Kebab Center, Mannady street

Have been exploring a "paradise" for non veggies in Chennai, also known as Mannady. This area houses some of the best non veg joints (pricing considered)  in Chennai which I will list out in the coming days. Found some great places to eat here. The combination of great taste and affordable pricing makes this one of the best places to explore on a light wallet. (my wallet being always light :P)

Mannady is the area to the north of Parry's side. Since a lot of trade (known for textiles) happens here, there's always a huge floating population of shoppers here and plenty of good joints small and big to feed them. One of the first eateries you will come across is Kebab Center right at the start of the lengthy Mannady street. You'll find a hungry crowd of people eating shawarmas and beef seekh rolls right on the road with their family and friends.

                         

                                                    L - Beef Seekh, R- Shawarma

The joint is completely open to the road with steps leading up to the billing/kitchen counter. It took me more than ten minutes to place my order because the manager was very busy. On my first visit I tried just the beef seekh roll (50 rupees) since I also had takeaway from another place. 






The beef seekh is humongous in size and made on the spot on the hot glowing coals. Never seen such a huge sized seekh in Chennai. The Seekh was expertly wrapped in a soft rumali roti. The rumali was super soft and fresh. There are no additional sauces or masalas added only few slices of onion. They do add mayo if you ask. The beef seekh was very juicy and well done. Went perfectly well with the soft rumali roti. Perfecto!





                                Beef Seekh Roll being prepared right on the counter! 

On the second visit a few days later, I had to try the plain chicken roll for just 60 rupees. It was very spicy (bit too much) and fresh but not as flavorful as the beef seekh roll. Flavor was a bit one-dimensional. The Shawarma too was promptly ordered and gobbled in a few minutes! This was superb!! The pita bread is amazingly soft almost bun-like and made the chicken soaked in mayo and crunchy veggies even more delicious. They are quite generous with the Mayo. All-in-all a great place to try out kebabs and rolls. Will be trying other items from the menu soon. 

Nutmeg - The Gourmet Shop at Cafe Mercara Express, ITC Grand Chola Chennai

It was 11 pm few nights ago. We were done having some eats and drinks elsewhere and looking to try someplace new and this is the place that popped into my mind. I've never been to this Cafe but do know that they serve some amazing desserts and that it's a 24 hour one. When I suggested it to my friend he asked me if I was mad and that he didn't want to go broke eating dessert. I assured him that he would have to spend much lesser than expected for some items here. He obviously didn't believe me. So to prove him wrong we Ola'ed here. The best part is you can walk in anytime day or night here.

I've been here once before but even then the sheer grandeur awes you like its the first time. The cafe was dimly lit with a cricket match being shown on the screen. There was a single other diner having dinner while chatting to a waiter. The ambiance was classy yet modern with the huge fibre optic chandelier changing colors slowly. Or did I imagine that?

We opened the menu and the prices sobered us up pretty quickly. Everything was more than 500 bucks. But I was sure there were affordable options too! So went towards the showcase where desserts are displayed at the front and yes, there were plenty of desserts at just 140 bucks. Chocolates start from rs 50!

My friend had the Chocolate eclair (rs 140) and me I chose the Guanaja Chocolate tart (rs 140) which looked elaborate and heavy even by sight.

Back in the cozy seating, I was amazed by the smooth creaminess of the mousse layer sitting on top of a chocolate tart shell. The taste of cocoa was perfect with a pleasing milky profile to it. The dessert was chill to hold the shape but I wouldn't have said no if it was half melted too. 

The dessert with the tart shell has a substantial quantity and would be hard to finish by one person if they are full. My friend said the chocolate eclair was the best he's had so I had to take a bite and agreed with him. Very smooth pastry with a thick creamy chocolate center. This place offers unbelievable value. Bill added a 20% tax on the price of rs 140 per item.