Illusions- The Madras Pub, Chennai

The name reminded me of David Copperfield. The man popular for his breath taking mind boggling Illusions. This place on the other hand was called Illusions, The Madras Pub. Wonder why the tagline though! Any ideas?

The place opened up a few months ago and friends made a lunch plan, but then Mr Murphy came in and changed my plans, and the lunch dint happen, rather I was unable to join the girls for lunch. And so,  when this other friend called asking if I wanted to join her and another friend for lunch, giving me options, I chose Illusions. The reason being- I had not been here before. 

I reached the place on time, 1 pm, and made my way up the staircase into the pub. Took me a minute to get used to the dim lights and layout, but soon found a table and made myself comfortable. I noticed a room in between the restrooms and discovered it was for "smoking". Friends came in a few minutes, we got settled in and started to order. The 1st order of the day was drinks- i went for the Blue island iced tea, the ingredients were blue curacao instead of coke and rest of the items were same as the long island iced tea, friend ordered the same and the other friend ordered whisky with soda. I also ordered a mushroom and cheese starter. 

The place was dim lit, actually quite dark, and I was told one seating area transforms to a dance floor in the evenings. There was a nicely filled bar on our left and more seating spaces all around. The place is very different from the other pubs I had been to.

Within minutes our drinks arrived on the table and we started diving into them. Our iced tea was alright, we missed the Long island iced tea, this felt a little watery and diluted. Oh well, only if you order will you know what such drinks are, right?

Moving on to food, we went ahead and ordered different combos. One friend ordered a wrap [mexican or italian, I forget, but the weird thing about it was it had paneer and when we asked the waiter about Italy and paneer, he got back a minute later and said "Chef says in Italy they use paneer a lot".. hmmm.. that is a 1st!] I ordered a penne in red sauce and the other friend ordered the chinese combo- chinese fried rice, gobi manchurian and wontons.

I enjoyed my penne though I wonder why it had no veggies. As we finished our drinks, we also noticed the place filled up quite a bit.

The meal worked out to about 800 bucks each [incl tax and tips]. The place would be an option if all others were full or shut. 

Overall Rating- 5/10

Address:

105, 1st Floor,[adjoining Nilgiris supermarket]

 Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai, 

Mylapore, Chennai- 4

Phone: +91 9841157869, 044 42144449

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Kalakal Cafe, Chennai

This was turning out to be quite an interesting Saturday. After a few hours on the Mylapore Food walk, we decided to head over towards Kotturpuram to meet the regulars at Kalakkal Cafe.

An initiative byVidya Sagar, the campus is actually a school for children with special needs, and this café is a space for those with various disabilities to come and hang out. The place is open from 4.30 to 6.30pm two saturdays in a  month. There are ramps for those on wheelchairs, mugs with handles/sippers, and simple food that suits vairous palates. I have been wanting to come here for months, but everytime i plan, the plan falls through and finally saturday i was glad to have made it.  Anuradha Shankaran [Anu Akka as they all her] is the coordinator of this Cafe. As i walked into the cafe, the poster on the wall caught my eye. It had a painted image of a tea jar with the title "Diversitea?"- Just one word to encapsulate the spirit of the place. There were few other paintings that were up on the notice board, each one speaking volumes about how smart/talented/deserving each and every individual who came there was. The food in the stall just outside the cafe offers snacks [bun, samosa] from Winners Bakery at subsidised rates, and they also offer drinks such as Tea, coffee, hot chocolate and so on.

We had a cup of hot chocolate and split a few samosas/buns between us. They were very good.

On Saturday, there were a few already at the cafe by the time we reached. Apparently, most have a fixed auto wala who drops them off and comes bacck at 6.30 to pick them up. Only 2 of them had come with their dad, others on their own.

I met,

Ummul Khair has finished her law course and now works with a law firm. She is into general law. She was the most independent of the lot.

Karthik Chandrashekar who runs a book lending called Sri Chakra Lending Library  in West mambalam and a sense of humour that would put the leading comedians to shame. When i asked him on what book he was reading now, he instantly replied " These days am reading only Facebook". If you want to pick up books, donate books, please do so at his library that is open through the week. 

Anjana, who's completed undergrad and battling with a few personal issues. She kept saying she wants to go to Kanpur to meet a lady who she'd met here earlier. And wanted us to give her info on trains and timings. 

Janakiraman- He is one of those who cant speak, he uses a board that has alphabets, numbers, and months and he points to the letters forming words... 

Santhosh- He was the last to arrive, pulled in by his dad. He kept asking for snacks and his dad kept telling him "no, you just had something at home"  He had a diary and insisted we all fill in our email and facebook id in it.

I heard a dog barking and followed the noise to find a cutie pie in a small room of sorts. He was a basset hound that kept barking at me. The security said his name was Mani.. Such a cutie pie... 

There are a few others, but they werent present on Saturday. Even though these are specially abled people, they are all so talented and smart, that i wish the society gives them more opportunities and allows them to spread their wings further.... They are all familiar with Facebook and were so keen on adding us all in and staying connected. You can also read about them on friend's blogs--  karthik and Deepa .. 

No 1 Vidya Sagar Formerly The Spastics Society Of India, Near Anna University, Ranjit Road, Kotturpuram, Chennai - 600085.
Ph-044 22354784,22354785

They are open on 2nd and 4th Saturdays of every month. Do visit, and do what you can.. It need not be monetary, just spending some time with them... thats all they want!!

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Mylapore Food walk.. The Mylapore Festival

The Mylapore Festival has been happening for a few years and i havent been able to go for it. But this year, when the gang at CFG said "lets do a Mylapore food walk on 11th Jan between 2.30 - 5pm" I made sure to mark in my calendar and go for it. It so happened that the saturday was when a lot of plans were being made and i dint know how many i could attend, and how many i would have to miss.. I ended up missing a Tweetup...

Fazil & I arrived in Mylapore around 2.20pm, found a spot to park his car and made our way to Karpagambal Mess, which was the meeting point. There were crowds thronging the streets, especially around the temple as there was the Puri Jagannath Rath and ISCKON devotees singing bhajans and trying to get close to the chariot. Managed to locate Nishanth at Kalathi Newspaper mart [at the corner of East Mada Street and South Mada Street.]along with few others, and that was where the evening began.

A glass of chill Rosemilk [all of Rs12], perfect for that warm afternoon; the flavours were amazing, reminded me of the rose milk syrup we used to buy [that tiny bottle] and the man behind the counter said they had those bottles for about Rs70- 80. Enjoyed the glass of rosemilk, met a few new members and chatted a bit before scooting from there.

The trail had been set, and next on our agenda was Rayars Mess, that was in a narrow alleyway, tucked away between houses. If you are not familiar with the area or the place, you are sure to miss this Mess. A tiny space, with a long room housing 3 tables that could seat 4 in each, a small kitchen and 2 wet grinders busy churning out dough for Dosa, and Adai. Kumar anna, the man who owned the place was there cooking, serving, chatting, and collecting money [ he said - people who come there eat and give money and go, there are no fancy equipments, or a man behind the bill counter here, and this is how its been forever] We were among the last few to eat, and i enjoyed the Urulaikizhangu bonda and half an adai along with a sip of the coffee. Was good. In all we were 20 of us and the bill came to Rs800, a mere Rs40 per pax. And the food is better than what we get at the big restaurants.

In mornings, Rayar mess is jam packed with breakfasters, serving up Idlis by the dozen, while afternoons they served-

Potato bonda
Adai
Rava dosa - plain & onion
Coffee

Gulab Jamun
All served with Chutney[s] & Sambar


We met an elderly couple there, the aunty mentioned they were out shopping and thought they might get hungry and came to Rayar. She also added that the standard of food has gone down since they moved here. Was curious about us, asked how we came to know of these places and enquired about where else we were headed.. I was damn kicked about hearing their stories of years gone by and how the city has changed..... everytime i hear the tales, my love for the city increases...

It was time to move on, and the final stop for the evening was Maami's mess [Pichu Pillai Street, Off East Mada Street], on the street across from Kalathi/Karpagambal mess.. The lane was filled with gypsy women showing off their beads and jewellery colletion. Apparently they have moved to this street because the one near the temple is packed during the festival season. They had beads of all colours, neck pieces, earrings, bracelets and some even had catapults[ which a friend's son bought]. They sat there laying out their pieces with small children helping them out, some stood and smiled asking us to take their picture while others hid behind their mothers and peeked at us.

A few steps into the street, and there it was- Maami's mess, or Mami Tiffin stall as it is called with a fancy Pepsi sign board. The place was also packed to the brim and so we stood outside while a few ventured inside. There was a boy standing next to me calling out to his father in the apartment above. Picked up a conversation and discovered he was in 5th std in a nearby school and his family owned Mami tiffin stall. He dint want to climb the 3 flights of stairs and was yelling out from here, but in vain. :-)

Suddenly i heard my name and noticed S holding a vattai tumbler of hot filter kaapi [coffee] and moved ahead to the group and we began talking about food. Some tried the piping hot Vazhakkai bajji and Molaga bajji, but i gave it a pass as the bonda was still sitting heavy :) A few minutes chit chatting, a group photo and we were all set to move on to the next agenda for the evening.

Some bid good bye, while others said they were going to return here to Mylapore for the evening Food Street, where a lane between Karpagambal and Kalathi would be transformed to an Eat Street with stalls laid out. Wow, what fun... next year i shall explore that.

The one place we couldnt make it to was Jannal kadai, near Kapaleeshwar temple.. And remember, during the festival, best is to park your vehicles where you find a spot and walk around, beware of the crowds!! 

Off we went looking for the car, excited about the next destination.... The city sure is bustling with activities and things to do..

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Nivedhanam, Mylapore, Chennai

Nivedhanam is pure veg restaurant that is a few months old. It has been promoted by Amithra Hotels and Restaurants, and the 1st of its kind started by an Indian living in Japan.  As you walk in, the mix of culture is quite obvious. There is a small curio of sorts displaying various objects most commonly associated with Japan and the people there. 

They serve Indian, Continental and Chinese cuisines.The first thing that struck us were the 2 women at the door, welcoming us with a big broad smile. There is a comfortable sofa to wait, else people can sit outside in the chairs while waiting their turn. Trust me, it does get packed, so make sure to reach early. 

There is a small play pen for children to play in, and a lady who applies Mehndi for free.. The decor is quite bright, with red dominating the ambiance. The tables are quite packed tight, with very little space between them, but all said and done, it is a lovely place, especially if you are looking for good Veggie delights. 

We ordered tomato soup and chappati for my friend's son, while others had roti and quite a few different side dishes.Each of them were served piping hot and delicious. There is no overpowering masala, or oil in the dishes. They also serve the traditional Japanese noodles, which have been cooked with a few vegetables. For dessert, we decided to try the banana split, 2 slices of bananas enveloping 3 different ice cream scoops.

 The walls have been decorated with elaborate Tanjore art pieces, and the table place mats are the ones with puzzles and word games on them. The waiters take down the orders on iPod Touches, which i thought was damn cool and they are accommodating to special requests.

I have been here twice and both times came out smiling, and happy!  A meal for 3.5 hungry souls worked out to about Rs840, which i thought was quite reasonable, going by Chennai standards.

Food - 8/10
Ambiance- 7/10
Price- 8/10
Service - 8/10
Overall Rating - 8/10
Cuisine-Across Indian, Chinese, Japanese & Continental - Pure Veg
Car park- On the street [secluded and so no fear or getting towed]

Value add: There is a play pen for children, a Mehndi lady and a man who performs simple magic tricks/ventriloquism
 
Address:
VM Street, Mylapore  Chennai, Tamil Nadu
 Turn right next to Yellow pages when approaching from Gemini flyover and you will see the restaurant few doors down on right hand side.
Phone: +(91)-(44)-42054881, 42054882, +(91)-44-66598988

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Karpagambal Mess, Mylapore

 So, after much hype and a zillion friends, well, i exaagerate, it was just a handful of friends and a brother in law raving about the place, i finallly managed to visit the infamous Karpagambal Mess in Mylapore one sunday morning.

My uncles were visiting from Delhi and USA, and on a Sunday we decided to rise early, head for some fun in the beach and then maybe do breakfast somewhere before returning home.  We were all promptly up at 5.30am, including a tiny tot, and managed to get our cousin out of the bed as well.. :-) We had such a blast at the Marina Beach, and all that walking and running had built quite the appetite.

After a brief debate on where to head for breakfast, one of my uncles suggested Karpagambal Mess in Mylapore. It is adj to the Kapaleeshwarar temple, and is a fairly small place that you just might miss, if you dint know of its existence.

 

The minute you walk in, the heady aromas of sambar, chutney along with halwas and the agarbathi hits you like a storm. The man behind the counter looked like he was trapped behind the little box. Surrounding him were a zillion kinds of Halwa, sweets and savories... There was a shelf near the entrance that was brimming with podis and vadams.. The place is fairly small, and apparently after the renovation, they have included an air conditioned hall, well, its more of a cubicle, you either walk in or walk out, there is no space to amble, leave alone stand... 

We parked ourselves across 2 tables, and placed the orders. I had the pongal and Keerai vadai.. Both came steaming hot, landing plonk on the banana leaf. 

There was another vessel parked on our table- it had 3 containers in it, different kinds of chutneys and then we found a bucket with sambar.. There was also a stainless steel jug filled with water on each table.

 The food was good, hot and yummy... There are no frills or fancies here, what you see is what you get!  The walls inside the AC room and outside are covered with framed images of Gods and Goddesses, literally spanning the entire length of the place...

By the time we were done with our 1st orders, the waiter was back asking if we wanted anything else. Some ordered Poori- potato, while others [including me] ordered coffee..  The poori looked a little crisp and flat, and the potato was alright... 

The coffee was good, just right amount of sugar and strength..

 

We packed some for those at home and returned home happy and content...  When visiting Karpagambal Mess, 

dont expect a lengthy menu, smart waiters or spacious interiors.. You will none of these here...  

 

Walk in... Enjoy what you ordered.. pay your bill and get out!! Everything about the place screams Madras... 

The banana leaf, the hot filter kaapi, authentic interiors and the aroma wafting in the air...  

 

Service: 7/10

Ambiance- 7/10 [cant expect anything more from here]

Food quality- 9/10

Price- 9/10 [And a meal for 2 will likely cost between Rs40 - 70!!]

 

Address:

Shri Karpagambal Mess

E Mada St, Mylapore, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600004

044 24642902

 Psst- unfortunately dint have my camera, only the Blackberry....  Took the coffee shot on uncle's HTC Sensation.. :-)

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