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Tadka Talk- Sunday Brunch and set lunch!

Here I was, heading back down the road that had by now become familiar. Sunday 12 noon and I was headed to Tadka Talk [Situated behind Chennai Business School, in road opp TCS on Velachery Taramani Link road] for their Sunday brunch.

I had been here earlier few months ago and felt the place was alright, there was nothing that stood out or made me want to go back! But then there is always a 2nd time, always a "maybe there is something different" circumstance, which is what led a hunch of us to land here this Sunday!

I walked in, grabbed a table and looked around the place waiting for the others to stream in. I noticed there was a change in the interiors, the artwork on the wall and so on. The Brunch was laid out in Buffet format, and there was also a separate counter in a corner for Pani Puri.

The menu is quite extensive-

We started the day with paani puri, and they were good, I did wish the puri had been crispier, maybe they had gone soft since they were kept in open in the AC restaurant. Moving on, I grabbed a glass of Lassi [kesar pista wali lassi] and then tried the cranberry juice. Also sipped some Shikanji which was very good, quite refreshing!

Hunger bells began ringing in our bellies and we made a beeline for the starter section- there was a hariyali tikki [1st batch was very good while 2nd had overdose of salt], malai gobi [which was dunked in mustard sauce], paneer tikka [good], mirchi bhajji [I died and spent a good half hour in hell after the 1st bite, normally we make this with the light green big chillies, but here they had used regular green chiliies with seeds and all , which led to my state] there was also an assortment of bhajis [potato and few other veggies]. These were served alongside sweet chutney, spicy sauce, tomato ketchup and mango chutney.

I braced myself for the maincourse and went ahead and asked for a few Indian breads [naan/kulcha] and took a spoon of the side dishes- Aloo capsicum, kadai paneer and kadi pakoda. I quite loved the kadi pakoda side and had it with a hot naan. Did take a spoonful of the Peas Pulao, but felt it was tad oily and veggies were overcooked. Since am not a big rice eater, I went ahead and tried the Kulcha. There was also pickle, a boondi raita on the menu.

I was tired, hadnt sleep and all I wanted to do was get back home and crash! But not before trying their desserts- had a bite of the Gulab jamun which was very good, and also tried the Phirni- taste was good, but texture was funny [almost custardy, like they had added gelatin].

Somewhere during the brunch, we were told they had a set menu lunch for Rs199/- and a sample plate was shown. it looked good enough, infact I have realised that most times the set lunch looks small but is more than enough..

I had had a crazy night and so wasnt really myself, which when combined with barely any sleep showed in my eyes and overall feel of the day. Friends infact commented that I was withdrawn, quiet and dint spend much time yapping with them. I wish the food had perked me up, but alas.... Looks like this will be my 2nd and last visit to this restaurant. Plus, let us not forget the distance and time it takes from home!!

Notes:

I request the chef to relook at the recipes, get the staff to follow it to the dot if they want the salt/flavours to be consistent.

The rotis need to be softer [even though they were hot they werent soft.]

Price:

The Sunday brunch is priced at Rs 450+tax

Set lunch menu- Rs 199/-

Address:

#6 & 7, Baby Nagar First Main Rd, Ramagiri Nagar,

Velachery

Chennai - 600042
Phone: 044 4321 3838

Tadka Talk is located in the narrow lane right opposite TCS Velachery, it is behind Chennai business school.

Disclaimer:

The reviews posted on this blog are based on my personal experience. Also remember that restaurants and eat outs sometimes change with time, so does their food and service. So, kindly consider these factors while visiting the places. Remember, no two palates are the same. Bon Appétit :-)

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Tadka talk by Chef Arora, Vegetarian Delights

One of those days when I was all set to travail across the city, to the other end of the world, well not nearly other end, or of the world, but I was headed to Velachery. Yep, you read it right.. Managed to wind up work, and headed out around 5.30, as a bunch of us had decided to do a mini meet at Pheonix Market city, the newly opened mall. Surprisingly, it took me less than half an hour to reach the mall. Spent about an hour there and were once again on the road. This time to a restaurant in that part of town, Tadka Talk, behind Chennai Business School.

Tucked away in a narrow lane, the restaurant is one you just might miss if you dint know the location or its existence. Had been hearing rave reviews about it, and a few who attending the Tasting session also spoke highly of the place.

The first thing that catches your eyes as you make your way to the restaurant is the Gym, it is right there, in front of your face. Came to know there were service apartments upstairs and the gym was part of amenities for those who stayed there.

Was received by Shafee, the man who owns the restaurant. As we walked in through the thick glass doors, I fell in love with the light fixtures hanging in the corner. The reflection on the wall was beautiful. Noticed a small washroom, and we made a beeline for a quick wash.

The restaurant has 2 seating areas, with enough space between the tables. There were a few seating area near the wall, with a park bench of sorts with colourful cushions. On the other side is an open kitchen, where we could see the dishes being cooked, while the tandoor was inside the kitchen.

The USP of this restaurant is Punjabi Ghar ka khana [home style food- literally]

The evening began with a welcome drink - Spiced kiwi & raw mango served with a slice of kiwi on a skewer. I quite liked it, though it did remind me of Hajmola, and Jaljeera. Another drink also did the rounds, it was a Kesar badam lassi, and I liked that more than the kiwi drink [I like yoghurt based drinks].

We were then served a spicy black channa soup (choliya di rassa) - which was good, filled with flavour but felt almost like a korma[bottom left image in the photograph on top]. Just as we were trying to figure out the flavours, the starters platter arrived, it consisted of (L-R) Lahori Seekh Paneer Chollia, Paneer Amritsari and Tandoori Phul. The Seekh was just about average, I liked the paneer Amritsari, soft and tender with the typical tangy Amritsari marinade. The Phul (made with corn) was alright [I was tad confused about flavours, it had been mashed and wrapped on a skewer]

These were served alongside three kinds of chutneys- A raw mango one that I loved, Tamarind & date chutney and ofcourse the quintessential Green chutney [ coriander, mint & green chillies]. There was also a bowl of Cucumber raita on the table along with another small cup with a pickle of sorts.

For the main dishes, we had the Lahori Subji Biryani [ almost like a pulao overdosed with masalas] served along side 3 gravies- there was the Phul Aloo [potato cauliflower curry], it was dry and tasted ok, wish it had a bit of gravy. The highlight among the mains was the Kadai Paneer, with nice big pieces of Paneer. Then came the Rajama, which was a dish I was looking forward but it was a let down[to be brutally honest, tasted like the one you get the ready to eat packets].

Apart from these, we sampled an assortment of Indian breads: Roti, Butter Naan and Kulcha Paratha [all 3 were good]. I was busy playing with Arnav that I dint take any pics of the main dishes. You can check them out at Deepa & Divyan's Blog..

There was suddenly talk of Gajar ka halwa and my mouth began watering [ I like a well made hot gajar ka halwa], but alas, we were served two other desserts, the Gulab Jamun [warm & good] and Rasmalai[dint like the overpowering rose water essence that dominated]. And with that the dinner came to an end.

My final verdict- well, if you live around Velachery and are looking for a pure veggie restaurant, you can head here for a simple meal. Let me know what you think of it.

This menu is priced at Rs385 plus tax, which makes it a value for money deal. Most of the items on the menu are priced around Rs190 to Rs245

Ambiance: 8/10
Flavours & Taste: 5/10
Portion Size: 7/10