Dunkin' Donuts, Chennai

After hearing that this place was opening, decided to check it out with a friend. We reached around 10:15 am and just as expected we were in for a looong wait. It took us five minutes to find where the queue started and we finally got in the line of maybe five hundred people. However, everything was well-planned out and not at all chaotic. Kudos to them. They were even offering ice tea in small cups for those waiting. So we got chatting and the line was moving quite quickly. Even then, it took us more than an hour so go figure. Also, a cheeky bugger cut the line in the last stage but everyone was in too good a mood to ask him to move back. Once we reached the end of the line, we were greeted warmly by the employees and let through in batches to satiate our sweet tooths.

There was a multi line queue on both sides of the art exhibit!

Almost there..

"The 365 free Donuts Offer"

Since there's a lot of confusion about the actual offer they are giving today, here's the deal:

Only on 23rd May anyone who buys their special pack (6 donuts prepacked) for Rs. 310 incl taxes or 6 donuts [ Rs. 57 for a donut ] of your own choice will get a coupon booklet that has dated coupons for the next 365 days. Each coupon is valid for the date printed on it only and one needs to purchase a non beverage item to get the free donut. That's the terms they have printed. *Not sure if they have a minimum order as well for the coupon to be valid but as of now buying a single donut should be enough to get the offer. I think it's a pretty good deal as I would get a donut free whenever I am in the mood for donuts there.

Donuts

The donuts tasted good. They are denser and chewier and I think less sweet than Krispy Kreme's. Personally don't like the Krispy Kreme glazed ones as they are too light and feels synthetic. The other donuts in the pack were Very very Blueberry, a chocolate filled one which was oozing thick chocolate sauce filling, no more blues [mint flavored], a Banana flavored donut which had good bits of walnut on it. The blueberry topping was dense but didn't have a freshness to it but it is the same with Krispy Kreme toppings. :-/ My favorite was the chocolate filled, Glazed and the mint donut was decent. The pricing was comparatively good at Rs. 57 for a donut excluding taxes.

 Burgers

               

                                                            Naughty Lucy Chicken Burger


We also ordered one Naughty Lucy chicken and a Brute tough guy chicken burger for me. I was looking forward to tasting the Tough guy chicken burger but when they came, both were Naughty Lucy burgers. We didn't exchange them as we had already reached the food court upstairs to sit and eat as there were no vacant tables in DD itself. Naughty Lucy had a non crispy patty filled with cheese and didn't impress at all because it felt too readymade to me. Would have a Zinger burger or Mc Spicy any day instead. Not sure if the patty was supposed to be soft or crispy but there was a good amount of molten cheese inside the patty. Since there was huge crowd maybe it was got soggy? I hope they have a crisp version soon. 

Anyway, we had a nice time overall other than the burger. Didn't go there as much for the free coupons as to check out the response to this brand. And it seems to be a very successful launch at least going by the crowds today. As for those who were expecting 365 free donuts just for going there today, I say ... "Ithu Ungalukke Konjam Over Ah Therilae?!!" :P

Double Roti, Chennai

After seeing the many nice reviews of this place, I wholeheartedly recommended Double Roti to my friends when we were thinking of which place to try. We reached there by 9 pm and unsurprisingly there were quite a few people waiting to get in. Friday night after all. We too decided to wait even though they said it would take at least half an hour. Meanwhile found out the person taking down names was the owner of the joint himself. He was enthusiastically talking to all the patrons and even helping out in arranging tables but it was quite a task to get his attention to reserve a spot for us! Felt it would be more efficient if there was a person solely in charge of just taking down names in order of arrival and notifying us.

The resto is located in the premises of a service apartment and is very modestly sized but with the feel of a busy newyork joint. We ended up waiting in the lobby of the service apts till our turn came since the humid Chennai evening was taking a sweaty toll. It took almost an hour for us to get in and we were quite ready to take our frustrations out on the burgers we'd heard so much about. ;)

Place to sit and wait on the side

After an hour long wait, we finally got in. The place was cool, had a peppy ambiance and the music was just loud enough to drown out the noise from other tables. In short, good for hogging without a care. :P Also, the clear view into the kitchen was great too, chefs bustling about with burgers taking center stage. The interesting wall hangings, write ups and decor kept us occupied until an enthusiastic waiting staff told us about the menu. He had no hesitations in recommending the illegal beef burger and didn't divulge much of what was in it since the description wasn't helpful. Anyway, already knew the illegals were much recommended so we chose two of that. The others wanted chicken burgers so they chose a Mexican wave burger and a Southern Spice burger. All of 'em were double patty versions! For drinks we ordered two Oreo o Oreo milkshakes, a Chocolate Mania and a Cold cold coffee. Also ordered the tandoori chicken fries which was something we'd not seen before.

                                                            Oreo o oreo milkshake!
                                                       
The milkshakes arrived first and the Oreo milkshake was very good. Served in a flowerpot, it was thick, very chocolaty and could fill you up if you weren't careful. The chocolate mania was just the oreo shake without the oreo crushed in. Tasted the same. And the cold cold Coffee which I had a taste of didn't taste that good. Was too bitter for my liking. If you've ordered for the double patty burger would be wise to not sip too much and fill your tummy up. Couldn't wait for the burgers to arrive. Next to come was the tandoori chicken fries. The quantity was pleasing and it really did taste good with bits of chicken to accompany the tandoori chicken flavored mayo/cream covered fries. Nice innovation from the team especially the touch where it's served in a miniature southern utensil.

                                                        Illegal burger served in a Tawa!

 Southern Spice chicken burger

                                                 Mexican wave chicken burger

Finally we come to the burgers. The Illegal burger was just what a beef burger should be. The patty was well done, crisp on the outside which definitely made it tastier and moderately juicy on the inside with the seasonings including jalapenos, beans (which I felt didn't add much) and without an overdose of cheese and mayo. The flavor of the meat came through and the burger buns were perfect not too soft nor crumbly hard. We had to ask for extra tissues to keep wiping our messed up faces! It's impossible to eat the double patty burger without getting your paws dirty. Friend asked for ketchup for which they offered him mayo, ketchup and mustard sauce as well. Good service from the friendly staff. The burgers were really heavy. This was the first time in Chennai a burger claiming to be filling actually filled me up. But then for almost 400 rupees a burger, it's not cheap by any means but at least you get a solid, tasty burger which is great. So if you're not really hungry, just order the single patty version priced at rs. 300. The mexican wave and southern spice were also liked by my friends and one of them had trouble finishing it owing to the size. Pfft, amateur. :P The bill came to exactly 2400 which was 600 per head. Came out feeling like it was worth it given the generous portions which is a first for comfort food here in Chennai. Actually felt full hours later. Definitely a great place to go to if you're willing to wait for your food and craving an honest illegal in Maharastra burger. Let the real burger wars begin.