Jonahs Goes to Japan, Phoenix Market city part of Phoenix Food Trail

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. The first stop on the food trail for the day was at Jonah's Goes to Japan [one of the restaurants in the Jonah's bistro chain] who have tied up with Momoyama and Baker's street (Pondicherry). What follows is an unbiased account of the experience there.

As I've always wanted to check out Jonah's Bistro on seeing lots of good reviews about the good experiences there, it was great to finally head there and do some tasting myself. The chain has been doing well and they have opened up restos each dealing with a distinct cuisine like the Malabar coast, Italian and more. Very neat concept if you ask me. We arrived at around 6 pm and fellow foodie Asmita was already on time there and sipping on a drink along with the others. I was on a quasi diet for the day so that I could be generous with my portions. ;)

Introductions

On entering, noticed a smart gentleman Mr. Praveen who settled me to our table and we then waited for the others to arrive. Mr. Praveen was from the Phoenix mall's marketing team and was very attentive to any need we had throughout the event! In a few minutes, the Store manager Mr. Imran and the continental menu's Chef Venkatesh introduced themselves, told us about the brand and mentioned they would be serving each pre-selected dish one by one. We were even provided notepads Anton Ego style. ;)


The decor is cozy yet modern with shiny fittings and comfortable seating.

The Grub! 


                                                      Veggie Delight Croissantwich

When this one came in, I knew it would taste great because I could smell the fresh bread from a distance away. It was a hearty and wholesome tasting dish that was chock full of veggies seasoned with a delicious sauce that rounded it off well.

Grilled Chicken Panini

Again, this was a dish where the bread made the most impact for me. Light, crispy and you got the flavor of the herbs and grilled chicken just right. It wasn't too spicy. It's like a light pizza with lesser cheese, more bread and more flavor making it healthier too!

Jonah's Monster Burger Beef

Felt like meeting a long lost friend when I saw this meaty fella coming my way. It is quite a sight to see burgers like this in good ol' veggie Chennai lol. I could see the thick turkey bacon patty and panko chicken sticking out and a fried egg to top it off! Yum is the word.

 However, I was unable to find a way to stuff this in so had to remove the panko chicken patty and then try it. The Turkey bacon patty if I'm not wrong was quite thick and dense, like a proper burger patty. And it was tasty as well. This burger could easily fill up a heavy eater unlike some other monster sized burgers at other restaurants. The buns were not crumbly and were well made. As there were plenty of other dishes left to try, I could only have a few bites of this beauty. 

Pasta Alfredo Chicken

  Did not get to taste this one in the melee unfortunately. 

Curried Beef Stroganoff

This dish took us by surprise. This was easily the one of the best dishes and it's the first time I was tasting beef with rice paired with such a creamy base. The taste reminded me of the Keralan mutton stew and ghee rice that we Malayalees often eat with much relish. This dish is similarly delicately spiced and the beef melts in the mouth. The rice was just perfect as well. A good dish to be had for those who are cannot handle spicy stuff and love meat. 

Jonah's Steak

The steak came medium rare, and when I first bit into it, the juices were just what I expect from a steak. It was slightly sweet and "fruity" but I would have preferred the meat to be a tad more tender. Perhaps medium would have been better for me. Will give it another shot next time. 

                                                               Japanese Cuisine!
         California non-veg roll                                                             

 Kappa Maki

Now the Japanese dishes started coming in. Since I am a newbie when it comes to Sushi, I am unable to give a proper review of it. I did have a taste of the wasabi paste whose taste cannot be described! It definitely gives a nice kick to your tastebuds. The California non-veg roll is filled with Kanimi, Tamago and veggies. Kanimi is crab meat and Tamago is grilled egg is what Google tells me. I had one to taste and it was pretty good, not overly fishy but Japanese cuisine is new to me except Ramen. :D They provided us with chop sticks and there was soy sauce to dip these in. The presentation of the dish was impressive as you can see!



    Desserts!
 

                                                                  Chocolate Dome

The name although simple, describes this awesome dessert aptly. It is quite literally a dome of succulent chocolate. The glossy outer coating of chocolate holds the rich but not too heavy chocolate interior together and the center is filled with thick raspberry coulis that compliments the chocolatyness well. Jonah's has tied up with Baker's Street to bring such desserts all the way from Pondicherry.

                                                                       
                                                                            Opera

The "Opera" is a coffee cake with chocolate base cream. The layer of coffee flavored topping was yum but the cake layers would be better if they were softer was our feeling.


Anyway, that brings us to a close of the dishes we were served at this meet up. It was really enjoyable and the staff at Jonah's impressed us with their courteous service and the chefs were willing to answer any questions we had and took feedback that we offered graciously. Jonah's seems to be great at many main dishes like the steak, burgers, pasta and the superb desserts will let you end a trip here on a happy note. They are also reasonably priced.


                                                                Sayonara Jonah San!