Kefi - Levantine Lounge

There I was, once again. Back after ages. Taj Mount road.. The entire building is lit up in hues of blue, and this continues to the roof top as well. as you get off the elevator, you are greeted by the dimly lit swimming pool , beyond which is the bar and Kefi, the restaurant thereon. 

The Exec Chef Siddiqui mentioned they serve food from 5 main regions and stay clear of Italian or other cuisines. This was my 2nd visit here, the 1st one was with a  few friends, we sat indoors and had a good fun meal. Tonight was part of their  Levantine Lounge. This is an initiative that happens every Wednesday, where the outdoor area transforms into the restaurant. there are tables laid out under the stars, soothing music in the background and a wide range of food- cold cuts, cheese, salads, and grills laid out to choose from. Oh, how can i mention the highlight- unlimited WINE... 

Photo Courtesy: Karuna Karan

I promptly ordered a glass of red wine, also got to have a glass of white wine that someone else had ordered but dint want. Strolling around the salad section, we noticed there were quite a few options for vegetarians [ such a treat]., and some of the salads were outstanding. We had multiple helpings of those. We were also served different kinds of bread, dips, and sauces on the table. 

They had quite a few varieties of  cheese as well. I did try the goats cheese, it was quite strong, salty and i kinda liked the taste. There was also the good ol loyal Feta and smoked mozella as well.  perfect for the hot summer days, these were such a relief. I infact skipped the main course, though i did try a spoon of cous cous with Moroccan veg curry from Deepa. While we waited, we yapped about the view, the other restaurants in town and what is coming up. 

The Desserts were a sampler plate- loved the Baklava and honey ice cream. The kheer had a tad too much of cinnamon and I wasnt sure if it fit into the theme. The Harissa was also good [ i remembered trying it at home] 

Photo Courtesy: Karuna Karan

It was a good fun evening with friends, food and good ambiance, perfect unwinding after a long day! Thank you Taj! 

The whole thing is priced at Rs999 [excl tax]

Only suggestion:

Could you have a seperate grill for veg items please. We did notice they were right next to the non veg and saw a whole pile of skewers below in a dish. Thank you! 

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Kaak Bi Haleeb: Lebanese Dessert

Lebanon country is much talked about for its diverse culinary tradition and since many years, people have accepted Lebanese food due to its association with modernity as well as fast paced life.

Lebanon was under the control of several foreign powers and therefore we could see that influence the types of food the Lebanese generally eat. In the year 1516-1918, Lebanon was ruled by Ottoman turks who had presented many foods that actually became staples in the Lebanese diet, for instance cooking with lamb. Some of the famous dishes which are enjoyed all around the world are shawarma and kibbeh. Another very important Lebanese dish which you can get easily in every restaurant is knefe which is prepared with cheese and phyllo. Phyllo is nothing but a paper-thin sheets of flour dough.

Dessert

No meal is complete without the dessert part. So why not try a great Lebanese dessert Kaak Bi Haleeb.This dish will give you a big reason to cheer! Take a look at this simplest recipe to explore on yummy Lebanese desserts.

The major ingredients required for making kaak Bi Haleeb are:

1 kg flour

200g melted butter

4 tbsp cooking oil

2 cups milk

400g sugar

2 tsp yeast

2 tsp powdered aromatic plants such as cherry seed, marjoram and aniseed

Instructions:

Take a bowl and mix the flour, yeast and aromatic plants and add oil and melted butter into that. Mix them appropriately. Take another bowl and dilute the sugar and milk and add to the previous mixture. Knead the mixture to make a soft dough. Keep the dough for 2 hours. Roll out flat cakes and keep them in a pre heated oven. Bake them on medium heat until they become kaaks. Once they are baked, you can take out from the oven and sprinkle some sugar on top. Allow them to dry. After they are completely dried, you can enjoy the tasty kaak Bi Haleeb.

Kaak Bi Haleeb: Lebanese Dessert

For more details on some fantastic lebanese recipes please look at lebanese recipes.
You may also take a peek at filipino recipe by clicking filipino recipes

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Azulia GRT, Chennai

 'Marhaba Ma'am were the 1st words i heard as i hopped off the elevator and walked through the door into Azulia... This is the Greek/Mediterranean Restaurant in GRT, T Nagar. I have visited Copper Point in the ground floor numerous times, but this was the 1st time i was at Azulia.

 The grand entrance.... 

 The ambiance seemed like it had come out from  a movie based in Egypt or Turkey, there were beautiful light fittings and so were the other pieces on the walls. After being shown to our table, Chef Ethem Aydemir came over to say hellow and give us a brief into the cuisine and the dishes he served at the restaurant. Following this, we also got a bit of insight from the Restaurant Manager Ricardo and PR man Marc. The menu card, is more like a coffee table book, so elaborate- filled with pictures from the 10 countries [They serve the cuisines from Egypt, France, Italy, Morocco, Greek among others] spread across the elaborate menu, with nearly 160 dishes- from Soup, starters to desserts. 

 The arrangement in the table- bottle of water, olive oil+balsamic vinegar and the pepper mill which had light at the bottom 

Lost between the pages, we decided to give the task of choosing dishes to the Chef and we were not disappointed. I have had Lebanese/Greek/Arabic food earlier, and so i was prepared for what was being brought to our table.  The waiters and waitresses quietly went about putting an Apron on each of us, going with the custom of savouring this particular cuisine with ones hands. [Wish i had taken a picture in the Apron, felt like i was on Masterchef ;o)] 

 

The Turkish magic- a small pill when water is poured expands to a hand towel..

The lunch opened with the Cold Mezze platter- Pita bread, Hummu [Chick peas], Mutabal [Babaganoush-made with Brinjal, sesame paste, garlic and olive oil], Tzatziki [thick yoghurt with cucumber, onion and herbs] ,Tashi[ sesame paste dip].. followed by a plate of Dolmades ..

Before we were done sampling these, an array of Hot Mezze dishes made their way to our table- Falafel [chick peas, broad beans, red pepper, dill, coriander, garlic & chilies, served with  tartar Sauce],  Bourak Bel Jibneh [Cigar like rolls with 3 different kinds of cheeses that was simply sinful],  Fatayer [a kind of samosa with Spinach and pomegranate sauce filling ],  Kebbe Laktine  [a dish made with broken wheat yellow pumpkin and herbs]   

 Amidst flowing conversation, the food kept flowing to our table... The non veg gang got quite a colourful mix of dishes.. Castalata [Lamb chops] ,Fillet de poivre, Poisson a L'Estragon [Fish], Cannelloni al a Bolognaise, Yoghurtlu Kebab, Beef Steak and ofcourse the Chef's creation prawn marrakech with gnocchi....  

Lamb chops i heard was not cooked to perfection, and the gnocchi wasnt too great either, but i saw the others polish off their plates... :-)

We, the vegetarians got some interesting main courses -Risotto Tortufo fungi[rich risotto cooked with mushrooms] &Pasta Genovese Verde [mine with Asparagas and artichoke, while Nishanth's had sauce and looked different]... Along came the thin crust pizza loaded with vegetables- Olives, tomatoes, onions,mushrooms, liberally drizzled exotic herbs and olive oil, cheese and few mint leaves. The base used on the pizza was the authentic Arabic spice mix- Sumac & Oregano].

Before we could blink, it was time to wrap up the meal, but not before biting into the 3 desserts that were laid out on the table... The Chef was gracious enough to send out platters filled with the desserts- Baklava dripping with sugar syrup, Gateaux Fromage [Orange flavoured cheesecake] and Hot Soufflé [which was almost like a lava cake].   The Baklava was good, but it was a tad too sweet, while the Hot Souffle was oozing with Chocolate and the Cheese cake had a strong Orange Flavour to it...

 

Subsequent to the lavish meal, we were given a tour of the kitchen and sneak peek into the various Spices, oil and flavours used in Mediterranean cuisine... There we were, a bunch of "educated in Mediterranean cuisine and their culture"... As we bid adieu to the staff and Chef, we were each handed a bag with an Apron and a little box with a Turkish Evil eye .. 

 What are you waiting for? Head over here if you wanna experience the Mediterranean in Chennai.... 

Food- 3/5

Ambiance- 4/5

Service- cant really rate it because it was a review meet! 

Price- Looking at the menu, it looks like a meal of 3-4 courses for a couple will work out to Rs3000 - 4000/- 

Address:

GRT Grand
120, Sir Thyagaraya Road,
T. Nagar, Chennai - 600 017
Tamil Nadu, India
Phone: +91-44 2815 0500 / 5500
reservations@grtgrand.com 

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