Pizza Republic - Mogappair *A CFG Showcase*

With the dawn of the New Year, came the 1st Showcase of the Chennai Food Guide for the year 2013. Having become a phenomenon in the social media networks, Pizza Republic finally wanted to open up their offerings to the demanding bloggers of CFG. Pizza Republic opened its first outlet in Tharamani next to Ascenda IT Park. Following the tremendous success, new outlets have opened up in the last few months at Mogappair and Egmore with further outlets planned in the coming months in Besant Nagar, Nungambakkam, Ambattur, St. Thomas Mount and so on.

 

Having already been at the Tharamani outlets many a time and experiencing Mr. Ramakrishnan's innovations with Pizza, I immediately jumped on the bandwagon the moment I was informed that Pizza Republic Mogappair was organizing a Showcase. True to his style, Ramki (As he his fondly called) trumped us once again with his wonderful innovations on what all a simple pizza can be converted to.

 

As the pizza's at Pizza Republic are exceptionally yummier compared to other outlets in Chennai, I would today not be writing about their food but instead give you a culinary tour as to what all can be made in the name of Pizza's. My earlier blog on Pizza Republic can be found at http://www.foodinchennai.com/2012/11/pizza-republic-tharamani.html

 

Well here begins the amazing photolog from the CFG Showcase at Pizza Republic - Mogappair.

(Focaccia)

A simple pizza rather pizza base/flat bread sans any cheese delicately seasoned with Olive Oil and Ramki's selection of herbs.

(Cheese-less Pizza)

(Cheese-less Pizza)

What, a Pizza without Cheese??? Yes you read it right!!! A regular Pizza with amazing toppings minus any cheese. Did taste yummy though but would definitely prefer pizza's with cheese. What good is a Pizza without cheese. As well not have one.



(Pesto with Shallots Pizza)

A thin crust pizza having shallots and an amazing spread of Pesto sauce.

(Pesto Pizza Puff)



(Cheesy Pizza Puff)

(Cheesy Pizza Puff)

(Array of Pizza Puffs)

Another one of Ramki's on the spot innovation. "Pizza Puffs". They were just mind boggling. The moment the photographers completed their mindful duty of clicking, the puffs disappeared in a jiffy.

(Calzone)

(Calzone Deconstructed)

Another innovation from Ramki, the Pizza Republic "Calzone". Personally feel that it would have tasted even better if it was a tad more cheesy...

(White Chocolate Cake - Priya NM)

(White Chocolate Cake - Priya NM)

A surprise cake from fellow CFG member Ms. Priya NM. An yummy White Chocolate Cake. Nishanth of CFG formally cut the cake to begin 2013 with a bang.



(Achar Pizza)

(Achar Pizza)

Presenting a typical Indian style Pizza, The Achar Pizza. Never felt like I was eating a Pizza instead was more like having Chappathi/Parotta with Achar.

(Veg Pizza with Extra Cheese)

A fully loaded Cheeeessssyyyy Pizza.

(Pizza??? Cheese??? Frog Legs???)

(Multigrain Crust)

 The perfect Multi-grain Crust.

(My Order of the day)

(Again the Tandoori Chicken Pizza with Multigrain Crust)

 This was my order for the day. A Multi-grain Pizza with Tandoori Chicken, Olives, Corn and Garlic. This was probably one of the best combinations I've ever made at Pizza Republic. Lest I forget, Inspite of the pizza getting cold, thanks to the photo session, I was still able to stretch the pizza up to an approximate height of 3ft.

(That's the Pizza Stretch in progress - Pic Courtesy: Chinna)

That's me attempting a try at the longest pizza stretch record. As the pizza had cooled down, managed only close to 3 ft where as the existing record is at 4ft plus. I guess I still hold the record at least at the Mogappair outlet.

(A spicy Pizza with extra Jalapeno's)

 If my order was the best I'd done so far, this Pizza was by far the hottest I'd ever tasted. A Spicy pizza with extra Jalapeno's. It would be a fiery challenge for anyone to finish this stuff up without hunting for a lake...

(Pineapple/Hawaii Pizza)

Having heard a lot about Hawaiin Pizza, thought today would be a good time to taste the same. Personally used to wonder how can people ever have pineapple on a pizza. But to my dismay, it did taste nice. Gave a whole new dimension to the taste buds.

(Dosa+Pizza=Dizza)

(Sliced up Dizza)

Although taken from one of my earlier visits to Pizza Republic - Tharamani, thought it would make sense having yet another of Ramki's innovation in this photolog. As you can see, Ramki cooked up the Italian version of our very own Dosa. Aptly named Dizza, this one is guaranteed to blow your mind off. This is available only when Ramki is present in the Kitchen and when you order ensure you ask for loads of cheese.

 

(Puttu Maavu Pizza)

This too is from an earlier visit while we were exploring the possibilities of having a gluten-free pizza. And impromptu came the idea from Ramki to try using Puttu Maavu to make the dough and voila. This Simple Puttu Maavu pizza with Tomatoes and Cheese were damn crispy and delicious.



(Yummmmmmmmm!!!!)

And finally, a first time attempt at making a gif animation. This is a classic example of how tasty and cheesy pizza's from Pizza Republic can get. I can vouch that every slice of your pizza is gonna be yumm!!!. Any guesses as to who was my model. Folks from CFG, any guesses???

 

So what more are you waiting for. Head straight to your nearest Pizza Republic to experience the Republic Fantasy.

 

Pizza Republic outlets are locates in Tharamani, Mogappair and Egmore. You can get more details on their location by visiting https://www.facebook.com/PizzaRepublic.India

 

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The Sweet Story

Talk about chocolates and tell me who doesn't love them. Gone are the days when chocolates were associated only with children. It is very common now for everyone to indulge in the fantasies of chocolates. Today's blog is about a sweet's story that is 'The Sweet Story'.

It was a regular get together of a few foodies at Pizza Republic and assuming that I would be indulging only on pizzas, I was at Pizza Republic totally unprepared for what was in store. In due course of the evening, I was informed that today would be the launch of a new home venture by Chestha Malik. Known as 'The Sweet Story', it indeed led to a very sweet story about how the rest of the evening transpired. 

(Rocky Road)

'The Sweet Story' is an attempt at making different dishes mostly with a single core ingredient. Almost every offering from The Sweet Story makes use of this ingredient in one form or the other. I'm sure you would have guessed that wonderful ingredient by now, yes Chocolates.

After having relocated to Chennai from New Delhi, Chestha Malik and her husband have followed their long time passion of sharing joy by means of dishing out different dishes made up of chocolates. The concept behind The Sweet Story  is that you can not only order for home made chocolates but take it a step further by also ordering home made desserts based on chocolates. 

Arriving a little behind schedule, this team of husband and wife instantly got on with the preparations for the launch of The Sweet Story. While the foodies were anticipating what was in store for us, Mr. Ramki from Pizaa Republic delighted us with another of his specialty. Keeping in theme, he dished out a very unique Dessert Pizza with sauce of chocolate and other sweet toppings (More on than at a later post).

(Dessert Pizza/Courtesy: Bharani Shivakumar)

Once the offerings from The Sweet Story were aesthetically arranged on a make shift display table, all we foodies pounced upon each other to see what was so special. Boy were we excited. The entire table was filled with delicacies that had the chocolate stamped all over it. Even a chocolate hater would have converted to an ardent chocolate lover. No wonder Chocolates are aphrodisiac. This was the moment I truly regretted for not having my camera with me. But that did not stop me as the spread was so tempting and a review worthy. So I ended up borrowing the camera from Chestha's husband to start with the clicks. 

(The Sweet Story)

To begin with, let me first list all the desserts that were presented to us.

• Rocky Road
• Fruit Trifle
• Boozy Coffee Pana Cotta
• Watermelon & Blackcurrant Cup Cakes
• Chocolate Mousse
• Chilly Chocolates
• Berry filled Chocolates
• Sweet Hearts
• Chocolate enrobed fresh Strawberries
• Marzipan soft centered chocolates in Water Melon, Blackcurrant & Caramel
• Ginger Pineapple Pudding

(Boozy Coffee Pana Cotta)

(Cup Cakes)

To start with, the Rocky Road was just as the name suggests, a real rocky road with a different taste with every bite. The Rocky Road was also the name banner for The Sweet Story. The Fruit Trifle was a nice dosage of fruits with a small quantity of chocolate and was indeed very refreshing after the pizzas. The Boozy Coffee Pana Cotta were infact boozy. It had an almost impeccable balance between coffee and chocolate and was served in a beautiful miniature cup. Though didn't personally taste the cupcakes, heard from peers that it was mind blowing. 

(Chilly Chocolate & Berry filled Chocolate)

(Chocolate Mousse)

(Chocolate enrobed Strawberries)

Coming to the Chocolate Mousse, it was so rich and creamy that I had instantly fell in love with it. It will probably be one of the best mousses I've ever had. In regards to the different flavored chocolates, the chilly really took me by surprise as this was the first time I was indulging in one. It had a tinge of the chilly which was complimented by the smoothness of the chocolate. The Marzipan's were really chocolaty and the caramel one that I had was very subtle with the taste of caramel along with chocolate. The Chocolate enrobed fresh Strawberries was probably the closest competitor to the Chocolate Mousse. I guess that reveals how yummy they were. The strawberries were not too sour but were of the right taste. After this enormous indulgence with the different chocolates, decided to skip the pudding. I heard good opinions about this too from the other foodies gathered there.

If just reading the review made you yearn for chocolate, then wait no further. You can also begin your indulgence in yummy varieties of chocolates immediately. All you need to do is mail Chestha Malik at reachthesweetstory@gmail.com or call her on +91 98405 99101. You can also check out their facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/TheSweetStory.

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Pizza Republic - Tharamani

Who wouldn't want to have fresh Pizza's... That too on a Saturday night with friends...

After a quick plan-up with fellow CFGians, a bunch of us planned to spend the Saturday evening at the recently opened Pizza Republic in Tharamani. Having plenty of time between end of office and the planned meet up at Pizza Republic, a fellow CFGian and myself decided to head out to the Thai Food workshop which was organized by CFG. The mentor for the workshop was Mrs. Sara Koshy about whom I've heard heaps and was curious to taste her cooking. We were lucky enough to have a taste at the excellent Thai food that was prepared. The Buoroy dessert was out of the world. I was secretly gulping the stuffed lychees one by one after everyone left. How I wish I had really attended the entire workshop. Folks you can keep checking out the CFG events page Chennai Food Guide - Events to know more about their upcoming events.

Pizza Republic

Outlet + Kitchen

After having a sample of the wonderful Thai food, we promptly returned to Pizza Republic for the meet up. Having heard a lot about Pizza Republic, I was really waiting for an opportunity to visit this place. First impression was a bit intrigued. I was wondering how is it possible to make pizzas for so many customers in such a small place. But what I loved most was the seating. Albeit being small (considering this set up was more of a test kitchen turning main stream owing to the instant hit amongst customers), the outdoor seating was wonderful especially with the night time weather in Chennai of late being really enjoyable.  

Mr. Rama Krishnan

We were met by the co-owner of Pizza Republic, Mr. Rama Krishnan, who was very courtesy and kind enough to introduce us to the concept of Pizza Republic. The differentiating factor between Pizza Republic and other pizza joints in the city is the fact that Pizza Republic offers you the option of the fun filled D-I-Y (Do It Yourself) method of making your Pizza's. If pizza making really interests you, you just need to follow the following steps.

1. Pick up a 9" or 12" pizza box from the counter top.
2. Select your choice of crust [Italian, Soft Pan, Multigrain, Thin Crust and Stuffed Crust].
3. Select how spicy you would like your Pizza [Not Spicy, Medium Spicy, Extra Spicy].
4. Select how much cheese you would like [Not Cheesy, Normal, Extra Cheesy].
5. Select all the toppings that you would need according to your preference.
6. Hand over the box to the cashier for billing and inform him that you would like to make your pizza.

You may be asked to wait sometime in the event of the kitchen being busy but this is not the case often as their turn around time is pretty high for a pizza joint. You'll then be asked to wear the head cap and hand glow before entering the kitchen to keep up with their strict quality control standards. 

Now the fun begins. You will at first hand see how the pizza base dough is being made and spread on the pizza pan following which you will be able to add the sauces, toppings and cheese as per your order. The process is pretty much the same in case if you would like to have a salad before you pizza. Mr. Rama Krishnan can also customize his offerings to your requirements if you can check with him before hand. Once your pizza is placed on the conveyor oven, your job inside the kitchen is over and you can get back to your table and relax (rather anticipate with excitement  for the arrival of your pizza, which shouldn't take more than 15 minutes. 

Choose your pizza

Dough being prepared

Freshly made Pizza base

Selection of toppings

Making my own pizza

Here it goes at one end

The pizza's were the best of all. They were fresh, juicy, cheesy and light on the palate. Yes a pizza being light on your palate. I believe the reason could be the freshly prepared dough for the pizza base rather than those pre-made ones you get at other pizzerias. The pizzas were so yummy that we were on an ordering spree and infact lost count at the total number of pizza's the group had. My rough estimate would be close to 6 pizza's among a group strength of 8. I'm sure this gives an idea about how tasty it was. The pizza's kept coming and disappearing in a jiffy.

Deliciously out the other end

Fresh and Hot

So Yummmmm!!!!

During the course of the evening, we were also told about a very unique ability of their pizza box. The pizza box at Pizza republic is a custom design that ensures that a couple of pizza slices can be effectively packed and carried by ladies inside their clutch. If you are wondering how, check out the picture below which is the base of the box converted for a easy carriage of leftover pizzas.

Easy takeaway for the leftovers

Prior to my visit their, I was informed that this place was a real pocket friendly, value for money pizza outlet. True to the opinions, it hardly costed Rs. 300 per head for an enormous serving of pizza's and salads. The point to be mentioned is that most of us even took takeaways that evening. Am not too sure about what others felt [I've not heard anything against so far], so presuming it was the same with all others, the pizza's when reheated taste as good as how it tasted fresh from the oven. Folks at home have become an instant fan of Pizza Republic and its concept such that the nagging for a family visit started of instantly.

Bottom-line....

This is one pizza joint that is gonna stay here forever.. True to its name, this is indeed a Republic to true Pizza lovers...

Pizza Republic is located on CSIR Road [off Rajiv Gandhi IT Expressway], Tharamani. It is before Ascendas on the left and is located within the same compound as Copper Chimney.

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