Peaches turns one

“Peaches” is not the 1^stname we thought of. We infact ran through nearly 100 of them, scraping at each of them- Tiranga, 3 Rascals and what not, till finally we landed at “Peaches”, shares Raghu.  Hailing from a family where his father was into business, Raghu met up with 2 other friends and after much brainstorming they decided to start the restaurant and see where it is headed.

They were 3 guys who were excited, passionate and wanted to do something new. Subsequently, they met with Chef Kaushik [Eatitude] who helped transform their idea into reality and get going on the restaurant. 

After much deliberation, the trio decided to start a “Pure vegetarian” restaurant, esp since Velachery was an up and coming locality and pure veg is a cuisine that will work here. Locality was one thing they dint really have to deliberate over, and they knew there was going to be no compromise on quality of food they served either. Once the idea was in place, plans were drawn, they did a survey over 40days among people they knew and got them to test out the menu as well [12^th to 19^th Sep 2012]. On 20^th Sep 2012 is when the doors opened…

The menu too went through various stages, from being extensive, it was narrowed down, and over time a few dishes were chopped off the list, while others were added in. The restaurant was slowly evolving and getting ready to open the doors to the market. And today, they are a year and 2 months old.  Today, they can serve 58 covers and are proud owners of the 1800 sq ft restaurant.

Targetting families who enjoy Indian food, and who are open to world cuisine, they designed the menu and kept coming up with new innovative dishes and festivals. Earlier this year, they had the Burrito eating contest, where a 2kg burrito was to be eaten in the shortest time. And now, they have launched Sizzlers, about 5 of them. We wonder what they are going to come up with next…

Venkatesh manages the kitchen and back end while Raghu manages the front and marketing aspect of the restaurant [thanks to his experience in marketing & servicing].

Some of their signature dishes which we got to taste were

Starters : Bread Mozzarella Sticks, Malai paneer tikka, Aatish-e-aloo and the Mushroom crostini followed by Phuket Paneer and Schezwan baby corn.

Drinks: Florida Sunrise and Lime mint cooker

Mains: It was raining sizzlers- there was the Oriental Sizzler, Italian sizzler, Tandoori Sizzler, Chettinad Sizzler and finally the Big Fat peaches Sizzler. The best of the lot was the Chettinad and Oriental Sizzler. The amazing thing about each of these Sizzlers was that the items on each of them was different, even the wedges and side of vegetables. There was the veg cutlet to the masala vada, the Chinese fried rice+noodles to Indian Biryani and the Italian gentle flavoured vegetables. These should make their way into the menu long term!!

Desserts: Hot chocolate fudge sundae, Banana boat and Mango sundae... 

Here’s wishing them a great journey ahead!!! Next time you are around Velachery and in the mood for some good food, albeit vegetarian, head straight down the road next to Phoenix mall about 2kms to Peaches [above Andhra Bank]

You can read my earlier review here

 Peaches

No.81, 9th Cross Street,
Rajalakshmi Nagar, 
100 Feet by Pass Road, 
Velachery, Chennai, 
Tamil Nadu 600042
Ph- 044 4201 9454

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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Nandos, Chennai

I heard of this place when they were about to launch, and there was a lot of talk about the Peri Peri chicken. Since i am a vegetarian, I ignored the thread but the franchise owner insisted they have quite a range of vegetarian fare. After a few weeks, while at Phoenix Mall with friends, we decided to head out to Nandos for lunch, mainly since the friend visiting from abroad wanted some meaty juicy food. We walked in, found a table near the entrance and got comfortable. 

I scanned through the menu, noticed that veg options were all around Paneer. Throwing caution to wind, I chose the Veg Espetada and for sides, i chose the corn on cob since a friend had already chosen the 3 bean salad and other chose the Mexican rice with her chicken breast. My dish arrived in style, it was a tall stand with a skewer and big chunks of paneer on it. The table had a range of Peri Peri sauces, and I had to slather the paneer with some of them to add some flavour. I ate maybe 2 pieces and I was about done.

I wish the waiter had warned me the size of the dish and what it actually was [since it was my 1st time there and I had no clues what to expect]. The sides were delicious- I could eat just the corn and 3 bean salad as a main course and would have been very happy. 

The beverages were good, we ordered 3 different drinks, one common thread being they all had pomegranate syrup/concentrate in them. Paid the bill and walked out not too pleased. 

I guess many places that are famous for non veg food use paneer as the substitute  and this kinda gets my goat! There is so much more than paneer to veg food.,..anyways, if you are a meat eater, then you should head to Nandos and enjoy some of what they offer!! 

I did like the interiors, art work on the wall and service was top notch! 

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California Pizza Kitchen

It was Saturday evening when a friend- Av popped in Whatsapp and announced that CPK was opening the subsequent Monday. For those who are unaware, CPK is California Pizza Kitchen. The two times I have been to Phoenix I noticed the huge banner with a “coming soon” on it. After our Bangalore trip, I learnt that CPK serves alcohol and so maybe they were waiting for license [just as HRC has been waiting]. But alas., they have given up or not pursued the same, for they are open in Phoenix Market City, Velachery.

So, coming back to the Saturday evening, this friend & I decided we will do Monday night dinner at CPK. Most others were tied up and we froze our plan. On Sunday evening, another friend announced she was at CPK and gave us feedback on the dishes and the place. Av who discovered they were opening on Monday was surprised they had opened on Sunday. But anyways, we stuck to our plan and Monday evening I was there in Phoenix around 7pm. Did some shopping at Big Bazaar and waited for Av to arrive.

The entry to CPK is from the outside. So, you can actually park, and walk all the way around the mall on the same side as Nandos and you will spot CPK right at the end. It is located near the children’s play area and near the dancing water fountain. There is also a huge monitor on top that was showcasing random sports events.

We walked in around 8 and the place was fairly empty. Chose a booth and made ourselves comfortable. The menu was brought and the waiter asked for our water preference and if we wanted a beverage. Av ordered Coke while I opted for the Strawberry Italian Soda [going against my usual fresh lime soda-salt] We also ordered the Lettuce Wrap. The drinks arrived within 2 minutes, followed closely by the starter. There was a plate with a few fresh lettuce leaves and another plate with peanut sauce and filling [it had paneer, seasonings, and sat on a bed of something that resembled friend rice noodles]. We had to place a few spoonfuls in the lettuce sheet, add some sauce, roll it up and chomp on it. I loved the flavours, and the crunchiness of the Lettuce was just perfect.

Spent a few minutes catching up on life and other things that dint matter, and Av shared her experience at CPK in the USA. Going with her recommendation, we ordered the Toastada Pizza [it is a hot & cold pizza, there is a thin crust base with black bean sauce on it, and above that is a healthy serving of shredded lettuce and tortilla chips] with a side of salsa that was divine. It arrived on the table and is possibly the ONLY healthy pizza i’ve ever had in my life.

The thin crust had a nice crisp texture and the hot & cold was perfect. Within minutes the plate was wiped clean and we were grinning. The only thing that kind of put us off a bit was the occasional bugs that found their way to the table- tiny mosquitoes [possibly because it was located near trees and water in the outdoor area]. Oh and it was a whole new experience having staff come over ask us how the drinks were, the starters and the main as well.

Since our friend had told us about the desserts, we opted for the White Chocolate Cheesecake. And it was delicious. With a healthy topping of grated white chocolate, the cheesecake was rich and perfect. Yes, it was different from others I’ve had but I liked this one.

Phew, what a fun evening it had been. We asked for the check, paid the bill and spent a good hour or two sitting on the bench outside yapping away to glory.

Price: This meal costed us Rs2100 [incl taxes]

Ambiance- Simple and elegant.

Service- Very good

Address:

California Pizza Kitchen

Phoenix Market City, Velachery

Chennai 

Ph- 044 65108888

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Peaches

How are you doing today?

Just peachy! 

Well, this is what came to my mind when I heard of the pure vegetarian restaurant called Peaches. But then, it was in the other end of the city, Velachery. Well, yes I do know it is not the other end, but for someone living in Chetpet, making the commute it sure feels like another corner of the city. However, now that I have moved to somewhere midpoint, it does not seem too far. And so, I braved the traffic and made the trip to Peaches that evening. I contemplated bailing out using the excuse of “I just got back to town today morning, am exhausted” but then decided to just go for it.  By the time I reached, most of the others were already there. After a round of introductions, Hi hello to familiar faces we all settled into the tables set aside for us.

Kaushik gave a brief intro to the place, the cuisine and also told us of the Burrito challenge they were rolling out. The challenge was to plough through a 2kg burrito within 30 minutes. A few brave souls took the plunge, but none were able to complete it, but then came the Man who was done within 18mins and set a new record. Anyways, I digress. Coming back to the evening, we were in for a lavish feast, what else would you call a meal comprising of 22 dishes. Yes, you read it right. There was a soup, couple of starters, few Indian main dishes, and few from other cuisines and then the desserts. Phew. Just listening to him rattle out the list was exhausting.

The evening opened with the Roasted Red pepper soup that was served with a slice of toast and cheese on top. It was interesting. I liked the soup, and like the croutons in the tomato soup, this slice of toast was a good break of texture for this soup. By the time we were done, I spotted a plate of onion rings land on the table. We were told these are traditionally cooked in beer batter, but here they were cooked with soda. They were light, a tad bland but tasted good with the chilli mayo dip. The Aloo tikki followed on the heels of the onion rings and this was divine. Served alongside the traditional mint chutney, it was yumm. Before we could gulp down a glass of water, a plate of breaded mozzarella sticks came dancing in front of our eyes. For those who love cheese, this is a delight. The cool thing about this place was they served us shots between every few courses. We had the Florida Sunrise [a nonalcoholic version of the drink] in a small cute glass. It kind of helped, we got to break the food train and get a different taste as well.

Wait, we are not done with starters. Told you we were in for a 22course delight right?! Next came the Aatish-e-aloo, very different from the aloo tikki. And then were the 2 Mushroom starters- Tapas Mushroom, mushroom stuffed coated and fried. This was my least favorite of the lot. There was also the corn cheese balls and  Sabz tandoor [carrots, potato, zucchini, cauliflower, capsicum] which was very good. We were told the spice factor was kept to a minimum and there was an extreme HOT version available if anyone dared. The next drink had us all excited like little children. Any guesses? It was bovonto served with a scoop of ice cream. We must have gulped through quite a few glasses of this. It was sheer heaven.  Hang on, what is your hurry? There were few more starters yet to be sampled. The Super spicy chilli  mushroom  and Phuket Paneer. The mushroom was alright, and paneer felt a tad chewy. It was a take off on the Phuket Fish. We looked around waiting to see if more starters flew from the kitchen, but luckily that was it. Phew. Suddenly, a waiter walked in with a tray of mini blue colour liquid shots. They looked good, and tasted quite good as well. These were called Deep Blue Sea, and were a take off on the Blue Curacao. I loved the fact that the glasses had salt on the rim. It helps in cutting the sweetness of the drink. Given a choice, I would do this to every drink in the world :D

Taking a break, we walked around; some took charge of the Burrito and attempted to eat it, while others cheered them on. And then, we were beckoned back to the table for the Indian mains. We had an array of Indian breads, of which the methi and black olive stood out. The Bharwani Mirchi Kolhapuri was interesting, hot chilli with sweet paneer stuffing, but then came the Bhindi khadi that swept us away. It was just amazing, perfect with plain rice. We tried the kofta Biryani and Ambur Soya [veg] Biryani with the Dabeliwali Daal and Paneer tikka masala.  These dishes are good, but I was busy licking the khadi off the spoon. J

Following these were the Lasagna and Enchilladas. However, I had a long night ahead and so had to leave. I missed these and the desserts, especially the Nuttella Wontons which I heard were quite good. Oh, well, always an excuse to come back for a visit, right?

This is one of those places you can walk in, and be assured there is something for everyone. Situated above Andhra Bank, it is about 1 km from Phoenix Market City, Velachery on the left side.

Peaches

No.81, 9th Cross Street,

Rajalakshmi Nagar, 

100 Feet by Pass Road, 

Velachery, Chennai, 

Tamil Nadu 600042
Ph- 044 4201 9454

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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The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Chennai

S: Have you been to it yet? I have, it is huge and so many shops. Only about 1/3rd are open. Do make a visit. 

Me: But it is so far off. I have to spend like half a day if I wanna visit. 

Cut to few days later... 

F: Hey, How about we visit the place before we head to dinner?

Av: Sounds good

Me: Super, that sounds like a plan

F: let us meet there at 6:30pm, spend about an hour and head over to Tadka Talk for dinner meet. 

Av & Me: Roger that! 

So, that fateful Thursday  I headed out of home around 5.30 pm and thought I was going to make it there by 7 which would mean I barely had time to look around as dinner was planned for 7.15. But luckily, there was no traffic beyond North Usman road and I made it by 6.15. Yayy!! 

Curious to know where I was headed? Phoenix Market City Mall, Velachery! Those who know me, know I am not a mall person, and the only reason I visit a mall would be for the Book store, a movie or to meet friends. I am not into shopping at all. 

So, this day, at Phoenix, I entered, spoke to F and Av, who were already there, got directions that dint really help because they had approached the place from a different entry. Decided to just take a chance, hopped on the escalator, walked down the 1st floor and there it was- "The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf" cafe. It was a small cafe, located right across from Rajdhani [which is tucked away inside a left], and looked quite cozy. 

"Founded in 1963, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® is the oldest and largest privately-held chain of specialty coffee and tea stores in the United States. With a reputation for excellence, the company is a leader in product innovations, having developed the original Ice Blended® beverage."

Av was already there sipping on tea, F said he was full, and so I went ahead and ordered a Peach Iced tea. The place is fairly small, can seat about 20-25 people max. There were a few others and I also spotted a few tuned into their laptops. The furniture is all brown, wooden, and has a very earthy feel to it. I waited, and waited, and then went to the counter only to be told the waiter had forgotten my order. The manager took over and made sure I got my Iced tea in a few minutes. Chatted with him and came to know he was in the Bangalore outlet and had been sent to Chennai to train and get the place going. 

While we walked out, we couldn't help it, we had to pause and oggle at the muffins and cheese cake. They were huge, and looked divine. But then, we were headed to dinner, so with a promise of repeat visit we left, making our way to the parking lot.

Facebook page

URL: The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf,

1st Floor, Phoenix Marketcity,

Velachery Main Road,

Chennai – 600 042.

Tel. No: 044 30083411

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