Grand Siam - RK Salai *A CFG Showcase*

The 2nd Thursday of the year 2013 comes and like a well practiced drill exercise, CFG bloggers & photographers assemble at the venue of our next showcase event. This time the CFG Showcase was at the recently opened branch of Grand Siam at RK Salai. Having already been to Grand Siam on an earlier occasion and being really impressed with their food and service, was eagerly looking forward to this showcase. As I had to drive down straight from work, I reached Grand Siam much much earlier than the rest of the folks. It was a matter of fact that I was even earlier than most of their staffs not that their staffs were late but I was there by 6 PM. Having a lot of time to spare, I began wandering around the restaurant looking at the intricate interiors that made the restaurant and also the tremendous seating that they had. A short glimpse at the kitchen revealed that they took cooking serious as the kitchen was very neat and organized. Maybe the training passed down the generations as the current chef is the 4th generation in the business. Chef Murali and his brother Jegadish run the restaurant under the guidance of their father who is also a renowned Chef in the industry. 

Slowly as the pack started to arrive, we were served up with the welcome drinks. A fancy looking drink was brought up to us and we were all excited to see a Shark stirrer in the drink. Well for the drink itself, it was a  fizzy drink made up of 7-up and some strawberry crush at the bottom. Although nothing superficial about the drink, it was more of a passable welcome drink. The drink was followed by the traditional Thai way of welcoming diners, the Mein Kheim. Nothing could really go wrong with this as it can be customized to your preferences. 

(Welcome Drink)

(Mein Khem)

The next up was the Tom Yum Goong, which is the famous Tom Yum Prawn soup. Having enjoyed the soup the last time I was here, I personally felt the soup this time to be a bit too hot while at the same time a little more diluted than usual. Would have really loved it if they had the same consistency. This was followed up with the starters. To my surprise, the starters were cleverly planned out and everyone was served with an assorted platter of either Non Veg or Veg starters. The Non Veg starters had the renowned Gai Hor Baiteay, Fish Satay and Grilled Prawns. The Gai Hor Baiteay or better known as Chicken wrapped in Pandan leaf was full of flavors and tasted great when hot. Some fellow CFGians felt the chicken to be a bit hard but I guess it could be attributed to the chicken going cold as we bloggers spend more time clicking pictures than that of actually eating. The Fish Satay was neat and what mattered the most to me was the smell of seafood was not there. The Grilled Prawns were full of flavor and grilled to perfection but at the same time it raised a lot of questions too. Was it really a Thai dish as most of them felt it to be very similar to our very known tandoori prawns. The offerings on the vegetable lovers received a much controversial ratings. As I did not taste the vegetarian starters when they were hot, I honestly will not be able to tell about their flavors and will have to go with the reviews of my peers. The veg platter had Corn Tartlets, Spring Rolls and Grilled Mushrooms. The Grilled Mushrooms was the most controversial with almost everyone having the same opinion that the mushroom didn't seem fresh. Not to forget, the yummiest raw mango salad that was served with both the platters.

(Tom Yum Goong)

(Non Veg Starter Platter)

(Veg Starter Platter)

Once the starters and relevant discussions were over, the mains started to arrive. We were first dished up with Bamme Phad Prik which was a variant of the noodles family. This was followed up with the Battered Fish in sauce and Burmese Chicken curry. The noodles with the battered fish in sauce was a good combination and had a balance of flavors which was not the case when the noodles were had on their own. Just as I was wondering what the Burmese Chicken curry was doing with a rice, the waiter brought in the much hyped about rice dish in Thai cuisine, the Jasmine Rice. I must say and this was also the opinion of most of the peers during the evening that the Burmese Chicken curry was the star dish. It was perfectly flavored and had nice juicy and tender pieces of chicken in them. But yet again it raises the question as to how is it associated with Thai cuisine. 

(Noodles)

(Battered Fish in sauce)

(Burmese Chicken Curry)

(Jasmine Rice)

When it was time for the desserts, as anticipated we were served with the famous Thai dessert, the Tub Tim Grob. Well nothing much to talk about this amazing dish as there is virtually nothing that could go wrong. I felt it was the same as the last time I was here and they have maintained their consistency on it. 

(Tub Tim Grob; Picture from earlier visit))

Although the showcase event did not wow the CFGians at that evening, I'm sure Grand Siam has a much better offering since they did infact send me home with a Big WOW factor the first time I dined in here. Albeit some small tweaking's on the service front and on the flavors, they can still give a good competition to other Thai stand-alone restaurants in the city. 

They are soon going to introduce a set menu and some of the offerings in the showcase was part of it. For more on my earlier experience at Grand Siam, visit Grand Siam - RK Salai

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Don Pepe - Cathedral Road

 

With the weekend setting in and with absolutely no plans in the making, was wondering how to pass over the weekend. Just then get a buzz on Facebook from my oldest pal saying he is visiting Chennai (Yes, oldest!!! Our friendship dates to more than 18 years now). Asrar and I are friends since 2nd standard when I was studying in Saudi Arabia. I was more than excited at the prospect of meeting him as it was more than 4 years since we last caught up with each other. He was off to Germany to pursue his Ph. D  Yup folks, he is a Scientist in a leading research laboratory there. Yay, one of my best buddy is a Scientist. Cutting short on the history, it was agreed to meet over lunch on Sunday and have a hearty talk. 

Being a Sunday, the usual lazy waking up was customary. As my buddy was held up with some work, he informed me that he will communicate to inform once his work is done. This happened close to 2:30PM and all hopes of going to a restaurant for a lunch buffet came tumbling down. We met up near Citi Centre and were contemplating where to go to catch some grab. Me being the foodie amongst us, it was up to me to decide. Taking into account the locality, I suggested Mexican and his reply was "Kewl, lets do it!!!". Well if its Mexican and on Cathedral road, then it has to be Don Pepe.

Don Pepe though not new to me, have been here on earlier occasions predominantly for their amazing nachos. So was always wanting to find the right opportunity to try more from their menu and voila today was the day. We drove down straight and on entering Don Pepe, was completely taken aback. Something which is not at all expected from any restaurant leave alone one that is of the category of Don Pepe. They were in the middle of their power cut schedule and didn't have a backup generator. Result - No Air Conditioner. Only a fan to keep the place cool. Checked with my friend if he still wanted to continue??? Both of us being hungry and a slight hint that the food might be good, we decided to stick on (Must admit the temperature was pleasant so the necessity of the air conditioner was never really felt). 

(Mexican Dips)

Although it was close to 2:45PM when we entered, the place still had a decent crowd and people were still dropping in. As our hunger pangs were puncturing us, we instantly asked for the menu and started on the starters. What better starter than the famous nachos. We ordered a Chicken Nachos for the starter and were contemplating on the next course. After a good amount of discussion munching on the Chicken Nachos, we zeroed in on our Mains too. Talking about the Chicken Nachos, folks shall not get confused with the Nachos at Satyam/Escape Cinemas. The Nachos here are different and represent the original Mexican food. The Nachos are layered with chicken fillings and a delectable level of cheese. This is finally topped up with some veggies to provide the right amount of balance in the dish. We were also served with the traditional Mexican dips which included a Salsa dip, Cream Cheese and Sliced Jalapenos. Both my buddy and myself wiped the dish clean.

(Chicken Nachos)

(Chicken Nachos)

We were catching up with old stories and how the world has changed so much over the years alongside laughing over the frolicsome we did while we were kids. Our talks were briefly paused when we saw the mains coming. The mains that we had ordered were Chicken n Nut Sauce and Chicken Fajita (pronounced as /fəˈhiːtə/ or in simpler terms fa-hee-ta). We were wowed at the sheer brilliance of the dish and how colorful the dish and its accompaniments were. To start with, the Chicken n Nut sauce was perfectly flavored with the dish being not too spicy while at the same time not too bland either. Served with Crispy Potato Wedges and Mexican rice, the dish was a palate filler. A palate filler and at the same time nice and light too. 

(Chicken n Nut Sauce)

(Chicken n Nut Sauce)

My buddy was surprised on his dish. He was under the impression that the dish would be served as fajita wraps but to our surprise the fillings were served on a plate so we could customize the fajita wrap as per our liking. Once I completed my interruption of his lunch by clicking the dish, he instantly got into making the wraps. He also explained to me the proper method of wrapping a fajita. The fajita fillings had a sumptuous amount of chicken, along with a minced chicken tart, crispy potato wedges and Mexican rice. Three tortillas were provided in a sort of clay box. Based on his opinion, he seemed to have enjoyed the wraps and was too full to have rest of the accompaniments on his plate. Being best buddies, I for once did not hesitate jumping into his plate. The tart had the same chicken that was served in the nachos and served as a good quick bite.  Being too full for anything else, we called it a day and skipped the desserts. 

(Chicken Fajita Fillings)

(Chicken Fajita Fillings)

(Tortillas)

(Chicken Fajita Wrapped)

I would be of the opinion that the food served at Don Pepe truly resembles what I have known so far as Mexican food (haven't been to Mexico so have never really had the opportunity to taste authentic Mexican Food till date) and does justice to the quantity of food served as against pricing taking into account the dearth of Mexican restaurants in Chennai. If only they had their ambiance in order that day, it would have passed off without any disappointment. But overall, a good place to have Mexican cuisine and a meal for two shall not cost more that Rs. 1500.

Don Pepe is located on Cathedral Road just along the flyover. It is located on the same building as that of Hot Breads adjacent to Copper Chimney and Zaras. 

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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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Grand Siam - RK Salai

As the weekend approached, it was decided to hit a Thai restaurant for the Saturday dinner. With many options now available for Thai cuisine in Chennai, we decided to try the newly opened ‘Grand Siam’ at RK Salai. Being a regular at another Thai stand-alone restaurant, we were pretty apprehensive about trying a new place but having sampled Chef Murali’s produce at his other restaurant ‘CHAO’, I thought the gamble could play out well. Indeed, it did excel our expectations.

Knowing it was a Saturday evening and restaurants in Chennai can get crowded, we arrived promptly at the time we had made our reservations. The front-house was very welcoming and the interiors were given an oriental touch with loads of wooden furniture’s and wood carvings. An enormous Buddha fountain statue welcomed us into the dining area. 

The menu card was promptly placed on the table and the opening page had a very interesting story about how Thai cuisine and Indian cuisine have so much in common and so on. It talked about the history and ancient kingdoms which were responsible for the similarities in both the cuisines. The menu was exhaustive and was intricately detailed in what the dish constituted. This I feel is very important in oriental restaurants mainly because most of the dishes are described by their original names which can get us really confusing on what the dish comprises of.

First to hit the table was “Mien Khem”. Though have had this several times at other Thai restaurants, never knew the reason behind why it was served first. Upon enquiry, I was told by Chef Murali that, it is the Thai tradition of welcoming guests for food. It consists of all 5 flavours that are used in Thai cuisine. This was followed by the family’s all-time favourite Thai soup, “Tom Yum” soup. As usual, they had ordered the “Tom Yum Goong”, where ‘Goong’ means ‘Prawn”. The soup was extremely authentic and had a perfect blend of spices. Most of the times I have had this at other places, it is either too peppery that my eyes turn watery or it is bland with no spiciness at all. But it was just perfect to my liking this time.

(Mein Khem)

(Tom Yum Goong)

Following the soup, our next order came in. Called “Pla Tod Samunp”, it was a Raw Pumpkin salad served with dry fish cakes. The salad was both juicy as well as crunchy while the fish cakes had a tinge of the fish smell on it. I personally am not a fan of the fish variety in sea food mainly because of the smell associated with it. Due to this, I had to ignore the fish cakes while the salad was sumptuous. 

(Pla Tod Samunp)

Once the soup and salads were served, we were then dished up with the starters of the evening. We once again went with an all-time favourite starter, the “Gai Hor Baiteay”. This is a very common delicacy in Thai cuisine and is most often served either in chicken or fish. This time around we had gone in for the chicken version. The chicken is first fried and is then wrapped in Pandan leaves, and cooked. The dish is served with the leaves still wrapped over the meat to ensure the complete flavouring is infused into the chicken. The chicken was juicy, moist and had almost no oil residual on it. The next starter was “Pu-Nim Tod Nam”, which was a first time order amongst the family. It was a dish that was suggested to us by the manager and decided to go for it. It was a Soft Shell Crab cooked in a Spicy Chilli Paste. Having heard of a soft shell crab for the first time, was anxious to know if it can be eaten directly with the shell. I was reassured that it can definitely be. Immediately after my first mouthful, my verdict was out. It was just too good to be described. Never knew soft shell crabs were such a delight to the taste buds. Though they tasted similar to chicken, you could still make out a distinctive taste as you bite in the shells. The spicy paste was indeed a bit spicy but added to the overall glory of the dish.

(Gai Hor Baiteay)

(Pu-Nim Tod Nam)

With the starters done, we decided to go light on the mains. We ordered the “Jungle Fried Rice”, which we knew needed no sides as the rice itself would be packed with loads of flavours. It was as expected, the rice was indeed full of flavours and really kept up our expectations. It wasn’t too chilly unlike the previous time I had it at another place. We were also served with a Stir Fry Vegetable, complimentary courtesy Chef Murali, which livened up the flavourings of the Jungle Fried Rice. 

(Jungle Fried Rice)

(Stir Fry Vegetables)

Next on the table was the dessert. When it comes to desserts, it is always a riot ordering them. I often end up finding many a desserts that I would like to taste but eventually have to settle at the best choice at that moment. This time it was the regular “Tub Tim Grob” and the new try at Grand Siam, the “Shankhaya Fakthong”. For those who are not familiar with “Tub Tim Grob”, it is a must try at any Thai restaurant. It is basically Water Chestnuts soaked in Coconut Milk and chilled. No one can stop with just one serving. The other dessert of the day, the ‘Shankhaya Fakthong’ was a pumpkin custard served with Coconut Ice cream atop it. The pumpkin custard was more like a rocky road. It had a mixed texture of both crunchiness and smoothness. Overall it made a great combination together with the Coconut Ice Cream which tasted really fresh. 

(Tub Tim Grob)

(Shankhaya Fakthong)

Having tasted at many other Thai restaurants in Chennai, I personally feel Grand Siam is a good competitor to most of them. With regards to their pricing, they seem to be a tad lower priced in comparison to the other restaurants in their league. The evening dinner bill for the two of us was around ₹ 2200/-.

Overall, if you feel jaded with the same Thai restaurant you have been visiting for a couple of years now, Grand Siam can be a good alternate and is a must visit at least once.

Grand Siam is located at RK Salai (Cathedral Road, under the Mylapore Flyover) and in Anna Nagar (Behind Yesses Super Market).

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