Crab Cakes at Cornucopia

Have you been to Cornucopia & Crimson Chakra at Adyar, If you haven't you must, better still I can take you there if you can pay me back with their Gourmet Crab Cakes :) 'Food for work style'

The word Cornucopia means Horn of Plenty - it is a medieval symbol of abundance and plentiful produce :)  They could not have chosen a better name for this restaurant! As the name suggests the portions were plentiful and food absolutely scrumptious ..

I dedicate this post to the delectable crab cakes served at cornucopia :D

I love the dips and salads they serve along with the crab cakes it was just perfect!

Smooth as silk these crab cakes taste like a slice of heaven, melts in your mouth and leave you wanting more..The color , the aroma, the texture, and the taste ~ perfect blend of YUM!

Please try the Gourmet Crab Cakes at Cornucopia I promise you'd fall in love with your starters! :)

~Fin~

P.S. If you want to experiment a bit you might want to try out the "Chennai Crab Cakes" @ Feugo read more  here :http://vasu-kitchen.blogspot.com/2011/06/feugo.html

Elaneer Souffle & Goat Tales

My friend and I treated  ourselves to a fine dinner at Cornucopia & Crimson Chakra on Onam day to kick start a loooooooong week end earlier this month. I will create a seperate post for the dinner we had but for now I am gonna sweet talk :P  

DESSERT!! 

Tender Coconut Souffle

Desserts are like mistresses......They are bad for you. So if you are having one , you might as well have two!

There is nothing that could describe "Elaneer Souffle" better than the quote above! I highly recommend you try it if you visit Crimson Chakra! I solemnly swear you will not regret it! I generally love the flavor of tender coconut so I think I am rambling on way more than usual :P

Comedy Times

It kinda reminds me of recent  funny incident which happened during the Ramzan day long drive my parents and I took few weeks back!  My parents and I went on an nice drive to Mahabalipuram on en route we pulled over to get a fresh drink ~ tender coconut water from one of the hundred vendors along the high way..

I  got myself a nice huge tender coconut chopped open and just as I was ready to SLLURRRRRRRRP away I noticed that I was being watched very closely .. by a mysterious stranger... Oh Goodie a GOAT! A nice plump, ferocious goat (I know I know)! It would not stop starring at me (and my tender coconut )! My parents asked me to just ignore the animal and convinced me it was absolutely harmless and no it is not ferocious! But the darn thing won't go away and no it won't stop looking at me either.  By then I just realized  the poor soul wanted to quench its thirst much like me, so here is what happened..

When I offered the goat the tender coconut it looked at me right in the eye as if to say 'Thanks Dudette' :P or may be it was just curious whether my camera was edible : D

Well I might not be Mother Teresa but I love animals and I loved to watch the mischievous goat slurp the coconut water and chomp away on the tender coconut flesh inside right out of my hand :) No no it was not one bit scary ~ it was much like feeding a friendly puppy dog  :D 

Lunch Buffet at BBQ Nation!

Prologue: This is one place I have been dying to try out ever since the infamous Bobby Ganesan SMS Joke went viral! (For those of you who do not know the Bobby Ganesan-Joke please scroll down to the end of the post). 

Barbeque Nation is located at t-nagar and is almost always super crowded! I was lucky to get a table for two on a Sat afternoon! But once you get in you realise this place is totally worth the wait!

 

The table for two had a hollow space in the centre much like all tables which was well concealed with a table décor which they remove as soon as you tell them you are ready for starters… and then they bring a box of HOT COALS and set it right in between the table! 

It is a sight to behold! And then it begins... a wide range of assorted starter begin to arrive – everything you  can imagine~ shrimp, fish , chicken, lamb kebabs along with grilled paneer, capsicum, mixed vegetables , mushroom and potatoes. 

They leave no space in your table, plate and stomach – Ultimate visual treat to actually have these on skewers getting slow roasted on your very on table.

The starters are unlimited and keep arriving non- stop until you hoist down the flag place in your table – kinda makes you feel like royalty : )

I clearly was too stuffed to eat main course however I tasted a spoonful of Dum Briyani, a piece of fish tikka masala, a spoon full of lamb spicy curry, some fresh lettuce salad and cut vegetables along with sprout salad.

The Lunch Buffet comes with complementary drinks of your choice!

For dessert I had (Hold your breath) ~ a slice of chocolate fudge, a piece of mango soufflé, strawberry soufflé, hot gulab jamoons, rice pudding, ice cream and fresh cut fruits!! 

I don’t have just one sweet tooth all 28 of ‘em are sweet!

Lunch buffet for two  would cost you about 1000 rupees and totally worth every rupee :)

Now the Bobby Ganesan Joke

A famous actor turned politician who is known as the Shakespeare of the South India (lets call him Mokkai Man for now) plans to take his buddy for dinner and conversation as follows..

Mokkai man: Macha (Buddy) let us eat out tonight, my treat!

Buddy: Wokay, but where?

Mokkai man: I have heard of this fantastic restaurant in the city called Bobby Ganesan.

Buddy: Huh! I have never heard of such a place!! What did you say?

Mokkai man: Dei Machi (Yo Dude) You are so ignorant!

(Later that night both friends arrive at the restaurant and the sign board outside reads ‘BARBEQUE NATION’!!!)

Buddy: *closes his head with his palms*

Mokkai man says “Eppudi”!! (How is it!!)

~Fin~

Suicide ~ Food for thought!

Today's top story ~ Girl commits suicide after her boy friend dumps her on Facebook !

This is soo disheartening..a girl so talented (not that if she was less talented I would care less) to pass out of IIT- Kanpur, work in Infosys, and get into IIM - killed herself for being dumped (whether on FB or G+ is not important) it kinda shows us that  though technology has developed so much, we are not ready to cope with its repercussions, nor have we built a dynamic social support system to check this- but then again suicide is more of a personal decision - a choice, so I guess I can't get away with blaming the society.. Sociologist Emile Durkiem the author of Le Suicide- THE SUICIDE  infers that the more connected people are to each other through the institution of religion the less likely they actually go through with suicide - I do not agree with all the inferences given in his book  but again it is note worthy point. My inference is - its  not the religion that prevents suicide but the fellowship of individuals  which give us the assurance that we are not alone, there has been worse, and yes this too shall pass. It is not religious ties which has the power to prevent suicide, religion is just a road to reach GOD!  

Personally I detest those who commit suicide because I believe it is the most selfish act a person does- almost the height of narcissism( self -love).  When a person decides to take one's life out he/she think solely about themselves, while  completely disregarding the devastating effect their suicide can cause to their family, their friends and the Gift of  Life.. It is almost as if you are making a mockery of  your Creator, your loved ones and Life when you contemplate suicide. You din't create your self into what you are now from a single celled Chimera you were - So no you DO NOT have the liberty to take your life out. Our creator shed his blood, sweat and tears to make you into what you are (flaws included) so do not disregard that and for once try to live for other than for yourself.

A break up  is merely the end of a relationship which is again just the end of JUST a single chapter in the book called Life.. its that and just that - nothing greater than that! and definitely not worthy of killing one self in an impulse.

If you ever feel life is rubbing you to dust and you feel life giving up think of two things.

I. Think  of the single most painful thing you have witnessed - For me it was the memory of an old homeless women, her eyes filled with tears and her face in pain, she used to sit near the suburban train subway, she never used to accept alms, or food from anyone, it was almost impossible to help her - whenever I think of her it moves me and whatever little trouble I have that has been putting me down seems smaller and more solvable than before..

II. Think of the most beautiful thing for me again it was the smile of child whom I met years ago, he was diagnosed with AIDS at 2 , yet he is living every moment or should I say loving every moment I cannot shake his smile of my head  ~ it makes me well up and realize there is so much to life than good grades, an envious body, a great pay package or a failed love life! There is LIFE waiting to be lived,  loved and shared with all. 


No one is alone,  if u think you are alone - Your senses are temporarily  impaired ..Try again the answer is No :) God created a Gazillion Human beings to keep each other loved!


And finally  ~ 

Use your imagination not to scare yourself to death but to inspire yourself to live!

"You were born with wings, why prefer to crawl through life?" ~ Rumi 

Fish Fry at Mahabalipuram

I am a true blue Chennaite, I look at interruptions as a welcome break, I look forward to the northwest monsoons which turn my hot and torrid city into a water theme park and I love the muggy weather caused due to the salty seas which surrounds my beautiful city.    

However my parents and I moved to the suburbs of Chennai about 3 years back after spending a little over two decades in the city. Its not that we don’t love the city but its just that we need to miss something for a bit to love it even more:P so yes moving on ..Since all three of us go to work if you step into our tiny suburban home in the morning hours you will see  - Alien Vs Predator Vs Godzilla kinda action :P i.e. our mad rush to work so when 2 weeks back Wednesday was declared a holiday for all 3 of us by our respective organizations,  we got up late had a leisure brunch and hopped on to our car and drove far away and spent the noon at Mahabalipuram.

An ancient town built during the Pallavas circa 7^th century A.D. I remember reading so much about the Pallavas Dynasty while preparing for a popular competitive exam I’d rather not talk about here :D  because I do not want to be digressing again. The history buff I am, I am REALLY tempted to write down about the Pallava kings who consolidated power at in the south and established good governance with their seat of power at Mamallapuram.. I am also tempted to write about My mum who loves the historic epic ‘Sivakamiyin Sapatham’ which centers around the power struggle between the Pallava Kings and Pulikesin but I wont bore you with those details :) 

Somewhere around late noon I got hungry & I needed a quick snack and I was overcome by the smell of fried fish which was way too tempting to resist. So I gave in.. My mom is a doctor so she generally does  NOT approve eating anything other than home made food (impossible probability in my case).. But I managed to convince her I would be just fine... And now the highlight of the afternoon..

Crisp Fried Red Snapper

I chose one of those tiny shacks along the way to the beach which give you a choice of different fish to pick from - My choice ~ a nice red snapper marinated with Madras Masala powder and shallow fried till crisp. It was so delicious YOU WILL WANT MORE! I was full with just one slice :) 


What a perfect way to cool off a long day than a slice of water melon :)


Over all it was a perfect day and I am thankful for life's little blessing.. 

Zha/ ழா Cafe

Sometime last month I had gone to ழா Cafe . Zha Cafe  located at adyar (I don't remember exactly where but its on the same street as swingers ) coming back to  Zha Cafe. What an amusing experience :) made me feel like I went back in time without a time machine ~ the food, the music, the ambiance everything makes you  feel as if you are in the 90s :D now isn't that cool!

A few friends from work decided to go tot Zha for a cup of coffee and a quick bit after work since its soooo close to work I was on board in no time ..Needless to say we had a great time!

All the rooms in the cafe had a theme I personally LOVE the room shown above its MOVIE theme~ so you can see a director chair, hero's chair, heroine chair and villain chair :D isn't that funny.. The one below is for the more serious types (not me)..

I have to mention about the music they played at the cafe , it was a assortment of HIT songs from 90s this again was very amusing cos clearly the last thing you'd expect to listen to while going to a cafe is Ramki hits and Karthick songs :P

We ordered the TEA KADAI menu along with our beverages :) Like the name suggests the Tea Kadai Menu is complete assortment of all the snacks that you would find in a Indian Tea Shop ~ it was funny and cute :)

Sanke gourd vadai~ Podalangai vadai was kinda unusual yet tasty and filling..

Cheesy dips ..Yummmmmmm

So someone in the cafe was celebrating his birthday with his family he was just too sweet to distribute cakes to everyone at the cafe :) just like in school dayz hahaha

What a delightful evening :) i m definitely going back for more :)

Ok i usually love to fill out feed back forms at the restaurants but we had to rush out but i just love the look and feel of the feed back form too :) may b next time I'd give them a good review and come but as for now I gottu run!

Two words~ I love!! :)

Bruschetta @ Blur

My friend T and I have been having a series of super weekends starting last month, much to the dismay of many :D Oh Well! So few weeks back we went to watch a critically acclaimed movie at Satyam cinemas (by accident) Actually what had happened was we both were suffering from Vit M deficiency as in we were in dire need to watch a movie....We had not planend ahead and we landed there on a Saturday afternoon hoping to get tickets :D and after we realized tickets to all shows were sold out.. it was Smurf Movie Vs  BOL !! Smurfs were ruled out, so T and I ran out to look at BOL poster and see if it was worth the trouble! Hehaha after I saw Atif Aslam's pic on the poster I convinced T!! After all this trouble we realized  it so happened we were 3 hrs ahead when we landed there and we really needed a place to lounge :D

Now I know Satyam has a nice place called ID - Idly dosai (where I love) and Ecstasy for chocolate lovers and Blur.. but I haven't tried Blur before cos I always imagined it to be a noisy over crowded place which it was :) with bad food but i wasa wrong about the food- Ok I take back what I said.. I dint try too much because I was too stuffed from the breaskfast I had at S&S I just a regular Bruchetta and Gobi 65 with Tawa roti.. But it was enough to convince me to come back for more ;)