Kailash Kitchen, Choolaimedu

"Not all that glitters is gold. Not all those who wander are lost." But some of us may just be wandering in search of Kailash Kitchen! :P.... that mystical, notoriously elusive bamboo shack in the shadows that serves up crunchy juicy momos by the dozen. Scroll down if you want to just read about the food. 

Location: Worry not, the place is easy enough to find if you know what to look for. Right opposite the gate entrance to Chitra apartments in Choolaimedu, you'll find a yellow board with "Hunter Spices" on it. Venture bravely forth into the darkness and you'll be greeted with a tiny, sign that announces Kailash Kitchen. It's amusing that despite this complete disregard for advertising, Kailash's fame has spread through word-of-mouth of their army of regulars and internet fame. 

Takeaway I've tried their momos twice before home delivered through Genie app but wanted to try it on location for once. First visit was a few days before. Couldn't get a seat at 12:30 pm. Place was full of the college crowd who occupied all the seats before I could get one. So I decided to takeaway a Chicken Chowmein (rs 90) and fried chicken momo (rs 100). The chowmein got a bit firm because of one hour travel time. Momos were delicious as usual but lost some crunch again. Main visit Second visit was at 4 pm on a Thursday, thankfully there were vacant tables. About 25 people can fit in at full capacity.



Ambiance is chilled out, with bamboo walls and a photograph of the Dalai Lama amidst at one end. Felt like I was sitting in some cozy noodle tuckshop in Tibet if not for the Chennai heat! Ordering system It's different here. No need to feel bad taking time to choose. Once you've chosen you need to write your order on a piece of paper and hand it over to "Chotu" the single waiter who takes care of all orders here!I ordered just a fried chicken momo for 100 bucks. If you want takeaway you can call and inform them to keep it ready. Now there's a tiny trapdoor in the wall connecting the kitchen and seating area. It suddenly slides open when you least expect and a hand pushes a plate full of momos which the waiter then delivers to the table.







Food After a 20 minute wait, Eight suitably plump, piping hot just-fried momos glistening in oil were sitting pretty on my table. They surrounded a bowl of dangerous looking red chilli dip that bore resemblance to molten lava! First bite into the momo and I was within reach of Shangri-la but the burn of the chilli dip kept me grounded! Crunchy outer shell filled in with yummy juicy steamed chicken filling. What could be better? Other than the oily coating the momos were excellent. The chilli dip ground with sesame seeds is very spicy but perfect for eating the momos with provided you can handle the spice. Order a cold Pepsi if you are planning to finish that dip! 15 bucks for a glass I think. Perfect!






















Also took away an order of Tso-Tse Mein (beef -rs 85) which is soft noodles topped with gravy of choice. Chose the soft noodles instead of firmer chowmein because it tastes almost the same after travel time. It was pretty good for the price with a huge serving of the gravy (adequate, well-cooked meat). But the momos are what this place is excellent and known for! Chowmein eaten there is also recommended by some regulars!

Tso-tso mein - soft noodles with beef side.















Chowmein - A favorite among the regulars. Eat on location though.











The beef gravy was generous with small but plentiful tender beef pieces.

Annalaya Restaurant, Nungambakkam - Manar Kari Virunthu - Southern style Non veg feast

The name Annalaya sounded like a veg restaurant so I was happy to know it serves non-veg too when I got a message from them to taste the menu. I had not heard of this restaurant before so decided to go for it. 

Located at Jaganathan street, Nungambakkam it’s hard to miss because of the red branding. Right next to Vijay TV office and opposite where Waf O’ Bel used to be. Lots of parking space.

Arrived early to take some photos. The place was quite crowded after 1 pm. 

Was warmly welcomed by the staff on arrival. The manager explained that Annalaya comes under Grand Catering group which has many other brands under its wing like Barottas, Green circle which is a private dining setup right above the restaurant.

Annalaya’s ambiance was interesting with the walls having images of cooking artefacts and traditional dancers. There was a row of Kuthu vilakkus in the middle of the dining section. Decor was woody with reminded a bit of Woodlands.

The menu looks different since it’s not organised by cuisine. Most of the favourites are present in there but may take longer to find. The manager recommended me to try the Manar Kari Virunthu which is one of their signature items so I went with that. Since it has almost all the non-veg curries there was no need to spend time choosing.

While waiting they explained about the brand. Basically they started out as a veg restaurant but decided to pivot later on to non-veg to cater to both. First came a Lemon nannari sharbat with basil seeds on top. It was okay not too sweet. Then came the mutton soup which was light, spicy n good. Had only a few sips to keep space. In some time the food arrived.

Was surprised to see a banana leaf laid out, it’s always nice to eat in one. Then the waiter kept adding dish after dish around the leaf until half the table was covered with items. 

Hard to beat the feel of eating on a banana leaf!

Manar Kari Virunthu

This is the house speciality at Annalaya restaurant. There were 26 items in all with about 13 curries of chicken, mutton, fish nd prawn along with limited servings of chicken/mutton biriyani too. The spread sure looked impressive and fit for a King but I was confident I would never come close to finishing it! With the rice served, I got all set to eat!

Had a bit of each item with rice just to get the taste of it. The best among the curries were the Naatu kozhi kozhambu and the Kaada kozhumbu. Both their gravies especially chicken was delicious and well-made. The mutton korma type gravy was thinner consistency, lightly flavoured unlike the usual spicy Chettinad ones. It would go well with barottas included in the menu. Nethili fry was quite crispy made with a light batter it was different and good. Kept munching on it. Decided to try the biriyani before I ended up filling my tummy with rice n curries. They had given samples of both mutton n chicken biriyani for tasting (its choose 1 in menu). The mutton bir was really good. Made with Zeeraga samba rice the flavour was subtle with that aroma of ghee that made it more tasty. Chicken biriyani wasn’t impressive felt it was bland. 

There were 3 simple veg sides/Kootu. Prawn curry was tasty too. Was one fish fry and a fish curry. Fish curry was good and the fry was good enough. Mutton chops and liver was tender and masala was pretty good. They also brought mutton kola urundai for tasting. This was good, differently made with a crisp exterior and a soft interior with minced meat. By this time, I had almost reached my capacity and washed it down with two glasses of buttermilk. Decided to go for 
desserts since I tasted everything.

 Nannari Sharbat -

                                                     Mutton Kola Urundai - ordered seperately

Mutton biriyani made with Seeraga samba rice

   

For dessert there was a unique looking gulab jamun. It had sugar crystals on the outside and the inside was also thicker. Tasted good and so did the mango ice cream that the other dessert.






















 Most of the dishes weren’t spicy and without an overdose of salt n masala. Would suit most people especially for this sultry climate. Spoke to the management who said authentic Chettinad in the rural parts isn't spicy and is mostly veg! The price for this Manar kari Virunthu is rs 700 which is on the higher end. But given the great location and neat ambiance it’s a decent deal. Since this was a tasting session, meal was on-the-house. A convenient place to visit for officegoes in the area. There are also other lunch Virunthu sappadu from rs250 to 500 with fewer items based around mutton, fish and chicken and even Nethili. Gave the above feedback about the dishes and pricing they were happy to receive it. 

The parent company of Annalaya is Grand Catering Company. Having many brands under their banner including Barrotas, Jeevan Cafe and more. This is their mobile kitchen for events.  

Inside Green Circle: the private dining facility located on the first floor. The space was serene and well-furnished with soothing music while I was waiting. Would be convenient for office team outings where more privacy is needed. They rent it out on an hourly and day-to-day basis as well.

Holiday Inn, OMR Chennai - Launch Party

If you've travelled on the Old Mahabalipuram Road in the past few months you're sure to have noticed this huge intriguingly conceived hotel that overlooks the IT expressway. Built to resemble a cruise ship, Holiday Inn is one of the newest hotels in town. I'd assumed they had already started functioning so was surprised to receive an invite for their official launch party about a fortnight ago. I've never been to a hotel's launch party before so I was curious to see what they had in store for Chennai. Also attended the press meet the next day and got to know how the venture materialised; as a joint venture between SRP Tools and the Brigade group. Founders and senior heads from both groups were present on both the launch day and the press conference held the next day.









This part of the building resembles a ship's stern!

Location

The hotel is situated in a very good location right where LB road meets the OMR. That's pretty much right where the IT expressway begins! The hotel itself overlooks the Taramani road and it's a nice sight to view when you're sitting in the dining area overlooking life pass by the busy junction.

Launch Festivities

The launch party was lots of fun; the hotel had pulled out all stops to make it a memorable night for the guests. After the introductory speeches made by the senior management, the stage was set for some memorable dance and music performances. There was an award winning dance troupe who dazzled us with their jaw dropping "Tron dance" where dancers wear LED lit suits and dance in pitch darkness. That takes some coordination and timing! Then there was an interesting musical duet performed by musicians flown in from abroad. One of the ladies played the harp while the other played the flute! Yes, first time I was seeing a harp in real life and not on the set of a medieval movie set! :D All this was set in the event hall which it seems can be segmented to suit smaller gatherings.

About the brand

Although the name seemed familiar, I wasn't aware that the Holiday Inn brand is one that's famous worldwide. In fact, it is owned by the Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) that manages thousands of properties across the globe. This is the first Holiday Inn in Chennai and they plan to expand in a big way in the coming years across India they said.

The GM, Shipra Sumbly Kaul who was involved with this venture said that Holiday Inn as a brand is known to be family friendly worldwide and they plan to follow that in Chennai too along with being a hotel that won't empty the wallet. I enquired later how they mean "kid-friendly" and they replied that the children's menu is designed by "Nutrition Australia" and is a well-balanced, nutritious meal. Also kids (upto 12 years) accompanying parents who stay at the hotel can eat free. Catering to the family I feel is a good idea since there are enough hotels around that focus on the business customer along the IT expressway.

Ambiance

After the press meet there was a buffet lunch served in the dining area adjoining Cafe G on the 3rd level. The space is designed tastefully to cater to couples as well as the families and large groups who might take up lots of seating. The setting changes dramatically from lounge chairs to the standard dinner tables with comfortable seating. There are tables adjoining the large french windows draped with tall curtains.  I was in the company of reporters from an interesting publication Travel Secrets who were also here for the launch. We had a great time seated here with the nice view of the busy yet muted highway below us chatting away and tasting dishes leisurely.







                                The Lobby                                                                   

Main course section at Brunch time

             Opening night
                   
 

Cafe G - Multicuisine restaurant

Coming to the food, Cafe G is a multicuisine restaurant that has plenty of variety in the continental section with some nice choices in the Indian section.

Pan Asian Section

There's a separate Pan Asian section where live cooking was going on. Nasi Goreng and such was on offer along with Italian fare being served up hot. I was in the mood for Indian food so did not try those options.


















    




The selection was eclectic in terms of dishes from different cuisines so it was tough to choose what to eat. I stuck to the staple dishes this time. Some of my favorites included the traditional Kozhi roast which I teamed with the fresh baked buns from the bread section! The chicken (kozhi) roast had a lovely home made taste to it and was perfectly spiced. Went well with the soft bun. Biriyanis were lightly spiced and good too. There were plenty of interesting salads and even though I'm not a salad person I was almost tempted to try some of them! I also loaded some of the Paneer curry onto my plate and it was happily tender and flavorsome. Previous night, the Lasagne caught my palate's fancy in that hearty, cheesy way only lasagnas can. My first thought was how nice it would be if Chennai was rainy and I was eating this in bed watching something nice on Netflix. Sigh.

                           
              

 On the plate: Chicken roast, chicken biriyani, paneer curry and buns; soft, crusty.

             


                                   Breadsticks, dips! 

           

Desserts!

The dessert section is set separately and offers a huge variety to dessert lovers. Note that the cutlery for desserts is placed in a space below the dishes. There were the usual favorites like warm gulab jamuns and even laddoos and milk sweets. But there were also pies, mousse, cakes, tiramisu, ice creams and more!

               
                  Dessert section setup

My personal favorite was the Pistachio Financier which was just scrumptious with a dollop of fresh cream on the top. Not too sweet, fresh-made, moist and with that amazing pistachio flavor. I would have eaten a dozen of those if I wasn't already full. Another lovely dessert was the raspberry flavored cream cake which was super soft and again delicious. In fact, one of the Canadian guests staying there who we spoke to said it was great too.




In summary, Cafe G offers a relaxed ambiance just like the hotel itself and if they continue to offer food with the same quality, it will be a great choice for buffet lunch near the OMR area.


Hampers and special requests

The hotel has an interesting offering where they offer custom gift hampers filled with food, chocolates & goodies you choose. You can request for anything you wish in the hamper for your special person! Do check with the hotel for more details on this.

Offer

As an introductory offer, Cafe G's buffet is being offered until May 31st at INR 650 plus taxes for breakfast, INR 1050 plus taxes for lunch and INR 1,200 plus taxes for dinner.