was surprised when I got the soup in 5 mins. Within 5 mins from that a starter arrived. We finish it the next one comes. And this continued till the end. Only the salad was delayed but then it had so many ingredients in it that it’s a meal by itself. After that we ordered a ice cream and 2 sundaes, which arrived in the next 5 mins. In the end, the bill arrived, which was considerably nominal considering the amount of food we had consumed. Except for the first 5 mins for the soup to arrive, and the last 5 mins for the ice cream, we never had to wait. Now for the marks, Ambience : 7/10 Service: 8/10 Food: 9/10 Cost: 8/10 Overall: 8.5/10 Would I recommend it? Yes I’ll definit...