Sukh Sagar- Pure veg restaurant, Kilpauk, chennai

The journey began in 2012, October to be exact when Vishnu & Vinay came together and decided to open Sukh Sagar in Kilpauk. Today, Sukh Sagar is found all over the world, Mumbai, Bangalore, Mysore, Chennai, DUbao, KSA and Qatar as well. That is how popular this all veg chain restaurant is! After the restaurant in Anna nagar shut, there was a brief gap of 2 years which is when they did all the ground work necessary to open their 1^st Sukh Sagar in the city of Chennai. Vinay comes from an IT background, while Vishnu is quite familiar with the food industry, having worked as an Intern at Cream center.

Now they are the proud owners of the outlet that can do 72 covers in the 1^st floor Fine dining area, 60-70 people can stand and eat in the ground floor restaurant and then there is the Party/Banquet Hall that they let out for birthday parties and family gatherings.

During the conversation we learnt that the place is packed to the brim on Saturday and Sunday [it was mostly Families that came regularly]. The entire Sukh Sagar brand is owned by Mr Suresh Poojani, who the duo knew through a common friend.

The place where Sukh Sagar stands today is an old house, that was empty and that which presented the duo an opportunity to revolutionize the eating scene in that part of the city. Aside from the location, what worked to their benefit was the staff that came in from the Anna nagar outlet. They now have Chefs, 80 staff members who do double shift and who give them the confidence to do outdoor catering for upto 1000 people. The place is also let out for corporate functions and events, only condition being “veg food only”.

For now, they serve a range of North Indian & South Indian dishes, and might soon be making a few changes in their menu. They are also looking to introduce combo meals on a regular basis. And with that we settled in for the evening and looked forward to a good time..

The evening opened with soup- The Lung fung soup which was good, filled with flavour and tad spicy, perfect if you have a cold. Following that we had a chance to sample their chaat- Bhel puri and Raj Kachori both of which were absolutely smashing. Then came the starters- mushroom Chilli and the mixed veg platter that consisted of Corn seek kebab, Tandoori gobi, paneer tikka and hara bara kebab. Loved the gobi and seek kebab, others were good, but nothing wow!

Between the conversations, we noticed the staff walk over to our table with plates of food, making us catch our breath. There was an assortment of Indian breads- Roti, butter naan,  butter roti and plain naan. Even after a few minutes, the roti remained soft and beautiful. We also tried their kashmiri naan which was wow… The side dishes that followed suit were Paneer labadbar and dal makhani.. They were both perfect, not over the top masala filled or oily.  While we were sampling the dishes, we felt thirsty and asked the guys to recco a drink. They promptly ordered Blossom for us, watermelon flavoured this drink is in a league of its own. You should try it the next time you are here to experience the beauty.

And finally, we were nearly done!! Yayy. It was dessert time. We were quite full and so passed up on the Rice. For dessert, we got to taste the Sukh Sagar Special, Malai Kulfi Falooda, royal Falooda and Gadbad ice cream. Each of these will have you grinning like a small child, and digging in happily with not a care in the world. Apart from these, they also have the regular kulfi and an assortment of ice cream sundaes.

If you are looking for a place to have a quiet dinner, where food does all the talking, this is where you should head to.

Wish them a very Happy 1^stbirthday and many more years to come!!

You can read my earlier review here

Address:

No 1a, Harleys Road [near Bain School], 
Kilpauk, 
Chennai - 600010 
Ph: 9940192886, 9790899430 
(044) 45500306

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- 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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Entree, Express Avenue

There we were in the mall, wandering aimlessly when hunger pangs began hitting us. We spotted Entree on the ground floor and decided to go check it out. The manager told us it was a pure veg place, and they offered both a la carte and buffet. We walked around seeing what the buffet had to offer, liked what we saw and chose the same. Priced at Rs 600, it is good value for money meal. The buffet began with a soup, going ot a range of straters spanning Indian, Italian and Thai, and then ofcourse came the main and desserts. I loved the noodles and thai curry, and salad options as well. They had a variety of premixed salads, extra olives, dressings that one can choose from

The dessert section had a few pudding, cakes and ice creams, along with payasam as well. Apart from this, friend ordered for a Tiramisu which arrived in style with a side of cut fruits. Overall, we enjoyed the meal. 

There are two entrances to this place- one from within the mall and other through the EA hotel entry!! 

Address:

Entree Located on the ground floor of Express Avenue Mall [in the luxury section] 

Ph: 044 28463333

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The Corporate Lunch at Dario’s

“Oh no I have just under an hour and a half to squeeze in a lunch before the next meeting begins” seems to have become the phrase that every corporate executive utters. But then, going to a restaurant, ordering food, waiting for the food to arrive, enjoying it and making it back to the office or meeting venue is always a dicey situation. This is why these Coporate lunch deals are awesome! They are total value for money, quite extensive and filling as well. 

There I was at Dario’s, my newest favouritest [yes, I cooked up that word] restaurant.  It is an all veg Italian restaurant that is just about 6 months old and has me hooked. The food is simply amazing, and they have managed to maintain the standards as well.

Sometime back they introduced a special menu for 3pm to 7pm slot. There are people who waltz in expecting something to eat, but then the kitchen is just taking a break before they gear up for dinner service. So, these guys have launched a special menu consisting of simple sandwiches and pizzas for this zone during the day.

And now they are back with this new offer. When I met Suresh Cumar, he mentioned that the corporate lunch deal has just been rolled out and the response has been quite promising.  Nice!

I was shown to my table, and the menu was offered. I half expected a simple menu, but then was quite surprised to see how extensive it was. There were 3 drinks, 3 soups, 3 salads, 5 pizzas, 2 risottos, 6 different pasta dishes and 4 desserts. You could choose 1 from each category and create your lunch meal. Wow, that is quite a lot to choose from. And all this for just Rs390 plus taxes.

I opted for my favourite drink of the season- Fresh lime soda [salt], the Funghi Soup [ Cream of Mushroom soup], Mista salad [mixed fresh lettuce leaves, iceberg, lollo rosso & ricola with tomatoes, olives, cheese and mustard dressing]. For the main course, I knew what I wanted even before I saw the menu- Asparagus Risotto[even though it is not listed in the menu, I was told it was available]. And finally for dessert, once again I ordered without blinking an eye - Lemon Cheese cake. They also had the Baked Yoghurt tart, rich chocolate mousse and Chocolate brownies with chocolate sauce.

I have eaten here at Dario’s numerous times, once with family and they fell in love with the place, esp my grandparents. Simple, no masala and flavourful delicious dishes is how my gramma describes the place.

The Fresh Lime soda arrived within minutes and while I was enjoying the cool drink, I noticed the place slowly fill up, some in groups of 5 or more and others in 2s and 3s. It was good to see the place got a good lunch crowd even on a weekday.

My soup arrived and it was thick, creamy and every spoonful had the lovely mushroom flavour in it. Then came the salad, now for those of you thought salads are boring and bleh, you should try them here. With shavings of Parmesan cheese on top, it was refreshing. During the course of the meal, chatted a bit with the Chef and Suresh about the menu and the recent workshop they had [for kids]. Suresh also mentioned he had few other interesting plans up his sleeve and shall reveal them with due course of time.

Ta da, there was my Asparagus Risotto. I could see the chunks of asparagus through the risotto and generous sprinkle of cheese on top. I actually thought they had increased their portion size and felt this was too much for a single person. It was heavenly… wiped my bowl clean, well, not literally. Must mention that my gramma is keen on replicating this risotto at home [God save me] Cooled off my heels for a bit preparing for the Lemon Cheese cake and ended the meal with a smile on my face and a happy tummy.

So next time you are around Alwarpet or Poes garden and wondering what to do for lunch, drive down to Dario’s and enjoy their corporate lunch meal. You won’t regret it~!!  

Dario's Address:

#11, Kasturi Rangan Road,

2nd Street,

Teynampet,

Chennai- 600018

Ph:             044-4919 3333      

URL: http://www.darios.in [you can not only read about the restaurant, but also see the detailed menu]

Landmark: Next to Aswene Hospital [1st right after the Russian Cultural Centre]

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Sukh Sagar, Kilpauk, Chennai

Contrary to popular belief, veg food is quite yummy. Dont believe me? ask some of my friends who are staunch non veggies but have been enjoying the veg fare at the new line of restaurants in town. Yep, right from the horse's mouth you see. Next time I drag you to a veg joint, think twice before making a comment.. I just might let you starve while I devour some of the yumm fare. Where is this convo headed? Well, am all set to brag about one more Veg restaurant. Not new, infact they have been creating waves for quite a few years, in Chennai & Bangalore.

Infact, if you've been in Anna Nagar, or driven down the main road, you will have spotted the giant red building. That was where Sukh Sagar was. but now, they have a new address, they are on Harley's Road, Kilpauk. Woohoo, close by home, walking distance!  

Renowned for their veg fare and chaat, I was looking forward to this visit. As you walk in, there is an open floor with a kitchen on the side for the early morning hunger pangs or chaat kicks. And then you find a small stairway tucked away leading to the Fine Dining area on the 1st floor, and a floor above houses the Banquet hall. 

By the time I got to the hall, most of them troops were already there. Found a seat beside Vinay & Vishnu, the men who own the place. The evening began with a glass of chilled watermelon juice. We were told we could order what we wanted and eventually sample the main dishes.

I opted for the Veg Manchow soup, it was good, the crispy noodles on top added to the texture. What happened after the soup is a big mystery. There were plates of food that just kept arriving at the table - a wide array of starters, here goes the list [ almost reminds me of the  lyrics to We Dint start the fire by Billy Joel] lemme see if i can remember 'em all  --

Tandoori starters: Corn sheekh kebab - Small pieces of moist Kebab served alongside Mint chutney followed by the Channa se bhara khumb - These were interesting- two mushrooms stuffed with Channa flour and cooked over the tandoor. there was something sweet about this starter. I liked it, maybe cos i love mushrooms and finally the Achari Paneer tikka- amazingly soft paneer marinated with spices and cooked to perfection. 

Next up were the Chinese starters- - Veg Crispy  and Paneer Chilli- Both were good, except I couldnt tell the veggies apart in the veg crispy. Enjoyed the paneer chilli starter. 

Phew, that was a lot of food. Oh wait, we were far from done. Next up were the Chaat items, started with 
fresh Dahi Puri, we then got to sample the Pani puri and finally the Bhel puri. The chaat were all good, except I felt the Bhel was slightly soggy and not as crispy as I am used to. 

During the course of the evening, we spoke about quite a variety of topics, ranging from food to travelling to making sudden plans to drive out to Pondy that very night [ya right, I think somewhere all of us knew that wasnt going to happen, but that did not stop us from planning, plotting]

While we were busy, the staff brought out plates of South Indian eats, starting with the Idli [which I steered clear off cos I need immense motivation to eat it], but the Sambhar vada, Oh gosh, I loved it. yep! Just as I put my spoon down, a plate with a veg sandwich popped in front of me. The caramalised onions added a nice touch, and the crispy grilled layer was a pleasant surprise. 

Just when we thought "yayy, we are done" Vinay came over to tell us the main course was on its way. Jeez. We requested him to just send out teeny tiny portions and he obliged. We tried the Roti, Dal makhani, paneer butter masala and Mushroom masala. The dishes were all good, each with a unique flavour. 

Burp.. oops, pardon me! Oh no, I saw a spoonful of Vegetable Biryani land on my plate and was ready to bolt. Luckily it was a tiny mouthful and was quite nice. There was also the Pav Bhaji and Chola Batura which I passed up on [if I wanted to retain my sanity..lol]  

Bring out the drums and trumpets... it was time for the desserts and that meant we were done... yipee!! We each ordered a different dessert so we could sample them, and it worked out just fine. I chose the Gajar Ka Halwa, while others opted for the Gulab jamun, some chose different ice creams- Gadbad, sukh sagar special, choco nut sundae, kulfi  and Falooda.. Not sure if there were others.. 

To bring the evening to a close, couple of us ordered Filter Kaapi and it was A class.. The conversation about Pondy had by then wound down, we were talking a drive to marina beach and finally ended up heading home.. lol.. 

Before i forget, next time you are hungry and in & around Kilpauk, head straight to Sukh Sagar... Reasonably priced, fresh & yumm food   :-) 

Address:
No 1a, Harleys Road [near Bain School], 
Kilpauk, 
Chennai - 600010 
Ph: 9940192886, 9790899430 
(044) 45500306

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  :-) 

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Veekes and Thomas, Chennai

There is a new eat out in Town, yes, one more, but this one seems promising. Why? It is pure Veg, a chain that has been quite successful in Bangalore, located in Nungambakkam, off Haddows Road and menu is simple, the icing on the cake- it is very reasonably priced!

And the decision was made. When a friend's friend- SR was in town and asked if we could meet up, after a few messages, i asked if we could do lunch at Veekes & Thomas ?!

We landed there at 1pm, and on opening the door to the restaurant found it hot and stuffy. One the staff apologized and told us they were facing power issues. We then decided to sit outside, and luckily it wasnt too hot. 

Since we were meeting for the first time, we spent nearly an hour catching up, swapping stories, sharing work experiences and of course talking about the mutual friend...

It was nearly 2pm when we thought we should get down to ordering Lunch... 

They had about 3 soups and it mentioned "served in Chai glass" which is what got me curious.. The Basil & Tomato soup was not available and so we settled for the French Onion soup [i'd recently watched the Masterchef Masterclass episode where Gary made the French Onion soup and my oh my, it looked divine] 

The other day when i had been here, few friends were just winding up. One of them in particular mentioned that the Brocolli Corn Cheese Starter was delightful. And well, yes, i had to try it. It was crisp with a nice bite to it and filled with flavour- served with a tangy sauce. 

For the main dishes, i chose the Ratatouille [for some reason, the dish always brings the movie to my mind and i wonder if the dish is going to resemble a rat or come with a toon picture... lol]. I enjoyed the Ratatouille, but the rice had a bit of a bite, i wonder if that is how it is supposed to be or if this is a different kind of rice....

While my friend chose the Penne with Vegetables [which was a bit bland so we added chilli flakes and herbs to it and then  it sang like a tweety bird... :-)]

             

The food was really good, simple. We were stuffed and so passed up on Desserts. But the most amazing part was when the bill arrived- this meal for 2 was Rs538/- .. What a steal.... 

We lingered on for another half hour yakking away before parting ways. It was one good happy lunch! Will i go back here? You Betcha!

Ambiance- 7/10 [inside is nice, with all the music posters on the wall and pictures of food etc]

Price- 9/10

Service- 8/10 [ Umm, there were times when we couldnt quite understand what the waiter was telling us. Guess its their accent]

Overall Rating -8.5/10 

Address:

#15/4 Haddows Lane

Haddows Rd  Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600034

Ph- 09710026669

It is in the lane right next to Fashion Folks on Haddows Road [ Adj to Shastri Bhavan], go right till the end and you will see it on your left next to an apartment complex. 

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Asli Punjabi Rasoi, chennai

Walking down from the gym after a good work out, my friend and I began talking about what's up for dinner.. With no mood to get home and cook, plus we had an almost hungry ready to get cranky nearly 4yr old with us..

My friend asked if I was up for dinner at the place across the road from our gym.. It was the Asli Punjabi Rasoi, a pure vegetarian restaurant..

She went ahead to check out the place and what they had on the menu..

The guy (manager/waiter/bus boy all rolled into one) told us it will take about 20mins as the kitchen was just getting ready..

We placed our order and told him "we'll be back in 20mins" in true Terminator style and wandered off to explore a store my friend had spotted nearby..

And there we were, in the eat out that offered almost no ambience, just a few tables and chairs out in the open and random Hindi movie songs (most were from remade Hindi movies) in the background..

On came a plate of salad- heaped to the top- carrots, cucumber, radish, onion, tomato an grated cabbage..

We had ordered-
Garlic naan
Aloo parantha
Saraon ka saag
Daal makhani
buttermilk

The food was piping hot; naan & parantha came with a good dollop of butter( which on request they avoided on subsequent orders)..

Sarson ka saag has been one of my favorites ( have had it earlier at Bpmbay halwa house and Icarus) - it was good..

Daal makhani- well, it was good but very different from what I've had earlier

Buttermilk- too watery, but heck, was good after the crazy workout

The man in charge was sweet enough to ask if the kiddo would like some rice and daal.. And they prepared the aloo parantha without any chilly and spice..

Overall, a good fun evening! Will I go back here? Sure, why not!

Ambiance- umm, well, nothing really but atleast no mosquitoes

Price- the meal for the 3 of us cost Rs484

Service- 9/10 ( that evening we were the only ones in the place)

Address:
Asli Punjabi Rasoi
Opp Indian bank/ State bank of India ATM/Blue Gym
Few doors down from CP art center towards teynampet
Eldams road
Chennai

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