About the event: This is part of a nice marketing initiative conducted by Chennai Food Guide (CFG) and selected restaurants in Phoenix Market City mall, Chennai to introduce interested bloggers to the sought after items in their menu. After the first stop at Jonah's Goes to Japan, the next restaurant we were headed to was CPK or California Pizza Kitchen. This is an unbiased account of our experience there.
Location California Pizza Kitchen is located outside the main mall building or kinda adjoined to it. We had to exit the mall to enter here. True to it's name, CPK is pretty "Californian" in character. It's laidback, bonhomie ambiance made us forget we were in a mall. With the dim lighting that's just right and the tables low and comfortable, it would make a good place to chill with friends or family. The affable manager Mr. Nishant spoke to us, explaining the concept of the restaurant and the kind of dishes they offered. Their main innovation is on pizzas and dishes that are extremely favored in the American westcoast like Fajitas, Toastadas and the like which are tailored to the Indian palate but also invariably have the Mexican twist in them as we will see.
New Range of pizza being introduced
Mr. Nishant announced that they are currently introducing hand crafted pizzas ranging from a more affordable 245 rupees onwards. This is a nice addition to their usual range to make it more economical. However, he added that they don't offer delivery of their pizzas because most of them are thin crust and made fresh so they prefer to let customers enjoy the pizza immediately.
Brick walls. Decor reminding of the Golden state.
Once we were settled in and introductions made, the dishes were brought in quickly one by one and we took turns to take photos and taste them. We were worried we would be too full to eat more food after Jonah's but it's surprising how your appetite increases when you see well-made food right in front of you. ;)
On to the dishes now..
SALAD:
Thai Crunch Salad
CPK is known for their great salads. "Crispy veggies and fresh cilantro with chicken and the crunch of peanuts and rice sticks. Tossed in Thai peanut dressing." .... is their description of this dish. Mmm. It was everything I had heard about this favorite dish. Just scrumptious for a salad. The delicate crisp rice sticks with the fresh chopped veggies added a whole new dimension to the lip smacking peanut chicken combination which was just sweet enough but not too much. The Thai peanut dressing was just more peanut goodness on top of everything. A totally yum dish and from someone who never orders salads!
APPETIZERS
Lettuce Wraps
Another healthful looking dish was placed on the table and it was explained that the lettuce serves as an eatable bowl for this salad! This dish was an exotic combination of shittake mushrooms, water chestnuts, carrots tossed in soy ginger sauce. Loved the taste of the sauce that was well coated on all the crispy veggies. The mushrooms added the soft bite to the dish and crunch was provided by the rice crisps as in the previous dish. Another flavorsome dish.
Spicy Chicken Supreme
Who doesn't love fried and sauce coated chicken?! I wanted to taste this dish while it was still hot. But unfortunately by the time we got done with clicking pics, the dish had cooled quite a bit. I could see customers at another table enjoying this one. It is a pretty tangy dish and not mildly so. However, dipping it in the herb ranch sauce would provide the ideal balance to the intense flavor. There's also a small side of chopped veggies with strips of tortilla chips. You'll find these chips in many dishes in CPK. I guess it's their style. It adds a unique crunch to everything.
Black Bean Quesadilla
A light quesadilla that's not overly stuffed. The inside is filled with a combination of black bean sauce, sliced onion and serrano peppers. It was mild tasting to me and when dipped in the salsa the dish took on those stronger flavors well. The other dips were chipotle sour cream and crispy tortilla salad. I did not mix and match too much but enjoyed munching on a few of these. The quesadillas did not seem rubbery and was just right.
PIZZAS!
Tostada
I've never had CPK pizza before but this was something totally new for me. Most of the pizzas of California pizza kitchen are thin crust. It's what they specialize in. When they say thin crust they mean it. The crust is wafer thin but still firm and needs a decent bite. The tostada comprised of black beans, cheddar and fontina, topped with shredded lettuce, crispy tortilla strips and plenty of ranch as you can see. The whole thing seemed too "airy" to be a pizza but still when you bite into it, it's definitely a lovely new experience. And you can't really complain that pizzas are bad for you here because it has a ton of veggies on that thin crust. It's almost like eating a topping laden thick tortilla chip!
Kasundi Paneer Pizza
Makhani sauce, kasundi flavoured paneer, roasted peppers tomatoes and onions make up this unique pizza. I had no clue what kasundi is and it seems it's a kind of Indian mustard. I was eager to taste it. It tasted just as zesty as it looked with the strong flavor of the mustard coming through in a spicy way and the veggies and makhani sauce doing their bit to up the taste factor. A very interesting and welcome Indian addition to this menu although the paneer could have been even softer. Definitely try this one!
The tiramisu looked awesome with the cloak of sabayon covering it. The interior was thick and cheesy with the coffee flavoring it slightly. I relished a few bites and it was enough to satisfy me as I was getting dangerously full now. I wonder how tiramisu with the real alcoholic kahlua tastes now. ;) Perhaps they can introduce it soon.
Red Velvet Cake
It looks a beaut doesn't it? The vanilla cheese frosting and white chocolate shavings were really thick and this could easily serve two people. I had a single bite and the cake was moist enough and tasty. However, I'm not a big fan of red velvet generally and prefer chocolate and other "real" flavors.
That brought us to the close of the event. We were quite proud of ourselves at having eaten so many dishes from two restaurants in one evening. But the fact that the dishes tasted great made it very easy for us thankfully, not just eating but also for the review!! :D For the next few minutes we couldn't move and spent time chatting. The manager and chef were with us throughout and answered every query enthusiastically. It seems to be a well run place and the freshness of the food made me happy. And then, it was time to go home. :)
Location California Pizza Kitchen is located outside the main mall building or kinda adjoined to it. We had to exit the mall to enter here. True to it's name, CPK is pretty "Californian" in character. It's laidback, bonhomie ambiance made us forget we were in a mall. With the dim lighting that's just right and the tables low and comfortable, it would make a good place to chill with friends or family. The affable manager Mr. Nishant spoke to us, explaining the concept of the restaurant and the kind of dishes they offered. Their main innovation is on pizzas and dishes that are extremely favored in the American westcoast like Fajitas, Toastadas and the like which are tailored to the Indian palate but also invariably have the Mexican twist in them as we will see.
New Range of pizza being introduced
Mr. Nishant announced that they are currently introducing hand crafted pizzas ranging from a more affordable 245 rupees onwards. This is a nice addition to their usual range to make it more economical. However, he added that they don't offer delivery of their pizzas because most of them are thin crust and made fresh so they prefer to let customers enjoy the pizza immediately.
Brick walls. Decor reminding of the Golden state.
Once we were settled in and introductions made, the dishes were brought in quickly one by one and we took turns to take photos and taste them. We were worried we would be too full to eat more food after Jonah's but it's surprising how your appetite increases when you see well-made food right in front of you. ;)
On to the dishes now..
SALAD:
Thai Crunch Salad
CPK is known for their great salads. "Crispy veggies and fresh cilantro with chicken and the crunch of peanuts and rice sticks. Tossed in Thai peanut dressing." .... is their description of this dish. Mmm. It was everything I had heard about this favorite dish. Just scrumptious for a salad. The delicate crisp rice sticks with the fresh chopped veggies added a whole new dimension to the lip smacking peanut chicken combination which was just sweet enough but not too much. The Thai peanut dressing was just more peanut goodness on top of everything. A totally yum dish and from someone who never orders salads!
APPETIZERS
Lettuce Wraps
Another healthful looking dish was placed on the table and it was explained that the lettuce serves as an eatable bowl for this salad! This dish was an exotic combination of shittake mushrooms, water chestnuts, carrots tossed in soy ginger sauce. Loved the taste of the sauce that was well coated on all the crispy veggies. The mushrooms added the soft bite to the dish and crunch was provided by the rice crisps as in the previous dish. Another flavorsome dish.
Spicy Chicken Supreme
Who doesn't love fried and sauce coated chicken?! I wanted to taste this dish while it was still hot. But unfortunately by the time we got done with clicking pics, the dish had cooled quite a bit. I could see customers at another table enjoying this one. It is a pretty tangy dish and not mildly so. However, dipping it in the herb ranch sauce would provide the ideal balance to the intense flavor. There's also a small side of chopped veggies with strips of tortilla chips. You'll find these chips in many dishes in CPK. I guess it's their style. It adds a unique crunch to everything.
Black Bean Quesadilla
A light quesadilla that's not overly stuffed. The inside is filled with a combination of black bean sauce, sliced onion and serrano peppers. It was mild tasting to me and when dipped in the salsa the dish took on those stronger flavors well. The other dips were chipotle sour cream and crispy tortilla salad. I did not mix and match too much but enjoyed munching on a few of these. The quesadillas did not seem rubbery and was just right.
PIZZAS!
Tostada
I've never had CPK pizza before but this was something totally new for me. Most of the pizzas of California pizza kitchen are thin crust. It's what they specialize in. When they say thin crust they mean it. The crust is wafer thin but still firm and needs a decent bite. The tostada comprised of black beans, cheddar and fontina, topped with shredded lettuce, crispy tortilla strips and plenty of ranch as you can see. The whole thing seemed too "airy" to be a pizza but still when you bite into it, it's definitely a lovely new experience. And you can't really complain that pizzas are bad for you here because it has a ton of veggies on that thin crust. It's almost like eating a topping laden thick tortilla chip!
Kasundi Paneer Pizza
Makhani sauce, kasundi flavoured paneer, roasted peppers tomatoes and onions make up this unique pizza. I had no clue what kasundi is and it seems it's a kind of Indian mustard. I was eager to taste it. It tasted just as zesty as it looked with the strong flavor of the mustard coming through in a spicy way and the veggies and makhani sauce doing their bit to up the taste factor. A very interesting and welcome Indian addition to this menu although the paneer could have been even softer. Definitely try this one!
DESSERT
Tiramisu
Desserts were again a cause for much anticipation and enthusiasm and fellow foodie Avanthi was eagerly waiting for the Tiramisu. The manager explained that the mascarpone cheese was indeed imported however the kahlua was non alcoholic. This is probably so it would cater to a wider audience or maybe real alcohol is not legally allowed in such dishes? Not sure.
Red Velvet Cake
It looks a beaut doesn't it? The vanilla cheese frosting and white chocolate shavings were really thick and this could easily serve two people. I had a single bite and the cake was moist enough and tasty. However, I'm not a big fan of red velvet generally and prefer chocolate and other "real" flavors.
That brought us to the close of the event. We were quite proud of ourselves at having eaten so many dishes from two restaurants in one evening. But the fact that the dishes tasted great made it very easy for us thankfully, not just eating but also for the review!! :D For the next few minutes we couldn't move and spent time chatting. The manager and chef were with us throughout and answered every query enthusiastically. It seems to be a well run place and the freshness of the food made me happy. And then, it was time to go home. :)
Nice blog, are you waiting to eat salad, just search online best place to eat Salads in Chennai
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