Food is as much about History as it is about Geography…
 
The ITC Grand Chola plays host to the ‘Cuisine of the Navaithas’ for the next few days. as a part of their 'Kitchens of India' series.
The Nawaitha’s (also spelled Navayath and Nawayat) are a Muslim community concentrated mostly in coastal Karnataka, pockets of Banglore and some parts of Tamil Nadu around Gingee. It is an ethnic society, having its own unique traditions and distinct cultural identity. The Nawayathi community holds an important place among the other coastal Muslim communities. There are smaller distributed pockets of Nawayaths in Bhatkal , Honnavar, Byndoor,  Malpe and Basrur in Karnataka and in Arcot district in Tamil Nadu. Meenambur, a small village close to Gingee south of Madras in Tamil Nadu, is the largest of these. The Navaitha community is also present in Chennai around Royapettah who have moved from Meenambur.

They trace their ancestry back to the Arab and Persian traders who arrived on the Western coast of South India during the medieval era. The Nawayaths are spread around India and the rest of the world. They maintain their strong sense of community and identity which is evident in their Culinary traditions.  
 
Here is a forgotten cuisine story shaped by migration and rootedness, Indians, their British masters and their regional rulers. In the middle of the eighteenth century, the Urdu speaking Muslim settlers of Gingee in Tamil Nadu followed their British masters to fight the war against Tipu Sultan during the ‘Anglo Mysore wars’ of the later end of the 18th Century.
 
The Madras Sappers set up base in hospitable Bengaluru and their Muslim soldiers ( predominantly Navaitha Muslims ) settled down besides them. The Navaitha Muslims brought with them the secrets from the Mughal Kitchens, their ability to weave magic with select use of spices and their flare with the grills and meats. Their cuisine is an irresistible blend of Mughal and Nawab traditions, savoured with select spices.

Gingee the fortified royal center and a melting pot, had seen the reign of Mughal as early as the 17th century, who brought with them the royal cuisine as they fought their way to the south. They were quick to soak in the local flavours, adopting them yet maintaining the uniqueness of their cuisine. They could also use the tawa to their advantage, churning our many a delicacy on the humble griddle. They had the ability to use local vegetables and combine them with meats, as well as traditions of cooking rice with meats.
 
Since a lot of the cuisine developed during the many wars, there was a lot of accent on one pot cooking and maximum utilization of minimum resources, which is evident in the ways they looked at using every part of the sacrificed animal in the cooking.

The Starters

We were served range of starters from the traditional Navaitha cuisine.

Aloo Methi Tikki : Potato and Fenugreek cutlets fortified with traditional spices. This was one of our favourites.

Soya Kabab : Soyabean and Potato cutlets, fried on a tava and finished with traditional spices

Murgh Sina Kabab: Literally means 'Kebabs made of Chicken breasts' marinated and cooked in a girdle

The Next starter was the one I found the most interesting ...

Gurda Kapura : which literally means the Kidney and Testicle !!! This basically consists of Testicles and Kidneys of lamb cooked in Spicy Onion Tomato gravy. 
Incidently this dish is a very famous Lahori street dish and probably originated from there and was carried from there. Its known as 'Taka Tak' in lahore (becasue of the sound made while the dish is being prepared and hence avoiding naming the 'kapura' ),,This is one of the instances where the Navaitha cuisine involved not wasting any parts of the lamb.

Main Dishes

Paya Khamiri : Lamb trotters slow cooked in a hearty flavoured broth finished with a black stone flower powder. The Paya was served with freshly prepared Idiappam.
​

Rice fare

Yakhni Pulao : Consisted of Rice and lamb cooked together in a hearty lamb stock and then fished with spices. The flavour of the mutton and rice had integrated well and was one of the stand out dishes of the evening 

Lehsun ka Pulao : which consisted of Basmati rice and garlic cooked with mild spices over dum.

Main Course

Methi Ghosht : which was braised lamb which was finished with fresh Fenugreek. This was another standout dish.

Masale Wale Machi : This was a spicy fresh preparation, in which the fish was marinated in a spicy traditional marinade and then fried.

Tamatar Paneer : Paneer cooked with tomatoes and green Chillies.

Tamatar Dalcha : This was a preparation of Bengal Gram cooked with tomatoes and southern spices

Khatta Baingan : Baby Eggplant which is cooked in a sour gravy. This was another dish that i found interesting !

Soya Lauki : Bottlegourd cooked along with Dill leaves. This was a fabulous dish and one of the best of the evening. The fact that 'Lauki' which is the enemy of nearly every child can be cooked to taste this amazing was indeed a revelation.

The Vegetarian dishes were the absolute surprise of the festival especially since you expect the Meats to steal the show , but the amazing Vegetarian mains held their own !!

Desserts

Methi Boondi Ki Kheer : Sweet gram drop pudding finished with reduced milk

Seviyan : Extremely thin Vermicelli cooked with Milk and sugar syrup.

Both the dishes were outstanding with just the right amount of sweetness ! 

The above mentioned dishes were the ones that were part of the 'Navaitha' Cuisine. Other than this the usual components of the Buffet of the 'Madras pavillion' were served, which included selections from Tamilnadu, Andhra, Manglorean and Kerala dishes.
There was a huge selection of Western and Oriental fare.
Added to this was the HUGE selection of Desserts, which included traditional indian desserts, western dessserts and pastries.

A brief snapshot of some of the dishes posted below !

There were also some pretty interesting wine offers too along with the Dinner !!

This festival was curated by Chef K P Srinevasu – Senior Master chef at ITC Windsor who has been responsible for researching the cuisine and bringing it to the fore. He was ably supported by the resident Chefs of the Grand Chola to bring out the nuances of this wonderful Cuisine !!

The festival menu is on till the 28th of December and priced at INR 2100 plus taxes

Timing: 07:00pm to 11:30pm (Dinner Only)

At the Madras Pavillion, ITC Grand Chola !

Don't Miss it !!

On a trip to Starbucks a couple of weeks back I was intrigued by a sign behind the Baristas which displayed their New signature range of Macchiatos. I unfortunately had a coffee craving that day and stuck to my usual Cappuccino.
 
However a coupld of days back I decided to give the Macciato’s a try. I decided to order both the machiatos that were on Offer.
 
BTW : Macchiato is an Italian word meaning “marked.” In this case, it refers to the espresso poured over the top, “marking” the steamed milk.
 
Chocolate Hazelnut Macchiato:
A combination of chocolate and hazelnut with coffee. Velvety steamed milk and espresso is infused with an aromatic chocolate and hazelnut syrup finished with a layer of micro foam and a chocolaty, nutty drizzle. I had the cold drink version with crushed ice
Butterscotch Macchiato: 
This drink had a distinct toffee & caramel flavor These flavors combine with velvety steamed milk, Starbuck’s signature  espresso, and is topped off with butterscotch drizzle
Both the drinks had a distint layer of expresso, steamed milk and a cross hatch finish.
I enjoyed both the drinks, though I favoured the Choclate Hazelnut Macchiato a tad better than the Butterscotch.
The two drinks put me back by a little over 500 rupees..Go try it !!!

Spice 29! Yes that was the name of the restaurant where I had the opportunity to sample few dishes last weekend.  It is located in the same compound as Dewberry (Off Radhakrishna Salai).

Though the approach from Radhakrishna Salai was a tad bumpy on account of some road work, the moment one enters this compound, where restaurant is located, the first thing that strikes you is the surprising lush greenery all around. Like a quiet oasis amidst the hustle and bustle of the city!

Spice 29 is an attempt at providing diners with a predominantly Indian Menu. Incidentally 29 refers to the door number of the property and the number of states in India (though I suspect both numbers are likely to change :-D )

I have listed out the dishes along with a description caption, along with the Photographs.

The Starters

1.    Mushroom cappuccino soup ( this is from Dewberry's menu)
2. Kozhi rasam
3. Mumbai style onion bhajia
4. Malai Broccoli
5. Nut stuffed paneer
6. Tandoori chicken
7. Uslampatti ghee roast Chicken
8. Karaikudi  spiced winglet popons with cheese
9. Chennai Meen varuval 

Main course
  1.  Appam
  2. Bread basket- Roti/ Naan/ Malabar Paratha
  3. Vegetable  stew
  4. Dal baneras - Black Dal
  5. Chicken chettinad
  6. Lamb shank roganjosh

My Picks

1.      Cappuccino of Mushroom soup - This particular soup is served in a cup like cappuccino and served with a garlic flavoured Crosstini .
2.     Malai Brocolli - was succulent and looked inviting
3.     Uslampatti Ghee Roast Chicken served  with masala fries was truly relish worthy
4.     Chennai Meen Varuval – home style and really appetizing
5.     Nut Stuffed paneer - was unusual but delicious

Bottom Line

The tasty food combined with an extremely pleasant ambience makes Spice 29 a very good proposition. A meal for two would roughly cost around Rs. 1000 exclusive of the taxes. Spice 29 is located at 29 Rajasekaran street, Off Radhakrishna Salai (next to the Van Heusen Showroom)

The name – Basil with a Twist, followed by a couple of posts on the food group had me intrigued.  A new place in Tnagar, which served Continental food and actually had European chefs!  My daughter and I decided to give it a try.  Locating their facebook page and reservation for the weekend followed in quick succession.  

The restaurant is situated on Habibullah Road, was fairly easy to find. Ample parking in front of the premises was another plus. The first thing that strikes you as you enter is the fully glass-enclosed kitchen completely visible from every side. The décor too was pleasant.

From our menu we decided on the Balkan Platter starter, the Lamb Sach of the day and the Beef fillet Steak.  While we were placing our order the promoter Mr. Bogdan joined us.

I seized the opportunity to try to understand more about him and the restaurant. Mr. Bogdan is from Serbia and is an expert in Supply Chain management. He has been in India for over 5 years and has spent considerable time in North India, especially in Varanasi.

He explained the philosophy behind the restaurant. He likened it to the dish I ordered, the “Sach”. Pronounced Sach (truth) in Hindi, he went on to say that his philosophy was about truth. They believed in being extremely transparent about the process and were particular about hygiene in the kitchen. He claimed that most patrons feared that the kitchen may not be sterile and the due processes may not be followed. 

The food is predominantly from the Balkan regions and also the Mediterranean.  They are very clear that they want to have ample choices for the vegetarians too. The menu, he says, will be constantly evolving based on the feedback from the patrons.

Chef Jovan and Chef Goran are the two Chefs, who are also Serbian. It was a pleasure to watch them at work. Like a live Masterchef session on a large screen! :))

The Balkan platter consisted of Chunks of Cheddar Cheese and Feta Cheese, Green leafy salad with strips of Posquitto, assorted olives, fresh figs and almond and a dip.

Sach is a dish from the Balkans. It is basically lamb that is soaked in its own juice for over 8 hours and is slow-cooked (usually in a clay pot) along with vegetables, in this case potatoes and carrots. The lamb was succulently soft and the meat was literally just peeling off the bone on touch. The vegetables cooked in the juices of the lamb tasted yummy too.

The Beef fillet steak was extremely soft and juicy. We ordered the steak with pepper sauce and it’s always a good sign to see pepper corns in the sauce. I gathered from Mr. Bogdan that a lot of care is taken to procure the right meat. They let the meat hang in order to age.  And trust me, it showed in the taste and flavour of the steak. This was undoubtedly the best steak I have had in Chennai 

For desserts we ordered the Baklava ice-cream and the Chocolate mousse. I have had Baklava ice-cream earlier and it did full justice to the name. Unlike the Baklava, the ice-cream lacked the pyllo and had nuts predominantly.

The Chocolate Mousse with its cherry based topping, an excellent combination I must say, literally melted in the mouth and was outstanding!

The total cost for two inclusive of beverage and desserts was a little over Rs 2000.

Verdict: A must visit place with an excellent ambience and delicious food.

I had been to Chao, the pan asian restaurant in T nagar on a few occasions earlier and have been very impressed with the ambiance and their food.  The first time I walked into the restaurant I thought to myself " With So many Serene Buddha portraits and paintings around a place cannot go wrong" and I wasn't wrong. Chao serves food from Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore. Over my visits I had compiled my 'Must have' list at Chao, which I feel is their specialty.
1. Tom yum Soup
2. Raw mango salad
3. Their Flat noodles (Kwey Mao I think)
4. Thai Grilled fish
5. Wasabi prawns
6. Dimsums
7. Jasmine Rice
8. Pumpkin Custard.

When a group of bloggers from the CFG were invited to Chao, I was looking forward to having a couple of the dishes that I had listed above. But I was pleasantly surprised when we were served a meal that was not on the menu in the Private Dining Area in the basement and it did not have a single item that i had listed above. 

Each dish out did the previous one and it was one of those rare occasions when one could not find a single thing wrong with either the food or the presentation. 

There could not have been a better demonstration of the culinary skills of the Chef and the fact that the establishment could dish up a " made to order" menu for a private dinner or lunch. The dinner menu we had was priced at about 1500 per person, and menus's apparently can be tailor made to one's budget.

A must Visit !!!
CHAO
North Boag Road, Lakshimi Colony, T Nagar, Chennai, 
Phone:044 6555 5553

Being an only child, has it’s perks, but having to make the choice of the restaurant to dine in every time we go out is definitely not one of them, in my opinion. So this time, I insisted that it was my dad’s turn. He suggested that we try something new. I, being the fussy critical one, wasn’t very enthusiastic to try something new, as to me, 'new' more often than not ends up being 'bad'.  We decided on going to Chap Chay, Raintree a Chinese restaurant.. But my expectations were merely a dot compared to how marvelous the dining experience was.

My dad and I, were greeted into the restaurant with wide, pleasant smiles. This is one of the things i look out for personally when I enter a restaurant.  We were then seated with the menu’s in front of us. We decided to try the chap chay. In Chinese chap means stir fried and chay, vegetables.

The waiter, then lead us to a table, which had an assortment of vegetables. So basically, we had to fill our bowl with the veggies of our choice and then the noodles. There was tomato noodles, whole wheat noodles flat noodles and spinach noodles and next to it, an assortment of proteins. Next, we had to pick out the sauces according to our taste, spicy or not too spicy. This was then stir fried.  When we got back, there was a little surprise waiting for us at our table. Crispy banana with vegetables. It was a delicious explosion of flavours. Finally, the stir fried food was sent to our table.

The idea was that we could different combinations and, Oh did we!1 The taste was spectacular, one reason being that it was  freshly made. The different flavours of the elements worked in harmony, creating a burst of flavour. I absolutely  loved it, an empty plate being proof enough.

Next was desert. I was eagerly waiting to order the jellied water chestnuts in coconut milk, having tried it before. Needless to say, i enjoyed every bit of it.

The check was given to us, accompanied with two complementary heart shaped chocolates, which i think was a very cute idea. At the end of it all, we were left with pot bellies and well content.
 It was a wonderful dinner and i wouldn’t mind going again, or rather, i would love to. To anyone who wants to try something new or even to go out for a bite, i would honestly and highly recommend chap chay, as personally, i loved every minute of it


Review by Aishwarya

Haagen Dazs has been a favorite Ice Cream brand of mine for quite a long while. Four months ago in Johannesburg i remember dragging somebody or other from the CSK (including our own M.S.D and his Missus ) to the Haagen Dazs parlour every evening at the Sandton Mall. I have done that to my wife and daughter whenever we have traveled abroad.
Haagen Dazs has been a favorite Ice Cream brand of mine for quite a long while. Four months ago in Johannesburg i remember dragging somebody or other from the CSK (including our own M.S.D and his Missus ) to the Haagen Dazs parlour every evening at the Sandton Mall. I have done that to my wife and daughter whenever we have traveled abroad.

So when I had an invite to check out the Newly launched Haagen Dazs premium lounge in Chennai. I jumped at the offer. The one thing I noticed is that the ambience is lovely and is obviously pretty uniform the world over. They have the Displays on the Right as you enter and the seating on the other side.

The people around were busy sampling the ice creams. I went straight for the Belgian Chocolate  It is sort of my ice cream barometer test of Goodness. It tasted Yumm (as usual)...and convinced me that they are obviously importing the ice cream since the taste seems to be consistent with what I have had in any part of the world.

We were then shown some of their more customized offering by their Chef..." cup cake ice creams  which was basically cupcakes with ice creams or sorbets as fillings, topped with cream.
They then demonstrated their specialty " the fondue" which was basically a MAMMOTH bowl of chocolate surrounded by a variety of fruits, cookies, Brownies, mini scoops of ice creams etc...(priced at 1395 plus tax)

The pricing....

Single scoop Ice cream : Rs. 180
Double scoop Ice cream : Rs. 300
Specialty Ice cream : Rs.500
Large pint Ice cream : Rs 700
Shakes and Drinks : Rs. 300 approx
Sundaes 3 scoops : Rs 420
3 Cup Cake Ice cream desserts : Rs. 550

Yes..it is EXPENSIVE..but I guess its a great place to head out to when the occasion demands it...
My personal favorite is the Belgian Chocolate....

The Hagen Dazs lounge is on KNK road in Nungambakkam....


Note : I DID NOT accept the free ice cream tub and the Gift Vouchers that were offered by the event managers for the review :)