A trip down Hollywood @ California Pizza Kitchen, Phoenix Market City - Velachery

When it comes to movie stars, I'm sure most of us believe that they have a very strict diet regime. But have you ever wondered as to what they would indulge in on those days that they set aside to binge without any restrictions? What could be the dishes your favourite movie stars like? If you have such questions, then you should head straight to California Pizza Kitchen. The pioneers in California-styled pizzas have introduced a limited time special menu that encompasses some of Hollywood's favourite dishes. The last time I was at California Pizza Kitchen, they wooed me their amazing pizzas & pastas. You can read the review here. So when I was invited to try their Hollywood menu, the expectation were quite high.

The special menu comprised of 2 Mocktails, 5 Pizza's, 2 Pasta's, 2 Speciality dishes and 1 Dessert. Once we were showed our way to the tables, we were briefly told about the why this special menu. Apparently CPK wanted to give their Indian diners a little peep into the life of Hollywood & what their celebs eat at CPK. It was all about showing the home of Bolly/Kollywood the food of Hollywood. 

(Hawaian Chicken & Grilled Pineapple Pizza)

(Jamaican Jerk & Chicken Pizza)

(Rustica Pizza)

(Spicy Sonora Pizza)

The first dish on the table was the 'Hawaiian Chicken & Grilled Pineapple' pizza. This is one pizza that had already made it's way into Chennai since the first pizza chain opened up, probably because it is a classic recipe. The next up was 'Jamaican Jerk & Chicken' pizza. This was more of a healthier pizza option as there were ample amount of spices, a unique pizza sauce, roasted peppers and the famous Jamaican Jerk Chicken. This was followed by the only vegetarian pizza in the special menu, the 'Rustica Pizza'. This ain't the same old Italian rustica but was more of a take by CPK made up of grilled zucchini, white mushrooms and olives over a very very thin crust. The penultimate pizza which was the ultimate pizza for me was the 'Spicy Sonora Pizza'. This was probably also the most favoured pizza amongst all of us. The sauce is a lime cream sauce with roasted corn & black bean salsa and some spicy smoked chicken along with cilantro. The last pizza to be served was 'Deli Style Bistro Pizza' which I had to skip as it contained bacon.

(California Peri Peri Chicken)

(Spinach & Paneer Malfati With Milan Sauce)

Once the pizza shower was over, we felt a quench and decided to try out their mocktails. Against the choices of 'Mango Mint Ecstasy' & 'Pineappe Twister', I went for the Ecstasy. Although the flavour of mango was somewhat present, the mint had a very overpowering effect thereby making it a minty drink. The next mains to be served were from the specials section. The 'California Peri Peri Chicken' was again a crowd favourite. The boneless chicken was grilled in their secret California peri peri marinade and then baked in a creamy sauce. We loved the dish so much that we went to extent of asking for one more serving of the same. This was followed up by the vegetarian special which was the 'Spinach & Paneer Malfati with Milan Sauce'. This was a Paneer-Spinach Gnocchi cooked in a creamy caramelized onion sauce served with roasted corn kernels and flavoured with Garlic and Feta Cheese. 

(Spaghetti Carretierra)

(Mediterranean Roasted Mushroom Spaghettini)

(California Delight)

The first pasta of the evening was the 'Spaghetti Carretierra' which was yet another CPK's twist of the Italian classic. Although it doesn't have any chunks of meat, this is a non vegetarian pasta as the creamy sauce is made use chicken broth. It also comes with bocconcini which are small ball shaped mozzarella cheese. The alternate vegetarian pasta on the menu is the 'Mediterranean Roasted Mushroom Spaghettini' made of roasted mushrooms, garlic, chillies, Mediterranean herbs and tossed in olive oil. It tasted similar to the pasta Aglio e Olio. To finish the evening, Hollywood's special dessert was served. Aptly named 'California Delight', it was a trio of white chocolate, strawberry & dark chocolate mousse with cranberries along with some almond praline to give some crunch.

A meal for two should cost about ₹ 1500 and the Hollywood Special Menu is up until the 16th of March, 2014.

California Pizza Kitchen in located on the ground floor of the swanky Phoenix Market City in Velachery.

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Italian Thali @ Tuscana on Chamiers - Alwarpet

For anyone across the globe familiar with Indian cuisine, the first thing that strikes their mind when you mention the word "Thali" is the large variety of dishes served on a single plate. This is different from a platter as the Thali is not shared amongst others on the table and is is usually ordered one per person and often forms a complete meal own its own. The usual components of an Indian Thali consists of 3-4 different currys, some short eats, Indian breads, rice and desserts. The Thali's do differ dramatically between North and South India and savouring one is an experience all by itself. 

Now, if the Thali's are so accustomed to Indian cuisine then take your imagination to the next level to what could be available at Tuscana on Chamiers, an Italian restaurant based in Chennai. I'm sure you might have guessed it by now. Yes for the first time in Chennai, we now have an Italian Thali. This innovate concept was the brain work of those behind Tuscana on Chamiers. In the right spirit of what a Thali should constitute, the Italian Thali available here have all the elements a conventional one would have such as salad, starters, mains & desserts. 

On offer are 5 different Thali menu with 2 options for the vegetable lovers and 3 for the carnivores out there. Being a group of three in which I was the only meat lover, I decided to go in for the Thali with Chicken as the main course while my peers decided to order both the vegetarian Thali so as to have a complete experience. While we were waiting for our Thali's to make their appearance in style, we were informed that Tuscana on Chamiers has also started catering to the Jain community by making Jain friendly pizzas. Now thats a big step for such a restaurant as it is quite challenging to dish out a Jain dish without losing the flavours that you would get in the regular version.

(Stuffed Capsicum - Jain Style)

(Another Jain dish)

(Jain Pizza)

(Jain Pizza)

After a few chit chats, the Thali's made their grand appearance. The moment I saw my Thali, I was taken back with the large portion sizes for each of the component. They were humongous and big a big eater, felt it would be too much even for me. My Thali had a 'Pan Seared Chicken Escalope' for mains and they were accompanied by a portion of garlic bread, salad, pasta and a dessert. The dessert was an 'Apple Pie with Vanilla Sauce'. Savouring the Thali was an wholesome experience in total as the different elements provided the right oomph factor for a complete meal. The vegetarian Thalis had Risotto Cakes & Crepes for their main dishes while the accompaniments were a soup of mushroom or tomato along with a portion of garlic bread. The other desserts that were part of the Thali options are the dense Chocolate Fudge cake and a walnut cake with honey syrup.

(Chicken Thali)

(Vegetarian Thali with Crepes)

(Vegetarian Thali with Risotto Cakes)

How can one visit Tuscana and not savour their amazing Tiramisu. And precisely for this reason even though we had reached our threshold, we went ahead and ordered for a portion of the yummylicious Tiramisu. As always it never disappointed us. Along with the Tiramisu we were also given another fantastic dessert available here, the Panacotta. To end up the evening, we were told we had a surprise dish. When it brought into the room, all of us had to heave a heavy sigh. It was a dessert pizza. The base was spread with Nutella topped with caramelized bananas and chocolate chips. With absolutely no more room for anything related food, we still couldn't give up the temptation and dived into it straight. It was just mind-blowing. If it was served earlier on during the evening, I'm sure I would have gorged upon two such pizzas. Just can't wait to go back for another one.

(Panacotta)

(Tiramisu)

(Tiramisu)

(Chocolate Pizza)

So if you need a twist to the contemporary Thali that you have been savouring for all these years, head straight to Tuscana on Chamiers to try their twist on Thalis. The Thalis are in the price range of ₹650 to ₹850 plus taxes. But mind you, it is a complete and filling meal so its worth every penny spent.

Tuscana on Chamiers is located on Chamiers Road opposite to Hotel Park Sheraton.

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Garlic Bread at Home

Who doesn't love Garlic breads. If there is any accompaniment that goes well for majority of European cuisines, it has to be the mighty Garlic Bread. Aren't there times we used to spent a fortune for garlic breads when we go to restaurants and eat it by proportioning it between all those present on the table. Well gone are those days. Here you will find how to make different varieties of Garlic bread in a quick, easy and consistent manner.

Serves: 3-4

Preparation time: 2 minutes

Oven time: 20 minutes 

Ingredients:

• 1 baguette of plain French Bread
• Available at all bakeries - Prefer the one at Star Bazaar/Hot Breads/French Loaf
• 100 gms of butter (No harm in putting more)
• 3 cloves of Garlic 
• Can also use 1 tsp of Garlic paste but make sure u strain it.
• Oregano/Parsley seasoning
• Can also use Garlic Bread Seasoning from Keya - Available at Amma Nanna, Adyar

(French Baguette)

Method:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180 C
2. Place the butter in a microwave oven and heat it for 15 seconds on High. This will melt the butter sufficient enough to mix our ingredients yet preventing it from melting into liquid state.
3. Crush the cloves of Garlic using pestle and mortar (in case you do not have one, just place the gloves on a flat surface and crush them using the side of a broad knife).
4. Mix the garlic paste, butter and seasoning (according to taste) in a bowl.
5. Make diagonal slices on the baguette carefully by ensuring you do not cut it all the way down.
6. Spread the mixture between the diagonal pockets as shown.
7. Smoother the remaining butter on top of the baguette and around its sides.
8. Wrap the baguette in alumnium foil and place it in the pre-heated oven in the middle tray.
9. After 10 mins, turnover the baguette and leave it for a further 7-10 mins.
10. Remove it from the oven and slice the cuts all the way down and serve it.

(Garlic Butter mixture smoothered)

(Fresh from the Oven)

Variations

• You can also mix in shredded cheese slices to give it a cheesy flavoring.
• After removing from the oven, you can even place some cheese and chicken cubes on top of each slice and place it back on the oven for a few minutes to have a Cheese Chicken Garlic Bread.

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Please feel free to leave your comments.

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